what battery are you all going with?
 

Hi. I think is time to replace my battery. I sat in the car with the radio playing (car off) for about 20 minutes.. wouldn't start. I got it jumped.. and it has been fine for four days now. Weird. But I guess its better safe than sorry.

What aftermarket battery is everyone using? Dealer wanted $265. I'll pass.

Any recommendations appreciated.

20 min with radio on and car not running will draw the battery down pretty fast. If you let it sit with radio off for a bit the battery may come back and be able to start the car. How old is your battery

Really?? I have never had that happen before. I have ran the radio on my other car for much longer without issue. My battery, I believe is about 6 years old.

I went with an Interstate Mega-Tron Plus, part number MTP-48/H6 ( $140 ). No issues so far and seems to have
plenty of reserve power.

Went with Interstate too when I switched out my battery a few years back. Forget the model number but it was one of two Interstate batteries compatible with our cars and I just went for the more powerful one. It was about $135 at the time.

Just replaced my battery yesterday. Checked a bunch of batteries, but in my area, most of the batteries hovered around $150. Checked Walmart & an Everstart Maxx cost about $110. I believe the Interstate battery I looked up cost about $160 with a 30-month warranty. Decided to go with the Everstart Maxx-H6 which had a 36-month free warranty.

On another note, the previous owner of my car was an AAA member. He gave me all his old receipts and there was one for the battery, which was changed in 2011. He paid about $85 for a battery with a 36-month free replacement warranty. Unfortunately, the warranty wasn't transferable, so I was SOL.

Thanks everyone! What stats do I need to confirm when buying one? Gotta say.. I am kind of stumped on where to score a battery I can trust.

I would get the largest size that will fit. Name brand interstate diehard etc. Just make sure the cold cranking amps are equivalent to the oem battery

When I was doing battery "research", I think it was another post here that said most (if not all) car batteries are made by one of three big manufacturers: Exide, Delphi, & Johnson Controls. After hearing that, I decided that the $110 Everstart battery from Walmart is probably the same as the $160 one from Autozone or Interstate since it's made by the same company. I don't run any aftermarket sounds or electronics, so I couldn't justify getting an Optima. Unless you have a special reason for getting a special type of battery (ie: you don't drive the car often, you run the sound system for an extended period of time with the car off, etc), just find one that matches the closest to OEM that offers the longest free replacement warranty. :D

outstanding advice!

NO matter what battery I have changed 3 times if I leave the car in garage for 12 days it wont start so I tender it :sad:

12 days is a very short period for your battery to go dead. Have you checked for a parasitic power draw after the car has been shutdown? Something is staying on and eating up your battery.

Run a test. After a good drive to charge the battery, disconnect the negative battery cable and insulate it so it doesn't touch anything. Wait the 12 days, reconnect it and see if the car starts. If so, then the car is draining the battery.

Thanks for the advice! I find my car dies rather quick when left undriven.. which is the norm. What stats do I need to be concerned with? I have never attempted to purchase a battery on my own, I have always let the dealer just handle it. Sorry for the noobdom.

so narrowing it down haaa good luck :D

I agree with this. If you put in a new battery and it still drains in 12 days of not driving, you definitely have a bigger problem somewhere. Is there anything aftermarket in your car that could be drawing power from the battery? An aftermarket stereo, a GPS, a cell phone charger, etc? Normal shouldn't be a dead battery after 12 days. I remember leaving my car in the garage for over a month without driving/starting it, and when I came back, it started fine.

As far as advice on how to find a battery, it's pretty straight forward and easy. Most stores will have a book or computer to look up your make, model, & year. Similar to buying an oil filter. The one at my Walmart was the Everstart Maxx H6 . I believe the size of the battery is a group 48. If I'm not mistaken, the stock battery is rated at 730 Cold Cranking Amps. Unless you're starting it in zero degree weather, it doesn't have to be exactly 730. I believe the AAA battery which was in my car before was 680 CCA, and it made no difference in starting the car.

If, for some reason, you decide not to use a recommended replacement battery, make sure the terminals are on the same side as your old battery.

Buying a battery & changing it yourself is one of the easiest things you can do. Definitely not something I'd let the dealer charge me $300+ for lol.

Edit: Crap, i'm all confused now lol. I thought you (Tensi) had the problem with the starting after 12 days of not driving. After re-reading, it was Johnnyreno that had that problem.

+1 Those of us in the northern climates always try to max out the cold cranking amps. Not such a big deal for those of you in warmer climates

Anyone have an opinion on a AAA battery? Quality?

Thanks soo much! I definitely want to get something at least as good as the Lexus battery in it now. I fear going somewhere like Sears or Pepboys and having them just install whatever they have, and me not know its not an equivalent (or greater) battery.

I can install it myself?? Eww. Thank you. I want to do that.

