ppeter4685

My ES 300h is not going to be driven for about 2 months. Will it start right up after that time or will the batteries be dead? How long can it sit idle and still start up again?

lesz

I don't know about the ES 300h, but, with my ES 350 or just about any other car built today, I'd be comfortable with leaving it in the garage for a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure that I'd want to push it for two months. Modern cars have so many systems that use small amounts of power constantly, that need to retain memory settings, etc., and the way that they constantly draw small amounts of power is going gradually to wear down the battery.
And this will be especially true if the time when the vehicle is not being driven happens during the dead of winter in a cold climate. This past winter, with my GX, I didn't drive it for about 4 days when the temperatures were in the -20 to -30 range, and, when I did try to start it, the battery, which was a brand new battery, barely had enough charge to start the vehicle.

My suggestion would be to hook it up to a trickle charger. I just checked on Amazon, and you can buy a trickle charger for as little as about $10 to about $30. Then, for a few cents worth of electricity per day, the battery will be kept in top shape. If, on the other hand, the battery is completely drained over that 2 month period, you likely will be buying a new battery, which is why my choice would be to use the trickle charger and not even take the chance that the battery might drain completely while the vehicle was not being driven.

bc6152

I own 2 classic cars that are stored during the severe winters here in Pennsylvania. I used to let the batteries discharge over the winter then recharge them in the Spring. I was buying batteries about every two years. I then found out about the "Battery Tender". It's a device like the one Les recommended. I use a 6 volt for the '31 and a 12 volt for the '66. I have been using it for about 8 years and have not had to buy a new battery for either car.
I hook it up in November and disconnect it in April. The digital device sells for about $50.00.

cavedawg

I just replaced the 12V battery in my 2010 RX450h last week. $250 for the battery, $350 total labor installed and tax. It sat in the garage for 3-4 weeks and would not start. It was an early build so the battery was 5 years old. I was going to replace it before winter so I did it a little early. I never let a battery go longer than about 5 years because after being stranded a couple times over the years I won't take the chance. They usually do not run down they die suddenly. After the install I went to Amazon and purchased a "Battery Tender Plus" and hooked it up yesterday. I plan on putting one on my 2013 ES300h before winter gets here. I look at it as cheap insurance since I only put 100 or so miles on each per month to keep them running.

C

SLH

In the 300h, the little 12 volt battery does not start the engine. It only has to operate a relay that allows the big 240 volt battery to start the engine. But that little 12 volt battery also runs all the other stuff while the big battery is not connected -- the security system, the key-less entry, the dome lights, the radio, etc...

There is nothing you can really do to protect the 240 volt battery. If it ever goes dead, the only option is a flatbed to the dealer. But, because of the relay, it is not connected while the car is "off", so the car can sit for a very long time indeed before that happens. Just make sure it is charged up before you store the car for an extended period.

The security system, key-less entry, etc, _will_ discharge the 12 volt battery, if you let it sit long enough. As bc6152 suggests, you can connect a Battery Tender to keep it charged. Just run an extension cord to the car to supply the battery tender.

I have a truck that I don't use very much. It sits for a couple months at a stretch, with a Battery Tender , with no problem. I route the extension cord into the cab, and loop it through the steering wheel, so I will see it and remember to unplug and remove the cord and the Battery Tender before I drive the vehicle.

Nelexus88

Using a battery tender is not real easy on the 300h since the 12 volt battery is covered up in the trunk, but not a big problem if you are handy with tools.

It might be worth a call to your local Minnesota Lexus or Toyota dealers to see what their experience has been regarding parking your hybrid for 2 months.

lesz

The trickle charger that I have been using for about 12 years does connect directly to the battery terminals. Are there not, however, ones available now that can be plugged into the power accessory ports (formerly cigarette lighters) inside the vehicle?

Nelexus88

Since the accessory ports are not powered when the car is off, I dont think a plug-in charger will work.

don1

I won't be parking my 300h for extended periods of time but my wife's 2000 Honda Civic is parked for 3-4 months every winter and the battery does just fine. After the extra cold winter here in Ontario I did charge it for about an hour before starting the car this spring.

jollick

The 12 volt battery in my 2013 ES300h is very easy to get to and there are no tools required, The cover is held on with Velcro.

SLH

Open the trunk. Look at the right side of the interior. See the large piece of black plastic. At the top of that plastic, all the way as the right, are two plastic latches. Pull on those, gently, with two fingers. The plastic piece comes right off. Your are now looking at the 12-volt battery. NO TOOLS NEEDED.

JRandy

A Toyota Tech told me that on Camry Hybrids they make some sort of easy addition to the fuse box under the hood to enable connecting an inexpensive trickle charger. I opted for an ES 350 instead of a hybrid partly because of the battery issue. This same tech explained to me that my car, which was a non-hybrid Camry, had one computer where the Hybrid Camry has 23 computers drawing power. If he was giving me the straight scoop on that, it would be preferable in my garage to connect under the hood rather than the in the trunk.

lesz

I would guess with a high level of confidence that a 2013 or 2014 ES has a significantly higher number of systems that are constantly draining the battery than a 2000 Honda Civic would have.

Another factor to consider is that, while a battery will lose a significant amount of charge in extreme cold and it will recover some of that charge as more moderate temperatures return, depending on how much of that charge is lost during the coldest part of the winter, allowing the battery to drain down its charge like this can have a long term effect on the life of the battery and on its ability to hold a charge.

For the minimal cost of a trickle charger and a few cents worth of electricity each day, keeping the battery of a car that is not driven for several months charged is an easy and inexpensive way to maximize the performance and life of a vehicle's battery. I've typically had a vehicle that gets stored for the winter. With the vehicle that I currently store during the winter, I got 9 years of service out of the original factory battery. Even after 9 years, that battery was still healthy enough that I think I could have gotten another year out of it, but I thought that it was safer to replace it. I have no question that keeping a trickle charger on that battery during each of those winter storage periods was the significant factor allowing the life of the battery to be extended.

bc6152

One issue that I think has been touched upon previously and bears mentioning, is the proximity of the electronic key to the vehicle. A week ago I was at a remote start installation store and was informed that the key is constantly communicating with the vehicle within a specific distance. If left for a substantial amount of time, the vehicle and the remote battery will be discharged.

Arty101

Bob- good point. The key fob, if nearby the car, will be constantly communicating with the car and will drain both the key fob and car batteries. This is something to remember and avoid.