My wife owns a 2023 Nx350h. In the Nx forum there were many discussions about the need for trickle charging of hybrid vehicles 12v battery if left inactive for long durations, even in closed and warm garages. Does it apply also to the non hybrid ES350? How long can I leave my 2024 ES350 inactive and expect it to start (assuming a fairly new 12v battery)?

 

Went to Florida last winter and left her parked in our garage for four months. Turned right over upon my return. Never missed a beat.
Caveat: the battery and car were only a year old with maybe 6,000 miles on them. That probably makes a difference.

 

Based on my experience, it'll depend upon the battery's age. For the first year of ownership and during the 2020 COVID pandemic goings on, my 2019 ES 350 was parked in the garage for several up to 3 months long periods and it started with no issues. However, at about 3 and a half years after the ES's build date, left sitting for just around two weeks and not enough juice to start the car. The Lexus dealer's battery test found the battery still in the "Good" range. Less than two months later after and using a battery tender to keep the battery fully charged while parked, the battery capacity had deteriorated to the point where after starting in my garage and a 10 mile or so trip there's wasn't enough juice to get the starter solenoid to stay engaged let alone start the engine. Back to the Lexus dealer and the battery tested bad and the battery was replaced under warranty.

 

Lexus cars have some electronics always on even when car is off. A maintainer charger is made to keep the battery at proper charge using a computer module to cause no harm to battery. NOCO and Battery Tender are two popular brands. Better safe than a dead battery that shortens the life of even a newer battery.

 

Thanks for the inputs. It seems like a battery tender may be worth the cost, especially for some of the later models with all the new electronics.

 

Lots of threads here on battery maintainers. Many supporters. Good luck and enjoy.

 

Since you may be wanting to tend more than one battery, some vendors have battery tender/maintainer models with two or more outlets/banks to support all your battery tending needs with just one unit.

One factor to consider is the all the ES owner's manual versions have 12 volt battery charging specifications. The page number varies by model year and model type but the charging rate specifications are found in the "8-1. Specifications" and for 2022 and earlier models years are:

For 2023 and later model year manuals that spec table changed to just:

I have no idea why the quick charge spec was removed. Realistically, for normal battery tending uses you won't even need a 5 A capable system. I'm using a 1.25 A Battery Tender system and that's adequate for topping off the battery from the charge amount used after shutting of the vehicle (30 sec. headlights on, curtesy lights, door locking, power trunk cycling, etc.) and then maintaining the battery fully charged state afterwards.


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A couple of recent threads are:
23 ES300h 12v Battery Trickle Charger
permanently installed battery tender ... 2019 ES 350 Premium In this thread see tfisher's post #13 for a brief discussion on differences between battery chargers and battery tenders/maintainers and some means of easy to use but "permanent" battery connections.

 

I just picked up a 2025 ES350, is the factory battery a lead acid or AGM? I looked at the factory battery and see no mention of it being an AGM battery. I will not be frequently driving it and want to hook it up to my Ctek tender, just need to know which mode to set it on, i.e. lead acid or agm. Thank you!

 

Two ways to tell is call parts dept or take it out and shake. Wanted to add when parts dept told me lead acid I took out and shook to 100% verify.

 

I just want to add that it really depends on the age and heath of the battery. All these cars draw some power even when not on. It's not just a "lexus" thing. I have left cars for a month and many times my car is dead over night.....It just depends on the battery. I have been stuck out and about many times. Triple A is a godsend.

 

What specific Ctek tender are you using?

I looked at the user manual for a few Ctek battery tender/charger models and for auto/car battery charging/maintaining has this type of description for "normal" battery charging option:
In the manuals which included charging program charts it looks like the only difference between auto normal and auto AGM charging programs is the ceiling voltage used in some phases of the charging/tendering program - 14.4V for auto normal and 14.7V for auto AGM programs.

In at least the past few years, the ES 350 OEM battery has been Clarios 380LN3-MF battery (see ***What did you do to your ES today?*** post #583 for a photo of the full label with battery specs).

Since the battery type is MF with no other labeling indicating it is an AGM type, the OEM battery is most likely a maintenance free (MF) flooded lead acid type of battery and an auto normal charging/tendering program is the one to use. Even with an AGM battery type the auto normal charging/tendering program would still work as a "no harm" option for battery tendering use.

 

I have the multi 7002 model, I just figured it's a normal led acid and set it on normal mode. Thank you!

 

There is already references here to the several posts here on battery tenders, including one of mine, so I only would like to emphasize that for the situation described by the OP, the quick connect accessory is perfect. You can install it under the hood in about 10 minutes, and after that you can connect the tender to the car using the quick disconnect plug. I put mine up at the bottom of the windshield, but many users locate the plug at the front of the car at the grille. (For some cars, I have had to splice in a few extra feet of cable.)
This allows you to hook up the tender quickly without having to lift up the hood and having to clamp connectors to the battery terminals every time. I also use the 25 foot extension cable between the tender and the car.
Regardless of the stage or age of the battery, it is my understanding that using a battery tender can not cause any harm to the battery. I always plug in my car if it is not going to be used for a week or more.

 

Seems battery life is about 3-4 years. My 2021 Ford bronco sport battery died and is driven at least 100 miles every day. 2017 explorer is on 3rd battery. Driven daily. Your results may vary