F250

You're right. I could do that. However, I've simply decided to let the original unit go and replace it. I try to take the approach of being proactive on my maintenance, especially on my wife's and kids' vehicles, even if it involves replacing something which is not yet broken. That approach has served us well, and I'd rather invest the money in early replacement as compared to "emergency response".

Maikerusan

Batteries expire more quickly in hot weather environments.

Compare battery life for someone living in Phoenix vs someone in Seattle or Minneapolis. Cold weather means you need good cranking power, but hot weather greatly diminishes the lifespan of a battery.

Sean2202

@F250 the x2 from batteries plus is a very good battery. I have one in my land cruiser running a 50qt fridge all the time. It has sat for 5 days and cranked over just fine. I am considering one for the RX as well. OEM Panasonic batteries are very good as well. I tried finding one a few years back with no success.

I think one thing to remember is when the vehicle was put to use. ex. A 2013 model was probably on the road at year 2012 making the battery older than you think.

I was told that 24f is the size for my 13RX f-sport. True start batteries from Toyota have I believe an 84 month prorated warranty.

All these new cars have a more battery drain at rest than older ones because of the advanced electronics. Possibly a vehicle with Nav would have a higher drain than one without? IDK?

I find that corrosion occurs on exposed wires around the battery connections because of the gases that escape from the caps of a conventional battery. You can clean this readily with baking soda and hot water. When its dry I use chasis grease to protect the terminals, those green and red washers work well underneath as well.

I have heard some theories on gases that escape from the batteries can corode other electronics in the general area as well over time. (on 100 series land cruisers). I am moving to sealed batteries on my vehicles.

F250

(I'm impressed with the specs for the X2, obviously, or I wouldn't have bought it. Proper venting on these batteries, I belive, is a key component of keeping corrosion at bay on the terminals. I can honestly say that mine, which is now over 7 years old, looks virtually brand new with zero corrosion at the terminal posts and cable connections. In fact, even the plastic bag surrounding the battery still looks brand new... no UV degradation and the gases are all vented out of the battery area with the vent tube. I would dearly love to use the X2 on my F250 diesel as I anticipate summer replacement, but I need TWO of them, and I'm just not willing to plop down that much money when I can stick with conventional Interstates from Costco for 40% the cost and be just fine for 4-5 years.

F250

UPDATE on my battery replacement effort... definite thumbs up on the X2. More detailed information can be found in post #104 of this thread >>> https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...-rx450h-3.html

11bravo

What "chance"? If you watch the amp. gauge, you will know when it is going south. Even if you don't, you can jump it once, and go get a new one. They sometimes last 7 years...why give up 3 years? Unless.....you regularly travel long distances in fairly isolated places, then I would understand. However, brand new batteries also have a failure rate, so there is no guarantee.

One thing that kills a battery is excessive downtime. If the car sits regularly for 3 days or longer without use, the battery will likely fail earlier than if it is used regularly.

mandyfig

Agree on the downtime, if the battery is not charged frequently, it will have a shorter use life. Hence a trickle charger is necessary.

tranft

My 2010 RX350 car battery recently started acting up. Won't start etc. But is is not consistent. I had it tested at Oreilly's and they said it tested good. 3 weeks later it went dead again. It is the original battery from 2010.

Gonna shotgun it and get a new battery from Costco.
But curious what everybody's experience is with your original battery life. TIA

Mike728

I would say 7 years is longer than most last. Surprised it tested good.

tn7con

My '10RX got a new battery in 2015, after 5.5 years of service ...

lexusrus

The OEM battery on our 2013 LX570 went dead one morning a few days ago. The Lexus dealership was too far and we had to go. So we called AAA and asked what can be done. AAA said they can come by and do a jump. I figured just to replace the battery if truly gone bad and will not pass a load test. AAA said they can be there in 40 minutes or less with a brand new replacement battery with the same specs.

AAA arrived with 40 minutes and determined the OEM battery had something like 20% left. The replacement brand new battery with the same specs as OEM is a 72 month battery (36 months free replacement and after that prorated). Warranty is good NATION WIDE AND AAA COME TO ME!!!

After $133 (tax and installation included) and about half an hour later (plus the original 40 minutes waiting).....we were on our way!!! 😀😀😀😀

I've gotten replacement battery before at the Lexus stealership before some years back with my old LX470 and it cost more than that!!! And did not last but like 4 years. Then I had to pay the prorated amount to get another new one!! Back then I went to the Lexus dealership for EVERYTHING!! Same for my MB's. Then I learned that I really don't have to and more convenient (due to distance and time involved).

BTW, the Lexus battery is "Panasonic" whereas the AAA battery is "Interstate". As long as it starts the vehicle and last at least 5-6 years, I'm ok with it.

F250

That, my friend, is the entire issue!! Glad you got it done for a reasonable price!

MellonC00

Question:

When the guys at the dealer hook up my battery to the battery tester, what voltage range should my battery be in? What is the "recommend replacement," range vs. "keep the old one" range?

F250

Depends... generally speaking, you want to see about 12.5 volts or even a tad more. With the vehicle running, you should see about 14-14.5 volts due to the input from the alternator

- They generally won't run a "load test" unless the battery is sitting at 12v.
- if voltage is below 12v by much, they will want to put it on a charger to see if it will take and hold the charge... often, overnight
- Low voltage could be because either...
a) the battery won't hold a charge due to sulfonation, dead cell(s), etc, [ generally need to replace the battery, but can sometimes top off the cells if it's not a sealed unit], OR
b) your alternator is not putting out enough charge to keep it up to snuff [here, you replace the alternator and recheck the battery after it gets fully charged], OR
c) there is some sort of parasitic drain in your system (generally a short somewhere) [can be hard to find. Start with grounds near any recent repair locations]

salimshah

Voltage is only one parameter. The real thing is power [combination of voltage and current]. That is what the battery tester does ... test under load. Ideal process is charge the battery first [drained out battery will always fail load test] and then do a load test. Load test measures the power ... battery is drained [current is drawn] and voltage and current are measured for duration of time. A pass is determined if the current is sustained and voltage does not drop below a certain range.

Shop should also check the charging system.

Think about the battery as a storage. Charge and discharge happens all the time. The batteries are very much like work horse ... if you overwork work them they go bad and if you dont work them enough they go bad.

4-5 yrs is good service. Temperature extremes hasten the demise of the battery.

Salim