Help - IMA, Check Eng lights + 1568 Code

[caesch]

In process of negotiating w/ dealer & Honda.

I have a 2000 MT w/ in-service date of March 2000 & 100,025 mi, registered in Tennessee.

At 73K Honda replaced my IMA battery pack, but the service order does NOT indicate that the BCM or MCM was also replaced at the same time (as per Service Bulletin 06-057).

Suddenly the car was hard to start (started on 1st crank, but weak sounding) Check engine light & IMA light, plus emergency brake light & red battery light (on left) All bars on SOC, but absolutely no signs that the IMA was charging or discharging. After a short drive, the emergency brake & battery lights went out.

I pulled the 12 volt cables & reconnected ... now have NO bars showing on the SOC at all.

Drove 40 miles to dealer w/ only the Check Engine & IMA lights showing, and the emergency brake & battery lights would come on when pulling onto the highway, or coasting down a grade. But the IMA & Check Eng lights remained on ... still no bars on the SOC & no signs of charging or assist gauges.

I also checked the fuses for the IMA both under the hood and in the interior compartment ... all seems fine with those fuses.

Dealer service tech pulled only 2 codes ... 1449 & 1568.

A few months ago, and only once, I thought I noticed the smell of catalytic converter ... rotten eggs.

Dealer says I'm out of warranty, and that I need a new BCM ... about $2000.

In checking my service history & service bulletin 06-057 regarding that IMA battery pack replacement in 2006, I noted that the service order did NOT reference the replacement of the BCM & MCM. Therefore, I'm arguing that the BCM they are telling me I need to replace (for $2000) SHOULD still be covered under warranty by Honda.

Dealer is talking w/ Honda for approval.

Questions ...

Any thoughts about what the dealer says is the cause of my problems ... that I need a new BCM?

Any thoughts about how to successfully negotiate my argument that HONDA (or the dealership) should be covering the cost of the pricey repair ... because it SHOULD have been replaced in 2006 when they replaced the IMA pack under warranty.

Also, logic escapes me that in 2006 when I got the new IMA battery pack, that a NEW warranty for the repair didn't start anew ... why wouldn't that new pack now have the additional 8-10 years and/or additional 150K miles? I was told VERBALLY by the dealership in 2006 that my warranty started anew for this IMA pack. But the dealership has backed off that verbal assurance now, and says I have NO WARRANTY.

I am looking to SELL this car, and would have a difficult time justifying a $2000 repair just to make it sellable again.

Perhaps there is someone out there interested in buying it for a reasonable price, and doing the repair themselves?

[aisbell]

First, the warranty clock on the IMA battery is not reset when the battery is replaced. The IMA warranty ends on the 10-year anniversary of the in-service date or at 150,000 miles (actually, something like 157,500 miles due to the result of a lawsuit), whichever comes first. So you have no warranty coverage now.

Someone else more knowledgeable than me will probably tell you that a 1449 DTC is due to a bad IMA battery, not a bad BCM (please correct me if I'm wrong). So your IMA repair bill would be lower buying a rebuilt IMA battery from Ron Hansen than from Honda. A sale with a bad IMA battery might be the least expensive option.

[MN Driver]

I don't think a BCM replacement will help if the BCM you have is giving you a P1449 and P1568 indicating an IMA battery problem, I think a new BCM will return the same code if the bad IMA battery issue isn't solved. If the in-service date was March 2000, you lost the warranty at March 2010 unless you have something in writing for a warranty extension of some type but I've never heard of that happening before. There have been cases where Honda has done a good-will replacement or half-credit slightly over the mileage but I've never heard them going over the original 10 year time span.

I sent you a PM, I'm looking for a second Insight.

[Hybrid-Battery-Repair]

Originally Posted by caesch

Dealer says I'm out of warranty, and that I need a new BCM ... about $2000.

The first thing you need to do is to stop believing everything the dealer says.

P1568 is either a bad BCM, or a bad cable or a bad battery. There is no way the dealer can determine which without opening up the car.

While there have been new BCMs made since your car went into service, they are not a mandatory upgrade. They are just "bug-fixes".

I've sent you the testing scripts for this error. With nothing more than voltmeter, you will be able to diagnose the problem.

I caution you though, unless you have mice chewing on the wiring

Mice!

you most likely have a bad battery. We can fix it. Actually, if you do have mice, we can still fix it, but the battery cells are probably good.

If you need a BCM, we sell them for $100, but you should make sure that is what you need first.