Anyone Has Experience Replacing The 12v Battery?

[Sunapollo]

The starter battery went dead this morning and AAA came over to jump start it. The AAA technician said it's common for our hybrid cars starter battery to go bad if not driven for a while (the battery is almost 4 years old so need to be replaced soon anyways)

Just wondering if anyone has swap out the starter battery yourself? Is it just straight forward replacement like replacing batteries in other cars then reset the windows settings ? Thank you.

[RX400h]

You might want to read the post (by Cduluk) at the top of the "Pinned" list.

[katzjamr]

yes after my oem battery would not hold a charge i went to costco, their battery that fits our hybrids has more cold cranking power, and they have a full three year warranty, no questions asked. i did consider the optima battery that they also sell but it is double the cost with only a one year warranty. i swapped out the old battery with the new costco one and there were no problems. you do reset windows, also you will lose the history on your stereo presets and the history on the nav system for previous addresses entered.

[RXREY]

I know that we should look for everything ourselves...finding a thread,Etc. but when someone asks, can someone just answer the question? I looked at the thread that CDLUC wrote but it had a lot of stuff in it and I am not sure if the battery question was answered there...so let me ask this...or should I look for this too....should I just get a better battery before my 06 battery gives out? Just answer if you,anyone, knows...don't tell me to look at previous posts. I have a hard time looking for previous threads/posts anyway...it keeps telling me that I am doing something wrong. Thanks, Rey

[SW03ES]

I dont think RX400h's suggestion was to answer the OP's question, a lot of cduluk's thread discusses things to address AFTER the battery is replaced.

The site is a wealth of information...and oftentimes yes you can find answers to your questions by searching.

Whether you want to replace your battery or not before it fails is a matter of personal preference. I would replace them after 3-4 years personally.

[cduluk]

Whether you wait to change your battery, or change it when it still has some life left- as soon as you disconnect one, you'll need to "reset" everything, all the things i made that thread about.

[Sunapollo]

Thank you guys! The main point for my question is whether it can be Do-It-Yourself or I have to go to dealership to do it. I searched before I sent out my post. I saw cduluk's post up the top and I found that very useful however he's describing what need to be done AFTER battery is disconnected (as SW03ES mentioned) but not addressing whether we can change our own battery without any adverse effects.

I remember seeing something like you have to go to the dealership to change the battery because the car memory stores information related to the communication to the hybrid battery (something like that) ...

Thanks to katzjamr for confirming me that it can be DIY and we just need to reset the windows/ stereo/ NAV memories.

[SW03ES]

You can definately do it yourself...

[RX400h]

The site is a wealth of information...and oftentimes yes you can find answers to your questions by searching.

Exactly! Often someone has previously done exactly what you are contemplating, but for one reason or another won't see your question for days or even weeks. This is why the search function is so handy. I thought it was fairly clear that cduluk's post assumed the battery was replaced by the owner, but I guess to others, a dealership would replace a battery and not reconfigure important settings.

The good news is that everyone is now clear as to the requirements for replacing a battery. Most OEM batteries, if not drained excessively, will last a minimum of 5 years. My Corvette's battery lasted more than 7 years.

[katzjamr]

sunapollo: what you are remembering is that there was a tsb on the ecu settings that would go awry and and result in lower mpg after the battery was disabled, during body work, or during replacement. so afterwards, or at the next lube i would ask the dealer to check the ecu settings and correct them if needed. the copy of the tsb is on this site and i walked up to my service manager with it and he took it from there. the car still runs it just affects the gas mileage.

[Sunapollo]

sunapollo: what you are remembering is that there was a tsb on the ecu settings that would go awry and and result in lower mpg after the battery was disabled, during body work, or during replacement. so afterwards, or at the next lube i would ask the dealer to check the ecu settings and correct them if needed. the copy of the tsb is on this site and i walked up to my service manager with it and he took it from there. the car still runs it just affects the gas mileage.

I ended up going to Sears to have my battery replaced and costed me half of what the dealership quoted me. Will have the service guys check out the ECU settings for me in my next service there. Thanks again katzjamr.

[Gryphon]

The good news is that everyone is now clear as to the requirements for replacing a battery. Most OEM batteries, if not drained excessively, will last a minimum of 5 years. My Corvette's battery lasted more than 7 years.

Perhaps not in Arizona. I often wonder how battery dealers make money here. Our heat kills batteries in a couple of years which usually means free replacements.

