procure010

Hello all,
I am new here and currently looking at purchasing a 2014 Lexus RX450H which only has about 23K miles on it. It has a pretty good AutoCheck report but very hesitant on buying a older RX with low mileage. The exterior and interior are flawless on it and it has a new set of tires just put on it. Just looking for some feedback on what to look out for. Thanks, Procure

Droid13

The usual rules apply here as with most any older vehicle with low miles. Was it just lightly but regularly used (good), or sat a long time untouched (not so good). The only extra thing a hybrid brings to that discussion is the hybrid battery does not like to be left untouched for long periods of time. NiMH batteries tend to lose charge while sitting, and having the battery discharge too much over a long period of time might cause longevity issues. Toyota attempts to increase the life of these batteries by always keeping the state of charge, 40% to 80% as max limits (but day to day normal use it will stay between 55% and 65%) The manual says something like the vehicle should be driven 30 minutes every few months to keep the battery charged. If the vehicle sat somewhere for a year or longer, I might pass.

NickSP

Go on
https://drivers.lexus.com/
Enter the VIN number and see the history of maintenance etc. It's really low miles on a car given its age so you want to make sure it's legit. But if everything checks out then why not? Sounds like an awesome car. What's the price?

procure010

Thank you for the response. The car is with Carmax so it is not at a bargain price. Price is $29,995 which I feel is a high amount for a 2014 year although it has low mileage. I am still trying to decide. It is fully loaded with the mark levinson system on it.

RadiantX45

does it have blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, heads up display? Seems like a bit too high. I think you can find 2016 models for around that price.

fishybone

Can anyone share how long their car can idle for in traffic with AC and heaters off, before the ICE kicks in? I am estimating between 7-10 mins on my 2013 RX.

RadiantX45

I’ve been sitting here at the vet since 10:15. They do this new thing where they take your dog in and you have to wait in the car due to Covid. It’s now 10:53 and my engine hasn’t kicked in yet. I have the air on recirculating and radio on. But of course I’m just sitting here, not in traffic. Idk maybe I didn’t notice the engine turn on or something because that’s almost 40 minutes. I have a 2011 RXh

NickSP

The test was for idle. Same thing if you'd be in traffic. I think 40 minutes is a long time for the car to stay on battery alone without the engine kicking in.

RadiantX45

What was your battery level when you started.

fishybone

6 out of 8 bars. It’s still a big difference to your experience. Mind you, my car had no accessories running. Was literally waiting in line at the drive through.

RadiantX45

Ok well I’m kind of testing again. I’ve been sitting in this grocery store parking for 15 minutes now on the phone and I don’t think I’ve lost any bars, I’m still almost full. But also it’s kind of hot today, in colder weather I think my engine might’ve turned on by now.

Also I think if you’re in drive it might deplete the the battery faster than if you’re just in park. I remember my engine kicking in at the last drive through I was in within the same time frame as yours. 20 minutes now no loss in bars but I’m in park.

fishybone

Interesting! I have an 8 year warranty which technically ends in 2021 might get it checked out. Worth also noting though that the figures I mentioned are in conditions where the engine hasn’t fully warmed up, and would be about say 5 mins from home. I live in Australia and the weather isn’t at either extremes.

Droid13

Sitting in "D" will definitely drain the battery more quickly, there is always a bit of pushing force on the MG2 motor even with the brakes mashed down and no electric flow indicated on the nav energy screen or MFD.

The time the battery takes to discharge can vary quite a bit. Just sitting in P in Ready mode with no HVAC, no heated seats, no accessories the battery can last quite a long time before engine start. Conversely, sitting in D, A/C running hard, tunes cranked, 3 to 5 minutes.

fishybone

Makes sense - thank you! Would sitting in N achieve the same effect as P? I’ll start trying this in standstill.

Stevedud

I don't think I've seen all the bars on the battery light up, is that how it should be?