Battery Spec

[reeac]

Finally I realise that as that motor generator charges the traction Battery then ,when starting the ICE it's bound to be powered by the same Battery and the 12 v Battery isn't involved. Been rather slow in catching on!

[Britprius]

3 hours ago, reeac said:

Finally I realise that as that motor generator charges the traction battery then ,when starting the ICE it's bound to be powered by the same battery and the 12 v battery isn't involved. Been rather slow in catching on!

Roger it is easy to understand why people get confused with how the hybrid starting system works. Because hybrids still basically have a normal engine it is easy to assume they also have the normal ancillaries such as a starter motor, and alternator. So an easy mistake to make.

Even the transmission is very unconventional the earlier versions having no gears that change ratios in any way, not even for reverse or neutral. In the latest versions there some standard type planetary gear sets that change ratios. This is done to help reduce the speed at which the electric motors need to turn, but they still they do not have a reverse gear or a true neutral. Reverse is achieved by running the electric motor backwards, and neutral is achieved by disconnecting both motor generators allowing them to spin freely.

John 

[reeac]

Just had the problem of failing to achieve "ready" status. Tried connecting to my Jazz Battery for 10 minutes ...no joy. Tried charging using my CTek charger ....wouldn't play ball. Called the AA who found that the 12  volt battery was displaying 9 volts. That might be why the CTek wouldn't play ball. He jump started the ICE and we watched the voltage rise eventually to 14 volts and then the ICE started slowly cycling on and off as the Battery voltage rose and then fell. The AA man's instrument pronounced Battery condition as "good" so he left and I let the car cycle on/off for 30 minutes as he recommended. Next day all was fine and we did about 2 hours daylight driving. Recommendation was to use the car for at least 30 minutes every week. I had left the car for 13 days as I had been doing lots of load carrying using the Jazz with its larger luggage space (seats down). I will now make sure that I use the Lexus at least once a week but it does raise the point, already mentioned, of for example leaving the car at the airport for 2 weeks while on holiday. My old Jag. had the same Battery for 15 years, was quite  often used less than once a week, and ALWAYS started  first time. I only joined the AA just a year ago as part of the deal when I transferred my car insurance to them ...better keep the membership going.

[matt8]

The Ctek charger fails to work if Battery is too far depleted. Had the same issue myself.

When I get around to measuring the dimensions of my Battery, I hope to get a recommendation from @Britprius about what disability scooter Battery would be good to put in it's place.

[Herbie]

50 minutes ago, reeac said:

I only joined the AA just a year ago as part of the deal when I transferred my car insurance to them ...better keep the membership going.

Or just buy one of these or something similar to keep in the glove box or boot.

[reeac]

Are those compact jump starters rechargeable either from the mains or from the car? The photos don't appear to show any mains or other plug. I used to have a bigger sized mains rechargeable  jump starter on my boat and carried it around for years, never needing it and eventually it's Battery failed due to old age.

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, reeac said:

Are those compact jump starters rechargeable either from the mains or from the car? 

Yes, they come with a wall-wart to plug into the mains. Have a look at the video on that page, I think it's about 5 minutes long and the guy goes through the various parts and uses.

[wharfhouse]

13 hours ago, reeac said:

Are those compact jump starters rechargeable either from the mains or from the car? The photos don't appear to show any mains or other plug. I used to have a bigger sized mains rechargeable  jump starter on my boat and carried it around for years, never needing it and eventually it's battery failed due to old age.

A couple of years ago I bought an older version than is currently available (it was the db Power 400A 12000mAh) which came with mains and car charger. I haven't had a need to use it to start a car but appears to be well made and gets good reviews. I have used it to power a mobile phone but that's about it. I take it out of the car every 3 to 4 months and check the charge which is always nearly full when I do - I plug it in to top it off and then put it back in the car for another few months.

[Andy25]

I have a ctek trickle charger but was wondering if it should be connected directly to the Battery in the boot or via the points under the bonnet that would be used to jumpstart the car?  Maybe it makes no difference but I don’t want to cause any damage to the car.  Hello btw to everyone - picked up my 2016 is300h yesterday.

[matt8]

I connect directly to the Battery in the boot.

But rather than pull that cover off, remove the tyre goo each time, etc. I use one of these:

https://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/battery-chargers-jump-starters/ctek-comfort-connect-eyelet-m8

Very convenient.

Welcome to the forum!

[Andy25]

Hi Matt, thanks for the advice. Those connectors certainly look like a good buy and would make life easier.

[reeac]

Had my car again fail to achieve "ready" condition. Again had the AA man out .....his meter said that the Battery had failed. Jump started the car and took it to the nearest Lexus dealers who charged it and then agreed that the Battery had failed. They loaned me a new NX300h for a day, fitted a new battery and washed and vacuumed the car ....all free of charge as the car was just under 3 years old. From now on I shall use this car more often (once or twice a week at a minimum). I have to say that I found the NX to be unrefined and lumbering and it made the IS feel like a true, nimble sports saloon when I drove it home.....why do people buy those SUVs?

