Hues10

Given the whole Covid-19 work from home situation, I obviously have not driven Lexi more than once per week. I ended up going out to Dunkin Donuts for coffee last Friday just to drive it. Maybe it was my imagination, but the car felt sluggish, even after going a couple of miles, she just did not feel like the normal quick response on the throttle. Anyone else experience this during this lockdown? I mean, it was not going to stall or anything, and the battery seemed fine. Could be my imagination. Maybe I need to take a highway trip and open her up a bit. Stay safe everyone.

fillerf

take it for a longer drive and see if it gets better
I had the same feeling even in the summer weather. (if winter it takes a long time before battery warms up)
Had the car parked for only one day. Friend wanted to test the car. Just drove for a few minutes and then did a 30-100mph test. Car was much slower than normal
We went driving for some more , then tried again and the car was much more responsive.
I just assumed things needed to be in normal operating temp before getting al power available

Hues10

You are probably right about normal operating temps and all. I mean I had not even gone a mile, was in Eco mode, and all the accessories were on, AC, rear defrost, radio, etc. Not like I am trying to floor it or anything as well. 30 to 100 mph tests - love it. I will do a 60 to 90 test every once in a while on the Highway. Hope Lexus has their act together with their battery technology when I decide to get something else. It is a 2013, so I am thinking 2025 or so. At my driving rate, I will only have 75k miles on it though. Oh well, 2025 is a long ways off.

fillerf

Mine is a 2013 as well , just passed 60K miles.
2025 should give plenty of options.
They just launched the UX 300e here i Norway. Too short range, the "wrong" charge interface for europe ( CHAdeMO )
And too expensive compared to range (40K-50K dollar)...
But its not a all electric design from the ground up, so next version probably better...

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

i hope in 8 year when I buy another car Lexus has a practical all electric car. I’m at 100k miles now should be at 220k miles by then, but I also want to go over 232,505 miles. That’s what my first car I drove, parents owned since new had when I sold it. That car was a 1998 Honda Accord LX.

Hues10

232k nice. I went 175k on a 2004 Saturn Vue before trading it in on the Lexus. It was running fine, I just wanted something different. At this rate, I will be 90 before I hit 175k on the Lexus. Do hybrid batteries last 40 years without needing replaced?

fillerf

hehe 40 years , i dont think so,,,..
anyway most all new cars will never be a classic or possible to keep alive for that long
This because of the electronics and all other tech , way to advanced to fix in the home garage and getting parts will be impossible
the classic cars we have now from the 50-70ies is different era in tech and possibility fix and parts....my 68 corvette is 52 years still plenty of parts and easy to fix...
a 50 year old car from 2000-2020 will be very difficult to keep alive for 40-50 years...

ChronoR

It would really depend on how many were built. If it were a Camry, you'd be able to scavenge parts practically forever for instance.

For our GS450h's, the electronics will definitely be a problem. The hard drive models like my 2013 has that as another weak point too (and nobody has figured out how to copy it to an SSD). The NiMH battery I'm actually not too concerned about because that's actually something you can take apart and repair/replace individual cells and contacts for (look it up for Prius's). It wouldn't be remotely worth it IMO but it's possible.

With that said, I don't think the 4GS has the gumption to be a classic car.

fillerf

Yeah the harddrive can become a serious problem.....I have a 2013 as well and I think i Have read almost every post about atmepts to replace the drive . Not a easy task
unless someone comes up with the the masterkey. there are now tools that can remove the ata password on most drives , but i suspect the best would be to have the original password since the head unit might expect it to handshake.... :-/
Lexus should publish the password since these units are becoming old , i cross my fingers for 2023.....

Hues10

I think of replacing my 2013 in like 2025 is the plan. With what, don’t know. Depends if I am retired and traveling around by driving. Would need an SUV for that. Figure I have five more years to figure it all out for now it’s time to just enjoy the GS every time I get to drive it which is like once every 10 days.

Hues10

I drove my car yesterday! First time in about ten days. Did great. Put her in sport+ mode and went to town passing as many people as I could. I usually drive in Eco because of local traffic, but, traffic was lighter and I just wanted to go. Put a whole 4 gallons of gas in at Costco too. Now she is parked again waiting for the next errand. I am surprised the Hybrid battery was still full after sitting that long. Full meaning the engine shut off after sitting about two minutes at most. I have two cars so have to shift them around so I do not lose a parking spot in my community. I am a parking spot hoarder I guess. She will be washed up and sparkling by the weekend.

ChronoR

The NiMH traction battery is usually sitting around 60% (even "full" it's only 70%) which is the point where the self-discharge is nearly zero. The traction battery is also completely disconnected so it won't have any parasitic drain either.

When sitting around, the actual concern is the lead acid 12V battery since there is some drain on it. I have a battery tender on mine right now.

Hues10

How often do you put a battery charger on it? I assume just a normal 12 V charger will do. Also, do you put it directly on the battery in the trunk, or on the posts in the engine compartment? Sorry for the questions, I just assumed the hybrid battery would keep the 12v charged up. Thanks

ChronoR

I don't charge it at all normally. As you surmised, the traction battery normally keeps it topped up just fine.

The problem is apparently the traction battery is fully disconnected when the car is off so it never gets the chance to charge the 12V battery. And you need the 12V battery to move the physical relays to connect the traction battery so you still can't start your car if the 12V is dead even though it's the (probably full) traction battery that actually "turns" the engine.