I bought a used 2022 Honda Ridgeline with ~7,000 miles on it some months back. It was a "dealer demo car" and was well-maintained as a result. Now, it's got around 12,000 miles on it.
One day, I left the lights on too long with the ignition off, and had the radio playing. Stupid on my part, but my battery didn't have enough charge to deliver the amps needed to turn the engine over. I bought a Noco GB40, and it worked well - it'd start my truck when needed. Yesterday, it didn't. I guess the battery had degraded too much, so I was shopping for new batteries when the sticker shock hit me. Given the age of my truck, I thought it would be silly to replace the battery.
Someone recommended the Noco Genius5, so I gave it a shot. Amazon's same-day delivery got it to me quickly, and I basically hooked it up to the battery, plugged it in, set it to AGM mode, and let it go to work. I waited several hours for the charger light to show "solid green", indicating it was fully charged. I started up my truck; it sounded better than the day I bought it. However, on the dash, it had a note about an "emissions problem". My scan tool showed a permanent code with the Transmission Control Module and a bunch of other temporary codes. Since I didn't have any codes before, I figured I may have freaked out the electronics by charging the battery while the battery was hooked up to the truck, or maybe by touching the terminals out of sequence when removing the cables. Either way, I removed the battery from my truck, hooked up the Genius5, and set it to "repair mode".
My truck had low mileage when I bought it, at about a year old, which likely meant that it say for a while when not in use. Maybe that could have led to sulfation or stratification, which could have meant it wouldn't charge as effectively from the alternator. I also wanted to remove the battery to allow the computers to reset in the truck. If it was still throwing codes after that, I'd bring it into the dealer.
This morning, when I woke up, I noticed the Genius5 was in standby mode, meaning the repair mode had finished. I started the Genius5 back up, and set it to AGM mode again -- it took about a minute, but it said the battery was good to go with a solid green light. I Installed the battery back in my truck, fired it up, and I kid you not, it sounded better than ever -- less strained, more powerful, and all of the codes were gone. My truck had a freakout -- not due to this device, I'm sure, but likely due to me doing something stupid.
It's rare for me to review a product so quickly. This thing is amazing, has lots of neat accessories available for it, and saved me money. I'll continue using it to prolong my batteries and save me money in the long-run.
If you're on the fence, this little device is absolutely legit. 10/10 would recommend.
| Manufacturer | NOCO |
|---|---|
| Brand | NOCO |
| Model | GENIUS5 |
| Item Weight | 1.59 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 3.43 x 4.61 x 7.95 inches |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | GENIUS5 |
| Exterior | Machined |
| Manufacturer Part Number | GENIUS5 |
| Special Features | Battery Charger For Cars, Automotive, 12V and More, Spark-Proof and Reverse Polarity Protection, Force Mode For Manual Battery Charging, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger And Battery Desulfator, Temperature Compensation For Accurate Recharging, IP65 Ingress Protection |