[Herbie]

32 minutes ago, reeac said:

I have to say that I found the NX to be unrefined and lumbering and it made the IS feel like a true, nimble sports saloon when I drove it home.....why do people buy those SUVs?

The NX is too small to be a true SUV really, but I have to say that our RX450h is the best car I've ever had.

My initial reason for buying an SUV was for medical reasons. A fairly serious back injury makes it awkward and painful to get in/out of a standard saloon but the RX makes it child's play. And I also like the higher seating position, not just because of my back problem but also for visibility.

[JeffL]

12 minutes ago, Herbie said:

The NX is too small to be a true SUV really, but I have to say that our RX450h is the best car I've ever had.

My initial reason for buying an SUV was for medical reasons. A fairly serious back injury makes it awkward and painful to get in/out of a standard saloon but the RX makes it child's play. And I also like the higher seating position, not just because of my back problem but also for visibility.

Everyone who owns an RX450H seems to really love them. Probably going to get one myself. I've had a test drive in an NX and a 3RX, 3RX far superior. Thanks for all the info on batteries, very informative. Just as an aside, if I were to buy say a 2014 3RX with say 30K miles on the clock, when would it be likely that the 12V Battery would need to be replaced? What sort of lifespan do they have? Thanks.

[Herbie]

12 minutes ago, JeffL said:

Just as an aside, if I were to buy say a 2014 3RX with say 30K miles on the clock, when would it be likely that the 12V battery would need to be replaced? What sort of lifespan do they have?

I'm afraid that I haven't got any hard proof but can say that my RX450h is five years old and still on its original 12V Battery as far as I can see. We've only had the car since February but it came with all paperwork and there's nothing for a replacement Battery, so I reckon it's the original. It had 33.5k on the clock when we got it and now at 41.7k and it was first registered in November 2013.

[reeac]

You will have seen from my contribution that my 12v Battery failed at just under 3 years ( first reg. December 2015). The owner for the first 2 years only used the car at weekends, covering 6,600 miles in just under 2 years and I, since purchasing in lasted Jan. 2018 have covered under 3,000 miles which is unusually low useage and might account for the premature Battery failure. The AA man who came to my rescue said that, even when locked, the Battery drain is 0.5 amps which will soon drain a Battery. He said that when unlocked or with a window left open the drain is 4.5 amps. If those figures are true then the car can't be left unused for many days. As has been pointed out earlier, with traditional cars the driver gets an early warning of a tired Battery from the sound effects when starting whereas with a hybrid it's simply go or no go. I shall take care to use the car more often from now on and leave my old Jazz on the drive more often.

[ColinBarber]

20 minutes ago, reeac said:

The AA man who came to my rescue said that, even when locked, the battery drain is 0.5 amps which will soon drain a battery.

If that really is the drain then you have an issue with your vehicle. The actual drain should be less than 0.05 A. I suspect that the reading was taken shortly after locking the vehicle, before the systems fully shutdown which can take 10+ minutes to do.

[NemesisUK]

7 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

If that really is the drain then you have an issue with your vehicle. The actual drain should be less than 0.05 A. I suspect that the reading was taken shortly after locking the vehicle, before the systems fully shutdown which can take 10+ minutes to do.

Plus, I was told that a car left unlocked will draw less on the Battery than a locked car. 

[ColinBarber]

1 minute ago, NemesisUK said:

Plus, I was told that a car left unlocked will draw less on the battery than a locked car. 

Yes, the alarm will draw something but it shouldn't be enough to cause an issue for normal use, plus your car insurance may not be valid if you were to leave it unlocked/unalarmed. 

[darrude]

4 hours ago, JeffL said:

Everyone who owns an RX450H seems to really love them. Probably going to get one myself. I've had a test drive in an NX and a 3RX, 3RX far superior. Thanks for all the info on batteries, very informative. Just as an aside, if I were to buy say a 2014 3RX with say 30K miles on the clock, when would it be likely that the 12V battery would need to be replaced? What sort of lifespan do they have? Thanks.

We have 2012 450h with 60k on the clock (original battery) and I'm just about to change it as it is now reading 11.4v in the cold after a couple of days of no use.  I reckon it doesn't need replacing till next year at the earliest but got a replacement for £120 so why take the risk for £20/year.

Plus this is the wife's car and of it fails it'll be my fault... Somehow!

[steveledzep]

Had my Battery replaced a month or so ago at five and a half years old.  Cost me £75 fitted with a three years guarantee.

[reeac]

The AA man was referring to another car, I think a 450h, which was having Battery problems which he attributed to the owner's habit of leaving it unlocked. I was surprised at his figures for current as a trend in electronics for the past 10-20 years has been to reduce power consumption.