Well, my second Lexus oem battery just bit the dust. It has only been just over two years since it was last replaced and I am wondering "WTF".

I drive the heck out of the car. Rarely activate the top when the engine not running (it opens and closes faster).

Although I once had it in the shop and they left the trunk open or something and it took a charge to get it going again.

Are Lexus batteries junk? What do you guys think?


Thanks,
Mark (da-bizket)

 

Like you I have had 2 crap out in my 02 since new.

I pitched a fit when they wanted to charge me 2 bills for the battery plus 100 for the flatbed after telling me to have it brought in........the last one which was under warranty was the new improved one....after saying my piece I got this new one and the tow on Lexus............

Next one will be from the local Goodyear store...............seems this model does not charge the battery while the engine just runs,,,,,,it must be in motion to do so............go figure??

 

yep Lexus batteries are junk

 

Yeah seriously junk. I need to change my battery soon...

 

wow 2 batteries. are you sure nothings grounding your better to cause it to die? any shorts? try to get a better battery like a optima or something and see if it still happends. it should have a warranty if it fails.

 

mine held up pretty well. i replaced it about a year ago with a duralast H6-DLG. great battery.

 

I agree, can't go wrong a dependable Duralast! Wish I knew who manufactures the Lexus battery, why put a junk part in a great car?

 

da-bizket,

Do you leave your headlights in the "Auto" position on the headlight stalk? Early on, we noticed this was a battery drainer... not sure if they fixed it in later years.

You probably know this, but leaving cell phone/iPod chargers plugged into the console jack also drains the battery.

 

Lexus should replace your battery. When I bought my replacement from them I got a full-replacement warranty for the first 36 (or 40?) months; after that it's a pro-rated replacement for the life of the battery. I figured it wasn't as high-quality as a Duralast or Optima, but the warranty is longer.

My original OEM battery (in the car when I bought it new in early '02) lasted a full 7yrs.... maybe some of them are better than others?

I agree that leaving the headlights on auto would rob the battery of it's life-span in the long run; that's why I always turn them off and back to auto when I turn the car off. Also, I believe the lighter socket's power is off when the car is off, so I don't know how it could drain power if something was left plugged into it when the power is off.

 

ps... since i got a pm asking about the fitment, i figured i'd reply here as well in case anyone else is interested. the duralast H6-DLG is a direct replacement, exact same size as the original battery. so it's a perfect fit.

 

Not that one. The center console jack. It's live.

 

Thanks for the recommendation, I wrote it down in my owners manual if I need a new battery.

 

no problem. it's not the cheapest battery out there. in fact, it might be the most expensive. but i'd rather pay a little more and not have to worry about it.

 

AHA, I never knew that

 

So, I replaced my battery every 18 months like many others, as it would just die on me. After getting really frustrated it turns out my car had a mobile guardian installed (like lowjack), and it was defective and drawing a lot of power. Had it removed, and now my car seems to be back in order. For anyone who bought theirs used, or bought it new and had the dealer try to sell them a lowjack, beware -- they may have put it in the cars en-masse and just not activated it if you said no.