Arty101

I would think the diagnostic would be free since your car is still under warranty, regardless if you bought it from Putnam or another dealer. I'd suggest you bring it to Serramonte Lexus if you have time, and talk to Dean about the tsb. He's pretty down to earth and they'll want to earn your future business.

PAcommuter

I think my car was originally purchased at Serramonte. I'm not certain I would go back to Putnam, because they are farther away from my house, but closer to work. A coworker bought a cpo 2014 IS recently and she was planning on giving me some of her service coupons for Serramonte. I only went to Putnam as I had a really cheap groupon deal for the oil and filter change $25!

PAcommuter

I made an appointment with Colliseum Lexus and took my ES350 in yesterday. Chris was my service writer. I explained that I wanted the battery drain checked and that the battery was still new from Putnam and what my service experience was there. They ran a diagnostic, took about 6 hours In the end my car qualified for the TSB and they had to order the EC part in. I got a loaner NX200t F sport. I don't like that car. The seats are not as comfy, even after 15 min of fiddling with the settings. Also I learned that I like my parchment seats and paneling more than black on black. Darn car interior seemed so dark even with the sunroof cover pushed open. I was so happy to get my sofa back this morning. I'm pretty happy with Colliseum Lexus and how they treated me. Will go back there for my rear brakes later.

jollick

Glad you had a good experience and had the issue resolved.

sderman

The battery on my 2014 ES350 failed today after 3 1/4 years and I will be replacing it tomorrow with an Interstate (MTP-24F). I checked the bulletin linked above and my vehicle was indeed produced during the period when "Intermittent Battery Discharge" has occurred and I am wondering if other owners have also seen 3 - 3 1/2 years as the average battery life. In the past I have gotten about 5 years out of a battery, although for the relatively low price of a new battery I know I should replace them earlier for peace of mind. So, what have been your battery life experiences?

BradTank

Hoping someone can make a clarification.

Does your car have to be equipped with "Blind Spot Monitor or Clearance Warning Sonar" to be effected?

My car doesn't have the blind spot system, but it does have the parking sensors. Is that the same as "clearance warning sonar"?


My battery went dead just a few days after I had purchased it and it was still within the warranty, so I got a free on at Lexus, but it makes me think I may have an issue.

PAcommuter

My car was about that age when I took it to get an oil and filter change and the dealer replaced the battery. Since I knew about the TSB, I had a dealership closer to home check it out. It will take about 6 hours to run the diagnostic. Get it done before your 4 year warranty is up.

Mike728

If your car is exhibiting the issue listed in the TSB, you will want to have the gateway computer replaced, along with the battery. If not, you will have this issue reoccurring. My ES has been fine now since the replacement over 6 months ago.

Nelexus88

My '14 ES 350 is still running on the OEM battery (3+ years old). I will likely replace it at the 4 year mark, assuming it makes it that long.
If your mileage is less than 50k the battery should be covered by the 4yr/50k mile Lexus warranty. I do understand wanting to replace the OEM battery with an Interstate however.

BradTank

So my service advisor said if I was experiencing the problem, you would know it as you'd have a dead battery a month in. Is that accurate?

My last battery lasted 2 years and my VIN appears to be the group effected.

Truthfully, my last car's battery only lasted around 2 years, in AZ they don't hold up.

Don't know if they are giving me the run around.

bc6152

Whatever happened to batteries lasting 5-6 years and longer? My Avalon had the original battery when I traded it at 6 years old. My current DD a 2013 350 is 5 years old and I have no plans to replace the battery. Just bought one for the wife's 2014 Honda (3 year old battery) at Costco, an Interstate at $72.99...

sderman

Great question! I think most of us would like to hear from others about this.

In other words, has anyone experienced a dead battery but only AFTER say 3-4 months from purchase? Likewise, for those who brought your car back to the dealer for a dead battery, when did you first start to experience this problem? Thanks in advance.

Mike728

I know this is posted on here somewhere, but, my battery was fine for the first year. I drove it daily. Then, my job moved, which allowed my ES to sit for a week. It would not start after sitting that long. I charged it and didn't think much of it. Then, at some point it sat again for about 4 days. Wouldn't start. I didn't want to take it in at that time for various reasons, and I just bought a trickle charger. If I ever forgot to plug it in, the issue would reappear. I was not the only one on the forum experiencing this, as there were several posts related to it on a couple different forums here. Finally, I saw a TSB listed in the GS forum (my first post in this thread).

So, not all vehicles listed in the TSB have the issue, or it would probably have been a recall. If your car can sit at the airport for a week, or two and start, you're probably good.

jkeller

My 14 GS, bought in March 2014, falls within the VIN range but has never had an issue. Even after sitting for a week. It seems from the info here that it either happens early in ownership or not at all. A very frustrating issue if you have though.

Poppa

Hey guys, I'm a little confused by the TSB on the intermittent battery discharge issue.. first of all, if Lexus has sent out a TSB shouldn't the local dealerships address it without question? That being said I have a 2013 es and I have approx. 4 months left on my 50K mile 48 month warranty.. However I still have the oem battery in the car and have never experienced an issue with the battery... so I guess my question is would this TSB apply to my car since I've never had an issue.. I will tell you I was a bit confused by how you could tell if your car is effected by using the VIN... If one of you doesn't mind can you tell me how using the VIN will tell me if my car is included. I appreciate your help fella's... thank you in advance.

Poppa