I just bought my first lexus! Its a 2002 sc430 and the car needs a new battery...Lexus wants 200 bux to put in a new one, and since i'm pretty handy i was hoping i could change the battery out myself...does anyone have a DIY or maybe want to tell me how to go about doing this? also, what battery type should i use...thanks! Do I just remove the old battery and hook up a new one? or is there something special i need to do to get the old one out?

 

i dont think you really need a DIY manual, its pretty easy just pop off the black plastic cover. then there are two 10mm (I think) bolts that hold the anchor on. takes those off and the bracket then your battery comes out. its kinda heavy. As for a replacement you can go with whatever it says in the manual at the store, depending on the brand you want. Some others in this forum including myself have gone with optima batteries. They arent an exact fit, they are a tad smaller then the stock batteries and cost quite a bit more then normal batteries. But I like mine

 

If you're going to DIY remember to becareful of the acid when moving the batteries around and of course you have the problem of disposal of the old battery. Why not price out the difference before purchasing, Sears is usually reasonable, I think AAA will do it at your home, and plenty of independants will do it cheaper than Lexus.

The other point in having a shop do it, is that they will check out the whole charging system at the same time.

It may prove to be one of those jobs where the savings aren't worth it.

 

FYI, if you dont want to reprogram seats, radio,etc, etc, keep 12 volts hooked up up to the cable ends, when removing the old battery. and keep 12 volts connected until the new bat is fully installed.

 

When the battery went bad was it dry? I had a similar problem with bad battery on a 2002 SC. Now I understand that batteries don't last forever, however, when I mentioned to the dealer that I found the battery dry, I asked if this was part of the regular service checks that was suppose to take place during routine maintence. Once they answered yes, the price of the battery came down 50% and the Lexus dealer installed it for free.

 

The reason you paid only 50% was probably it was under the prorated warranty.

 

I would caution against a battery from the dealer. I replaced 3 in about 16 mos. on my 2002. A place that turns over its stock faster may be a better bet. I don't think that the dealers batteries are great quality and probably have sat on the shelf a long while.

 

FYI, Costco has Optima AGM batteries at good prices (at least they did a couple of months ago when I bought a couple of Blues for one of my boats).

AGM (absorbed glass matt) batteries are a type of VRLA (valve-regulated lead-acid) batteries which are spillproof, maintenance free, and can even be mounted on their sides (though with a 10% reduction in capacity).

It's probably not important for use in a car, but they also accept significant greater charge rates (with accelerated charging capabilities, of course).