mrcd

Hi. I have a 2008 460L, placed into service in June 2009. So not even 7 yrs yet and have gone through 5 or 6 batteries. I live in FL and most of my driving are short trips of under 3 miles. Car doesn't even have 60K miles.
Dealer keeps telling me my battery issue is "normal for these cars". Needless to say, I've never paid for a replacement, because it never gets far out enough to not be under battery warranty. But I wonder if my car has an issue that needs to be found.

Is this normal?

Thanks

R Z

Don't know about normal. I bought my 08 a year and a half ago. Still had the original battery. I replaced it about 2 months later. Still kickin.

superdenso

I use a yellow top Optima/no issues

sfuad

I live in FL too. Battery life here is shorter than the cooler areas. However, on my LS 430 it would last about 3-4 years (Advance auto batteries). My LS460which I bought in Feb, has already gone through battery replacement under warranty from Lexus. Since you don't drive much, may be that might be normal for your driving pattern.

Rhambler

Well, this car, as with most newer cars, are absolute battery hogs. All of the gadgetry, gizmos and just plain huge electrical load are eons higher than cars of old. Those short trips you indicated isn't enough to allow that battery to fully recycle and tends to hasten its life, significantly in some cases.

My suggestion is to turn off unnecessary accessories, especially the auto-seat retract and even steering wheel tilt comfort access, both of which rely on battery power alone and nothing else since these operate while the car is turned off, unless you absolutely need them. Don't use any features that allow you to operate the windows with the car off, either. Anything that functions with the car off will just flat-out drain that battery coupled with the inability for it fully recharge and you put that battery through unhealthy charge/discharge cycles. Or, just drive it for longer distances.

That was the first thing I did when I got my car was to turn off that seat and steering wheel auto-retract function. While nice, they really don't impede my ability to enter or exit my car and do nothing more than to drain my battery and eat up those motors.

Also, the mirrors that auto-retract are also dead loads. In fact, this car has a lot of things that operate while the car is not on. I hear some motor whirring under the hood after I turn the car off (no idea what it is). I may in fact turn the auto-mirror off, but I actually like that, but again, that is a just gigantic dead motor load.

Good luck.

Doublebase

These cars kill batteries...it's all the electric motors and lighting. The electric trunk motor, the auto door close function, the retractable steering wheel, the puddle lighting...it all adds up. Plus I've noticed that the brake actuator unit will power on at times when the vehicle is shut off...you can hear it after you shut off the car. He'll even the e-brake system is electric. And let's not forget all of the computer systems and memory a car like this has, and needs to be kept alive when the vehicle is shut off. I can only imagine how much amperage this thing pulls with the key off.

I've owned my car a little more than two years, I've replace the battery once already.

Rhambler

Soft-close doors are another bad culprit. Forgot about that feature.

Again, anything that operates with the car off WILL KILL your battery, doubly so if you just drive short distances.

1Putt

Yup, hotter climates and all the electronics etc mentioned above all negatively affect battery life. In the 7-8 years for my car, its been thru 6 batteries

Unsober1

Really ? I have a 2011 and it has the factory battery. But my car lives in the mid west. I think location and driving habits must come into play.

jmcraney

mrcd,

The relative facts are these:

1. Well designed cars have an engine-driven electrical generator that supplies power for all the car's systems while the engine is running and also charges the starting-battery. The LS460s satisfy this requirement.

2. Well designed cars have a starting-battery that is sized to sustain the car in a standby mode for many weeks and still provide enough power to start the car. The LS460s satisfy this requirement.

3. Cars do not cause starting-batteries to fail, except in extremely rare situations. A battery that is only discharged is not a failed battery. Batteries fail for a variety of reasons but the cars don't cause them to fail.

You are wise to understand that your car has a problem. Many battery failures are related to their operating conditions, but even in extreme conditions they should last 36-40 months. It is likely that the batteries that were replaced in your car were not defective, but just discharged. It is easier and more cost effective for dealers and technicians to just replace the battery than to spend time troubleshooting or discussing possible operating errors with the owners.

The most likely cause of your "battery problems" is one or more defective doorjamb switches.

In addition to battery problems, defective doorjamb switches cause many serious safety issues.

We have discussed the "defective doorjamb switches" issue several times in our forum.

Here is a link to a thread that will help you find some information about the problems with the doorjamb switches: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...mb-switch.html

mrcd

Thanks for all the hints. I will test my doorjamb switches and report back. Car is currently out of town with wife and daughter, with a 2 day old battery-thank goodness.

Unsober1

It's most likely gremlins in the electrical system. Possible from repairs or modifications. Or even those little green guys from back in the 80's.

mrcd

Checked all 4 doorjamb switches and all passed the test.

jmcraney

The test that I suggested is sort of designed to dramatize the effect of locking your key in the car and is not a solid test to catch defective doorjamb switches. The defective doorjamb switches can be intermittent and difficult to catch. If that test shows that one is bad, then it is definitely bad but it may not always catch all the bad ones.

A better test is to observe that the courtesy light in the door always comes on when the door is opened. If you ever catch it not coming on then that is a good indication that the doorjamb switch is bad. You should give that special attention for a few weeks when you get in and out of your car.

If you have time, you might try sitting in the driver's seat and operating the door 20 or so times while observing that the courtesy light always comes on when the door is opened.

And, of course not getting the doors and trunk closed each time you leave the car can have the effect of causing the headlights to stay on. If you will always lock your car when you leave it, even in the garage, you can insure against that as the doors will not lock, and will give an audible warning if you try to lock the car with one of the doors or the trunk is not closed.

mrcd

Will do. Thanks.