Trickle charger question

Puddinggow · May 28

Hello, I have a 2020 ES300H. I will be away for 5 weeks and was advised to connect a trickle charger to the Battery. I have a couple of questions to ask.

1. Which Battery should I connect the trickle charger to? the one under the bonnet or the hybrid Battery in the boot?

2. If I connect the trickle charger to the one under the bonnet, do I need to connect both terminals as I noticed they are not close to each other? Also do I connect the red first and remove it first? I was told this by my friend.

Any tips and advice would be much appreciated as I am not familiar with cad batteries at all. Thank you very much!

IS300FSPORT · May 28

Is the car going to be garaged or in a secure area whilst plugged in? The last thing you want is a trip hazard or anybody tampering with it whilst your away.

The sensible approach is to face the front of the car so that you can exit easily should it need to be towed (worst case scenario) or simply be able to open the bonnet to jump start factor in being able to open side door to open the bonnet.

The under bonnet terminals are usually for jump starting a car. Connecting directly to the 12v Battery in the boot or under the bonnet won't make a difference as long as you can close them securely without crushing the cable (avoid causing a short circuit) & running into another problem. Obviously ensure your connecting to the correct terminals.

(+) Red Positive & (-) Black Negative

I regularly use the Noco Genius 5 connected directly to the Battery which has a fuse as a safety measure for info it is situated in the boot in an IS300H. I wrap a cloth as extra insulation around the cable to avoid the boot lip crushing the cable. Been doing this for 4 years no issues. It also comes with the quick connect eyelet cable so you can connect it directly to the Battery terminals instead of using the crocodile jaw clips (more secure). As for which cable to connect first it doesnt matter as long as the cars main power is OFF & the charger is switched OFF whilst you connect the cables once all connected then switch the charger power ON *Select the correct charging function on the charger for your Battery type very important to avoid damagng your Battery. I.E Lead Acid, AGM & let it charge the colours will indicate % of charge once fully charged it switches to Green only into a trickle charge. Mine is the AGM on an IS300H if your unsure read the label sticker on the Battery or ask your main dealer assuming its on the original Battery?! 99% sure it will be AGM (they fitted them in cars where the Battery is in the boot) in the unfortunate event of an accident to avoid acid spilling & harming passengers. Hope this helps.

Puddinggow · May 28

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, I really appreciate it! It be parked in a garage front in but there is enough room to jump start if needed. My Battery did go flat a year ago as I didn’t drive it for probably 2 months. The AA charged it enough for me to drive it to a Lexus garage nearby to replace the Battery. I bought a Noco Genius 1 U.K. from amazon. I will check to make sure which Battery type it is.

Thank you again for all the invaluable tips. I really would be pretty clueless without your help!