I am about to replace my RX330 battery, do I have to go to Lexus dealership and get the battery from there, they quoted me: $150. So I was wondering if Walmart/Target car battery are fine and do I need to tell them to follow any procedure?

 

The Wal-Mart batteries I believe are made by Johnson Controls. Very good battery,and cheap. When you replace the battery,you will most likely need to re-learn the rear hatch,Sunroof,and power windows. Relax,its all in the manual on how to do this I say most likely because some people dont have to. For some reason,it didnt happen to them.When I replaced mine however,I had to re-learn it. But it`s a relatively simple procedure.

 

Before you go buy, check your warranty. Battery is not a wear tear item and is covered under Lexus warranty.

Batteries are some what generic items. I (personally) prefer sealed batteries. They do cost more.

Lots of members suggest getting a battery from Costco as well. [The red top I bought from them, died prematurely. 5stars for costco in handling exchange].

Salim
[Tip: Before to disconnect the old battery position your seat at the preferred location. When you put in the new battery just store the current location].

 

Consumer Reports had AutoZone as their best battery about a year ago. I have used them in the past on my Lexus and BMW. If you want the same kind of battery that was OEM go get an Interstate. Autozone is just as good and cheaper, plus they will install it free.


Cat

 

I had AutoZone install one of their Duralast Gold (Yellow) in my RX last year and like it very much.

Did see the Consumer Reports article and they seem to indicate that the Walmart battery was pretty good. A few ticks above the Duralast for the EverStart Maxx. Also a few dollars cheaper.

 

Walmart batteries, Duralast Gold batteries , and the Kirkland batteries (from Costco) are all great. They each have a great record, choose whichever one is cheaper and call it a day.

 

Granting that you are a Costco member, battery cost and warranty, Costco beats anybody.

 

As long as you can find your size. RX is specified as 24F, but I think Group 3 wroks.

 

And for the record, Lexus battery is warranted for 84 months. As indicated on the battery.

 

Do a quick research on the web and you will see that a lot of the different brands are made from the same few companies. My RX330 will be 7 years old coming March 2011 and the OEM Panasonic is still going strong. Even if it go bad, I'll probably get an Energizer (24F) from Sam's Club for something like $68 or $73 (can't remember) and call it good. I also bought a Duralast Gold for my SC430 with good result (but it's a little more expensive). Lots of nice choices out there to choose from so I'm definitely NOT going to the dealer for $150 battery replacement.

 

My RX330 is less than 7 year old, so do you think I should check my dealership to replace it free or will they still charge?

 

Never hurts to ask. However, it may be prorated at this late in the game.

 

7 yr battery life in Texas? You should get a trophy.
Once the bumper to bumper warranty is gone the rest is prorated. The dealership most probably stiff you with 1/2 hr labor to swap and that itself will be close to $60. So it would not make much sense.

Salim

 

Probably 48 months free replace and pro-rated as Salim says. 84 months free battery is pushing it.

 

But for Lexus to declare the battery can last 7 years, I give points to them.

They put their sticker on it, it probably was made to last.

Do all of your batteries have the Lexus sticker?