So Much For Reliability

[harrylime]

Tried to set off for a run today and my LS400 would not start, Battery completely dead, It has not been run since before Xmas, so a couple of week. This would not be a problem for my Skoda, which starts on the button every time. The Battery does not appear to be original, it's a CCA 520 068 and is dated 09/09

It's now on trickle charge all day, after which I will take it for testing

Very disappointed and a bit embarrassed, having spoken at length about Lexus reliability. Not happy

[Bluesman]

The Mk4 LS400 are known for the security system running down the Battery. Even a week can render a Battery not in the prime of its life to go flat. A lot of the guys who have the Mk4 use a solar Battery charger to get over the problem.

One very cold night will almost certainly kill an old and weak Battery. Dont get to down hearted. Mike

[harrylime]

I had heard this somewhere else. It should not be necessary though, should it? I would have thought the pursuit of perfection would have included at least matching the ability of my skoda and my wife's panda to start in a morning

[Bluesman]

I had heard this somewhere else. It should not be necessary though, should it? I would have thought the pursuit of perfection would have included at least matching the ability of my skoda and my wife's panda to start in a morning

I agree but then nothing in this world is 100% perfect and you sadly have just found one, helped by the freezing weather the other night.

Your Battery is 4 years plus old so there is every chance the Battery was on its way out anyway.

Have it checked out. I had mine replaced a couple of years ago by Lexus cost me around £70, got free coffee and biscuits while they fitted it. The one that came out was the original Battery so 12 years old. No complaints there. Mike

[harrylime]

Thanks for the input, Mike, I appreciate it. I will probably invest in a new Battery for peace of mind. I was looking at solar chargers but it involves some wiring in, I think, which is not my strong point. I can't even find the Battery brand online, so it may have been a cheap Battery fitted by the previous owner.

I am grumpy because to make matters worse the bolt on the securing clamp sheared off when I removed the Battery, so I have the remainder of the bolt to extract and sort out as well

[IHgs300]

That Battery is too small for a 4litre engine, I have just replaced the one on my gs300 and that was/is a 620 cca. 75ah.

Have a check here Hugh, lists same Battery for yours as well.

http://webshop-cs.tecdoc.net/exide/home.jsp

[steve2006]

Mine has just been stood nearly 2 weeks albeit in a garage and fired straight up.

It is on its 3rd Battery and has just had its 20th birthday on 5/1/2014.

Toyota branded from Lexus Derby at £70.00.

It's not a problem with Lexus reliabilty but a problem with an aftermarket Battery reliability, you know once a new Battery is fitted the car will fire straight up. :)

[harrylime]

I'm not even bothering getting it tested, I've reserved a new one from the main dealer for peace of mind, £80, fitted myself, with 3 year guarantee. Seems a small price to pay. It also seems like a good excuse for a drive every few days

[harrylime]

Interestingly, I would have liked a Battery with a higher output than the Toyota specified unit. Bosch and Varta both show a specific Battery for my model, but having checked, neither, at 306 mm long, will fit in my Battery tray. It pays to check before ordering

[IHgs300]

The exide one would have at 270mm. Hope the new one makes a difference.

[Adam Evans]

I have the bigger Bosch one in my car and I "adjusted" the Battery tray to fit it in

Mine seems fine

[harrylime]

Adam

What about the plastic Battery surround, which fits around the Battery, did you just not fit it?

[Adam Evans]

My car never had one of them anyway so I was not too fussed about it at all

The end of the Battery tray that is closest to the engine is the part I cut off so the Battery sticks out however if I hadn't have told you without really looking you would never know

With me doing a lot of long distance driving I wanted to make sure I had enough juice in the Battery to last

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Lexus_LS_4.0_1998/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444773357&1&990657e924e55c2b108f138aeffff6712c473b81&000020

I didn't know about the Battery cover until you just mentioned it, I am sure I can get one that goes around like a sock (on the astra or vectra) that will look just as good

That's the one I fitted to it

[ROYT]

Get rid of the Battery surround and get the biggest you can get in there!

