Replaced a bad 12V battery; now get "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM"nag

GS450hSE · August 15

Car: 2008 GS350h 51,000 miles UK RHD
The AGM 70Ah 750CCA 12V Battery reached the end of its hassle-free life a few days ago; it's given 6+ years so I can't complain.
Replaced it today, but left the car without power 90 mins so lost all the saved locations/destinations, radio channels etc. No big deal.
But also acquired a "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" (never seen before) error message on the dash.
I know the hybrid Battery was fine; almost never going down to 1 bar and giving the full range of bars right up to the (rare) maximum. Though the display of this is hobbled, the graphical image of the hybrid Battery is visible and the bars come and go exactly as I would expect. So I can tell the hybrid system is itself continuing to work fine as it always has.
When I bought the new Battery I was warned by the autocentre this might happen, and just had to do a lot of "hard driving" and the nuisance display would go away. They (correctly) said my BlueDriver OBD2 plug-in would not be able to clear this mesaage.
Could someone advise me how long it might take for the GS450h to figure out all's well and for the nag to stop?
Thanks!

GS450hSE · August 15

1 hour ago, GS450hSE said:

Car: 2008 GS350h 51,000 miles UK RHD
The AGM 70Ah 750CCA 12V battery reached the end of its hassle-free life a few days ago; it's given 6+ years so I can't complain.
Replaced it today, but left the car without power 90 mins so lost all the saved locations/destinations, radio channels etc. No big deal.
But also acquired a "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" (never seen before) error message on the dash.
I know the hybrid battery was fine; almost never going down to 1 bar and giving the full range of bars right up to the (rare) maximum. Though the display of this is hobbled, the graphical image of the hybrid battery is visible and the bars come and go exactly as I would expect. So I can tell the hybrid system is itself continuing to work fine as it always has.
When I bought the new battery I was warned by the autocentre this might happen, and just had to do a lot of "hard driving" and the nuisance display would go away. They (correctly) said my BlueDriver OBD2 plug-in would not be able to clear this mesaage.
Could someone advise me how long it might take for the GS450h to figure out all's well and for the nag to stop?
Thanks!

Fingerslip - GS450h!

cortinas · August 16

I am currently also facing the 'Check Hybrid System' .

In my case, I am using a cheapo OBD2 code reader and "EODB-Facile' and Dr Prius apps. Both work fine on my car. I can clear the "Check Hybrid" and Dr Prius can monitor all the individual cells in the hybrid Battery.

I'm waiting on a new Inverter cooling pump so won;t know for sure it that fixes it for me for a few weeks.

GS450hSE · August 16

4 hours ago, cortinas said:

I am currently also facing the 'Check Hybrid System' .

In my case, I am using a cheapo OBD2 code reader and "EODB-Facile' and Dr Prius apps. Both work fine on my car. I can clear the "Check Hybrid" and Dr Prius can monitor all the individual cells in the hybrid battery.

I'm waiting on a new Inverter cooling pump so won;t know for sure it that fixes it for me for a few weeks.

Thanks and good luck with the pump.

> I can clear the "Check Hybrid"

How? With EODB-Facile Basic version? I don't think it can work with my BlueDriver OBD2 gadget.

Did the message come back a while after clearing?

cortinas · August 16

I have the basic paid version and it has "clear DTC" options once you scan the ECU. Obviously the error will come back until the underlying problem is fixed - in my case, the water pump for the inverter replacement

RONNIE W HODGEKINSON · August 16

30 minutes ago, cortinas said:

I have the basic paid version and it has "clear DTC" options once you scan the ECU. Obviously the error will come back until the underlying problem is fixed - in my case, the water pump for the inverter replacement

Would Connecting your Car to Techstream not Indicate why you are getting this Message... Ask Local Dealership for Advice and How to Deal with this..!"!!! Could be you have to Drive it A Somewhat long distance for the computer system to Clear this Annoying message..Just A Thought..!!!

GS450hSE · August 19

Just visited the vendor who supplied/fitted the 12V (A096 AGM) Battery - the "Check Hybrid System" nag/ping came on literally a few seconds after I drove out of their forecourt on to a jam-packed roundabout, and I wrongly assumed my OBD2 Bluedriver app/plugin would be apply to clear it, so just kept going.

Now I've put it over 50 miles since the change, the nag is still there, but it is obvious the Hybrid System is working perfectly (watching the bars and hearing it as it switches in and out exactly as expected; my knowledge is gleaned from 30,000+ miles over 6+ years with the car) - i.e., just as it was before the new 12V.

However, the vendor doesn't have Techstream and the little gizmo they had to plug in and clear warnings had neither LEXUS nor TOYOTA (world's largest car manufacturer by numbers!) in its menu.

On 8/16/2024 at 5:52 PM, RONNIE W HODGEKINSON said:

Would Connecting your Car to Techstream not Indicate why you are getting this Message... Ask Local Dealership for Advice and How to Deal with this..!"!!! Could be you have to Drive it A Somewhat long distance for the computer system to Clear this Annoying message..Just A Thought..!!!

Thanks.

(1) I will ask around with experienced mechanics if they have Techstream or other Toyota-specific scan tools. Lexus dealership is my last choice; it is a 50 mile round-trip and everything seems to require leaving the vehicle with them for a few days.

(2) I too think if I just keep driving it enough the computer will get whatever calibration data it thinks it needs and disable the message. BUT HOW LONG IS THIS PIECE OF ROAD is anyone's guess!

