Moogy

I took my 2004 LS430 in roughly a year ago because the battery was dead (when I received it). They replaced the battery and all has been well without any problems.

A few days ago I had my windshield tinted and my buddy had the doors, etc. open for a few hours (we were chatting so it took longer). Afterwards went to start the car. Dead. The starter wouldn't turn but interior power worked. Hooked it up to my wife's SUV and jumped it, then ran it for ~15 mins. Seemed to be fine.

Since that event, the car has been more and more difficult to start - I can tell the battery doesn't have the full charge it once did.

I'm guessing there could be a slight electrical pull on the car since I doubt a 1-year old new battery from Lexus would already be going out.

Any ideas what it could be? Are there any common "small" known electrical drains with this car?

!SPEED

Moogy,
Is it possible it hasn't gotten up to a full charge? Have you put a charger on it? For what it matters, I just picked up a really neat Die Hard Microprocessor Controlled, fully automatic battery charger from Sears. It will also charge AMG/Gel batteries which is what I bought it to do. That's what I have in my Corvette garage queen.

TreeTops

Well for one, the remote key will drain the battery if it is left two close to the car. We left it in a car next to the LS430 for 3 days and the LS430 battery was dead. But your problem sounds like it is different.

Cape Cod

I've purchased dud batteries before, from Lexus or not it could be a dud. Go to Sears or a local Battery shop and they will put a load on the battery as well as check your alternator for FREE. If your battery is not charging completely, it will kill your alternator and if your alternator is on its way out it could kill you battery.

When I purchased my car a couple weeks ago it came with a little key chain. I'll type what it says.

TIPS FOR HANDLING THE SMART KEY

1. Avoid placing your smart key near electrical products such as TVs or personal computers. It may cause the key battery to run down in a shorter time.

2. If you cannot turn the engine switch, turn the steering wheel slightly in either direction with the engine switch pushed in, then turn it.

3. If you will not drive your LEXUS for a time, press the Cancel switch to deactivate the smart key system.

-See your Owner's Manual for details.-


If you feel this would be helpful for others feel free to create a new post of it.

-Nile

Moogy

Well, I just drove 45 minutes each way @ 80MPH, so if that doesn't charge my battery I don't know what will

I'll take it to the local auto place tomorrow and have the voltages checked out before I haul it back to lexus.

Yah I don't think it's a remote drain issue - we only have two, one on my keychain and the other on my wife's. They haven't been anywhere near the car.

Lexophile

Try topping the battery up with ionised water to the recommended level.

that should charge the battery to the max

GeorgeT

Alternators are not designed to fully charge dead batteries - constant charging of a weak battery will overwork the alternator and can possibly damage it. When a battery has been discharged to the point yours was, you should use a charger and put a full charge on it.

Moogy

Well, I took it to our local AutoZone, and they did the test - apparently the battery was dying, and the alternator is perfectly fine. This is very weird given the battery is only a year old (Lexus brand). Another odd thing is the Lexus battery they threw in the car was only 575 on cranking power. The new battery they put in is 675. The car starts perfectly now.

So that solves that problem. It just makes me wonder why they put the weaker battery in @ Lexus and why it died in just a year...

LSGarry

Moogy,
I believe the difference between 575 and 675 is insignificant because the cold cranking amps needed to turn these engines over is very lite. Unless you have a really hard starting engine that cranks for over 10 to 15 seconds before it starts, or live in a very cold climate, the amount of CCA's needed to start the Lexus engine is minimal at best and if you have to crank that long before it starts then you may have other issues. My engine starts with basically a flick of the key so a 575 CCA battery is more than adequate to handle these engines.
Where you may need a stronger battery is in reserve power or more of a deep cycle battery that will power your gadgets for a longer time while the engine is off. These batteries will typically give you 110 amp hours while the typical start battery will give you 80 to 85 amps.
Needless to say, it sounds like your battery problems are solved and you will be happy with the battery you got.

irarosenst

Moogy, how long have you been in AZ? Personally, I have never seen a an environment more brutal on batterys, particularly if your vehicle is parked in the sun at home or at the office. My ex-son in law who works with me just had a one-year old "best" 85-month warranty Pep Boys battery die on his Chevy Suburban. He had it towed to a Chevy dealer and they charged him $181 for new the battery, replaced his positive cable which puzzled me and he walked out with a bill of $591. I said it's odd that the cable and the battery would both die at the same time. This is before we got into the esoteric requirements of battery cable to suddenly fail. I don't trust dealers since I paid over $1,000 to replace two headlights on my Lincoln. Anyway, I said to my ex son-in-law, why not take it to Pep boys. My experience is that they'll replace and install the battery and prorate the warranty which is registered on their computer. I've walk out with new battery and a bill of $10 or so. It takes more time to let them install it for free, but they'll give you the battery if you wish to install it yourself.

Moogy

I've lived here on and off for quite some time, but most recently over 4 years. I work from my home, so the car is always in the garage.

Yah definitely had a good experience with the local Auto Zone (just down the street) and the car runs great now!

msrashida

So, did you have Auto Zone install the battery or Lexus?