Hampson

How do I turn the car off and listen to the radio. I have a push button start.

Thanks,

LexRexBlue

Shut down the engine normally. Then press the start button but Don't step on the brake!

txes

Complete instructions in the owner's manual also.

BertL

OP, first, welcome to the forum.

I can't tell from your post the RX model and model year you have (hint-hint), but on my 2013 RX450h, my process when I pull into somewhere and am going to wait awhile is: Put my foot on the brake and stop; While my RX is still in Drive or Reverse, push the Start/Power Button to turn the RX off; Then shift to Park. -- Doing it that way before you shift to Park will put your RX in Accessory mode and keep your music playing (and Nav operational if you have it, or the rearview camera displaying if you were in Reverse when you turned the RX off). You then turn the music/Nav off by pressing the Start/Power Button once before you get out of the truck, or on the 2013+ models, it will automatically turn off in 20 minutes as a battery saving measure.

There are lots of little tricks with your RX. Yes, do take time with that Owner's Manual to discover more, and you'll find a lot of tips provided by members here as well. Additionally, if you purchased your RX new, your Dealer's Technology Specialist should have taken you through the car upon delivery, and is always there for any Lexus Owner to contact if you get to the point where you'd like someone to sit in the seat and show you how something operates as well.

Enjoy that RX!

COPAPILOT

The manual does not recommend running accessories on the 12v battery with the power system off. The car comes with a very small 12v battery since this battery does not have to power a starting motor. If you run the 12v battery down, you will not be able to start the power system until the battery is replaced and the car reset.
I have found that you can sit for a long time with the power system on without the engine starting and affecting gas mileage unless it is cold outside and the engine starts to keep itself or the car warm. Even then you would have sit for hours to make a difference in gas mileage since if you do not have the power system on the engine will cool down and burn more gas to heat back up when you restart it.

Don't take a chance in killing your 12v battery, keep the power on.

BertL

COPAPILOT, I suspect you have a RX450h, and we're not sure if others reading this may have a 350 since we have a mixed group here on the forum. Anyway, I agree I could keep my accessories going for a very long time if I allowed my parked, but STARTed (aka "turned-on") RXh to occasionally kick in the ICE to recharge the 12V battery -- that's certainly a leg up on the 350 I had not considered if one were to use our hybrids that way.

Under most conditions though where we're not dealing with a STARTed vehicle and want to use accessory mode, I've easily sat in my parked and turned-off RX for more than an hour, listening to tunes and powering my iPod without any concern that my RXh will start up later. My 2013 shuts accessories off after 20 minutes, so I have to turn it back on manually after that. We all have different tolerances for risk I suppose... e.g. others have talked about 12V coolers they use at tailgate parties (for who knows how long and I bet they didn't have a STARTed RXh), or say, turning their infotainment system on to listen to music while they work on their RX. Me, well, I'd never do either. I trust my 12V battery will last long enough for reasonable use and periods of time, but I also use a traditional ice chest when needed, and keep a boom box plugged into my garage wall when I want to detail my ride -- as that can take minutes to hours to days every now and then ...a whole lot longer than any 12V battery would.

RXSF

I do what Bert does, except I shift into Neutral and then push the start button to turn the car off.

corradoMR2

Yeah with the foot brake deployed (for safety) is how I've done it on the 350.

Marqevans

I did this once in a parking lot and forgot to shift into park. I found myself rolling back into the aisle. Fortunately an oncoming car honked and I hit the brake just in time.

RXSF

Yes, well I wrote my suggestion with the implied direction of keeping your foot on the brake and then shifting into park immediately after pushing the start button

vlad_a

FYI, later RXh do have a full size battery in the boot. Mine will go for hours, except it turns itself off every 20 minutes.

NateJG

Mine (2013 450h w/25K miles in 14 Mos) went to 2.2 VDC after merely parking it for 17 days (right after Christmas) with no known load/drain (and no, I didn't leave the lights on).

The best I could come up with is that it is a group S55D23L, OE CCA rating: 360 and is a Vented AGM Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA). It seems to me that a good deep cycle battery from a boat trolling motor would make sense (and add capacity) - and might even fit.

Lastly, it should be charged at no more than 5 amps for under 10 hours.

I cannot find anything regarding the car's charging system - especially looking for what kind of load (in amps) the charging system can maintain (I'm a Ham - and would like to know what I can pull out of the battery while the car is running without discharging the battery).

NateJG

vlad_a

Nate, my knowledge is very limited, but the best number I heard is that the converter is capable of 100amps.
You probably could put a load on it and monitor voltage. At around 12.4 you'll start dipping into the battery capacity. Keep at it for a while and if it starts dropping, you have exceeded DC-DC converter's output.
Although, the hybrid may then run the engine and a higher output to recharge the traction battery, giving it an extra bump in power.
So, the only thing I can recommend is experimenting.

Optima Blue Top might complement the hybrid nicely.