Worthwhile accessories “

rdc · June 16

I’m wondering what the more experienced owners have bought and found useful?

I’ve ordered:-

A Nick jump starter and the lead to attach the trickle charger to the battery
A central arm rest storage top bin, to help organise this

Bezzer · June 16

A set of mudflaps if it hasn't got them already.

Ken R · June 16

Rear bumper protection strip and boot liner.

LenT · June 16

3 hours ago, rdc said:

I’m wondering what the more experienced owners have bought and found useful?

A good quality dashcam front and rear. It only has to provide supporting evidence for a claim once - and it will have paid for itself many times over.

Then take your pick from an escalating range of security devices. But at least have a very visible and substantial steering wheel lock - such as a DiskLok or a Milenco.

Warthog001 · June 17

Fully agree with the dashcam - too many scam accidents, the latest near me is throwing a bicycle under the front of the car and claiming all sorts.

Bluetooth 12v Battery voltage monitor to stop me obsessing about flat Battery.

Big yellow stoplock steering wheel lock as visual deterrant.

Considering a solar charger if I need to leave the car for over a week - e.g. airport

Fathippy · June 17

Bootliner. Not the Lexus OEM one though, it's too dear for what it is. CarMats4U do one for a third of the price that is a perfect fit.

BonzoSPB · June 18

16 hours ago, Warthog001 said:

Fully agree with the dashcam - too many scam accidents, the latest near me is throwing a bicycle under the front of the car and claiming all sorts.

Bluetooth 12v battery voltage monitor to stop me obsessing about flat battery.

Big yellow stoplock steering wheel lock as visual deterrant.

Considering a solar charger if I need to leave the car for over a week - e.g. airport

Why the solar charger if leaving the car for a period? Is there a possibility of Battery drain even if it's locked and 'dead'?

LenT · June 18

7 minutes ago, BonzoSPB said:

Why the solar charger if leaving the car for a period? Is there a possibility of battery drain even if it's locked and 'dead'?

It’s called parasitic draw (or drain). There are many systems in a car that require a constant current to keep them activated. The most obvious one is the clock! And then there’s the dashcam in standby mode.

But modern cars are mobile computers and require an array of constantly powered chips to maintain their functionality. Apart from which, batteries tend to loose current over time anyway.

Solar chargers can be a very effective way of maintaining Battery current levels.

Here’s how one auto Battery maker describes parasitic drain:

“Typically, the normal amount of parasitic draw is between 50 and 85 milliamps in newer cars and less than 50 milliamps for older cars.”

“A parasitic draw above this threshold is considered excessive and can eventually stress the Battery and shorten its life.”

Warthog001 · June 18

Perfect explanation, Len.

Harrier Man · June 18

I bought a jack. I know I could call the AA but it bothered me that one wasn't supplied. Also, I like to rotate my tyres and I'm happy to do this myself rather than get the dealer to do it. Not just any jack mind; I wouldn't trust some of the cheap Chinese models and it had to be suitable for an SUV and to lift the not insubstantial weight of the car.

kenson · June 19

I bought a small jump pack because on these hybrid cars there is no warning that the 12v Battery is faiding, it just stops working. On these hybrid cars the engine is started by the traction Battery, the 12v only starts the computers so a small jump pack should be enough.

Al D-Much · June 20

On 6/18/2024 at 9:13 AM, BonzoSPB said:

Why the solar charger if leaving the car for a period? Is there a possibility of battery drain even if it's locked and 'dead'?

I understand the parasitic drain, but still don't see the need.
My NX has stood for over a month started first time no issues. And had a CT stand for 3.5 months, same again, fired up first time, no issues.

Warthog001 · June 20

8 hours ago, Al D-Much said:

I understand the parasitic drain, but still don't see the need.
My NX has stood for over a month started first time no issues. And had a CT stand for 3.5 months, same again, fired up first time, no issues.

The 'need' is derived from a widespread mistrust of the Battery management system and low wattage Battery on the Gen 2 NX (not exclusively the 450h+). The new RX has similar issues.

My car has an average 5% daily drain with all non-essential systems deactivated, which is much less than some reports. Consequently, if I parked it, without charge, for a couple of weeks, there is a possibility that there would not be enough power to start the car, or worst. I am not prepared to take that risk - I will use a small solar charger or carry a jumper pack, like so many other owners. My requirement is for 'peace-of-mind' and I don't have the luxury of being able to leave my car unused for months to see what long-term drain would be. Does the car have a 'sleep' mode? I don't know! If it has, there have been no posts that I could find on either the UK or N.American forums.

LenT · June 20

8 hours ago, Al D-Much said:

I understand the parasitic drain, but still don't see the need.
My NX has stood for over a month started first time no issues. And had a CT stand for 3.5 months, same again, fired up first time, no issues.

The fact that you haven’t had any issues is no guarantee that you won’t! There are so many variables that will influence Battery efficiency- Its age, average journey times, recharge rate, ambient temperatures, general engine condition - all in addition to normal parasitic drain.

Clearly, more modern cars with more efficient systems and newer batteries are more likely to retain a usable charge for longer. But even those cars might benefit from the occasional use of a good trickle charger- such as a CTEK - to maintain Battery condition.

1 hour ago, Warthog001 said:

or carry a jumper pack, like so many other owners.

I agree. I carry a NOCO Power Pack in the same way that I used to carry jump leads. I haven’t needed it yet to start the Lexus, but it has proved its worth by getting other car owners out of trouble.

A battery-powered tyre inflator also lives in the boot - just in case!

These are the kind of accessories that I would rather have and not need, then need and not have!

Herbie · June 21

10 hours ago, Al D-Much said:

I understand the parasitic drain, but still don't see the need.
My NX has stood for over a month started first time no issues. And had a CT stand for 3.5 months, same again, fired up first time, no issues.

