Reggie1

My wife's car needs a new battery. I want to buy and install it myself. Advice to go to the dealer and have them do it is not appealing as the dealer is 60 miles away, and it's not a pleasant drive to make. Partularly with an iffy battery. Sure, I could carry along a jump starter and go; I'd just prefer to use the half-day the trip would take for other things.

As introduction, I have had 5 Lexus vehicles, and have done battery replacements myself on all but this one. But for this one, the recommendations are a bit confusing.

So far this is what I've found:

1. It takes either a BCI Group 24 or 34. This isn't surprising, since the BCI standards list both battery groups as the same length and width. The 34 is an inch shorter in height. A 24F has also been recommended, but the only one I see is an Exide and the price is about $400 on-line

2. Because of the type of battery hold-down used in this car, many batteries in these groups with protruding handles and/or lips or mounting flanges will not work with the factory battery mount.

3. Like all the battery searches I have done for other vehicles, there are strong opinions about brands. For example, the Optima brand has many lovers and haters, with few in between. Costco and Walmart have their own groups of happy battery buyers. My own experience with Panasonic, Bosch, Duralast, AC Delco, and Interstate recently have all been very good. Yes, the two of us have 6 vehicles, so I'm often in battery search mode.

I am interested in a battery that is as close to drop- in- easily- using the factory mounting.. And, as stated earlier, I would really prefer not to have a trip to the dealer involved. I would really like an AGM battery, since they can be ordered on line and be delivered to my home, nlike wet cell lead acid batteries. I live in the country and having things delivered, particularly with free shipping, makes life much easier for me.

Is there a drop-in battery replacement, without having to go with the original factory part?

caesosa

Costco sells interstate batteries with a 42 month warranty. It is the best value imo. I used the group 24 and it fits great. They won’t install it for you. It was about $92 with the core exchange.

also, I asked a few months ago and based on the feedback I did get the Costco:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...o-you-use.html

Reggie1

Thank you. I had read your thread as part of my recent battery search. Unfortunately I do not live anywhere close to a Costco store. But amazingly there is an Interstate battery distribution center fairly close to me on the nearby interstate. highway. They have a small parts counter in front which occasionally is even manned, and you can buy batteries directly from them.

Would you mind telling me which Interstate Group 24 you had success with? Interstate has stocked two Group 24 batteries, MT-24 and MTP-24. The cases of the two are different due to handles and ridges that project beyond the Group 24 footprint, although they are nominally the same size.

The MT-24 is 600CCA, and the MTP-24 is 750CCA. Both are wet cell, not AGM, but since I'll be picking it up rather than having it shipped that doesn't matter to me.

Thanks again for your help and quick response.

caesosa

These are the specs. Interstate calls it “FITMENT CODE: 22”

Reggie1

Oh, well. Thanks for the info. It seems that the Costco battery is indeed "exclusive to Costco," and has a different case and specifications than either of the Group 24 batteries that Interstate sells through their Interstate branded facilities.

Looks like my best option will be to take the old battery with me to Interstate and do side-by-side comparisons before buying. As I look at the original battery, there seems to be almost no wiggle room for installation if the selected replacement battery case has any slight deviations from the original one.

If I do drive to the closest Costco, I'd need to add the $60 membership fee to the cost of the battery, plus gas for the 225 mile round trip.

caesosa

Not good on the long trek. When I bought the car (used) it had an AGM from O’reilly. I replaced it because the fit was slightly small and with any used car I don’t know what kind of temps the car was exposed to (I live in Seattle and it’s a Arizona car). I figured I would replace it for peace of mind since O’reilly told me it already was a 3 year old battery.

where do you live? I would maybe try a Toyota dealership - I’m guessing that is the next best thing to the Lexus battery (or the same).

i would say

Reggie1

At the risk of repeating information already posted elsewhere, here is what I have found.

The factory battery sold with my 2013 IS-250C is a Group D26 battery.. This is a Japan Industry Standard (JIS) classification or grouping. This differs from the Battery Council International (BCI) system used by the USA for car batteries. The BCI system includes Group 24 and 34, among others.

As an aside, Lexus vehicles are manufactured with JIS screws. They look very, very much like American Phillips screws, but the JIS screws and the USA Phillips screwdriver system are close but not exact. If you've had difficulty removing those "Phillips look alike screws" on your Lexus, you need to get a set of JIS screwdrivers (I bought mine on Amazon). I've also found that Chinese manufactured items also are sometimes sold with JIS screws. If you have problems driving a screw with a #2 Phillips screwdriver, it may not really be a Phillips head screw.

Anyway, the JIS D26 battery just happens to be almost the dimensions as a BCI Group 24. battery. Converting to millimeters, Group 24 is 26x173x225, JIS D26 is 260x174x225. So, a Group 24 battery should fit the IS250 with no problems.

Except, the D26 battery has flat sides - no side handles, no mounting flanges, and no protruding rim around the top. Group 24 batteries vary in this. Some have smooth cases, but many others have side handles, and other projections around the perimeter of the top that will not allow the factory mount to work.

I found an Exide Extreme Group 24 (800CCA) battery at Home Depot this morning. It was $109 and fit my car perfectly using the factory hold-down system. It has a fold out handle built into the top, which made lowering it into place a breeze. My HD had 3 in stock - 2 had production dates a year old, but the third one was produced this year. I now own the newest one.

As a caution, they also had in stock the same battery in Group 24F. The 24F has the battery terminals reversed. It is the Group 24 that is the perfect fit, not the 24F..

My search is over. I hope my experience helps someone else.

DennisMik

I bought a battery for my IS at Costco, the Interstate group 24. As I found out the hard way, the case has a lip on it to act as a handle that prevents putting the sleeve on the battery. But my trusty saw took care of that and then it fit perfectly.

OldLs400

http://rtstools.com/jis-vs-phillips-...s-screwdriver/

Most "JIS" screwdrivers today aren't really JIS, but a hybrid-type. They will work acceptably in most situations, but real JIS screwdrivers they are not.

I got an O'Reilly group 34 AGM battery for about ~100 with the employee discount. Can't beat that. Optima Red/Yellowtop are about 150 with the discount. Find an employee and use their account.