maximizese

My wife's 07 Rx400h started reading "Check VSC System" on the display and her motorized steering wheel leveling seems to have really slowed down over the last few days. She tried to "Ready" the car this morning and didn't get it. Instead she got "Check VSC System." I tested her 12V battery with a multimeter and it read 8.47V. I tested it against the 12V battery in my TDI which read 12.82V.

Her battery is at least 3.8 years old and is an AC Delco 6YR battery with 600CCA. I believe it's a group 24 battery, though I will be replacing it with a group 51R. Anyways after pricing it out at the local auto parts stores, Autozone has one fore $150, Pepboys for $200, and AAA affiliate for $100 installed. I decided to go with the AAA if the battery has at least a 5 year rating with a decent reserve. From what I understand about a crank-less system, CCA does not matter. Does anyone regret their battery purchase?

smassey321

I regret paying $150 for the dealer battery which only lasted 3 years. Is the steering really 12 volts? Mine has been slower than normal lately. I need to check voltage and see where I am.

Others have gone with this

thomas1

I would just go with a Walmart or Costco battery....Warranty is decent and price is a lot cheaper.

maximizese

Thanks guys. My wife needs the car by the afternoon so I'll check out Walmart and see if they have a decent battery under $100. I've had positive experiences with the Optima Yellow and Red Top batteries in the past with my other cars. Yellow was a deep cycle battery that could be discharged and recharged several times. The Red was just a solid gel battery. Both lasted me about 8 years and 150K miles.

Smassey321, I believe the Rx400h needs 12.5V to power the computers in order for the car to "Ready." Any less and the car simply won't start. My 8.47V isn't going to cut it.

Weighit

Here in Arizona we or I should say I can't get 3 years out of a battery. I have replaced mine twice now and went to the local auto parts store and got the 3 year full replacement warranty battery and have just turned in the bad one and got the free new one. I think the original price was about $125 4 years ago.

maximizese

I ended up having AAA's affiliate change the battery for $107 out the door. Old battery rated at 5.08V this morning (I had to use the mechanical door lock to open the door), and the new battery registers at 12.64V. The new battery has a 3 yr free replacement with an additional 3 years pro-rated.

thomas1

Costco battery was $69 with a 4 year free replacement.

maximizese

That certainly must be the best price. I shopped around online through Walmart, Autozone, & Pepboys. AAA was the lowest of the 3. I don't have a Costco membership and they don't list car batteries on their website. I'll keep this in mind 3-5 years down the road when I'm in need of another battery.

jooksing82

Outside of Costco, Walmart has a easy return/exchange. The people around the counter don;t usually care. they will scan it in and the machine either cover you full value or credit toward replacement depending how much warranty is left.

The last remaining place i check is Advance Autoparts, they will have some online coupon that will knock $30-$50 off the purchase. And i pick it up at the store. or let them install it for me.

jakenbake

I have said it in many posts about batteries...But the best purchase I made on this car was an Optima Yellowtop. The regular tiny 12v batteries would always die if I didn't drive the car at least every other day....I was jumping the car ALL THE TIME. But once I got the Yellowtop, I could go a week or two and not have any problem starting it. It is about $100 more than the regular batteries, but SOOOO worth the cost!

thomas1

for what you guys pay for batteries you could buy Costco membership and battery and still be cheaper.

Lexusfixer

I am on year six with Optima battery, it has been worth every bit of the $150.00 I paid for it at local speed shop.


OPTIMA® Batteries 8020-164 35 REDTOP® Starting Battery

jakenbake

Well my Costco membership is free for life and I still would rather pay for the Yellow Top. I wouldn't do the Red Top in the hybrid since the Red Top is meant for cranking but the hybrids don't crank and don't put a load on the battery when starting. The Yellow Top is meant to provide steady voltage even when the battery is running low. It also charges faster than a standard battery.

maximizese

My experience with the Yellow Top is that it's a deep cycle battery that is designed to be discharged and recharged over and over. I had on in my old 97 Nissan Maxima. I bought a bunch of them from a guy who made his own EV Civic using Optima Yellow Tops. I was into car audio back in the 90s so the Yellow Top was great for draining when the engine was off. It held a reserve to make sure the car could start after 1.5hrs of draw. Great battery.

I also had an Optima Red Top battery in my 01 VW Golf TDI. It lasted about 8 years and 150K miles. The diesel engine demands a lot of CCA to turn.