gloamin

Hi, I'm new to your forum and am hoping you can give me an answer that I've been given before from my garage. I need verification, because it seems strange to me.

I have an'06 RX330 with 40K miles on it. It was a program car and I've had it since June '09.
Recently (last 2 years) I've had an on and off problem. In Sept of '11, I had the battery replaced because the dealer (who I do trust) said the electronics on the newer cars will slowly drain the battery if not driven every three days or so. Ok. I go home with a new battery and in June of '12, car won't start.....battery was down and they jumped it and I went home happy go lucky, but they told me the same three day driving reply. I've had lots of ortho surgery on my back, so I don't drive every three days especially in winter.....so last Thursday, I went to start the car after a week of not driving and had to be jumped again. Drove the car for about 45 minutes around town and on highway. Went out Friday morning and drained again. This morning I jumped it and took it to garage; they replaced battery and told me it had to be driven every three days or the battery will drain to where it won't start the car. Are they telling me the truth or a story? I've heard this same explanation from a couple other people but most look at me as if I have three heads when I inquire. I have remote-starter installed and I know just using that is not enough and the car needs driven. Other than that, I'm pleased as ever with the car....just need some reassurance. Thank you in advance.

RX330inFL

I have an '04 RX330, basic config with no NAV system. Have owned it since new. Is not unusual for it to sit for a week or two without being used. Have never had a problem with it starting and I do not use a battery tender. SOMETHING, who knows what, is drawing power to drain your battery. Assuming that it is charging properly in the first place and the battery is good. As the only difference seems to be that remote starter it would be the first thing I would check to see if it is drawing power while the vehicle is off.

So, no I do not buy the premise a new vehicle has to be run every few days to keep the battery charged. Let us know how the new battery is doing after a few days of sitting. You may have just gotten a bad battery after the first one previous to that went bad. If the problem starts up again you need to have someone look to see what is drawing power.

Do you park your RX in the garage? If so, you might consider purchasing a battery tender to use when not in use so you will not need to worry about having to have the vehicle jumped when parked for extended periods of time. Inexpensive, though just a temporary fix as it does not really solve the problem.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher...arger/13005742

gloamin

This is what I thought......... Something is drawing power, though they told me it was the electronics. It never did it before when I let it sit.....it's been in the last 2 years and 2 batteries....trying to argue with these mechanics is impossible because I'm female and they know more than I do (tongue in cheek).

Is there a way to check if it's the remote-starter? I notice that the bloody thing (the hand module) itself goes through batteries quite frequently now. Maybe it's time to blow the wad and visit or call Lexus. I sincerely thank you for your help. Hope you're having a good New Year.

Oh yes, the car is in an unheated garage....actually, my barn; I have no Nav system, either.

RX330inFL

Electronics... well... no. I do not believe so in this case for an RX330. The only thing really running when the vehicle is off is the alarm system that comes to mind at the moment. Perhaps someone else will chime in on that point. Usually when I see these problems here on Club Lexus it has to do with something added post factory, such as with your remote starter, there is a battery and/or charging issue, a rogue light is being left on, wiring damaged in an accident, or such. In this case, perhaps the remote is malfunctioning and trying to constantly talk to the transceiver in the RX for the remote starter.

I am sure there are vehicles today which may be more susceptible to draining the main battery due to electronics constantly running while the vehicle is off and after it has sat for a number of days. Hybrids and others loaded with all sorts of electronic gadgetry come to mind. However, there is not really all that much in the RX330 to cause such, IMO.

Yes, it should be possible to test and locate the problem. Can be done by any competent mechanic. Would be at least one hour of labor and longer if it is a bit trickier to track down. First, I would have them do a load test on the battery and charging system to make sure you do not have another bad battery or other such issue. If that is OK, then they would need to check for what is drawing power with the vehicle off starting with the remote starter and any other post factory products installed.

In the meantime, take a moment at night to make sure there are no interior lights being left on inside your RX such as in the hatch area.

Finally, if you do not like how you are being treated or feel you are not being taken serious when talking with your service writers and service techs you need to find another shop. Much of what is in your Lexus outside of the body is pure Toyota. The engine is the same as what is found in the same vintage Highlander V6 and RAV4 V6 vehicles, for example. There are plenty of shops who would be happy to have your business. If you are looking for a different shop other than Lexus you might consider a local Toyota dealership. Ask around. Perhaps there are others here at CL in your area who can recommend a shop to use.

gloamin

Thanks for your help and advice, RX330inFL.....I'm feeling it might be the remote and I'll go to a different dealer to have them check thing out. You've been very helpful.

