billygarrett

...er...to listen, we need to have heard it once before. This thread started 3 months ago and this is the first time you've posted in it...that's why.... But interesting idea...surely Lexus would have thought about that at the design stage? What is the difference between a 'deep-cycle leisure battery' and a normal one? There must be a good reason why they don't do that, surely? (And I doubt it's the extra £100 cost per car). Sorry! When I say .... "nobody listens" when I refer to the numerous posts I put on other 400h forums and when I talk to Lexus. It is so frustrating seeing people trying other solutions when the answer is so simple!!! OPTIMA YELLOW TOP!!!! Normal car batteries stop delivering current much sooner than deep cycle Leisure batteries which are dsigned for slow deep disccahrge. If you google leisure batteries you will find more detail. Or look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_cycle_battery WiKi: The structural difference between deep cycle batteries and cranking batteries is in the lead battery plates. Deep cycle battery plates have thicker active plates, with higher-density active paste material and thicker separators. Alloys used for the plates in a deep cycle battery may contain more antimony than starting batteries.[3] The thicker battery plates resist corrosion through extended charge and discharge cycles. Actually the Optima serves both puroses, but I don't know how it does it. I am delighted with its performance. I can now sit in the car park listening to the radio without the engine on "ready" as before, while waiting for my wife to do the shopping!!!

Why oh why will nobody listen? The 400h does NOT work with a conventional car battery! There is no starter motor as such and it does not need high cranking amps. It needs a deep cycle leisure type battery. I got sick of this problem after 2 replacements and bought an Optima Yellow Top http://www.optimabatteries.co.uk/en/ There are several retailers who will advise on the model you need. Mine is the exact shape and size and was around £140 but well WORTH it! I have had no problems since fitting it and it has also cured the annoying "check VSC" etc faults that I kept having which I had to clear with a "ScanGauge" It is a disgrace that Lexus will not fit this type of battery on a £45K car. BTW, if you connect a charger or another battery to the terminals while changing batteries , you won't need to reprogramme radio etc...

I have 2006 400h from new. One of the first mods I did was to remove the lttle silver deflectors in the reversing lights. It improved things to a tolerable and manageable level. I live in the countryside and do need to see where I am reversing to. Otherwise I can be easily in a ditch!!! I do find the hazard waning lights help a bit!

not really sure I understand the issue here, can you clarify please? Probably off topic, but I was talking about the lack of rust on the body of my RX400h but how badly and quickly the brake calipers get rusted up. Sorry for the confusion! What I didn't understand was the need to replace the discs - a bit of surface rust on the callipers doesn't stop them operating, and rust on the braking surface will quickly be removed once the vehicle is used. Rust will form on the non braking part of the discs but those areas can be painted to stop that happening. But mine are very BAD!!!!! Deep grooves due to stickuing pads... Oh dear!!!! PS, I should explain that the calipers (mainly rear) seize up regularly leaving one side of each disk to rust severly and the other to operate to a small extent. And, no, I don't live in a harsh envrironment but in North Yorkshire, where I can drive carefully without having to use my brakes a great deal while allowing the regeneration to do most of the braking!!!

not really sure I understand the issue here, can you clarify please? Probably off topic, but I was talking about the lack of rust on the body of my RX400h but how badly and quickly the brake calipers get rusted up. Sorry for the confusion! What I didn't understand was the need to replace the discs - a bit of surface rust on the callipers doesn't stop them operating, and rust on the braking surface will quickly be removed once the vehicle is used. Rust will form on the non braking part of the discs but those areas can be painted to stop that happening. But mine are very BAD!!!!! Deep grooves due to stickuing pads... Oh dear!!!!

not really sure I understand the issue here, can you clarify please? Probably off topic, but I was talking about the lack of rust on the body of my RX400h but how badly and quickly the brake calipers get rusted up. Sorry for the confusion!

