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I just replaced my 2015 original battery. My car was built in November of 2014, so the battery was 6 and 1/4 years old. It still started the engine, even in cold weather, but I didn't want to risk it, because I read about many problems caused by a weak battery on this forum. My battery tester also said it was bad:
I tested the cranking voltage, and it was low, only 9.2 volts. It's low because 9.6 is considered minimum. I got a new 725 CCA battery from Walmart for $94. The cranking voltage with the new battery is 10.44 volts, so much better.
I got a cheap battery tester from Amazon, mainly so I can test the batteries at the store, and pick the best one. I think it's quite useful, but you can measure the cranking voltage using a multimeter that records low and high peaks.
I also replaced my 2015 battery with a Walmart battery about 6 months ago. I have used their batteries for years with no problems. What killed my battery was that I shut the engine off at night, opened the back and was loading and unloading stuff for about 15 min. Wasn't thinking about the headlights staying on. Went to start the car to leave and the engine would not turn over. Glad it happened at home and not out on the road.
Hi all, looks like I may need to replace the OEM battery on my 2015.
Any recommendations ? ( what to replace with i.e. OEM, or another/aftermarket brand ? Install instructions and things to consider.. ? Deals on batteries would help too )
First time poster here, I noticed that my RX350 2010 battery was totally dead this week-end. Last time when such a thing happened, I could still open the door with the fob, see indicators on dashboard when pressing the start key (minus starting the car), but this time everything was off. So I used a GB40 jump starter with manual override over the week-end and started the car and went and drove around the neighborhood + some small highway driving for an hour.
Today, the car wouldn't start either, but the dashboard light indicators were on, the door was operational, but pressing the start key wouldn't start the engine, so I used the jump starter w/o manual override to start the engine, let it sit idle for an hour in the garage, then went drove it only on the highway for an hour this time (>60mph).
Unfortunately I have no battery tester / volt meter to test voltage of the battery.
I am just wondering if I should have the car serviced / change the battery at this point ? I have changed the battery once, probably 3-5 years ago.
Regarding battery replacement, I have always managed to find good deals at Pep Boys utilizing a combination of their various battery sales and coupons. I found a good deal last summer on a Champion AGM battery for my 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R, and also found a good deal on a Bosch AGM battery for my wife's 2006 Jaguar XK8 in the summer of 2018. AGM batteries are far superior to the mediocre wet-cell factory batteries that these RX350 vehicles come with.
For these batterie average is probably 4 years, based on the several cars I've owned the last 10 years.. I had one die in less than 3 years, under warranty. The longest one of mine has gone is a month short of 5 years, but I live in the hot South..
IMO, it doesn't matter who you get your battery from, as long as it has at least a 3 year full replacement warranty.
The most expensive way to do it is at a Lexus dealer.
Your local Toyota dealers are probably offering batteries from the same mfr for lower cost. But their waiting lounge probably isn't as luxurious.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
My comparison of using a Lexus provided Panasonic vs an aftermarket battery in my 2014 RX450H is that the Panasonic was CDN$451.95 vs CDN$227 for an aftermarket AGM which I believe has better ratings and has a longer 5 year full replacement warranty.
But the real point is that most batteries do not die a natural death, they are killed by neglect. Keep your battery fully charged and it will live a long and prosperous life!