The need is due to the laws of physics.

A 50Ah Battery means that it can supply 50A for one hour or 25A for two hours, or 12.5A for four hours and so on.

If we assume a brand new and fully charged Battery with 50Ah rated capacity and a parasitic drain of 50mA, the time from full charge to full discharge is 1,000 hours or 41.66 days, or 5.95 weeks depending on how you look at it and that's it.

LenT · June 21

4 hours ago, Herbie said:

If we assume a brand new and fully charged battery with 50Ah rated capacity and a parasitic drain of 50mA, the time from full charge to full discharge is 1,000 hours or 41.66 days, or 5.95 weeks depending on how you look at it and that's it.

Excellent Herbs.

But if I’ve understood you correctly, that’s the theoretical time to full discharge. It will fail to start an ICE long before that.

There seems to be a range of opinions on the matter, but the consensus seems to be that a healthy 12v engine needs a Battery level between 12.2v - 12.8v to ensure reliable starting. Below 11.8v and starting starts to get difficult. Below 10.8v and it will generally be impossible.

hintonwood · June 21

1 hour ago, LenT said:

But if I’ve understood you correctly, that’s the theoretical time to full discharge. It will fail to start an ICE long before that.

Len, the 12v Battery doesn’t start the ICE. It is simply there to power the electrics. The Hybrid Battery is used to crank the engine.

LenT · June 21

17 minutes ago, hintonwood said:

Len, the 12v battery doesn’t start the ICE. It is simply there to power the electrics. The Hybrid battery is used to crank the engine.

I understand that’s correct, Ken. I’m not really familiar with hybrid electrics! I was really only responding to earlier comments about how long a 12v Battery takes to fully discharge.

But you raise an interesting point. In a hybrid, how critical is the actual 12v Battery charge? Can it reduce to a level where it cannot power the electrics effectively? And will that affect the ICE - I don’t know enough about hybrids to know. 🙁

For example, what level does the hybrid Battery have to reduce to before it fails to crank the engine? Presumably, the hybrid Battery is not exposed to the same problem of parasitic drain?

Hayzee · June 21

3 hours ago, LenT said:

But you raise an interesting point. In a hybrid, how critical is the actual 12v battery charge? Can it reduce to a level where it cannot power the electrics effectively? And will that affect the ICE - I don’t know enough about hybrids to know. 🙁

For example, what level does the hybrid battery have to reduce to before it fails to crank the engine? Presumably, the hybrid battery is not exposed to the same problem of parasitic drain?

The 12v Battery can definitely lose charge to a level where it cannot put the car into Ready mode for the Traction Battery to take over. The Lexus/Toyota Hybrid system doesn't allow the Traction Battery to fall below a level where it would fail to operate normally.

Herbie · June 21

5 hours ago, LenT said:

But if I’ve understood you correctly, that’s the theoretical time to full discharge. It will fail to start an ICE long before that.

That's correct Len, yes. It will fail to start even a hybrid car long before it reaches full discharge.

Herbie · June 21

3 hours ago, LenT said:

But you raise an interesting point. In a hybrid, how critical is the actual 12v battery charge? Can it reduce to a level where it cannot power the electrics effectively? And will that affect the ICE

It's 'mission critical' because right at the start of the whole process there are a pair of 12V safety interlock relays that have to be operated before access to the hybrid system is allowed. Not enough power to operate the interlock means no car.

LenT · June 21

23 minutes ago, Herbie said:

It's 'mission critical' because right at the start of the whole process there are a pair of 12V safety interlock relays that have to be operated before access to the hybrid system is allowed. Not enough power to operate the interlock means no car.

Many thanks Herbie.

I hope that has clarified the situation for others as effectively as it has for myself! 😊

robby666 · July 4

On 6/17/2024 at 9:10 PM, Fathippy said:

Bootliner. Not the Lexus OEM one though, it's too dear for what it is. CarMats4U do one for a third of the price that is a perfect fit.

There are about 5 showing on the site when i put the car type in all looking a slightly different shape. Which one did you order?

Loosecanons · July 13

I purchased rubber mats plus a rear mat not long after purchase. They make cleaning so much easier.

On the subject of dashcams can we recommend any on this forum? Given the cost of insurance and worsening driving standards they are becoming a necessity.

I looked into the discounted option from Lexus but the optical definition seems low into comparison to other manufacturers.

Thanks

LenT · July 13

58 minutes ago, Loosecanons said:

On the subject of dashcams can we recommend any on this forum? Given the cost of insurance and worsening driving standards they are becoming a necessity.

They’ve always been a necessity! I’m surprised that new cars aren’t being fitted with them - in much the same way satnavs and radios are.

The first consideration is how much you are prepared to spend. I’ve had BlackVue cameras almost since they were launched. One attraction being that they are designed and manufactured in South Korea, now very much a centre of excellence for this type of technology - and in my mind far more preferable to anything from China!

I also prefer the minimal cylindrical style which hides in front of the rear view mirror. I’m not keen on the type with the screen that intrude on my vision as they have to be positioned so that the screen is viewable.

Nevertheless, there are excellent alternatives to the BV if those things don’t bother you. My main recommendations are to install a two-camera system, have it wired so that it will switch to standby mode when the ignition is off, install the biggest Memory Card the system will take and keep the smaller supplied card as a spare to switch in the event of an incident - thus preserving the evidence!

Oh, and buy a pair of polarising filters if available. They do make a difference.

You don’t mention if you planned to install it yourself. If you’re not comfortable with car electrics, I’d recommend a good local auto electrician who’s doing it on a regular basis, rather than a dealer or garage mechanic who only installs them occasionally.

Whatever you choose, it will be a great advance on not having one! You only need to be involved in one accident for it to have paid for itself!