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After years of suffering from the scourge of the Lexus Battery, I have replaced the battery; had the system checked; been on long drives; placed it on trickle charge and it still would be flat after two days, I have finally found a working cure, I've fitted solar panels into the rear spoiler.

I used to have the panels on the dash, but as the sun moved round that reduced the input, so I came up with the idea of inserting them into the spoiler, they are slightly proud of the surface to eliminate the risk of water collection and leaks, they produce up to 8W and 20V on a reasonable day. Since fitting I haven't had a single problem with the Battery. Cost, around £80 for the panels (which I removed from their cases) and regulator, plus wire and an inline fuse. I have the power outputs permanently live so it's just a matter of linking into the wire, when I can remove the side trim.

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An excellent idea, I think it might look better if you had a one piece of clear sheet bonded over the whole spoiler top and then no worries of leaking or any potential lift from high speed air flow.

Begs the question though............why should you have to do this?

Maybe Lexus will bring out an accessory spoiler/charger, then again er might see flying pigs first.

Considered a patent? Might be an idea....not joking either.

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Not possible to have a single panel due to the curve of the surface. I have them recessed in order to reduce drag.

Why I had to do it? Because the RX Battery is CR@&

I can't see Lexus bringing out a mod, but I can see a car in the future having it as standard, enough power is produced to actually start the car :hocus-pokus:

Patent is possible, but more guidance is available should someone want to do it.

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It still baffles me that some cars are affected and others not.

My car has now done 85k miles on the original Battery since Feb 09, and I have never had a problem (touch wood!)

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It still baffles me that some cars are affected and others not.

My car has now done 85k miles on the original battery since Feb 09, and I have never had a problem (touch wood!)

+1
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Not possible to have a single panel due to the curve of the surface. I have them recessed in order to reduce drag.

Why I had to do it? Because the RX battery is CR@&

I can't see Lexus bringing out a mod, but I can see a car in the future having it as standard, enough power is produced to actually start the car :hocus-pokus:

Patent is possible, but more guidance is available should someone want to do it.

I meant keep the original small panels but cover them with a full sheet of clear perspex/polycarbonate.

I know the reason, it was a poke at Lexus.......not even acknowledging the problem a lot of owners have had.

Well boats already use them (as you know I expect) so why not cars.

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Snag is the extra weight of the Perspex could make the opening of the rear door difficult on the electric motor, I had to keep the weight down.

Batteries are still CR@& :megaangry:

I didn't know about boats using solar, but it again makes sense, I will not be surprised at the arrival on the market of a 'vehicle' where the whole roof is a solar panel and the size of the Battery is a fraction of what it is now.

And Dan, I do hope by saying that has given your car the kiss of death. :devil:

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I didn't know about boats using solar, but it again makes sense, I will not be surprised at the arrival on the market of a 'vehicle' where the whole roof is a solar panel and the size of the battery is a fraction of what it is now.

Like this perhaps?

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FWIW, boats have had solar panels charging the batteries for a very long time, consider most boats sit 90% of the time tied up waiting for the owners to pop along at the occasional weekend!

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It still baffles me that some cars are affected and others not.

My car has now done 85k miles on the original battery since Feb 09, and I have never had a problem (touch wood!)

I've just changed my original Battery (55 plate). It was still working but getting to the point where it wouldn't hold a charge for a week unattended. Battery voltage was dropping to around 12.0v overnight. 4 years ago it could go two weeks unattended and start although the steering wheel movement was a bit slow coming out of park.

It really depends on how many times the Battery is deep cycled. Run it flat a few times and it won't last two weeks, and goes downhill from there because with less capacity the more chance there is of deep cycling it.

I've also found that the Battery is susceptible to dirty/moisture on it, leading to tracking across the two Battery terminals, adding to the parasitic load. Probably doesn't help that it can get splashed when filling up the washer reservoir.

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does it imply that the Battery may last longer dependent on where you live, i.e. shorter life span if you live where it is colder longer or on the coast?

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Shouldn't think so, I 'm near Chester, so not exactly known to be a colder than normal area, nor along the coast. It's just that RX400 batteries are CR@&, even my local dealer admits it, it's a bit like the metal used for the wheels, they did nothing about it.

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does it imply that the battery may last longer dependent on where you live, i.e. shorter life span if you live where it is colder longer or on the coast?

maybe it is more to do with how many long holidays you can afford :)

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I will hang on to my RX300 as long as I can. It starts up every time even after a couple of weeks, or more, of not being used. It reminds me of the old Ford cars of many years ago on a cold morning...out with the starting handle! Nothing worse than having a nice car in the drive that you cannot trust to start when needed.

Colin, that was a very interesting tracking test you undertook some time ago, top marks for ingenuity. You are quite correct re. deep cycling, a death knell for vehicle batteries. Interestingly, marine batteries are designed to be deep cycled, maybe if you could find a marine Battery that would fit the vehicle? Just a thought.

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That is why I am hanging on to my RX300. The 400h seem to be problematic (batteries, inverters etc.).

many more problems with RX300s than 400h, certainly more auto box failures than hybrid inverters.

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When was the last post in this forum about transmission failure on a UK RX300? I cannot remember that.........

A while ago but then again you don't see many inverter problems either, other than related to the recall. There are more hybrids than conventional now so expect to see more issues.

There have been quite a few transmissions failures in the US, especially with the series I RX.

The issue with the 400h aux Battery is hardly a reliability issue. It is a 'feature' (an annoying one) but to overcome the problem spend £55 on a Bosch Battery which has slightly more capacity than the OEM one and be prepared to change it every 5 years rather than every 8 - 10 years with the RX300.

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Yes I really do not understand the US forums with so many transmission failures, I think it might have more to do with the fact they seem to have this manic need to change the engine oil every 5000 miles and the transmission fluid almost as often!

Mines now on 115K and had the trans fluid changed at about 80K.......sweet as a nut, same for engine oil, just normal oil change periods.

I do know that up to about 2001 the auto had a weak diff cage apparently, this was upgraded to a higher strength version on subsequent years, these are the only failures from manufacturing/design fault I know about.

Nice "characteristic" that inadequate Battery........still on the original in my Mk1......11 years and counting.

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The US versions didn't have a transmission cooler, all the European models did which possibly points towards a temperature issue. However with my old RX300 the fluid certainly wasn't a nice bright red as it was with my GS300 of a similar age so something else isn't right. I did a couple of drain/refills and installed an inline filter to try and avoid any issues.

The RX officially launched in the UK at the end of 2000 with the facelift so only imports in the country should be affected by the diff issue.

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Would it be possible to install an extra battery (preferably a sealed type) connected in parallel to the original to supply extra ampere hours? Maybe located in the cargo area?

sure that would be possible but unless you are always leaving your vehicle for three weeks or more at a time I don't see the point. A Battery in good condition will last three weeks.

Given that the aux Battery doesn't start the engine you wouldn't need to run a very think +ve cable through the vehicle but it would still be quite a task. Even with a sealed Battery it will still have a safety vent in case it is overcharged and you shouldn't have that going into the cabin. Therefore you really need a Battery with a vent hole where you can connect a pipe and have it exit the cargo area - this is how it is done on the Prius which has its aux Battery in the boot.

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