I had a Saab 9000i for 17 years from new. I Waxoyld it after a couple of years and never had a spot of rust underneath. The bottom of some parts of the doors went a bit rusty, as I hadn't treated all parts of them.I even treated parts of the exhaust and it lasted 11 years!. Wunderfull stoooof!! The garage told me that Saab needed new brake disks after 2 years. I said no thanks!!! I finally changed them after 16 years 'cos they were getting a bit thin by then after several skims!!!! Not to be recommended unless you are an engineering machinist with a micrometer!! I have gone through 3 pairs of rear disks on my RX400h, 'cos they kept rusting up due to calipers seizing andme not having a lathe any more...but I have just bought one now :)

I also found some of this procedure on another thread when the ABS warning & Check VSC error came up. It is here: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/63-toyota-highlander-hybrid/341699-how-reset-check-engine-vsc-warning-lights.html#post5089282 It works!! So For future use, I bought an OBD2 plug from ebay for about £3 +p&P and connected those pins to each other via a push button ltable lamp type of switch which I stuck inside the pug with a hot glue gun!!! So I tried it out and the diagnostic menu came up on the satnav screen showing no faults of course sinc i had cleared them previously!! BRILL! Now there is no need to grope under the steering wheel with bits of wire!!!! The other piece of kt that got me out of trouble is a Scan Gauge from http://www.scangauge.com/. I only had it 2 weeks and a VSC error came up while I was miles from home. The Scangauge cleared it!!! BRILL Please keep these tips and codes coming!!! A list of codes would be good! Many thanks.

I know it is too late now, but I would have told you to buy an Optima YellowTop deep cycle battery http://www.wildlifef...CFUbMtAodrEYAKw I have had no end of problems with replacement flat batteries with weak cells (under warranty) in my RX400h which also caused VSC and check hybrid syestem errors. Fortunately I found I could clear them with my Scangauge! It turns out that poor Lexus rubbish cheap (but expensive) batteries were causing them all those months and years and now life is wonderful!!! It got to the point that if I left my key in the ignition switch for 20 mins or less, the battery would be flat. You definitely need a DEEP CYCLE battery for a 400h and not one which is designed to provide high cranking curremt, since there is no starter motor and nothing to crank!!!! Good luck! Billy

Sorry. I have just seen your reply. I thought nobody was interested!!! You might be right, but it was impossible to fit the pads without shaving a bit off them. However, it is still nearly as bad with the rear discs starting to corrode again. I will have to strip them down again and check them out when I get a spare minute...

AGM battery???? - You will easily find one that has bags more power than anything in the standard form factor. In fact one with the same rating as the RX (70ah) will only be around 2/3rds the size. The crank current will probably be around double that of anything you find in the high street and the discharge recovery is second to none. The Ed Hi Ed I am struggling to find an AGM battery to fit my RX400 here in the UK Can you point me in the right direction please? Thanks Billy

I live in North Yorkshire which is also hilly and I got pretty much the same results until I installed a Kenlowe engine pre-heater connected to mains through a time switch which is great in cold weather as well as the summer as it reduces consumption as the engine is already warm when started up in the morning. But the biggest improvement with an average of 50 + mpg (up to 90+mpg on a couple of occasions over a distance of 10 miles when driving carefully at around 40 mph) came from the plug in kit via prius-plugin.co.uk It came in a steel box for the Prius but I dismantled it and removed the plastic liner under the boot floor and installed the kit in there. Works well!!! Thats very interesting, no pricing details on the site which leads me to beleive it is an expensive alternative, so roughly how much for the conversion kit? I can't remember exactly, but I paid approx £2000 + shipping to the UK for 4Kw, but I believe it has gone up now and there are more powerful kits available. But it is a lt cheaper that A123 kit at $10,000!! http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/automobiles/27PLUGIN.html?_r=1&ref=automobiles You can always submit an enquiry for details from Enginer! Good luck Billy So slightly more than a top of the range LPG conversion. I can see the battery conversion being ideal for short haul delivery companies or local services like on call doctors/vets I guess. For longer haul stuff LPG is probably the better alternative. It sure is good to see a few more options available now. Agreed. But I didn't know LPG could be fitted to the RX400H Do you have any details? BR Billy Billy, No the 400H cannot be converted to LPG (AFAIK), it was just a comparison of cost. Having said that I guess there is no engineering reason why not, as the LPG is just replacing the petrol component in the powertrain, but I wouldn't like to be the one who has to work out the electronics! I thought so :( Apparently it is very complicated as it has to start on petrol and switch to LPG every time it stops and restarts.!!! Cheers Billy

