TommyTT

Wife drove my 2008 RX400h today 1st time. She set up seat and mirrors. Later when I drove again external mirrors would not move back except a tiny bit once on r/h side. How do I test that battery while still in vehicle.

Buddy sold me a new Prius battery his on-in-law had for $20.00. Will that fit my RX 400h?

Went out to garage at 3:30pm today where I had locked my Redd last nite re this forum's info on battery having to monitor stuff. Was able to move mirrors and Ready came up fast. Will need to get alternator checked out at local Auto Zone.

takeshi74

There are a number of potential causes. This is not an uncommon issue if the 400h isn't driven often enough. Age of the battery, climate, etc could also be an issue. If it's the original battery then it has had a good long life. We had to replace ours a while back but it's hot down here and that tends to mean shorter life. Actually, I think the one we replaced was the second as the original was replaced just before we purchased our 400h due to the lack of driving issue I mentioned. If you are not going to drive it for a period of time you may want to put it on a battery tender.

Same way you'd test it on any other vehicle. If you don't know how in general, Google will provide plenty of resources. Or am I misunderstanding your question?

Doubt the Prius battery would fit but you'd need to confirm by checking the type for the specific model (in the current lineup there isn't just one Prius) & year and comparing that to what the 400h uses. Similar to my comment above, this isn't specific to the 400h and is the same as it would be for comparing any 2 vehicles in general. The 400h takes a 51R battery. The 2008 Prius, for example, takes a 24R. Sorry, but I'm not looking up every possible Prius battery to compare. The battery itself should indicate the size so you can easily determine & compare.

TommyTT

We have a 2012 Prius 2 but don't know which Prius battery my buddy has for me. According to the complete service records I got on Lexus Owners web site my RX has had 2 batteries replaced in it's 121k mile life. So I will be taking the plastic engine covers off and then going to our local Auto Zone to have them test both battery and alternator.

I live in SE AZ so it gets hot here too. But will drive my RX about 5-6k a year. Of course now that my wife has driven my Father's Day gift she might be putting some miles on it too.

maseace

The hybrid system does not have an alternator, nor any belt-driven accessory. It uses the hybrid battery to charge the 12V battery. But low battery problems are common on the RX hybrid. I could not get my new TMPS sensors programmed properly until I replaced the battery, but everything else worked fine.

TommyTT

So new battery probably would fix my issue. Is the RX400h battery maintenance free? "thomas1" wrote that a costco or walmart $69- $73 battery works ok. But at that price they are regular batteries. Correct?

maseace

Costco had an Interstate battery when I bought one a few months ago, around $80 or so I think. Try a new 12V battery before anything else, it fixes a lot of strange electronic issues in these cars. They are maintenance free, but small since they only power up the electronics and don't start the engine like a non-hybrid. The hybrid traction battery starts and stops the engine automatically after you are powered up in READY mode.

thomas1

I would highly suggest the Costco battery, their warranty is around 44 months with no pro rated cost. Just had to buy one for my Truck....As for batteries being maintenance free, uh not really. (lead acid). The caps will come off and their is capability to add distilled water.

TommyTT

Planning on doing just that. Going to Tucson this week to get my Dash Mat for my 2008 RX400h. I know some don't like them but here in SE AZ beats the heat and glare . Have them on all our vehicles since the 80's. Getting reddish carpet mat. thomas1 you R a great source of knowledge re RXs. Have read all ur posts on this forum and some on lexusdrivers/owners too. Many thanks. TommyTT

thomas1

Your welcome, love Toyota products, and of course sharing my experience over the last 18 years

maseace

Try some polarized sunglasses to eliminate glare and you won't know how you lived without them!

TommyTT

Picked up my Costco $69 Interstate battery on the 12th after getting my dealer to fix my low beam headlights (cutoff 50 feet in front of Redd) And replace drivers side high beam that was out. And according to thomas1 assistant service manager replaced my 5w30 Mobile 1 with Toyota's 0w20 synthetic as per owners manual and oil cap. Boy he was embarrassed. On way home used wipers 1st time- passenger blade shredded but was told by the Asst Mngr mine was not a CPO as I had been led to believe. So will buy and replace wiper. Still love it though.