RONNIE W HODGEKINSON · August 20

Remember.. Your Problems are only Ever as Big As YOU make Them..I don,t Think This is a Big Problem But An Irritable one so i Know how you Feel...Why The Dealership has to have your Car for a Few days To Sort out what is Possibly a Small Problem Is Strange.. You Mention you Had Taken Your Lexus to a Vendor To Get your New Battery Installed.. Strangely i have Heard On Quite a Few Occasions That When the car has any Work Carried out From A Third Party Vendor and Not A Dealership These little Warning Signs Come on...It Makes you Think That the Battery Needs to be Calibrated to the Computer Dynamics By A lexus Dealership.. Now i Might JUST be Wrong But I Don,t Think I,m Far from The Solution...Hope that helps in Any Way...Ron

Steven Lockey · August 21

On 8/19/2024 at 7:39 PM, GS450hSE said:

Just visited the vendor who supplied/fitted the 12V (A096 AGM) battery - the "Check Hybrid System" nag/ping came on literally a few seconds after I drove out of their forecourt on to a jam-packed roundabout, and I wrongly assumed my OBD2 Bluedriver app/plugin would be apply to clear it, so just kept going.

Now I've put it over 50 miles since the change, the nag is still there, but it is obvious the Hybrid System is working perfectly (watching the bars and hearing it as it switches in and out exactly as expected; my knowledge is gleaned from 30,000+ miles over 6+ years with the car) - i.e., just as it was before the new 12V.

However, the vendor doesn't have Techstream and the little gizmo they had to plug in and clear warnings had neither LEXUS nor TOYOTA (world's largest car manufacturer by numbers!) in its menu.

Thanks.

(1) I will ask around with experienced mechanics if they have Techstream or other Toyota-specific scan tools. Lexus dealership is my last choice; it is a 50 mile round-trip and everything seems to require leaving the vehicle with them for a few days.

(2) I too think if I just keep driving it enough the computer will get whatever calibration data it thinks it needs and disable the message. BUT HOW LONG IS THIS PIECE OF ROAD is anyone's guess!

Assuming you have a laptop, you can connect that to tech-stream and do it yourself. The cable cost me like £20 on eBay.
Most standard OBD readers will allow you to get the codes out however, which you can lookup online even if they aren't programmed into the OBD reader.

GS450hSE · August 22

On 8/21/2024 at 6:22 AM, Steven Lockey said:

Assuming you have a laptop, you can connect that to tech-stream and do it yourself. The cable cost me like £20 on ebay.
Most standard OBD readers will allow you to get the codes out however, which you can lookup online even if they aren't programmed into the OBD reader.

THANKS and Wow - somehow I assumed that Techstream was restricted to Toyota personnel. I have a Win10 Pro laptop meeting the requirements, but I do have some queries, please:

First, I see plenty of different OBD2 (female) to standard USB cables, some with descriptions like "For VAG KKL 409" (??). Do I understand correctly that I need is a plain vanilla cable, e.g. like this one: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001598824039.html ?

Second, I've found this link from a Toyota UK page https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/appmanager/t3/ti?_pageLabel=ti_whats_tis&_nfpb=true but it appears to relate to North America (only?). Googling for TECHSTREAM SUBSCRIPTION UK finds this https://www.toyota-tech.eu/OnlineSubscriptions.aspx but it appears to give access only to view tech documents. Could you or someone provide a link to the type of subscription I'd need.

Much obliged.

Steven Lockey · August 22

Not sure, I got a complete pack on eBay which included the software.
I believe you need to register on the Lexus website to down techstream directly.
Can see quite a few people selling the combo pack of cable + disc on eBay for around £20.

Herbie · August 22

This is the sort of cable you need to connect the laptop to the car.

It comes bundled with a pirated copy of Techstream and whether you use that or not is down to your own conscience and principles. The correct way of doing it would be to download a legit copy of Techstream from Lexus and then pay for a block of time to use it, but whichever way you go, you'll need that cable anyway.

Get legit Techstream and licence key here https://www.lexus-tech.eu/DiagnosticTools/Setup

GS450hSE · August 22

52 minutes ago, Herbie said:

This is the sort of cable you need to connect the laptop to the car.

It comes bundled with a pirated copy of Techstream and whether you use that or not is down to your own conscience and principles. The correct way of doing it would be to download a legit copy of Techstream from Lexus and then pay for a block of time to use it, but whichever way you go, you'll need that cable anyway.

Get legit Techstream and licence key here https://www.lexus-tech.eu/DiagnosticTools/Setup

Thanks so much!

I'll order the cable on Aliexpress (cheaper and the 10-extra-days delay gels with my own schedule). I'm aware of the pricing tricks (the price in the gallery window is usually for some unwanted accessory, here the 17 or 22 pin adapter) and the VAT added at checkout.

And at just £7 per day from the official link you gave, it's a no-brainer.

Herbie · August 22

2 hours ago, GS450hSE said:

I'll order the cable on Aliexpress

Fair enough but just be aware that the one you linked to is not the one you want. You need a miniVCI cable for Lexus/Toyota.

GS450hSE · September 25

UPDATE

I gave up waiting for the car to "learn" itself out of this annoying message. I bought an inexpensive ODB2-equipped cable and (old) Techstream software, and cancelled the code myself a few weeks ago.

No recurrence. All fixed.