Last week, I left work and found my car wouldn’t start. AAA couldn’t get it to start so it was towed to Lexus dealer. Next day they told me battery was fine (I had purchased from them 5 mos ago)…Alternator was ok - they said it was the starter and it was approximately $3500 plus tax…
I told them I would have it towed to my house…
then they said that the mechanic reached up and put his hand on the solenoid while another mechanic hit the start button so he could see if he could feel the solenoid activating…the car started, and continued to start after several attempts.
i picked the car up and no issues for 3-4 days.
last night my wife went to the garage and said my tail lights were on. I walked out towards the back of the car and the lights went off.
I did remember this morning that I had my key fob in my pocket last night when I walked past the car and the tail lights went off.
This morning, battery is dead.
I am convinced at this point that the problem is NOT the starter, but instead, an faulty auto light sensor, door switch, brake light switch…???
any suggestions?

 

Your car may have a defective doojamb switch. A defective doorjamb switch can cause the headlights to remain on and discharge the battery.

check here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...mb-switch.html

 

I agree that it is not the starter. I've had mine fail, and when it fails, it fails. It doesn't come back to life on it's own. What the dealer did is reprehensible. Firstly in that they could misdiagnose the problem, and secondly in charging an outrageous amount for its replacement. When mine failed the starter was $355 and my independent mechanic charged $600 labor (the job can take 6 to 8 hours).

I also agree it is some electrical problem. Hopefully someone here has encountered that and can help you. Elcetrical issues are the worst to track down.