Leonard15

Hello guys I own an 2009 GS 350 (Cnd) and today I washed the car and while I was washing I had the radio on while the engine was shut off and it lasted for about 1.5 hrs. When I attempted to start the car the brake wouldn't press down when I went to push the start button and the engine light came on but the radio was still on. I tried several attempts and the same thing kept happening as it gave me the engine symbol and I also noticed the red security light was not flashing as it always does. So I left the car for about 10 mins while I dried it off and then I tried it again it finally started and everything seems to be working normal as of right now.

My question is that is this an indication of the battery being low as I installed this battery about 4 yrs ago. I'm not sure what to do as I don't want to have this issue again when I am not home and thus get stranded somewhere.

Also keep in mind I've played the radio for long stretches when washing the car before and I've never experienced this issue.

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

After time, batteries do wear down! Playing the radio for that long without starting the car is pretty long. Next time while washing the car you can start the car let it idle for 5-10min and continue washing. You might see a 6 months to a year left of battery life in it, but if youre paranoid go ahead and replace it.

Leonard15

Ok thanks man. Also is it normal for the battery to charge itself up by itself like it did in my case? Like I said I'm not sure 100% if it was a battery issue or not as I just left the car for about 10 mins by itself and then the brake released when I attempted to start and it finally fired up so not sure what happened.

tghw

I wouldn't describe it a "charging itself back up", but a good battery can "recover" some voltage after a heavy drain. The older they get, the less likely they are to recover and that type of heavy discharge (running the radio for extended periods with the engine off) can ultimately shorten the life of an older battery.. I'd say you got lucky that a 4 yr. old battery was able to recover that much.

Leonard15

Ok thanks. So it would be a good idea to get the battery tested and if low change it immediately I suppose. I hope that's all that went wrong b/c I'm afraid I get the battery tested and if shows up fine and then I'll have no idea what went wrong and thus have to hope it doesn't happen again b/c not sure what else to get checked.

tghw

If you get the battery tested and it checks out ok, you likely just ran it down too low to start the car and it was still good enough that it recovered. Then when you drove it, the alternator charged it back up fully. I wouldn't sweat it.