I live in North Yorkshire which is also hilly and I got pretty much the same results until I installed a Kenlowe engine pre-heater connected to mains through a time switch which is great in cold weather as well as the summer as it reduces consumption as the engine is already warm when started up in the morning. But the biggest improvement with an average of 50 + mpg (up to 90+mpg on a couple of occasions over a distance of 10 miles when driving carefully at around 40 mph) came from the plug in kit via prius-plugin.co.uk It came in a steel box for the Prius but I dismantled it and removed the plastic liner under the boot floor and installed the kit in there. Works well!!! Thats very interesting, no pricing details on the site which leads me to beleive it is an expensive alternative, so roughly how much for the conversion kit? I can't remember exactly, but I paid approx £2000 + shipping to the UK for 4Kw, but I believe it has gone up now and there are more powerful kits available. But it is a lt cheaper that A123 kit at $10,000!! http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/automobiles/27PLUGIN.html?_r=1&ref=automobiles You can always submit an enquiry for details from Enginer! Good luck Billy So slightly more than a top of the range LPG conversion. I can see the battery conversion being ideal for short haul delivery companies or local services like on call doctors/vets I guess. For longer haul stuff LPG is probably the better alternative. It sure is good to see a few more options available now. Agreed. But I didn't know LPG could be fitted to the RX400H Do you have any details? BR Billy

I live in North Yorkshire which is also hilly and I got pretty much the same results until I installed a Kenlowe engine pre-heater connected to mains through a time switch which is great in cold weather as well as the summer as it reduces consumption as the engine is already warm when started up in the morning. But the biggest improvement with an average of 50 + mpg (up to 90+mpg on a couple of occasions over a distance of 10 miles when driving carefully at around 40 mph) came from the plug in kit via prius-plugin.co.uk It came in a steel box for the Prius but I dismantled it and removed the plastic liner under the boot floor and installed the kit in there. Works well!!! Thats very interesting, no pricing details on the site which leads me to beleive it is an expensive alternative, so roughly how much for the conversion kit? I can't remember exactly, but I paid approx £2000 + shipping to the UK for 4Kw, but I believe it has gone up now and there are more powerful kits available. But it is a lt cheaper that A123 kit at $10,000!! http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/automobiles/27PLUGIN.html?_r=1&ref=automobiles You can always submit an enquiry for details from Enginer! Good luck Billy