My sc430 is bone stock I have 4 cars the year is 2006 has 28 thousand miles. I have been through 3 batteries, I left it un tendered for a month and it toasted the original battery. I did it again about a year later the other day I left it a week and a half had to jump it to start it. Held a charge now I have a battery tender on it, I have heard on this forum that other members cars do the same and my car is bone stock except the wheels. :sad::(:confused:

I don't remember which company made the AAA battery, but when I bought the my SC, that's what was in it. Lasted 31 months with a 36-month replacement warranty, but AAA wouldn't honor it since I wasn't the original purchaser. Some other forums/websites say that AAA will do anything to weasel out of the warranty. I can understand my situation, but if I were a member and they tried to weasel out of a warranty situation, i'd be pissed lol.

I think sears wanted $180 for their Diehard, and auto stores like Pepboys & Autozone hover around $180-200 too. If you can drive your car down to the store, then yeah, it's a better option. I know Sears does diagnostic stuff to see if your battery is the problem, or if it might be an alternator problem. I've had a problem with Sears trying to con me before, but that might have been just the individual mechanic. In any case, Walmart has a auto center where they install the battery too. $110 vs $180 for pretty much the same battery. Basically a free tank of gas lol.

Thanks everyone. Went to Autozone, got a Duralast Gold with "better" cranking. Appreciate all the help.

One more thing... gentleman said my alternator is on the way out because its volts read 13.79. And he said it should be at least 14 volts. Should I be getting this replaced asap??

Thank you for the help, as always.

Fit new brushes to the alternator. Rock Auto have them for about 10 dollars, I fitted them about 3 days ago as a preventative maintenance measure.

Not sure about what the proper voltage should read, but if your alternator goes while you're driving it will start to draw power from your new battery instead of from the alternator. After that, it won't be too long until your battery drains again since the battery isn't meant to support the entire electrical system for an extended amount of time.

Thanks for the replies, guys.

V300, that is above my skill set.

Thanks Mischievious. I was aware of that. Thats why I am hoping for some answers about the voltage on the alternator.

I searched the forum and came up empty handed. But searching google, for the forum seems to yield a few results.. just not SC430 specific. What people seem to say is that a voltage reading of 137x isn't low and that most likely I don't have an issue. Would love to hear some opinions of the knowledgeable people here, sc30 specific.

Thanks so much.

Anyone know??

You need to put a voltage meter on the battery and have some one race the engine to 3000 rpm.

You will get readings from 13.4 to 14.5 if normal

The actual voltage will vary. Here is a photo of a 4 month old Interstate battery in the
SC430 ( 2004 w/103,xxx miles ) at 700 RPM idle.

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/...7/SANY0838.jpg

Here are the official specs out of the 2004 Lexus SC430 repair manuals :

Battery Voltage
Run engine 20 minutes. Stop engine.
Turn ignition switch to ON & run headlights and blower fan for 1 minute.
Turn ignition switch to OFF.
Measure battery voltage at battery terminals. Should be 12.5 to 12.9 Volts DC @ 68 degrees

Alternator charging check
Run engine at 2,000 RPM with less that 10 Amp load.
Voltage at battery terminals should be 13.2 to 14.8 V DC.

From Lexus factory repair manual:

Battery Test:
Check battery electrolyte level if other than maintenance free battery, and add distilled water as needed. If maintenance free battery and electrolyte level is too low replace battery.
If not maintenance free battery, check specific gravity - Standard is 1.25-1.29 @ 68F and charge battery if under 1.25.

After vehicle has run for 20 minutes stop engine.
Turn ignition switch on and operate the headlights, blower fan and defogger for 1 minute. Turn ignition switch off then measure battery voltage. 12.5V or greater indicates a healthy, fully charged battery.

Alternator Test Without Load:
While engine is running check from idle to 2000 RPM. With 10A or less delivered the alternator output voltage should range from 13.2V to 14.8V.

Alternator Test With Load:
With engine running at 2000 RPM, turn on the high beam headlights and place the heater blower switch on HI.
Alternator output should be 30A or more. If the ammeter is reading less than 30A the generator is defective, except when the battery is fully charged, in which case a reading of slightly less than 30A is acceptable.

I used a cigarette lighter voltmeter while driving and experienced 13.2V to 13.9V at various RPM during the drive. It seemed to settle in at around 13.75V.

Thanks for the factory diagnostic procedure. Very, very helpful.

You guys are amazing. thank you so much. The diagnostic gentleman wasn't that thorough when he tested mine. I was at 13.79 just running, and then dropped to 13.70 (I think, wasn't a big drop) with the AC and headlights on.

Is that not sufficient? I should go buy a voltage meter and run it to a more thorough extent? Thanks for the help of a wrenching novice.

You can get a decent Digital Multi Meter for around $30. It doesn't have to have +/- .05% accuracy for auto electronics. You won't be able to do the 30 Amp load test, but checking the battery voltage with the engine off is a good indicator of its' charge state and verifying an alternator voltage output while the engine is running of greater than 13.2V generally means it is working.

Plus the Digital Multi Meter will have some good uses around the house. :)

Thanks FlopTop!!!