Tom

[kjng912t]

Any thoughts on hooking up a 12v computer backup or small 12v motorcycle or scooter battery to the terminals in order to not lose memory during battery replacement. I know that this will only work in a non-dead battery replacement, but could be beneficial to anyone replacing a battery before full dead status occurs?

[cduluk]

It "would" work, but i don't think it would be worth it. It only takes a few minutes to reset everything.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

The starter battery went dead this morning and AAA came over to jump start it. The AAA technician said it's common for our hybrid cars starter battery to go bad if not driven for a while (the battery is almost 4 years old so need to be replaced soon anyways)

Just wondering if anyone has swap out the starter battery yourself? Is it just straight forward replacement like replacing batteries in other cars then reset the windows settings ? Thank you.

It was probably just a slip of the tongue ... but fyi anyway. The little 12v battery is not a starter battery, in the sense of 'cranking-over' the ICE ... rather the aux battery simply boots up the ECU's, that in turn, signal MG1 (electric motor) to turn over and start the ice. Our aux battery too, just croaked at 35K miles ... so the dealer ploped in a new one under warranty. I'd have rather put in an optima yellow top, like we did for our Prius ... it's the same size/power battery as used in the Miata ... so it actually has 'cranking amps'. Now, if I sit in the car with the sterio on cabin lights on ... programming settings etc ... I don't have to worry about the under powered OEM any more.

[RX400h]

Someone,

Was you battery covered by the battery warranty or the vehicle warranty?

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Someone,

Was you battery covered by the battery warranty or the vehicle warranty?

Sorry ... Don't know - didn't ask - but a good question.

[lemon]

The starter battery went dead this morning and AAA came over to jump start it. The AAA technician said it's common for our hybrid cars starter battery to go bad if not driven for a while (the battery is almost 4 years old so need to be replaced soon anyways)

Just wondering if anyone has swap out the starter battery yourself? Is it just straight forward replacement like replacing batteries in other cars then reset the windows settings ? Thank you.

It was probably just a slip of the tongue ... but fyi anyway. The little 12v battery is not a starter battery, in the sense of 'cranking-over' the ICE ... rather the aux battery simply boots up the ECU's, that in turn, signal MG1 (electric motor) to turn over and start the ice. Our aux battery too, just croaked at 35K miles ... so the dealer ploped in a new one under warranty. I'd have rather put in an optima yellow top, like we did for our Prius ... it's the same size/power battery as used in the Miata ... so it actually has 'cranking amps'. Now, if I sit in the car with the sterio on cabin lights on ... programming settings etc ... I don't have to worry about the under powered OEM any more.

Sorry to bring up a post from last year, but I think I may have to replace my auxilliary battery sooner rather than later. I found this interesting tidbit about batteries..

"Reserve capacity is the number of minutes a battery can maintain a useful voltage under a 25 ampere discharge. The higher the minute rating, the greater the battery's ability to run lights, pumps, inverters, and electronics for a longer period before recharging is necessary. The 25 Amp. Reserve Capacity Rating is more realistic than Amp-Hour or CCA as a measurement of capacity for deep cycle service. Batteries promoted on their high Cold Cranking Ratings are easy and inexpensive to build. The market is flooded with them, however their Reserve Capacity, Cycle Life (the number of discharges and charges the battery can deliver) and Service life are poor. Reserve Capacity is difficult and costly to engineer into a battery and requires higher quality cell materials."

Now, the Optima website recommends the yellow top D51R. The CCA are 450, but for the 400h, this is a meaningless stat, as the battery does not have to crank a starter. Of more importance is the reserve capacity, which is a measly 66 on the D51R. So I'm wondering what the benefit of the Optiman would be? The Energizer battery I looked at at Wal Mart, had a CCA of 500 and I think the reserve capacity was the same. The Exide website shows a battery for our vehicles with 510CCA and a 70 minute reserve capacity. Varta makes a battery with a 70 min reserve capacity as well.

Is the deep cycle of the Optima of benefit in our hybrids? I think the larger reserve capacity would be more meaningful for our purposes. Just as an aside, it looks like most 'regular' sized car batteries (i.e. not the tiny thing in our vehicles) have reserve capacities of 100 and upwards.

Just doing some research and it appears that a lot of the different brands of batteries are made by Johnson Controls (did you know they also make seats for some vehicles - Honda and Toyota I do believe). Anyway, I have a friend who works at Johnson Controls up here in Ontario, Canada. I'm gonna see if he can get me a battery cheap cheap.

