nerv81

I bought a 2013 GS as a CPO in Jan 2015 so I've had the car for 2 years now. The battery has been giving me some issues with not starting. There is currently a Lexus battery with a 2015 sticker on which means the original batt was replaced after 2 years in and now 2 years later it needs to be replaced again (car is currently at the dealer and they're saying it looks like a bad cell but they're charging it to test again). So my question is, do they replace the batt under CPO certification even if there was no issue with it or should I be concerned that it's had to be replaced twice in 4 years?

myLexus007

I'm having the same issue with my 2013 GS 450h CPO, and they wanted to charge me $600 to replace even though I had it for less than 6 months and less than 2000 miles. L/Certified for you! Is this the new business from Lexus?

yardie876

Could be bad luck and two defective batteries. Or it could also be parasitic drain from an ECU. There was a TSB for the latter.

myLexus007

Doesn't matter bad luck or not. Point is, Lexus is running away from the responsibility. So tell me, what the point of buying a L/Certified? Are you pre-paying services and loaner car for the next 2 years?

yardie876

I'm just stating what I can assume the issue is coming from, that's all.

In terms of the replacement being covered by the L Certified warranty, I'm assuming the battery falls under the "standard upkeep and wear and tear items", therefore wouldn't be covered under the warranty. I can say though, my battery failed two months after my bumper to bumper warranty expired and my service advisor replaced it under good will with no hesitation.

myLexus007

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like you're defending Lexus.

I'm holding my judgement until I hear more from them as they are discussing with the manager. But in term of "good will", if this situation is not, I don't know what is. Still under the CPO warranty, owe the car less than 6 months/2000 miles. What made me mad was the so called service advisor pulled information out of his *** and said the battery is 6 years old. It's a 2013, service date 6/2013, is he stupid? Also, when they sold as CPO, shouldn't they look at the battery 6 months ago and knew it was old?

bclexus

A failed 5 year-old battery in a 2013 GS 350 would not be covered by CPO warranty...any more than wiper blades or brake pads would be covered. Why would you think the ~5 year-old battery in your 2013 GS 450h should be replaced under CPO warranty. You might want to read what your CPO warranty covers ... or maybe refresh your memory if you never read it.

jordanhigg

This is why I get my battery from Sam's Club with a 5 year warranty. No hassle if the battery fails before that time.

Costco and Walmart have the same policy I believe

bclexus

I would not necessarily be concerned that the battery has needed to be replaced twice in 4 years. Lots of things determine how long a battery may last. Parking outside or in an unheated garage in the frigid winter temperatures, taking very short trips, etc., etc. Batteries go bad just like light bulbs burn out before they should. It happens! It's not all that uncommon for a battery to have a bad or shorted cell within a couple of years. That's why batteries come with warranties. Your fairly new battery should have warranty that is separate from the CPO warranty. Don't just think that your CPO warranty should cover everything! (Read your CPO warranty so you will know what is covered - and what is not covered.)

A Lexus #00544-MF240-575 battery has an 84 month warranty as follows:
0 to 24 Months - Free Exchange
25 to 48 Months - Prorated at 50% MSRP
49 to 84 Months - Prorated at 25% of MSRP

charley95

I always use a Battery Tender on my cars when they sit for extended periods of time. Mine has been sitting for 3 weeks. Good luck with yours!

myLexus007

You sound like a car salesman. Perhaps you know all the details on the CPO contracts by heart.

Nobody is asking for anyone to pay for the "5 year-old" battery replacement. However, the point here is what do you considered as reasonable. If the vehicle is less than 6 months/2000 miles since purchase, and the selling points was "161 points check by L/Certified", it is fair to question and call out the dealership that the check wasn't as good as they claimed.

It is not like I bought this vehicle 5 years ago and now wanted something replace for free. The vehicle was last checked and certified on 6/2017, and it was sold based on that merit.

2Squared

I just took my 2014 in for the 30k service and the battery failed the inspection check. It was replaced under warranty.

yardie876

I understand your point of view, but batteries often times go bad suddenly, not over time, and likely never showed signs of failing in the CPO check. That's why many are caught off guard with a dead car when everything was fine the day before.

Again, it'd be a nice gesture for the dealership to replace the battery for free, but absolutely not required under the CPO warranty.

Now on the flip side, it is possible the battery was overlooked and not tested at all during the inspection, but you'd have to prove that to the dealership, which IMO would be futile.

bclexus

Nope - far from a car salesman.

When a battery is load tested and found to test 'GOOD' that does not mean that 24 hours later the battery cannot fail. In your case the battery in your car was load tested as part of the overall checklist and obviously it was found to test 'GOOD'. Unfortunately for you this 5 year-old battery failed soon thereafter. In case you didn't know - there are more parts on your 5 year-old car that are [also] not covered by the CPO warranty.

You may convince your Lexus dealer to help you some with a goodwill discount on a new battery, but I think you are clearly wrong in thinking that Lexus owes you any help on a 5 year-old battery that performed adequately when you purchased the car, but failed some months later. That is just part of purchasing a used car...especially a 4 year-old used car. You should know that wear items will need to be replaced - sooner or later!

Have you read your CPO warranty? If you did, do you comprehend it?

drgrant

Yeah, it's probably another battery from the "**** battery window".

-Mike