I park my car for 4-5 days and my battery is too low to start the car (it’s not dead but maintains around 10 volts). This car has had 3 lexus batteries in 5 years. LS460L ultra luxury package.

I have not had the 2013 TSB performed yet. When brought in before, lexus did not perform this TSB fix but now they want to charge me for it bc the TSB was only good for four years and my car is 6 years old. I never received a TSB notice but discovered it inadvertently on here. The TSB is just programming to turn off systems (certain features, who knows) to preserve batteries. Thats why I thought of installing a second battery as opposed to having an anxiety that my car would not start.

Anyone know what may be the culprit? I charged it to full, load tested multiple times using Schumacher BT-100 to which it tested fine. I do not have a more advanced battery tester lexus uses to determine cell failure.

 

I noticed that my car (stored every winter) will run its battery low within 2 months. I bought several Yuasa Smart Shot chargers to keep all my unused cars plugged in & topped up at all times - and have not had any problems since I started doing this. You only get 2 or 3 battery depletions before the battery is compromised, so it's best to never let it discharge.

 

A few weeks seems reasonable but not 4-5 days. I’m in NM where it’s usually hot and parking garages don’t have AC ports to use battery tenders. It’s also weird to see a car in the summer using battery tenders or a car that is used weekly using battery tender.

 

Still angry over when my 430 ate a battery, these cars are horrible about eating them. Nothing like anything else I've owned

 

I’ve had 3 LS’s. This is my first time. I had another LS that sat for two weeks just fine. All of my cars are mostly garage-parked.

 

Seems like a common occurrence, just purchased mine 6 months ago put it in storage would go weekly,always dead. Purchased new battery a week ago hoping that does the trick. Will let you know.

 

Seems like a common occurrence, just purchased mine 6 months ago put it in storage would go weekly,always dead. Purchased new battery a week ago hoping that does the trick. Will let you know.

 

I know the LS460 Ultra lux package has a higher draw bc of the rear seat console being active but I don’t know by how much. Still though, barely be able to go a week without starting the car is a no-no.


My battery has 84 mo warranty from Lexus of Miami but but I wonder if another dealer here would cover it. Moreover, I wonder how much the cost of applying the TSB fix would be.

 

Sir, if your battery measures 10V and your voltmeter is accurate then your battery is a GONER. Batteries last about 40 months or less, when defined by conventional standards, no exceptions. I would need more information to have an opinion about your premature battery failures.

 

The battery passes the 12v load test with Schumacher BT-100 unit when charged to full. Is there another way to test? I dropped it in the car at 12.7 Volts, will test after 48 hours. I was going to test voltage with battery out of the car but I needed the car and since it passed the load test, I put the battery back in the car.

Battery measured 10V only after the car sat for 4-5 days.

 

When the battery’s voltage drops to 10V that indicates that it’s State-Of-Charge is near zero. Taking the SOC that low usually dooms the battery. Since you are able to remove the battery, take it to a battery dealer and have it charged and tested. Keep in mind that if your battery is being discharged because of a fault with the car then a new battery will be at risk too. The most common car faults are defective doorjamb switches.

 

The gold standard for testing flooded cell batteries is a battery hydrometer. These are typically inexpensive and readily available at auto parts stores. Be reminded that car batteries are dangerous. They can explode and they have a large quantity of very curossive liquid. It’s best to let someone who is equipped and trained help you.

 

Side bar, but you know a TSB is not a recall correct? That's probably why the dealer wants to charge you for the service.

 

It makes zero sense to try and retrofit a second battery vs just paying Lexus for the TSB. How much could they possibly charge for that? It would have to be less than buying a second battery and all the retrofitting involved.

The culprit is it needs the TSB done. Pretty obvious.

 

How much does the TSB cost?