I'm new, haven't bought a car yet but am interested in a 2010 RX450h that is for sale in my area. I have a concern. It has around 110k miles, has been serviced 25 times. My concern is that 15 of these 25 times the Battery Charging System was checked. 4 times the Electrical System was checked. In May of 2021 they did a Body Electrical Wire repair. 18 months later it was in for Battery Charging System check. Then 5 months later it was Put up For Sale.
I am asking for a few opinions of whether I should be concerned that the Battery Charging System had to be checked so often. It looks like it was well taken care of but just wondering what other owners might think.
Thanks Dan

 

Dan Miller1, before you do anything, find a honest and good hearted true mechanic, use your family and friend or community connections to locate one. Before I spend a lot of money I get a complete car inspection by that mechanic. It’s worth spending a couple hundred dollars, then find out later you have major repairs to do that will go into thousands, I promise you that. Do your due diligence. My prayers with you. Stay safe.

 

Those are routine checks the dealer does almost every time a vehicle is brought in for service. However the body electrical wire repair is interesting but may be minor,
It appears you may have found the Lexus drivers site and entered the VIN to get the service history. If not, it will have more detail, join for free & enter the VIN: https://www.lexus.com/drivers/account/create-account

As Orlando775 said, always get it inspected by an independent well regarded shop, not a dealer. You may even have some hybrid speciality shops around as there are more of them now. Just search Toyota Hybrid repair near me, etc.

 

Yes check everything specially Abs,hybrid battery, service battery all are in good condition.
your satisfaction is more important.

 

Thanks to everyone who replied. I joined the Lexus Drivers club as Clutchless suggested and got a better look at the cars history. For the past 2 years the battery went dead often. Even after only 3 days of sitting. Then in the end it wouldn't start after 1 day. I think the owner got tired of it and thats why he was selling it.
In the history they had to go to his house 3 times to check it out and put in a new battery. It mentions he had 2 Lexus's. I guess he traded it in and that's why it went to auction.
I might go look at it and take it to a mechanic as suggested.
At first I was looking at MDX's but then came across the RX400h and the 450h. So now I think they are my choice.
Thanks again, Dan

 

pls take advice from mechanic and scan whole system through scanner.
it will give you whole information about lexus.

 

I seriously doubt that the battery drain problem will show up in the scanner ... maybe in an advanced scanner with a knowledgeable person [who knows how to drive the tool and understand based on data]. Most of the scanner report emission related issues.

The good thing is the problem has been diagnosed to battery drain issue. So a competent electrician may help, but the dealership has not been able to fix.

I would walk away as the risk is high ... unless the buyer has the know how and patience [or even lucky].

Since OP seems to be focused on hybrids ... I assume (s)he understands that the hybrid is only better in city stop and go driving. If unaware of this, I would suggest get the non-hybrid.

Lastly: RX is pretty popular model and there should be relatively more vehicles that come on the market. I would wait and even pay a bit more knowing that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.

Salim

 

All those dead battery issues sound like the 12 volt battery. Especially since you said they had to replace it.
I bet it was the original 12 volt battery that was just tired and worn out as they can last over 10 years in a hybrid. It all depends when they had battery issues.

If they actually did replace the hybrid battery, they would have to take it to the dealer and the cost would be several thousand dollars at the dealer. That would show up in the repair records.
However, if it has a new hybrid battery, it is worth considering and getting it inspected.
FYI the 12 volt battery is about $300.

 

If the vehicle can be purchased for an incredible deal, then the troubleshooting costs and aggravation might be worth the hassle in solving what may be a minor issue.
Sometimes the gamble does pay off.
Regardless, these vehicles do maintain their value and you could sell it again down the road for a small loss, and with full disclosure.