puckhead85

Long story short. I've been very ill since May so the car hasn't been really getting a lot of use. I have been starting it every few days. But every now and then it just completely dies. Like I can't even open the doors with the fob and it has to be jumped. If I let it go for over a week it seems to just die. Is this normal. My dealer thinks its because i added remote start and my radar detector system that is causing the power drain but i've let the car sit in the winter for longer.

Any ideas?
Thanks!

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Assuming the battery is about 2 1/2 years old, it's possible it's going bad. 3-5 years is average. If you can put a charger on it, bring it up to full charge and take it to an auto parts store for a free load test (very common to be free) or a garage for a load test. Running the engine for a short time every few days won't bring the battery to full charge and is likely to run it down faster. Hope you are feeling better.

CincyBrad

My 2013 is on its 3rd battery. Dealer has checked it, says there is no draw or charging issue, key is not kept near the car, and I use no accessories or have anything hard wired. There are issues with batteries in these cars, they seem to kill them randomly with no warning. Others besides me have had the same issue.

Hope you're feeling better.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Just realized you should still be under warranty. If a free load test shows a bad battery, go to the dealer for a replacement battery.

rjm

If I don't use one of my cars for a couple of weeks, I put it on a Battery Maintainer to keep it fully charged. They are sometimes necessary on newer cars that have electronics putting a constant drain on the electrical system.

puckhead85

can i use these if i keep my car outside? I do have a near by outlet that I could run an extension cord. If this is possible do i need to be concerned about theft? Is the hood open?

I already had the battery replaced. Could it be another bad battery? Are the odds that great

swfla

iTrader: (1)

I bought my LS 460 a few months ago. Even though the battery was replaced a few months before I bought the car, I had the battery load tested before closing the deal. It failed the test! This was a 2 month old Lexus battery. It sat on the lot for two months before I bought it. Seems the Lexus batteries might have a problem when sitting for extended periods. Just a possibility.

99alta

There are many other Tenders that are much smaller. I have a small electronic one in my car and slide it beside the battery and directly wired the 12v to the battery connectors. Ran the cord out the bottom of the grill.
If the cars sitting, or I'm in it learning/playing. I'll leave it plugged in until I use it next and the car doesn't have to burn gas to charge the battery

rjm

You can use the charger outdoors.

If I lived in New York I would probably be worried about theft. You can lightly close the hood over the cable making it inconspicuous .

faifai83

I had my battery replaced under warranty. I drive my car maybe 1-2 a week

saison

We have a 2013 GS 350. After sitting for two weeks the car would not start. Just the flashing lights on the dash after pushing the start button. Put a charger on it but a couple of hours later completely dead, no lights at all. Charged it all night with a smart charger. It showed the batter fully charged but still nothing happens when start button is pushed, no lights just a faint clicking. I’m worried that putting in a new batter won’t fix the problem if charging the old one didn’t help.

ECL

My 2013 GS350 is three and a half years old and has its original battery. I just returned from a month long vacation and was pleased and somewhat surprised that the car started right up after sitting for that month.

kolessc400

Working at a dealership batterys are hit and miss... I have seen where a battery goes bad within weeks, and i have seen where the original has lasted 10 years

MikeJaye

For what it's worth ... just had my 35K service last week and the invoice reads "Battery Failed Load Test." As such, my battery was replaced. I had no noticeable problems prior to the visit. Problems with cars are more palatable while under warranty. Yes, overstating the obvious.

kolessc400

Yes they may still fail... But you may notice a slower start on stsrt up