pauljcl

My RX is three years' old, practically to the day, and the battery died. Lexus replaced it under warranty. Newbattery is marked 84 months, but they told me that the Lexus batteries only last three years, at which point you call the dealer and are offered a 50% (pro-rata) discount on a new one. I remember having done this on a previous model, and the battery discounted cost plus dealer's installation fees ended up costing more than just buying a new (non-Toyota) battery elsewhere and just putting it in.
My BMW's battery lasted nearly seven years (Bosch), but it is situated in the (rear) trunk where it is better protected from heat.
Is everyone having the same 'life' with their Lexus batteries? Have some brands proved to last longer than others?

jfelbab

I replaced my OEM battery at 7 years and it was showing no signs of weakness. I changed it as a precaution as I do a lot of long distance travel and didn't want to risk a failure on the road. I think your service manager is full if it when he says they only last three years.

neilaz

I wish my battery would last 3 years. So far best has been 18 months. On third on now.

salimshah

Other than the demand and use [inactive is typically bad ... you want a draw and charge to happen], the most important factor is the environment. Heat and Cold both reduce the life and major swing also cuts down the life.

Here is central Texas, less than 3 years would be unacceptable, but 4 year would be nothing to complain about. 5 yr or more, you are in bonus zone.

Major source of draw is start and RX typically fires up with-in 2 sec. The other silent draw are the "auto" features like auto-headlights etc. Short runs also cause drainage, as start draw and draw after engine turn off leak the charge away.

If you do short runs, you can improve battery life by an overnight charge, once a month.

Finally: How a battery is tended after manufacturing to the time it is installed in a vehicle has a significant impact on long term life. It is usually better to buy from a place which has larger turnover of inventory.

Salim

Rainbird

I am on 6 years with the original battery. I had thought at first, that the OEM battery was a maintenance free one. It was not. At plus 2 years I removed the two battery cell covers and discovered the cells barely covered with water. I now check every 6 months and add distilled water as required.

pauljcl

Interesting. I saw the covers and tentatively tried to open one (it did not 'give' easily', so I stopped - but wondered why there were appearances of covers if they were not covers). I, too, was told the battery was maintenance-free.
A friend in Las Vegas tells me that their batteries only last up to 18 months, whatever the brand. They make a precautionary practice of changing them every 15 months or so (!!).
I, too, will pry the covers off and check the water level every six months. Thanks for the tip!

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

Costco battery would probably be your best bet: 2-year free replacement warranty

cdnewton

Original Panasonic was four years old and I replaced it (preventative) .... NAPA replacement lasted just shy of three years ... warranty replacement from NAPA is going on about two years now ... I am expecting it to die around the three year mark. Next battery will be an Interstate, perhaps it will last longer.

compdr59

I spent less with this discount than the prorated battery. The original one and my replacement lasted 3.5 years. Once it needs to be jumped for no apparent reason, it's time to replace it.

http://advanceautoparts.tellapal.com/a/clk/14MbG

pauljcl

If you keep on changing brand, you can be a one-man lab.! Great! Have you tried the Bosch?
I used to drive an MGB in the late 60s when I lived in Europe, and also the AH3000MkII. Those were great times/cars!

pauljcl

I hope the discount will apply in three years time (when I next need to change the battery!).

tfischer

Battery life is, I think, highly correlated to the usage and the storage conditions of the car in question, so generalizations are difficult. My RX gets parked indoors in the winter, and I put only about 3,000 to 5,000 miles on it each year. My batteries last about three years. In fact, at the three year mark I will often see some slight signs of weakness, and I will replace it then rather than try to squeeze out another few months and get stranded in some parking garage (even though I always have jumper cables in the back). I'm not sure about all the factors, but we all know that cold weather and many starts decrease battery life, but then that's what the battery is for. My only suggestion is to buy a good one and at early (but not premature) signs of stress, buy another. They don't really cost that much, especially if you just go to the shop or parts department and change it out yourself, which is pretty easy.

pauljcl

I quite agree. I think the 'killer' is really the heat, not the cold. There seems to be a correlation between a shorter battery life and a warmer environment, from what I can tell speaking to people. Also, the 'more than double the Lexus battery life' from the BMW/Bosch battery is due, I believe, less to 'better battery construction' but more to 'battery protected in the trunk from teh heat of the motor'. My Lexus gets used only occasionally during the winter, and much more during the period June to November. The convertible (BMW) gets 'stored' during the Jun to November period with a battery 'maintainer'/trickle charger, and otherwise is used practically every day.
In response to a comment from someone higher up, I think the service manager at Lexus (who stated that the Lexus batteries only last three years) was referring to his own experience in Miami, where most batteries have the stated life because of the climate.

Kendig

I think Lexus (Toyota) simply saved a few pennies on batteries and would up with junk ones. My 2007 rx400h (which uses a seriously smaller battery than the 300/350 and does not even use the 12v battery to drive a starter) needed a replacement battery in June 2009 when we bought it, and that replacement failed in Jan 2012. I don't know who makes them, but that was it for me using Lexus branded batteries. Looked at Consumer Reports, went to Autozone.

Heat issues? Nah. I had a 2004 Cadillac XLR (which generated as much underhood heat here in Florida as its Corvette cousins), and its battery lasted 7+ years -- likely would have been more but I replaced it after 7.5 years just as insurance since XLR's are not easy to deal with if the battery dies. I've now got a 2008 XLR, and I don't expect its battery to fail this side of 2016.

All things considered, I'd rather pay full price for a battery I can trust than get a credit/discount from a Lexus dealer on a battery I can't.

First time you have any battery-related issue on a Lexus, just save yourself a world of aggravation, just go replace the d**m battery with a reliable brand.

cdnewton

If you think that is bad, you should see my oil use ... I have used Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, Pennzoil High Mileage and lately a mix of Pennzoil Ultra w/Pennzoil High Mileage.... for oil filters, I have used Fram Xtended Guard, PureOne, Bosch, etc .... sorry, got off topic a bit.

Back to the battery topic, I would prefer to get another Panasonic, they are amazing batteries. In my Acura, it was still going strong at the eight year mark! But, I will probably get an Interstate.

As for the MG-B, it was my wife's car in high school (in the 80s) that we have restored ... fun car to take on a nice Colorado summer day.