[black400]

I have both of mine of the road in the last month , one a tension bearing fixed two still dont know

[ambermarine]

Hugh

Just to be clear on this exhausted Battery scenario;Your Mark 4 is fitted with a non terminal(cannot be switched off) security system and will constantly burn juice from your Battery at a steady rate.If you leave the car for more than two weeks it will flatten the Battery.

There needs to be a supplementary voltage supply to the Battery, ie Battery charger preferably intelligent type or a powerful solar charger type. If you do not fit any then you will end up with a flat Battery new or not.And regarding the security system which car would you prefer being nicked the Skoda or the Lexus,It sure as hell won't be the Lexus as it as one of the best systems in the world, virtually impossible to breach.

[harrylime]

ambermarine

Thank you for clarifying that, it makes total sense. The failure to start was disappointing as it is the first I have experienced for years. My car is parked outside, so a charger of some description is clearly a must. Some guidance on a solar charger would be greatly appreciated, e.g output needed and how to wire up? I understand the cigarette lighter plugin is not an option. If I go for a mains intelligent charger, is it safe to connect this up without disconnecting the Battery?

Which car do I prefer, the Lexus or Skoda? After driving the Skoda to the Lexus dealership to pick up my new Battery today, only one answer to that. The Lexus is sublime. I realised this when looking at the shiny new models in the showroom today, and not feeling any desire to swap the LS 400 for any of them, I do not feel short changed in any way driving the older car, quite the reverse.

[ambermarine]

The intelligent Battery charger needs to be at least 2 amp output I use a golf caddy intelligent charger rated at 4 amp connected to the Battery in situ with croc clips.I do not rate solar chargers, my car was wired up for one when I bought it and had been wired properly by passing the ignition cut off to the forward cigarette lighter by a switch installed on the dashboard blank.It looked totally out of place in a Lexus, so was removed and a new blank installed.The safety aspect of the intelligent charger is in the type employed it literally feeds the security systems thirst and because you are able to connect to the Battery in situ you are not constantly interupting the code and other functions associated with the electronics in the car.

Just put Powakaddy in the search box on your search engine and any number of suppliers come up including secondhand on eBay expect to pay around £50 for a new one.They are mainly 3 stage which is the type required.

[harrylime]

Thanks again ambermarine. Has anyone any experience of the CTEK MXS 3.6 charger? it won a group test in auto express in 2012

[PEPE]

From what I've read here I conclude that Ian, Adam and Roy have the right idea. The Mk4 could certainly benefit from a Battery with a higher rating. This has been very well summed up by Ambermarine. When I bought my 'new' Mk4 last August it came with a Bosch Battery as shown here:

At first I felt rather smug because I thought that my Bosch Battery was the one that Eurocarparts lists for the Mk 4, i.e. the 'big' Bosch that Adam has in his car. Closer examination tells me that my Bosch Battery is a standard 70 Ah Battery. My point is that a more desirable Battery would be this one:

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Lexus_LS_4.0_1998/p/car-parts/car-electrics-and-car-lighting/electrical/car-battery/?444773357&1&990657e924e55c2b108f138aeffff6712c473b81&000020

This one is a 95 Ah Battery with 830 cca, no doubt a better option particularly if one's Mk 4 is used only occasionally.

Externally the only difference between the two batteries is their length, 261 mm vs 306 mm (slightly less than 2 inches). Adam appears to have been able to shoehorn his into his Mk 4. My Bosch Battery was fitted in December 2010 and it should be coming up for replacement soon. I'll be giving the 'big' Bosch Battery some serious thought.

[harrylime]

Pepe

That's the one I had in mind. On this occasion, I went for a standard Toyota Battery from the main dealer, as i did not have time to modify the tray etc. I have a 3 year warranty but next time may go for the Bosch. My top tip, search for the Bosch S4 335 on eBay and you can buy it for £84 from Europarts on eBay, click and collect or free delivery. Direct from Eurocarparts it is £120 !

I would be interested to know how it fits if you go ahead.

[PEPE]

Hugh

Many thanks for the tip. I think my Battery is still ok for the time being. I know some chaps nearby who build racing cars for wealthy enthusiasts and no doubt they would be able to fabricate a bigger tray as well as a hold down frame so that the finished job looks nice and professional. Hopefully it won't coat an arm and a leg. I'll keep you posted.

Pepe