Dead battery
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2nd gear
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From: Ohio
Dead battery
I have a used 2006 Lexus is250. The battery is dead and I was told that if you hold the key fob near the start button it will start a dead battery under the hood. It doesn’t though. Is there there a way to check on this other battery? Where is it located in the vehicle and is it common they go bad when they get old? Thank you in advance.
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The best ones I've seen were arguably the (former) Exide and Sears Die-Hard brands, but I don't think they are even in production any more....I haven't seen one for years. At one time, both had a vehicle-lifetime warranty.....which got shortened more and more over the years. They were not guaranteed to not go dead (that can happen with any battery), but were guaranteed to hold a charge.
Last edited by mmarshall; Oct 28, 2023 at 05:36 PM.
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If you drive the vehicle enough to keep them well-charged, I've seen them go as long as 7 years.
The best ones I've seen were arguably the (former) Exide and Sears Die-Hard brands, but I don't think they are even in production any more....I haven't seen one for years. At one time, both had a vehicle-lifetime warranty.....which got shortened more and more over the years. They were not guaranteed to not go dead (that can happen with any battery), but were guaranteed to hold a charge.
The best ones I've seen were arguably the (former) Exide and Sears Die-Hard brands, but I don't think they are even in production any more....I haven't seen one for years. At one time, both had a vehicle-lifetime warranty.....which got shortened more and more over the years. They were not guaranteed to not go dead (that can happen with any battery), but were guaranteed to hold a charge.
Lexus Fanatic
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
S-models have large engines and a LOT of electrical accessories on board, necessitating a good-sized battery with decent CCA (Cold-Cranking-Amps).
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Last edited by SW17LS; Oct 29, 2023 at 06:00 AM.
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And invariably, this will happen when it is least convenient to address.That said, for years I've had an old-school resistive battery tester, and a few years ago graduated to an inexpensive electronic one. I test all our batteries twice a year (before and after winter). At the first sign of decline, I plan for replacement sometime in the upcoming weeks. On MY schedule, not the battery's. That peace of mind is absolutely worth $8/year to me.
How often you keep cars also plays into this, because you won't save as much as you think. If you keep cars for say, 10 years, and proactively replace a battery at the 5 year mark, you buy one battery. If you push it 6 or 7 years until you have to jump it to get home, you buy one battery. Total savings: $0.
Last edited by geko29; Oct 29, 2023 at 07:11 AM.
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
The battery is HUGE lol, it’s like a marine battery. It’s in the trunk and takes up half of the back of the rear seat. The battery just developed a bad cell or something. I started getting a low 12v battery warning and then it failed the load test. Way better than it failing me after being parked at the airport etc.
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If you wind up with cell reversal--one of several failure modes that LA batteries have--no jump starter will help you. All of a sudden, in your efforts to reduce your battery expense from $30/year to $22/year, you're out $250 for a tow and still have to buy a new battery. And invariably, this will happen when it is least convenient to address.
That said, for years I've had an old-school resistive battery tester, and a few years ago graduated to an inexpensive electronic one. I test all our batteries twice a year (before and after winter). At the first sign of decline, I plan for replacement sometime in the upcoming weeks. On MY schedule, not the battery's. That peace of mind is absolutely worth $8/year to me.
How often you keep cars also plays into this, because you won't save as much as you think. If you keep cars for say, 10 years, and proactively replace a battery at the 5 year mark, you buy one battery. If you push it 6 or 7 years until you have to jump it to get home, you buy one battery. Total savings: $0.
And invariably, this will happen when it is least convenient to address.That said, for years I've had an old-school resistive battery tester, and a few years ago graduated to an inexpensive electronic one. I test all our batteries twice a year (before and after winter). At the first sign of decline, I plan for replacement sometime in the upcoming weeks. On MY schedule, not the battery's. That peace of mind is absolutely worth $8/year to me.
How often you keep cars also plays into this, because you won't save as much as you think. If you keep cars for say, 10 years, and proactively replace a battery at the 5 year mark, you buy one battery. If you push it 6 or 7 years until you have to jump it to get home, you buy one battery. Total savings: $0.
The other point, a good jump starter costs about the same as a new battery!
So yeah, I want a new battery every 3-5 years. I wouldn’t throw away a functioning 3 year old battery, but if it got discharged or showed decline I would replace it. 5 years old? I’m replacing it.
Last edited by SW17LS; Oct 29, 2023 at 07:25 AM.
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The H8 is what I put in my 335d when the factory battery died, because it is the largest, most capable one that would physically fit in the battery well. It is 3 inches longer than the H6 it came with. That battery was 760 CCA and lasted 5 years. The 900CCA replacement lasted 7 (probably could have gone 8, but as noted above I replace it as soon as it's out of spec), and I expect as much out of the third one I just installed this year.
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Steve probably has an H9, they normally last extremely long.
My W12 had its original when I bought it, I swapped it out to a new one though since I didn't want to risk it. 110 amp hours and over 1000 CCA is spec for my car.
My W12 had its original when I bought it, I swapped it out to a new one though since I didn't want to risk it. 110 amp hours and over 1000 CCA is spec for my car.
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