Hello,

I didnt drive my new LS 430 in 2 days and now it wont start. The previous owner said that he had it hooked up to a charger because it was sitting in his garage for about 2 years. The battery was bought by him and is still in mint condition. Do LS 430s use more juice than other cars ? will i always need to charge the battery each night even if i bought a brand new battery ? The trunk unlocks by itself and makes a noise on the main key ever since a battery was put in the main key.


Thanks !!

 

I found from the forum that if parked for an extended period to turn off the smart key--I did that, and it's a PITA to drive now lol but I took the word of the forum.

I do need a new battery as it's 4 and it's testing on the low side--too too bad it was a free replacement if I had only gone to Costco. I found out with my wife's car how hassle-free it is, hers failed in 2 years. Also, the lexus is the only car that has corrosion on the battery. I used the felt rings but did not spray the terminals. My other cars have no corrosion, but the batteries are interior on 2 of 3.

Since batteries are $85, not the end of the world if we get a new one imho....24F is one of the most common sizes. My tip is don't throw away the plastic sleeve, did that on my other car, and the fender rusted out from the gassing.

 

My battery was 4+ years old and if i didnt drive the car every couple days it would go dead. I turned off the smart key sensor under the dash and that didnt help. I put it on a charger and that would hold it for about a week. Finally i called AAA and the guy swapped to a new battery about a month ago. I have had no trouble starting it after car sits of a week or more.
The AAA tech noticed a ring of white corrosion around the positive post and told me that was a sure sign of a battery that was on its way out.

 

"The battery was bought by him and is still in mint condition." - I would have the battery load tested and not go on appearances. Also, you have to make sure the doors are all completely closed when you leave the car overnight to prevent discharge due to interior lights being on and possible dead battery after a day or two. A dead battery could be caused by some parasitic drain in one of the electrical circuits but that is less likely. You definitely do not need to leave the car on a charger if everything is working properly and your battery is in fact a good one.

 

If your battery dies overnight after a full charge on a zero year old battery, you definitely have a defective circuit. If your battery is less than 3 years old and dies after less than 7 days of no driving, you likely have a defective circuit or some of the internal battery cells are defective.

My 2002 is pre-smartkey and if I don't drive for 2 weeks, even with a new and fully charged Costco 24F battery, the battery will be dead. I have a Motomaster intelligent charger (similar to models 011-1504-0 and 011-1518-8) that has trickle charging, desulphation, and 75A engine start modes, for both AGM and standard batteries. Desulphation mode worked when I got my brand new Costco battery and promptly went into lockdown and never drove for 3 months straight and killed the battery. It took several tries (the charging light blinks while attempting desulphation, then screen says BAD about an hour later if it fails) but it eventually worked and got the battery back to normal.

If your battery is over 4 years old, it's time for a new one. Draining lead acid batteries to zero, even new batteries, will permanently take some life off them, so ensure you don't have a parasitic drain.

Lexus/Toyota recommends the use of a Midtronics GR8 diagnostic charging system for diagnosing battery problems, and their dealerships are equipped with such battery testing systems. You could buy smaller, cheaper, handheld Midtronics testers or go to a shop that has one, and that would tell you if you need a new battery or not.

 

As someone mentioned, load testing takes the subjectiveness out. Not only to see if the CCA is up to snuff, but the internal resistance. Because my wife's GM SUV is intelligent, what I've noticed is when the battery is failing, the volts are going way up. Because it drops it especially in the summer and it's 90F, sometimes it's barely 13V--in other words the car is following an algorithm so as to not overcharge, the voltage is not constant, it's lower say with 90F and 2 hours into a highway trip (remember those?). Anyway we had a Bosch Premium from the 3 Stooges that failed in 1 year--so age is tough to say. I woulda thought the Costco H6 would have lasted more than 2 years. It all goes back to high school, and v = ir.

ps I just googled the gr8 and wow, if I ever had a dream garage maybe I'd get one. I just installed a costco led shop light and emailed my buddy you would never do this in yours lol he's got a mcmansion all that's missing is carpeting for his cars

 

I've never had in issue with mine, I've left it sit for 2-5 weeks and have never had a draw down issue once I moved to an AGM battery. I regularly leave it in the garage during times of rain and use other cars and it never starts weakly or slowly

 

Was battery sitting on a concrete floor for two years?

What kind and amount of charge was applied over two years?

If your charging system is functioning, your battery is likely due for replacement.

I like Interstate...and avoid big box auto parts brand batteries...others may have a favorite brand...

Dealer batteries are quality but do not offer the CCA and are not made in Japan....

 

i bought anew battery from the Lexus dealership today but im still worried it wont start if i dont drive it in 2-3 days so i bought a trickle charger + maintainer. My battery died over the weekend because when Lexus put in a new battery in the key, the trunk kept opening and i thought it closed properly but i guess it didnt. so i had to dish out 230 $. Any recommendations on rustproofing ? i heard Krown is very good. Its my 1st lexus and i always dreamed to have an Ls 430. I`ll post pics of it soon.

thanks ! Im part of the Lexus fam now

 

My 06 LS430 will not start if I park more than 2 weeks. I got a Battery Tender Junior Charger and Maintainer to keep battery charge.