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My sister has an 07 GX470. It started to happen lately that the battery loses charge very quickly. She can listen to the radio in her car for merely 10 minutes and the car couldn't start up. I would say it's the battery. So we went to the local mechanic, instead of the 'stealership' because the car is out of warranty. The mechanic told us it should be the battery. He offered us 2 deals, either go with regular battery (cost $120) or dealer battery, and he said dealer battery is just regular battery with the dealer stamp on it; and he also said none of the dealer has the original battery.
So which way should I choose? I would want to just go with the regular one.
When I replaced my battery the dealer charged me $120 - just a reference point for you. I thought it was not a bad price since I got a loaner while it was in for service so I had no down time.
Using a volt/multi-meter (red lead to positive, black lead to negative) with the engine off you should see a minimum of 9.6 volts (for it to take a charge). Anything less, get a new battery. 12.7 volts is a fully charged battery. With the engine running you should see approx 14.4 volts.
In Sept. 2010 I needed to replace my battery. Went to a local NTB and said I needed a new battery because I am heading to Sea World first thing in the morning for a family vacation. They said they wouldn't be able to get the battery installed until the next day - afternoon time frame. I asked them if they had the one I needed in stock... they did. I said I would take it and bought it, and then asked them to bring it out to me.
I took the wrench thingy out of the back door with the number 10 on it and took out the screws. It was a little tricky to not lose the pieces, but having small hands helped me manage it. I plopped the new one in, fastened everything back down and drove off. Cost me a little over $100 for the battery.
I did get a few stares from passing cars. I live in an area where most people (especially girls) don't perform these simple changes on their own.
I did get a few stares from passing cars. I live in an area where most people (especially girls) don't perform these simple changes on their own.
Awesome! Especially under the hood of a Lexus no doubt. I check my oil at every oil change and get comments about 50% of the time. ...and I'm just a guy so nothing odd. It just surprises me that more people don't do this. Gives me something to do while my piggy fills up.
Nice to save a few bucks here and there for sure. I never understand those on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck to come change their flat tire. Many times I stop and get them going. Fun when it's guys as it almost bruises their ego, even better again, when I stop in the GX to help.