RJLsES

Next year, if the pandemic allows, we will be taking a 35-day cruise out of Boston. Usually, when we're away from home for more than a couple of weeks, we hook up both our IS250 and the ES350 to battery tenders in our garage. In Boston, we'll be parking the ES350 in a public garage, so it'll be hard, if not impossible, to connect a battery tender to it.

We night take a battery pack or something to restart the car or just call GEICO roadside service to get it restarted. Thought about just disconnecting the battery before the cruise but maybe that's a bad idea because lots of flash memory would disappear from the multitude of electronic sensors & gizmos.

Question: Do you guys think that our car will be OK for 35 days as far as restarting? Of course, I'll be fretting over it while cruising. ;-)

mikemu30

If you have cell coverage, start it from your phone once a week. Should be fine.

RJLsES

OH...I cancelled Remote Start after my first year. :-( Maybe worth reinstating it? Otherwise, good tip, thanks!

bc6152

Buy a battery pack at Costco for about $60.00. Fits in the glove compartment. Although my belief is that you won't need it. Go on the cruise and forget about it. Your car will get started one way or another...
And don't forget your face mask...

RJLsES

Yes, wondering how long I would have to idle the car if I could do a remote start. Imagine the horror of losing cell phone coverage after starting it up and could not get it to shut off! ;-)

coolsaber

If you want it to start up immediately after leaving it for 35 days simple:

1) Call your choice of roadside (lexus or geico) as soon as you land at the airport to allow some lead time.
2) Be like everyone else and carry a portable jump start lithium ion (of course) and have it ready to go once you get to the car.

lesz

I believe that, when you use the remote start, the engine will shut off automatically after 10 minutes (or some similar amount of time).

mikemu30

It shuts off by default after running ten minutes. Even if you lose coverage after the start.

bc6152

Another alternative would be to fly to Boston and get a cab from the airport to the pier. Then no worries that the car will disappear or, if it's still there, start up... For me, I'd be concerned leaving my new Lexus unattended anywhere for 35 days... Especially when the car thieves know you'll be gone for over a month... (they check the cruise schedules too...)

mikemu30

No problem for me - I get seasick so no cruise in my plans. Good point though

TechNut

I agree with this. For $60 you have peace of mind, but I doubt you will need it. I have often let ours go 30 days (such as last winter while there was snow and I was driving the SUV) without issue. To be fair, our cars are hybrids however and that may make a difference as I understand they use a 12V different battery.

grp52

In response to COVID-19 concerns I let my 2019 ES 350 sit for three months and one week. Fired right up when the dealer came to pick it up and take it in for regularly scheduled service.

After parking it (in my garage) at the start of the period there were only four instances of battery power drain above the [small] powered down/sleeping drain before the car was started again. They were 1} power lock the doors at the beginning of the period, 2} power unlock the doors at the end of the period, 3} inadvertent power trunk open close cycle (walked too close to the kick sensor when I had a key fob in my pocket), and 4} purposeful power trunk open close cycle.

Although I still have an active Lexus Remote, I didn't use any of the features so there wasn't any additional power drain from activating the car electronics needed to support those functions. (I did receive the monthly e-mail vehicle status report from Lexus but I don't know if Lexus actively queries the vehicle each time the report is generated.)

As others have mentioned, car starting Lithium ion battery pack kits are relatively inexpensive and will alleviate dead battery worries. Just remember to charge it up and periodically replenish the charge. (Lithium ion batteries will trickle discharge so they need periodic charging to ensure they have the starting juice when you need it.)

sderman

Not happily, but I would disconnect the positive battery lead. You'll lose some settings but you won't possibly then be putting your battery into a state of deep discharge which is not healthy for a conventional lead acid battery. Even if you have a lithium battery jumper (which I always keep around) or use roadside service to give you a jump, your battery will have suffered and it's life span compromised. This would also give you piece of mind. But if you go this route I assume you will need to use a physical key to unlock the drivers door when you return.

packman12

I doubt my 2020 ES would start after that long, since the battery already died at 2 months old, after a little over a week sitting in the garage. I have been doing some simple things before parking the car for anything over a few days and I haven't had a dead battery in the last 4 months. I have no idea whether these measures help or not, but I turn off the dome light switch so those lights never come on (don't drive much at night anyway). I also turn the auto headlight (DRL) switch to off. I turn off the radio. I turn off the auto A/C. In short, everything that I think could drain the battery. I'm certainly not a mechanical guy, but by doing these things, it may help prevent you from worrying about the car starting and allowing you to enjoy your vacation. You may also be able to check if the garage has any kind of service for jump starting - many do. Might want to back the car into your parking space. Finally, roadside service will work too. Enjoy your cruise. We can't wait until we can get back on the ships - we love cruising!

coolsaber

The other thing, is a select group of batteries used in ESes were below standard. Dont know which vins apply, but have seen folks get free replacements as a result.