My car battery seems to have died since it is making a clicking sound when I try to start it.. Few months ago when I went for service at a Toyota dealer they informed me that my battery will require replacement soon.

I'm afraid to jump start the car thinking it may mess up something like the electronics, so I'm considering bringing a new battery home and replacing it myself.

Based on my search on this forum it seems that besides the OEM Panasonic battery, the other recommended battery is Interstate. While I may ultimately buy that one, I was considering to look at alternatives such as the Kirkland batteries at Costco. Does anyone know based on their experience if they fit in our cars? I've used those on my previous cars and have been quite satisfied with them.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Jumps starting it will not hurt anything - I've done it a numebr of times with my old OEM batteries.

As for a repalcement battery, I STRONGLY recommend an Odessey battery. You're in MD like me, so it can get very cold here (in case you have not noticed) so investing in a high quality deep cycle battery like Odessy which is made in the USA, will give you the CCA (cold cranking amps) you need when the temps drop. Not to mention it should last you for many years - Odessey is known to be the best your money can buy.

See my 'Odessey' battery post a few down from for more info.

 

If you can afford the premium battery, it is always an insurance. I replaced my OEM with a Walmart Maxx two year's ago and is so far so good.

 

I am using the MAXX as well in my 01 Audi Allroad, it has been 2 years and not one single problem. I however am in Seattle, and the beyond frigid temps are not the norm here. My GX battery will be due for replacement here very soon (6-8 months) and I may be taking a look at the odyssey battery at that point...

 

I have the MAXX in an 02 GS300 and a 91 4runner. The 4runner is going on 5 years and only top it off with distilled water. Truck sits outside and it has been cold this winter. The GS350 has an autozone battery in it going on its 3rd year.

 

I'm with cssnms... If you want the best, pick up an Odyssey.

 

I'll say go with Odyssey , I had the installed Wednesday , GX sat in garage til Friday today, we had -14 below last night with the morning temps -9 ,

Fired up fine .

 

Thanks for your feedback.

Since I needed to get 110k mile service on my car, I jump started my GX and dropped it at my Toyota dealer to have them replace the battery also. I called the Parts department first to find out the cost of a battery for 4th generation (2008) 4Runner and was quoted $105. When I dropped it to the service writer he said he thinks it is around $170 but the service adviser will let me know tomorrow.

My question is - shouldn't the 4th gen 4Runner battery also work with GX? Please let me know so I can respond to the adviser accordingly when he calls tomorrow.

Thanks.

 

Yeah, should be the same one. The have the same part # from the factory.

 

Based on a quick search online it seems that the GX and 4Runner battery are slightly different in terms of CCA and size. If the battery cost at Toyota is around $170 as the service writer stated, I'm going to opt out and go to Walmart where it costs $99. Not sure how much they charge to install?

 

I went to Batteries plus and bought a Duracell from them. They are labeled Duracell but are manufactured by penn state battery which is quality and produced 50% of batteries out there. I have not had one problem and im in colorado. Its 810 CCA more then factory. Its like going to NAPA and buying Valvoline for $6 a quart when you can get NAPA oil for $4 a quart and its the same oil. Valvoline makes NAPA oil.

 

Called Walmart. They said they have the battery but wouldn't be able to replace it on my car since they have run into some issues with this model in the past. I don't know what they were talking about since the battery seems easily accessible to me. Anyone has any idea why it may be difficult - the battery seems very accessible under the hood.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the Toyota dealer where my car is in for service.

 

Batteries Plus seems like a good source but based on my experience once when buying tablet type batteries for a small worthless device they were charging two times compared to what I found at Radio Shack...

 

I removed my plastic engine bay covers a long time ago so I can't check...but is the radiator plastic trim cover or the fuse trim cover in the way? If so maybe that's why, they don't want to be responsible with broken push clips removing the covers.

If not I don't know. When they said issues with this model do they mean the GX or the battery you're asking about? If the GX I didn't noticed any issues when replacing my battery, it's just like any other vehicle. Remove the battery hold down, loosen the nuts to remove the terminals, remove and replace the battery.

 

Probably ran into this problem and didn't know the fix.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gx-...-or-reset.html

The problem can be avoided by jumping a good battery to the battery terminals while replacing the original battery. This keeps the window settings and all the radio push button settings.
Some shops leave the ignition key in the ''ON' position and plug an auxiliary battery into the cigarette lighter socket to back feed voltage to the car while removing the main battery.

http://s634.photobucket.com/user/aut...l?t=1351346672