RX330inFL

Try taking the battery out of the remote when not in use.

draco

Might it be a faulty alternator? If the alternator is not charging the battery, then this may be causing it to not be "topped" up and hence this could be causing you the problem.

RX330inFL

Why I mentioned that she should have a load test done on the battery and charging system first. While I do not believe it is the alternator, one cannot rule that out. Personally, I think it is possible she may have another bad battery or something in that remote starter system is now acting up draining the system -- possibly the remote itself.

Having a different shop look into the problem without previous prejudice should help as well.

jfelbab

Every airport parking lot in the world would be full of these cars if what they said were true. While the electronics in modern cars will draw a bit of power, even when the car is idle, they shouldn't deplete a good battery in three days. I've left my RX in airports many times for 2 - 4 weeks at a time with no issue. My manual suggests shutting off the auto headlights when parking for a long time so that might be another area to reduce power drain. Any decent shop will be able to do a battery load test along with a battery idle current drain test. The latter will show just how much current is drawn when the car is parked. Using this test a tech can remove specific fuses, one at a time to determine just which power leg is the issue. If the vehicle has any aftermarket electronics added, I'd look there first.

If your car is out of warranty, it might be cheaper to buy a battery maintainer device. I've seen these selling in the $25-$65 range and there are several brands: Battery Tender, Battery MINDer, Sears DieHard, Schumacher, etc.

gloamin

Draco, it was shown not to be the alternator or starter; they did a load test. When this first happened in 2011, it was also shown to be the battery, not car. I have noticed lately that my remote starter has made it's whistley tune...out of the blue for the last month and then the remote's battery needed replaced two days ago, which I did. It has been fine, since. I turn all my accessories off (including automatic on/of lights); there are no lights on in the car when I exit or even left in the 'door' position. I literally turn everything off. I am beginning to think it is the remote starter and as RX330inFL said, perhaps take the remote battery out when not in use. I was going to ask that question and wondered if I would lose the 'programming' in the remote. This morning, with a new battery, it started fine, I drove it 15 miles, we'll see what happens. If it's safe to remove the remote battery, that sounds like the easier solution and when I go to Lexus to have it serviced, if no other incidents occur, I'll ask them to do the full check. You gentlemen have been very helpful. Thanks so much.

Edit to add: I have been shown the Schumacher float charger and I may invest in that if need be. If you all say I won't lose my programming in the remote starter, I'll remove the battery.

RX330inFL

See my URL above. Those familiar with Schumacher know it is a good product for what it does. They are currently $19 at Walmart. Just do Ship-to-Store to save yourself that cost and it will be there in a few days.

gloamin

I will go to Walmart tomorrow as it will let me drive the car LOL. Yes I read the specs and such on the Schumacher.....but my last question is, 'will I lose programming on remote if I remove the AAA battery?'

Thank you!

RX330inFL

That was for jfelbab. BTW, I do not think they carry those in the stores at Walmart. They have to be ordered online for Ship-to-Store.

Without knowing the specifics of your remote starter system it would be hard to say about loosing any settings. However, it is rare that settings are even stored in the remote. Do you have any settings with that system? Have you had to program it previous?

gloamin

[QUOTE=RX330inFL:
Without knowing the specifics of your remote starter system it would be hard to say about loosing any settings. However, it is rare that settings are even stored in the remote. Do you have any settings with that system? Have you had to program it previous?[/QUOTE]

There are settings written so small that no one could possibly read them but I've never had to program it. Lexus installed it and it's a 'Prestige' remote. Thanks again, I understand about having to order the Schumacher, that's fine.

This is the remote and all I was told when I left the Lexus dealer was "push this one twice and it will start; this is the unlock; this is the lock." I know it has the ability to do much more but I have absolutely no idea how to do it. (Not really needed at this time.)

https://autotechs.com/items/item2137.htm my model

RX330inFL

Bookmark this page on your computer for future reference if needed:

http://www.audiovoxproducts.com/pres...y/?sku=APS997C

Select the Support/Manuals tab. You will see six selections to include the last three, which are:

Owner/User Manual: http://voxxintlcorp.com/docs/common/...APS997C_OM.pdf

Program Guide: http://voxxintlcorp.com/docs/common/...APS997C_PG.pdf

Transmitter Program Guide: http://voxxintlcorp.com/docs/common/...PS997C_TPG.pdf

Download those to your computer for future reference.