BensonTT, if you can easily pop off the cap or caps of your battery, then you can look down and see if it needs water. If it needs water make sure to use distilled water and make sure the plates are covered. There are plenty of you tubes showing you how. If the caps do not come off, you then have a "maintenance free" battery.
I would guess that 98% out there are maintenance free. At least here in the USA. Canada may be different.

 

Are you talking about the 4 holes in this picture? My car only keeps my battery about 40% charged, so I have to charge it once or twice a week. Likely to cause the battery to lose water?

 

I looked just out of curiosity - my oem battery does in fact have six small caps but they don't appear to come loose easily.

 

Ye, those four screws come out and you can see how much "water" each cell has. DO NOT start a recharge if the cells are not entirely covered by water, if they are not add distilled water, but only till it reaches the bottom of the hole, do not overfill.

 

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You have a problem possibly if you're doing that. You shouldn't ever need to charge your battery unless you're not using it for a month or more. Read this article for ideas and/or go to most auto parts store or battery shops where they can check your alternator output.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/r/...bad-alternator

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There is a problem with your battery. Take it back to Costco and let them fix it.

 

Once upon a time all batteries required water to be added. In fact, checking the water level was standard procedure during oil change service. Today, most batteries are maintenance free. Some batteries are sealed and some, like the batteries you purchased, have removable caps. During the life of the battery, most people with never add water to their car’s batteries. Since your batteries have removable caps, there’s certainly no harm in removing them and adding water (distilled only) if the fluid level is low. If you are adding water periodically, suspect that the charging system is overcharging the battery and “boiling” off the water. If this is the case have the charging system evaluated.

 

Each cap covers a battery cell that equals 2.1 volts. The 6 cells are hooked up internally in series. That adds up to 12.6 volts. 2.1 X 6 = 12.6V This would be the normal charge for your battery.
A voltage reading with a volt meter will only tell you the state of charge and not the "strength" or amount of power the battery has. I think this is getting off the original subject ..... sorry for that.

 

Thanks for this, but I don't think this applies to hybrids. I have a carlinkit and dashcam installed, which drains the battery more than usual. This car also has every feature you could add. Also I don't drive the car often (5k miles in the past year with this stupid pandemic).

I'm using a cheap viking 2/8/15 charger which I believe reads state of charge using voltage. So % may not be accurate?

 

Why are you so sure it's a problem with the battery? It's less than a year old. Wouldn't Costco just point fingers at the alternator as others have done here?

 

I stand corrected. It could be a problem with the alternator. Testing the battery is much easier though. However if you want to get technical, the drive belt could be slipping or there could be a problem with the computer.
Just some thoughts.

 

Got it - as our battery is going on five years old, I'm inclined to replace it this winter (it's my wife's daily driver) anyway - I've never added water or even pulled those caps off in almost five years. Battery shows no sign of weakness at this point regardless.

 

Replacing your battery after 5 years is probably a good idea. To go a step further you can purchase a decent battery tester for about $45. I can show a link if you are interested. Use it on your battery and all your friends batteries. It's a fun way to have a beer together.

 

I replaced myself for $109 at SAM's, Duracell is same storage and cranking amps.
Didn't lose any settings, but didn't leave disconnected more than 5 minutes.

 

My Canadian dealer replacement charge is CA$230 (battery+labor+ss+tax). Lexus Premium 84 though not sure of the part number.