Hi Linehill in Worcestershie. Roy here in Warwickshire, next door... The flat batterryproblem on the RX series is as old as the hills... I have had mine just over 4 years and have been plagued with this problem from the start. If you check on the forums you will pick up many pointers from myself and other users. Alas we have not solved this problem... Maybe this will be helpful... My RX300 was purchased for summer use only. ie pulling our caravan throughout the UK and Europe.. Cannot fault it. It is a superb tow car and apart from the battey problem , has been trouble free. Shortly after buying it ( and storing it in a well heated garage over the winter,) I realised it would not start... In this case Lexus were very good. I bought the car from Lexus Oxford with the first initial equipment battery fitted ( a poxy 40 ampere hour Lucas). Lexus arranged for me to take the car to Lexus Coventry as we live in Stratford... Lexus Coventry changed the battery to a NEW LEXUS 70amp hour battery which was the largest and only battery one could fit in the RX frame... Problem solved (nearly) now the car is able to stand for between 3 and 4 weeks .. After that no start on the button is possible..... As I was employed in a tech position with Chloride for around 26 years, I think I know a little bit about batteries..... This is not really a battery quality problem. In a nut shell the 70 amp battery on an RX 300 or 400 series is just not up to the job of coping with the very high ' Hotel Loads' which discharge the battery when it is stood... There is virtually no problem with starting in the summer months when the car is used every couple of days or so.. I have today ordered the latest state of the art ACCUMATE charger/conditioner.. Google Accumate Charger and Conditioner and let us all know what you think ! I will put some postings upon the site if I can find any improvements. Money won't solve this one if you find a 90 ampere hour battery like ambulances fit ( and our 3 series BMW) you still will not be able to shoe horn it into the tight battery tray.... If anyoner out there has found any improvements with this problem I would love to know how to improve this dreadful design problem Hi, As mentioned in several previous threads, I also have been plagued by flat batteries in my RX400h But my problem is that I sometimes leave the key in the ignition switch for too long, maybe 3 hours, and when I go back the battery is flat. The reason I think is that the solenoid which tilts the steering wheel is drawing power all the time. My solution is twofold: 1. I always carry a small jumpstart box in the boot which is on permanent charge through the "lighter" socket. This has saved my bacon numerous times!!! ( I am starting to remember to remove the key!!) 2. I have a small security battery connector, which disconnects the battery completely when I loosen or remove the nut on the top of it. I can use this if I am leaving the car for more than 2 weeks while on holiday etc. I believe that Lexus should fit Leisure batteries for Hybrids which don't need high current to start. but allow a longer slow drainage time, but nobody wants to listen to me!!! Cheers Billy I forgot to mention that the downside of disconnecting completely is that all windows and bootlock and radio have to be re-initialised again, but now that I know about it is no problem (but a bit annoying!!) Hi Billy, Happy New Year. Nice to hear from you again... Like me you have tried almost everything with the flat battery problem.... As we live (hopefully) in a secure area and we have another car parked behind the Lexus, not only do I never lock the car. I NEVER leave the key in ever.... RESULT still a flat battery after around 3 weeks parking... Over the last few weeks of freezing weather, this period has gone down to 2 weeks..... In a nutshell the RX does require a deep cycling leisure battery to increase the time frame down to discharge condition when the car is stood... There has never been an issue (unless someone pops up on here and tells us otherwise) with engine starting... when the battery is well up to charge my car always start at the first time. When I bought mine (2nd hand) it had a bluetooth car phone hands free phone system fitted... As the kit married up easily with my Nokia phone I have left it in... Testing the car the other day it appears as though the bluetooth is live all the time and not through the ignition... Dont want to remove it but I am considering it. If you get a minute can you briefly go through the procedure of resetting the radio, windows, locks , alarm etc when you shut off all the power with a cut off switch on the battery.... Cheers Roy Hi Roy And a Happy New Year to you :) To initialise the windows just go to each window and if you look carefully you will see the little led light flashing on the switch. So open an shut it by holding the switch up while it shuts and the light will stop flashing. Done! You may need to send it up and down a couple of times though. Then test them from the drivers door. repeat performance for moon roof. Re boot, just lock and unlock car doors by remote or by switch on drivers door. I am afraid you will have to retune the radio manually! I hope this helps. Billy Hi Billy. Thanks for the info.. Will certainly keep it in mind... Now then , if we keep chipping away at this problem, we all may get some where... fingers crossed. A couple of points if I am not boring everyone... namely. 1. The best 3 car batteries on plant earth at the moment are :- OPTIMA bcI 34 ... SONNENSCHEIN DEEP CYCLING 70AH LEISURE BATTEERY ELECSOL 70AH, 300a CCA. I have a Sonnenschein from the caravan and an Optima which I use for jump starting , blowing tyres up etc. I will have a go at fitting them to my RX to see if I can 'shoe horn' one of them in..... At present I have a damaged hand so this may take some time. I have also ordered (so I am told) the best Battery Charger/Conditioner availabe at present, the Accumate 6/12v Battery Conditioner/Charger.. This should arrive next week, now that the hols are almost over. Watch this space and I'll pass on as much info as I can get.... In the meantime , keep those sun visors closed, remove the key, disconnect any Bluetooth phone equipment ... also let us all know if anyone cracks this one.. I do not think however we will get much technical help from the main Lexus Dealers... If I cannot improve the problem before Easter, I feel it will be Good Bye Lexus and hello to a BMW 4x4. PS Google in the above products and let us know what you think? Hi Roy I am back to revisit this problem!!! I just wondered how you got on with trying to fit one of your deep cycle leisure type batteries? I think mine is on the way out, so I need to start looking for a replacement! Cheers Billy in N. Yorks.

I live in North Yorkshire which is also hilly and I got pretty much the same results until I installed a Kenlowe engine pre-heater connected to mains through a time switch which is great in cold weather as well as the summer as it reduces consumption as the engine is already warm when started up in the morning. But the biggest improvement with an average of 50 + mpg (up to 90+mpg on a couple of occasions over a distance of 10 miles when driving carefully at around 40 mph) came from the plug in kit via prius-plugin.co.uk It came in a steel box for the Prius but I dismantled it and removed the plastic liner under the boot floor and installed the kit in there. Works well!!!

