12 volt battery

Alan Salisbury · August 16

Hi, I collect my new LBX on 2 Sept but am getting concerned at all the negative comments about the problems with 12v batteries especially on the Toyota Yaris Cross. Owners are saying that they ‘hope’ their new Yaris will have a 45 a/h Battery rather than the 35 fitted to earlier models. So far I have been unable to find a detailed-enough spec to show the Battery size that my new car will come with.

I know this sounds ‘nerdy’ but I am a low mileage user on top of which I will soon be ‘hors de combat’ for a while after an op and will have to put the Battery on a trickle charger.

I would be grateful if any LBX owners out there know the capacity of their 12v Battery and if there have been any problems. I am swapping my Audi Q3 for this LBX - I just hope I’ve made the right decision!

Many thanks for your patience in reading this.

Dells · August 16

I collect my LBX in September as well so not a current owner but I do own a UX and I purchased a small device ( jump pack ) to use if the worst does happen but have never had to use it , it’s only 6” X 4” and I just check it’s charge occasionally just to make sure in case I have to use it .

Dell

walakalulu · August 16

Decided to delay any purchase for a year hoping these teething issues are ironed out.

Herbie · August 16

1 hour ago, walakalulu said:

Decided to delay any purchase for a year hoping these teething issues are ironed out.

They are not "teething issues".

The 12V Battery problem is not a 'fixable' thing and no one can 'cure' it.

It is a design problem that should never have made it off the drawing board - but it did. These batteries only have a low capacity (measured as shown by the Ah rating). and the only way to get round the problem is to use a Battery of a higher Ah rating. Unfortunately a higher Ah means a bigger physical size that will not fit in the Battery box, so you just have to live with it.

Malc1 · August 16

Guys, just how much are you paying for these brand new cars next month ?

Malc

GMB · August 17

These look good but will they fit???? And the price!!!

RONNIE W HODGEKINSON · August 17

12 hours ago, Dells said:

I collect my LBX in September as well so not a current owner but I do own a UX and I purchased a small device ( jump pack ) to use if the worst does happen but have never had to use it , it’s only 6” X 4” and I just check it’s charge occasionally just to make sure in case I have to use it .

Dell

I Do Exactly The Same Derek..Would'nt leave Home without One..

Dells · August 17

This is what I have

stepppy · August 17

30 minutes ago, Dells said:

This is what I have

I have the similar, but never had to use since I bought it.

The only thing I used during lockdown was a smart charger as that was extreme non-use of the car.

Dells · August 17

I was still working during lockdown , I charged the jump pack this morning it was still on 3 lights after 4 months without use but now fully charged and I have only ever used it to charge the phone on holiday but it’s there if needed.

Dell

Shufman · August 17

17 hours ago, Herbie said:

They are not "teething issues".

The 12V battery problem is not a 'fixable' thing and no one can 'cure' it.

It is a design problem that should never have made it off the drawing board - but it did. These batteries only have a low capacity (measured as shown by the Ah rating). and the only way to get round the problem is to use a battery of a higher Ah rating. Unfortunately a higher Ah means a bigger physical size that will not fit in the battery box, so you just have to live with it.

I believe they’ve added another negative plate in the Battery to help with this issue. I got caught out but they’ve changed the Battery and I still leave it open when cleaning etc. no issues.

Herbie · August 17

1 hour ago, Shufman said:

I believe they’ve added another negative plate in the battery to help with this issue. I got caught out but they’ve changed the battery and I still leave it open when cleaning etc. no issues.

What was the old Ah rating on the Battery and what is it now after the modification?

Alan Salisbury · August 17

That was my original question. Is the current Battery 35a/h or 45a/h. I cannot find this level of detail anywhere in the specs.

Shufman · August 18

On 8/17/2024 at 5:24 PM, Herbie said:

What was the old Ah rating on the battery and what is it now after the modification?