[RX400h]

Deep cycle batteries are best suited for vehicles with powerful audio systems, as the heavy drain from big amps will kill a normal battery, very early.

Costco Kirkland batteries are inexpensive but last quite a long time. I haven't checked to see whether they have the right size, but I'll bet they do. The Walmart MAXX battery is also a very good battery for the price. The best starting battery may well be the Sears Platinum AGM battery but it costs $180 and weighs as much as a boat anchor.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

I know that we should look for everything ourselves...finding a thread,Etc. but when someone asks, can someone just answer the question? I looked at the thread that CDLUC wrote but it had a lot of stuff in it and I am not sure if the battery question was answered there...so let me ask this...or should I look for this too....should I just get a better battery before my 06 battery gives out? Just answer if you,anyone, knows...don't tell me to look at previous posts. I have a hard time looking for previous threads/posts anyway...it keeps telling me that I am doing something wrong. Thanks, Rey

Go here:

http://www.elearnaid.com/12vo1topraub.html

Then buy it.

do it now

Is that direct enough?

:P

[lemon]

Go here:

http://www.elearnaid.com/12vo1topraub.html

Then buy it.

do it now

Is that direct enough?

:P

Yes, it's the yellow top Optima.

Believe me, I like the Optima, it's different technology etc., never leaks or outgasses, but the price is ridiculous - I could buy three Kirkland batteries for the price of one Optima (the 51R size is also used in the Accord and Civic amongst others).

I still don't see the need for a deep cycle battery in our vehicles, unless you intend to run it down on a regular basis (buy why would you?). Can someone educate me otherwise?

***edit*** Just read more at the link above. The reasoning for the deep cycle battery is the parasitic drain when the vehicle is parked (clocks, memory chip, security system, keyless entry, blah blah blah. I guess this would be good for someone who doesn't drive the vehicle regularly, but for a daily driver, it's not going to get deeply discharged, since the traction battery (via the engine I guess) will be charging the auxilliary battery every day.

[skyfish400h]

The volume available under the hood of the RX for a 12V aux source is VERY limited. The best energy density it going to be in a standard sealed lead acid battery like you can get a most auto retailers because the plates are rectangular and stack together without wasted space.

The Optima uses a rolled cylindrical packing that leaves considerable volume unused. The alone is reason to avoid using the Optima in the RX. The deep cycle feature is valuable but this can be found in the SLA style battery as well.

It is true that CCA is not a valid measure for the RX application, but it is the most readily available value. Better is to get the reserve power number or Ah delivery rate to compare batteries, but these values are harder to find.

SVR 50-12 is a battery that I had identified for replacement but my OEM was replaced under warrentee, so I'll have to wait a while ;)

This battery has the most volume and reserve power available for the form factor of the RX. The only better battery was a Powermaster D5100R but I could not verify that it would fit into the factory holder.

[lemon]

That SVR battery looks good. It has a reserve capacity of 90, which is the highest I've seen. The reserve capacity on the Optima is 65 and the battery I actually put in my RX has a reserve capacity of 70.

From reading their literature, it looks like it is an AGM battery much like the Optima, but with a rectangular case. The Optima case is sort of rectangular, but you can make out the shape of each cylinder.

[skyfish400h]

That SVR battery looks good. It has a reserve capacity of 90, which is the highest I've seen. The reserve capacity on the Optima is 65 and the battery I actually put in my RX has a reserve capacity of 70.

From reading their literature, it looks like it is an AGM battery much like the Optima, but with a rectangular case. The Optima case is sort of rectangular, but you can make out the shape of each cylinder.

Exactly. And the Powermaster is even better at packing in those plates...

Where did you find the reserve capacity? Is it 90 min at 25 Amps?

RC= minutes a battery at 80 degrees F can be discharged at 25 amps and maintain a voltage of 10.5 volts

That would be the standard used to establish the RC, but I was unable to locate that spec for this battery when I was searching last summer.

Or, the other thing you could do is just get a regular battery and always leave the car in "READY' mode whenever you are using it. That's what I do now. I just don't think these cars were made for tailgating, camping or just hanging out in... which is a pitty.

[lemon]

Yeah, I did that at the drive-in last summer. Watched my MPG drop as the engine would kick in and run for about 10 mins to charge the traction battery. It would last about 1/2 hr before needing to start the engine again.

In regards to the specs for the battery...found it here (the car batteries are at the bottom)

http://svrbatteries.com/battery_page.php?bid=23

or here

http://svrbatteries.com/download/svrbatteries.pdf