Dr T

Elsewhere in this forum it has been stated that leaving the headlight switch on auto can drain the battery in the SC430. The Lexus mechanic has told me this as well. It never happens with any of my other cars, but I drive them more often. Nor do they have as many gadgets that run when the car is off.

But 13IS, you can't leave the headlights on in this car. They turn off automatically. I said I left the SWITCH on "auto." I may not be mechanically inclined, but I'm not some dumb woman.

It turned out I had 2 days left on the warranty for the Interstate, and when the shop tested the battery, it wouldn't hold a charge. I got a new one for free! I also bought a trickle charger based on the advice I got here

Thanks for all your quick helpful replies. I went to the Optima battery website and they said there was no direct replacement for the 2002 SC 430. Remember I'm not mechanical and I won't know how to jury rig it in there. I have to find a mechanic willing to tinker with it. Is there anyone with direct experience doing this and what model Optima did you get?

I love my 2002 SC430 with 80K miles. I bought it in 2011 and only put 3,000 miles on it per year. It's a toy, not transporation. That's what the 2007 Camry Hybrid is for. I'm a non-mechanical woman, so all I do is drive it and pay someone else to fix it. I put an Interstate battery in it right after I bought it. That lasted two years, but it went dead at least twice. The warrantly got me a new one for free. Now it's dead again after sitting for two weeks without being started. I accidently left the headlights on auto - OOPS. I could probably jump it and it would work, but once it dead as a doornail, it's never the same, is it? Please, can someone recommend a battery that may be a little pricier on the front end, but that won't go dead if I leave the headlight switch on auto for two weeks without driving the car?

Did you say the dealer wanted $180? Was that a typo? I just went through this repair. I had a warranty with a $500 deductible. The repair cost $1400 and the warrantly company wouldn't authorize Lexus parts, so the first part failed. The car was in the shop for 6 weeks waiting for the knock-off part. Hopefully the thing is fixed now and won't break for a while. I'm a non-mechanical woman and can't hope to do any repairs myself so go ahead and make fun of me. I'm just telling you my story about non-Lexus parts.