mishutka

2007 LS 460 - second battery in 1 year (Advance Auto Parts brand) - several times during winter months the battery loses its charge fully.
Testing at the store didn't reveal issues with battery, starter or alternator.
Puzzled where the drain may be.
Just wondering if plugged into cigarette lighter dash cam may suck the life out of it.
Could you please advice?
Thank you in advance.
PS I cannot drive without dash-cam due to liability issue, so unplugging it is out of the question

Chuckinnj

Anything that consumes battery power when the alternator is NOT charging the battery will cause a drain on the battery. Why can’t you just unplug the camera?...... I live in NJ and never heard of an insurance company making it mandatory to keep a dash camera plugged in 24/7.

derpie

It's the battery, I had the misfortune of trying there battery and once I switched to a better brand the problems went away.

Protholl

Some of the higher-end dash-cams have voltage monitors that will turn off the camera when a specified minimum voltage level is reached (I think 11.7v is common). So even though you get your battery fixed... take a look at your camera specs. Also using the "impact" mode of a dashcam will slightly reduce the current level..

Related though not the end-all of discussions..

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dashcam/com...he_car_is_off/

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

The dashcam wouldn't cause an issue while you are driving. Unplug it when you are not driving the car to confirm that it isn't the problem.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

As recommended by buying the voltage [whatever it’s called]...

i have it on my GS,it does a good job.

or buy a big battery pack and use that to power the camera at night.

Ears

Hmmm... Every Lexus I and Family members have had, kill the power to the cigarette lighter when the car is switched off... I don't see how the camera could still be powered in this case.

You've probably already checked this, but I had a drain issue on a 2008 LS460. Twice, the battery was cold dead the next day. discovered the driver door switch was fubar. It seems the door switch is what initiates the headlight timer to shut off the lights in 90 seconds. In my case, the damn lights were staying on, draining the battery.

mishutka

Thank you for the input, guys.
This is my wife's car and asking her to plug something in and out every time she drives somewhere would be an aggravation that I am not willing to take on.
I had two accidents where insurance didn't pay me a penny (one hit and run; the other a car, hit a car that hit me and the initiator left the scene); hence vital need for a dash cam for front and back.
I was under impression that when the car is off, cigarette lighter circuit will be off as well. Is it not the case?
If there is a drain in the system, what are the most obvious places drain occurs?
How long does it usually take for a battery to lose its juice?
If I leave the headlight on, it will turn itself off in about 15 mins. Are there any circuits that stay on?
The last time I had to go to Lexus dealership for power-up window diagnostic, it costed me $1400. The drain diagnostics can be a very time consuming process - trying to avoid the trip.
Happy Holidays

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

This will be more work than most can/will commit too but in short you need an amp meter. An amp meter measures current flow which in this case needs to measure milliamps.

These cars keep a bunch of stuff alive and every 15 days or so, shut things down.
So, the basics are this, measure the current draw with the engine off If its excessive, you pull fuses until you find the circuit having excessive leakage current killing the battery.

PM me if you need more help.

Chuckinnj

Before you go crazy, I suggest installing a new battery if yours is older than two years old or you are having problems with it now because cold weather is on the way........ Spend a little more money on a AGM battery (Delco makes a good one) and that will last as long as you don’t have a draw (beside what is factory engineered) on the battery.
You can always hook up a "battery maintainer" like a Battery Tender (less than $50) if you have a 120 volt plug nearby but it "gets old" really fast plugging in then unplugging the car. I use battery maintainers on ALL my outdoor machines and the batteries are over 8 years old.

jmcraney

"Ears," in post #8 above, has given you some very good advice.

These cars are very well designed and are very reliable. The power to the cigarette lighter outlet is off when the Ignition is off so no concerns there, as several posters have pointed out.

I have monitored this forum closely for the past 10 years and there have been virtually no electrical problems reported here, with the exception of the defective doorjamb switches. The defective doorjamb switches are the prime causes of mysterious battery discharges. Testing the switches is very easy and replacement is inexpensive and a DIY project for many. Replacement parts are readily available through Lexus and Toyota dealers.

Here are some links to a few of the threads where the doorjamb switch problem has been discussed.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...tery-fail.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...xperience.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...s-stay-on.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...w-battery.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...-switches.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...l-problem.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...lacements.html

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

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...-turn-off.html