Thanks Ron I think I might try that if I can talk my wife into it :) Cheers Billy

Me too. Tell us more, Where did you getand for how uch? Was it dificult to fit? Did the kit include all the wood trimmm on the photo or just the dash? BR Billy Ah I have just noticed you said the wood was fitted as an extra when new. Sorry! My dealer said the wood was not available in 2006 or I would have had it too.. Billy

Me too. Tell us more, Where did you getand for how uch? Was it dificult to fit? Did the kit include all the wood trimmm on the photo or just the dash? BR Billy

I have just changed my rear pads and the disks. (£65 + vat each disk and £15 for a set of padsfor spurius replacemts) I was horrified to see how badly worn and rusted the disks were after 3 years and 35k...( My last Saab 9000 rear disks wer never changed in the 17 years I had it) ALSO, I was shocked to see how tight the old pads were in the calipers.And the new ones were nearly as bad. No wonder my mpg is down and brakes makeing noises at low speeds when I am driving with the rear brakes continually rubbing. I had to grind 0.5 mm off the lugs on the new pads to get them to fit and slide in and out. BAD QC?!!!! BTW in case you didn't know, the rear brake disks also have brake drums which are used for the hand (foot)/ parking brake. You will need to release the shoes with a screwdiver on the toothed wheel through the hole in the disk covered by a rubber plug if the disk doesn't come off easily. At least it was a simple job to do even though it was hard to shift the 3 bolts as I couldn't open the top caliper bolt but it didn't matter as the caliber swung up out of position. In case you are wondering, I was brought up in my Dad's garage and I do know what I am doing!!!

Could it be your rear brake pads? I have just changed mine and the disks. I was horrified to see how badly worn and rusted they were after 3 years and 35k... ALSO, I was shocked to see how tight the pads are in the calipers. No wonder my mpg is down and brakes makeing noises at low speeds when I am driving with the rear brakes continually rubbing. I had to grind 0.5 mm off the lugs on the new pads to get them to fit. BAD QC or design!!!! BTW in case you didn't know, the rear brake disks also have brake drums which are used for the hand (foot)/ parking brake.You will need to release the shoes with a screwdiver on the toothed wheel through the hole in the disk covered by a rubber plug if the disk doesn't come off easily. I will post this info seperatly in case it gets missed here.

Hi Linehill!# Yes, that is exactly what I have done! It has got me out of trouble many times :) I don't know about the 450. Perhaps someone else does? Happy New Decade Everyone. Billy

