Dead Battery

[Newlee]

Hi, I just bought a brand new 2009 L570. The battery went dead the first week I got the car. It was replaced and then the second battery went dead. The dealer had it flat bedded into the dealership and did testing. They say I am not driving it enough. I use the car at least five times a week but Lexus is telling me that I am not driving it far enough for the alternator to charge the battery. Also, If I let the car sit for three days, the battery goes dead. The dealer has put on a plug in trickle charger for me to plug in my car every night but this sounds odd for a car that costs so much money to be 'plugged in'

Is anyone else having this problem? I checked the RX350 forum site and they are having problems with the batteries going dead also.

[NicLX470]

Ok so you drive it 5 days out of 7 days in a week? That is the way normal people drive. That is a ridiculous statement from the dealer that you are not driving your car enough. I can't believe they would even tell you that. There is no way the battery should be doing this x2. You should be able to leave any car not driven for weeks with no problems. When my room mate went to Mexico his LX sat in the garage for 1 month without being driven and started right up when he got back. Something is draining the battery when the car is off….as if something is staying on that should turn off. Or the alternator is bad. But is is also possible but rare that you get 2 bad batteries in a row but it can happen. The NEW Lexus battery I had in my LX lasted only 6 months. So instead of getting it towed an hour and a half away to my nearest Lexus dealer I went to autozone and got a Duralast and did it myself and haven't replaced it in 3 years.

[HDRunner]

Battery dead just for leaving the car sitting for 3 days? that's a silly statement. it shouldn't happen to any car. I too can't believe the dealer told you that. I recently have left my LX570 in airport long term parking couple times. The car was sitting in the parking lot for 5 days each time. My LX570 started right off both time.

Just thought about one question you should ask your dealer. Did they start your LX570 everyday and drive some distance before your purchase while it was sitting in the dealer's lot? I am sure the car had sitting in their lot for more than 3 days without moving an inch.

Can you read the posting "Annoying Noise From Brake Accumulator", see if your LX570 making the same noise?

[Newlee]

Well, All's well that ends well. I called up the dealership last week and told them considering the bad publicity Toyota and Lexus were having it would not be in their best interest to have me driving around with an electrical cord hanging out of my grill. They agreed and took back the car!!! I am now driving a brand new RX450H and I love it!!! I am so blessed to have a dealership that is honest and truly cares about the vehicles they sell. Thanks Bell Lexus, AZ. Anyone looking for a great dealership should try this one. I recommend it !!

[HDRunner]

Happy for you, Newlee. how do you manage to drive you LX570 for almost one year.

[downn2]

I have a new 2010 Lx 570 and already experienced a dead battery after an extended stay in my garage...The dealer was nice enough to order me a set of the best jumper cables on earth, at cost mind you...I luve the Lexus's customer service. That must be the whole reason I paid twice as much as this car than I could ever sell it for, otherwise, I'd be driving a Ford SUV too...

[Newlee]

I have a new 2010 Lx 570 and already experienced a dead battery after an extended stay in my garage...The dealer was nice enough to order me a set of the best jumper cables on earth, at cost mind you...I luve the Lexus's customer service. That must be the whole reason I paid twice as much as this car than I could ever sell it for, otherwise, I'd be driving a Ford SUV too...

I truly understand your predicament. I went through TWO batteries in less than a month! The dealership transported the car back to the dealership to do a diagnostic test. Everything checked out Ok. When I call the Lexus customer service number I was told that it was MY FAULT for NOT driving the car the enough!!!. They offered me a free set of jumper cables. Thank goodness that I had a reputable dealership that went the extra mile and installed a trickle charger and battery cutoff device on my car so that I could keep my battery charged and ready to go. I had to Plug my car into the socket that was hanging out of the hood of my 90,000.00 vehicle. I was fortunate enough to be on a live blog session on the Wall Street Journal with the head of the Lexus division, Mark Templeton. I posted on the blog about my 90G plug in vehicle and expressed my disappointment. I guess he listened. I got a call from the dealership and they took my LX570 back and paid off the lease in full. I then got a Lexus RX450H at cost. It has never let me down and I am very happy with it.

I suggest you get in touch with Lexus directly and insist on them taking back the RX570. They will scare you with going to Lemon Law Court and the cost intailed in fighting them in court. Don't give up! Write to Lexus headquaters. Get Mr. Templeton involved.

(customer service would not give me his email address). Start complaining LOUDLY!!! I did and it worked! Good luck to you.

Lee Fuller

Scottsdale AZ

[Newlee]

Happy for you, Newlee. how do you manage to drive you LX570 for almost one year.

I didn't !!!! I made Lexus take the car back and got a LX450H instead!!!

[xxstewart]

I agree with everyone else -- your battery shouldn't be discharging over a period of 2 days. The problem is some component that's not shutting off when the car is stopped. Here's what I would do. Go to Radio Shack and invest in a $30 digital voltmeter. Read the manual that comes with it so you know how to measure current (amperes). Disconnect your LX battery (+ terminal) and connect the voltmeter leads to measure current. When the LX is off, you battery should not be supplying much current -- I'm guessing no more than 0.2 amperes. Since your battery is going dead in a matter of days, you may see a current of several amperes. Locate the fuse panel and start yanking fuses to see which one makes the amperes drop. I'd start with the electronic related items like the navigation system, entertainment system, etc. There's probably no need to pull fuses for headlights and other systems that can be observed visually. When you find the fuse that stops the battery current, write it down, and tell your dealer. Have them do the same test, and maybe they'll be bright enough to replace the system that's at fault. Finally, don't try to start your car while the voltmeter is connected for measuring amps.