Alternative / larger battery?

[harrylime]

I seem to struggle to get more than 3 years out of a Battery for my 1999 Lexus LS400, having always bought original Toyota batteries. I'm on my third since 2016, the last was replaced foc in warranty, this time it's out of warranty.

Can anyone recommend an alternative Battery with the same pole layout and dimensions, to fit in the tray etc? I would actually like a slightly larger capacity if possible as I feel that perhaps the CCA output etc of the original is borderline adequate

[Tulpen]

I had the same problem on my 460. It turned out that the original owner had fitted a tracker which I didn't know about. You might like to get an electrician to test the system to see if there is a permanent drain on the Battery.

[soramad]

There is always a drain on the Battery as there are so many systems to keep alive when the ignition is turned off. 

I have recently removed the Lexus fitted 50ah Battery in the boot of my GS450h and replaced it with a 70ah , it fits the tray but not the holding strap which is only bolted into the floor, am getting one fabricated.  Unfortunately this is not possible in the RX400h as the Battery is in the front with only space enough to fit the original.

[Britprius]

I fitted a 120 AH Battery in my GS450H with slight easy modification to the Battery tray. The Battery hold down strap fitted as normal. There was plenty of room for the longer Battery, and measurements made indicated I could have fitted a 180 AH Battery without problems.

It is possible that by going to a mobility AGM Battery you will find a higher capacity Battery that will fit in the space provided as I did with my Prius going from 45 AH to over 60 AH. The only downside being the different terminal type "a 6 mm threaded hole for each terminal", but I found it easy to bolt on standard tapered Battery terminals.
Mobility AGM batteries are ruggedly constructed, and are designed to be fully discharged,and re charged on a regular basis without damage to the cells.

John. 

[ambermarine]

Unfortunatey batteries are only good for three years these days The average for most car batteries is 36 months and can be a lot less if used on a vehicle doing constant stop and start ,ie delivery vehicles.

My first Lexus a 1990 400 the original factory fit was on the car for ten years and one cell failed at the tenth year but even then with a trickle charge it would run the car.

The price of a replacement at that time from Lexus was £200 and this is why they now only last a third of the time of the original they are a third of the price so It is cost effective to replace them when they start to fail.

[Cotswold Pete]

I find in my LS batteries last just about 5 years, and just had a new one fitted this morning. 

£97 fitted for Exide EB705.  You can get them for around £70 looking on Internet.  I just needed new one as I had cell that collapsed twice last week, and just managed to charge Battery over weekend to get me to my local Battery shop.  Got a 3 year guarantee.

I think as RAC member I could have one fitted for about £130 (with 5 year guarantee).

The one thing I have learnt - having had 11 years of LS ownership is that when the alarm starts going off for no reason, it is inidcating that the Battery seems to be dipping it's voltage for a short period of time and that in about 9 to 12 months the Battery will throw a wobbler with a dropped cell.

So in 4 years when that starts happening I shall know a new batter has to be on my shopping list.

I have never had a problem with Battery discharge for when I have left my car at airport for a couple of weeks, and with my Mk3, recall I could leave it for months at a time with no problems.

I also recall that when I had first new Battery in my Mk4, the chap reckoned my 11 year old original Toyota Battery was old school Battery engineering.  In the past most batteries I have had never got much beyond 5 years, but more usual 3 to 4 years.

 

 

 

 

 

[harrylime]

I've confirmed it is the Battery by the simple expedient of starting the car with a spare Battery ( from a Fiat Panda). It started instantly. I had started to worry it was the dreaded starter contacts, even though I had these replaced a few years ago. Based on my history with this car, a Battery with a 4 or 5 year guarantee would be a good investment, if I can find one that physically fits

[harrylime]

The EB705 does look like a good buy, but the cold cranking amp figure is 540 as opposed to 620 of the original, a significant reduction?

[harrylime]

6 minutes ago, harrylime said:

I've confirmed it is the battery by the simple expedient of starting the car with a spare battery ( from a Fiat Panda). It started instantly. I had started to worry it was the dreaded starter contacts, even though I had these replaced a few years ago. Based on my history with this car, a battery with a 4 or 5 year guarantee would be a good investment, if I can find one that physically fits

I forgot to ask, does it fit the original tray and sleeve?

[GEN]

Have had a similar experience with my 98 Ls400 and the next Battery I'm getting is a Bosch S4 series with specs exceeding the Toyota one and a 4 year warranty.  It is supposed to be a direct fit.  I replaced my Porsche Battery with one of these Bosch S series and the improvement was amazing. 

[GEN]

Here it is from amazon

[harrylime]

1 hour ago, GEN said:

Here it is from Amazon

Thank you, that's the one I've decided on. Around £88 from euro car parts

[Cotswold Pete]

3 hours ago, harrylime said:

The EB705 does look like a good buy, but the cold cranking amp figure is 540 as opposed to 620 of the original, a significant reduction?

This is my second EB705, both went for nearly 5 years, and never had a problem in winter starting the old lady.  Car gets used every day

The Bosch looks like it is 306mm long where as Exide is 270mm. 

In that case the Bosch would be a hell of tight fit on my LS, and the it would sit on the lip of the Battery tray, rather than in the well of the tray.

 

[harrylime]

The Bosch is 260 x 173mm . Seems like a perfect fit if correct

 

[harrylime]

3 hours ago, harrylime said:

Thank you, that's the one I've decided on. Around £88 from euro car parts

my mistake, it's the s4 068 / 026 I decided on

[Cotswold Pete]

3 hours ago, harrylime said:

The Bosch is 260 x 173mm . Seems like a perfect fit if correct

 

Should be fine

[Mikaelse]

Hi there . Assuming you do not have a current leak... The actual capacity in amp hours is not the big deal normally .

The big difference between batteries spec wise is three things

1. How fast they loose capacity when  idle  for weeks through internal losses. They age fast when not almost full

2. How fast they recharge when driving.  Can differ a factor of 3 or 4 when cold especially.

3. The CCA value (Cold crank amperage). Will degrade when Battery grows old .  

A good AGM ( absorbent glass Mat ) Battery will do the job well. It costs almost twice compared to cheap batteries but they are much better. 

I use a 70 Ah AGM (with four year warranty) with 760A CCA in my LS400 and it works well even here in really cold sweden.   

 

 

 

 

 

[Mikaelse]

I have two cars with 9 years and 8 years on the batteries and no weakness at all yet on those. Maybe luck...
I have not experienced less quality on batteries. These days I buy AGM types if available.