Hi Linehill in Worcestershie. Roy here in Warwickshire, next door... The flat batterryproblem on the RX series is as old as the hills... I have had mine just over 4 years and have been plagued with this problem from the start. If you check on the forums you will pick up many pointers from myself and other users. Alas we have not solved this problem... Maybe this will be helpful... My RX300 was purchased for summer use only. ie pulling our caravan throughout the UK and Europe.. Cannot fault it. It is a superb tow car and apart from the battey problem , has been trouble free. Shortly after buying it ( and storing it in a well heated garage over the winter,) I realised it would not start... In this case Lexus were very good. I bought the car from Lexus Oxford with the first initial equipment battery fitted ( a poxy 40 ampere hour Lucas). Lexus arranged for me to take the car to Lexus Coventry as we live in Stratford... Lexus Coventry changed the battery to a NEW LEXUS 70amp hour battery which was the largest and only battery one could fit in the RX frame... Problem solved (nearly) now the car is able to stand for between 3 and 4 weeks .. After that no start on the button is possible..... As I was employed in a tech position with Chloride for around 26 years, I think I know a little bit about batteries..... This is not really a battery quality problem. In a nut shell the 70 amp battery on an RX 300 or 400 series is just not up to the job of coping with the very high ' Hotel Loads' which discharge the battery when it is stood... There is virtually no problem with starting in the summer months when the car is used every couple of days or so.. I have today ordered the latest state of the art ACCUMATE charger/conditioner.. Google Accumate Charger and Conditioner and let us all know what you think ! I will put some postings upon the site if I can find any improvements. Money won't solve this one if you find a 90 ampere hour battery like ambulances fit ( and our 3 series BMW) you still will not be able to shoe horn it into the tight battery tray.... If anyoner out there has found any improvements with this problem I would love to know how to improve this dreadful design problem Hi, As mentioned in several previous threads, I also have been plagued by flat batteries in my RX400h But my problem is that I sometimes leave the key in the ignition switch for too long, maybe 3 hours, and when I go back the battery is flat. The reason I think is that the solenoid which tilts the steering wheel is drawing power all the time. My solution is twofold: 1. I always carry a small jumpstart box in the boot which is on permanent charge through the "lighter" socket. This has saved my bacon numerous times!!! ( I am starting to remember to remove the key!!) 2. I have a small security battery connector, which disconnects the battery completely when I loosen or remove the nut on the top of it. I can use this if I am leaving the car for more than 2 weeks while on holiday etc. I believe that Lexus should fit Leisure batteries for Hybrids which don't need high current to start. but allow a longer slow drainage time, but nobody wants to listen to me!!! Cheers Billy I forgot to mention that the downside of disconnecting completely is that all windows and bootlock and radio have to be re-initialised again, but now that I know about it is no problem (but a bit annoying!!) Hi Billy, Happy New Year. Nice to hear from you again... Like me you have tried almost everything with the flat battery problem.... As we live (hopefully) in a secure area and we have another car parked behind the Lexus, not only do I never lock the car. I NEVER leave the key in ever.... RESULT still a flat battery after around 3 weeks parking... Over the last few weeks of freezing weather, this period has gone down to 2 weeks..... In a nutshell the RX does require a deep cycling leisure battery to increase the time frame down to discharge condition when the car is stood... There has never been an issue (unless someone pops up on here and tells us otherwise) with engine starting... when the battery is well up to charge my car always start at the first time. When I bought mine (2nd hand) it had a bluetooth car phone hands free phone system fitted... As the kit married up easily with my Nokia phone I have left it in... Testing the car the other day it appears as though the bluetooth is live all the time and not through the ignition... Dont want to remove it but I am considering it. If you get a minute can you briefly go through the procedure of resetting the radio, windows, locks , alarm etc when you shut off all the power with a cut off switch on the battery.... Cheers Roy Hi Roy And a Happy New Year to you :) To initialise the windows just go to each window and if you look carefully you will see the little led light flashing on the switch. So open an shut it by holding the switch up while it shuts and the light will stop flashing. Done! You may need to send it up and down a couple of times though. Then test them from the drivers door. repeat performance for moon roof. Re boot, just lock and unlock car doors by remote or by switch on drivers door. I am afraid you will have to retune the radio manually! I hope this helps. Billy Hi Billy. Thanks for the info.. Will certainly keep it in mind... Now then , if we keep chipping away at this problem, we all may get some where... fingers crossed. A couple of points if I am not boring everyone... namely. 1. The best 3 car batteries on plant earth at the moment are :- OPTIMA bcI 34 ... SONNENSCHEIN DEEP CYCLING 70AH LEISURE BATTEERY ELECSOL 70AH, 300a CCA. I have a Sonnenschein from the caravan and an Optima which I use for jump starting , blowing tyres up etc. I will have a go at fitting them to my RX to see if I can 'shoe horn' one of them in..... At present I have a damaged hand so this may take some time. I have also ordered (so I am told) the best Battery Charger/Conditioner availabe at present, the Accumate 6/12v Battery Conditioner/Charger.. This should arrive next week, now that the hols are almost over. Watch this space and I'll pass on as much info as I can get.... In the meantime , keep those sun visors closed, remove the key, disconnect any Bluetooth phone equipment ... also let us all know if anyone cracks this one.. I do not think however we will get much technical help from the main Lexus Dealers... If I cannot improve the problem before Easter, I feel it will be Good Bye Lexus and hello to a BMW 4x4. PS Google in the above products and let us know what you think? Thank you Ed for your suggestion re AGM battery. Perhaps Roy could look into that option? Roy, I do have a powerful 6v/12v charger / booster so I never have a problem if I flatten the battery at home. However your conditioner could be good if the car is in storage for extended periods. It looks good on the web anyway and not very expensive! Actually I am working on a completely different option which I don't want to publicise until I have it working. Suffice it to say there will be a built in jumpstart facility available at all times! Watch this space (phev) but please don't ask me any more about it for now!! BTW, I think my bluetooth does turn off as when I switch off the ignition as my phione tells me BT is disconnected. Billy

Hi Please see todays posting re battery problems and all the history above! Billy