Don’t know Herbs, sorry. I’ll try to find out 😊

walakalulu · August 20

You buy a new car then get jump leads in case the Battery goes tits up. Seriously?

RONNIE W HODGEKINSON · August 20

On 8/17/2024 at 10:14 AM, Dells said:

This is what I have

Snap..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Herbie · August 20

4 hours ago, walakalulu said:

You buy a new car then get jump leads in case the battery goes tits up. Seriously?

Yes, seriously.

Hybrids are not suitable for everyone's driving habits and some people would be better sticking with conventional ICE cars. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people do not RTFM and are completely ignorant of the differences between ICE and hybrids and have no idea how hybrids work.

guinchy · August 21

On 8/17/2024 at 10:14 AM, Dells said:

This is what I have

Would you mind giving details of the manufacturer of this please? It seems to be popular on this forum and there appears to be too much cheap and nasty ones on amazon for example. Thank you

stepppy · August 21

I bough the following from amazon in 2018 and although I have never used it on my cars I have helped out a few others with it including 2.0 litre diesel Golfs.

Suaoki U3 Jump Starter Car Booster 400A Peak Current with Intelligent

Only cost £30.00, so I wouldn’t discount ones on amazon although I notice the above is not listed now as it was 4 years ago.

Herbie · August 21

Mine is a TackLife T8.

Never needed to use it on my own car but it's saved a few strangers when they've needed it. You'll see that the display says it still has 92% charge and the last time I charged it up was nine months ago.

Dells · August 22

14 hours ago, guinchy said:

Would you mind giving details of the manufacturer of this please? It seems to be popular on this forum and there appears to be too much cheap and nasty ones on Amazon for example. Thank you

This is all it has on the box made in China but uk address & phone number & I found this on eBay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145926759686?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=_ycqpjpgtgy&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=xnILJhC6Rfu&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

guinchy · August 22

Thanks to everyone who has replied to my question.

Alan Salisbury · August 27

Thanks for your replies. Still not sure what size the 12v is but I will take the advice and get a small jump start pack. Apparently you only need 20amps to fire up the electronics in an emergency.

iainmangle · October 16

Bought mine end of June 24. Totally dead end of August, couldn't even get into the car without using the cheap and nasty manual over-ride. Assumed it was the Battery but persuaded myself it couldn't be as I hadn't needed to charge my previous car's Battery in seven years. I therefore contacted Lexus Support, aka the AA and a friendly tech pitched up knowing exactly what the issue was without even approaching my car. He spent a few minutes criticising the Lexus/Toyota 12v Battery before jumping it for me, and trotted off. He said that the Battery would discharge in as little as five minutes if I inadvertently left the ignition on, which I hadn't, but it made me ultra cautious. Despite my caution, less than 2 months later and here I am again - car won't open, let alone start - AGAIN! Knowing it is the 12v Battery I tried to charge it but cannot - connect my charger, switch on at the mains, and alarm and horn start blaring. Ended up contacting the AA again, which is frankly ridiculous in 2024. Lexus constantly bang on about technical innovation and reliability but they can't even provide an adequate Battery. Most expensive car I ever bought but easily the most disappointing - don't start me on the tacky bits of door handle you have to pull on to get in manually.

iainmangle · October 16

On 8/20/2024 at 2:34 PM, Herbie said:

Yes, seriously.

Hybrids are not suitable for everyone's driving habits and some people would be better sticking with conventional ICE cars. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people do not RTFM and are completely ignorant of the differences between ICE and hybrids and have no idea how hybrids work.

With respect, those manufacturing and selling the vehicles suggest they will suit ALL users, whether short commutes or long distance. An owner's "ignorance" (your dismissive term) is not an excuse for poor design and specification. I certainly don't recall being quizzed by the Lexus salesman on my driving habits when discussing the merits of an LBX. And in the last 30 minutes an AA technician has tested my Battery, concluding it failed!