Hi Linehill in Worcestershie. Roy here in Warwickshire, next door... The flat batterryproblem on the RX series is as old as the hills... I have had mine just over 4 years and have been plagued with this problem from the start. If you check on the forums you will pick up many pointers from myself and other users. Alas we have not solved this problem... Maybe this will be helpful... My RX300 was purchased for summer use only. ie pulling our caravan throughout the UK and Europe.. Cannot fault it. It is a superb tow car and apart from the battey problem , has been trouble free. Shortly after buying it ( and storing it in a well heated garage over the winter,) I realised it would not start... In this case Lexus were very good. I bought the car from Lexus Oxford with the first initial equipment battery fitted ( a poxy 40 ampere hour Lucas). Lexus arranged for me to take the car to Lexus Coventry as we live in Stratford... Lexus Coventry changed the battery to a NEW LEXUS 70amp hour battery which was the largest and only battery one could fit in the RX frame... Problem solved (nearly) now the car is able to stand for between 3 and 4 weeks .. After that no start on the button is possible..... As I was employed in a tech position with Chloride for around 26 years, I think I know a little bit about batteries..... This is not really a battery quality problem. In a nut shell the 70 amp battery on an RX 300 or 400 series is just not up to the job of coping with the very high ' Hotel Loads' which discharge the battery when it is stood... There is virtually no problem with starting in the summer months when the car is used every couple of days or so.. I have today ordered the latest state of the art ACCUMATE charger/conditioner.. Google Accumate Charger and Conditioner and let us all know what you think ! I will put some postings upon the site if I can find any improvements. Money won't solve this one if you find a 90 ampere hour battery like ambulances fit ( and our 3 series BMW) you still will not be able to shoe horn it into the tight battery tray.... If anyoner out there has found any improvements with this problem I would love to know how to improve this dreadful design problem Hi, As mentioned in several previous threads, I also have been plagued by flat batteries in my RX400h But my problem is that I sometimes leave the key in the ignition switch for too long, maybe 3 hours, and when I go back the battery is flat. The reason I think is that the solenoid which tilts the steering wheel is drawing power all the time. My solution is twofold: 1. I always carry a small jumpstart box in the boot which is on permanent charge through the "lighter" socket. This has saved my bacon numerous times!!! ( I am starting to remember to remove the key!!) 2. I have a small security battery connector, which disconnects the battery completely when I loosen or remove the nut on the top of it. I can use this if I am leaving the car for more than 2 weeks while on holiday etc. I believe that Lexus should fit Leisure batteries for Hybrids which don't need high current to start. but allow a longer slow drainage time, but nobody wants to listen to me!!! Cheers Billy I forgot to mention that the downside of disconnecting completely is that all windows and bootlock and radio have to be re-initialised again, but now that I know about it is no problem (but a bit annoying!!) Hi Billy, Happy New Year. Nice to hear from you again... Like me you have tried almost everything with the flat battery problem.... As we live (hopefully) in a secure area and we have another car parked behind the Lexus, not only do I never lock the car. I NEVER leave the key in ever.... RESULT still a flat battery after around 3 weeks parking... Over the last few weeks of freezing weather, this period has gone down to 2 weeks..... In a nutshell the RX does require a deep cycling leisure battery to increase the time frame down to discharge condition when the car is stood... There has never been an issue (unless someone pops up on here and tells us otherwise) with engine starting... when the battery is well up to charge my car always start at the first time. When I bought mine (2nd hand) it had a bluetooth car phone hands free phone system fitted... As the kit married up easily with my Nokia phone I have left it in... Testing the car the other day it appears as though the bluetooth is live all the time and not through the ignition... Dont want to remove it but I am considering it. If you get a minute can you briefly go through the procedure of resetting the radio, windows, locks , alarm etc when you shut off all the power with a cut off switch on the battery.... Cheers Roy Hi Roy And a Happy New Year to you :) To initialise the windows just go to each window and if you look carefully you will see the little led light flashing on the switch. So open an shut it by holding the switch up while it shuts and the light will stop flashing. Done! You may need to send it up and down a couple of times though. Then test them from the drivers door. repeat performance for moon roof. Re boot, just lock and unlock car doors by remote or by switch on drivers door. I am afraid you will have to retune the radio manually! I hope this helps. Billy