iainmangle

Sorry, but clueless. If you had bothered to read the thread before diving in with your self-prescribed expertise you would see that I have owned hybrids and full EVs previously, none of which were ever bedevilled by 12v problems. Hoisted on your own pitard I'm afraid. I have zero idea why you are in a thread for LBX owners, other than to pick an argument? And finding a workaround never solves a problem - it hides it and makes excuses for it, but never solves it. The underlying problem can only be resolved by an engineering solution which removes the need for a workaround. And again, if you read the thread, I have a new battery so have my own workaround or solution - time will tell. Please desist from responding as having to correct you repeatedly is tiresome. Final correction though - highlighting a deep rooted issue with a £42k vehicle is constructive, and not "angry".

A. It is my time to waste, and your option to scroll. B. Do you really consider that nobody in this forum is a member of Lexus management?? Any idea how many Lexus executives are driving their marque, and are members here reading these posts? The service manager I spoke with at the weekend was fully aware of the discussions and has already changed his dealership's attitude to replacement batteries. C. I do not expect Lexus to respond to me, solely, but there could be a critical mass of owners whose collective opinion might make a difference. There have been enough posts to suggest that is the case.

You choose to miss the point, maybe consciously and maybe not. The comment made is not that people's workarounds are not helpful but that they should not be necessary if Lexus designed and engineered a car fit for purpose. And as for rejecting the vehicle do you consider that even to be an option after six months??

To be entirely honest, I do not want to monitor my battery, I just want it to function. It is not fit for purpose and having to use the car every day is no answer; if I want to leave it a few days then that should be possible with zero consequences. The AA consider them rubbish and even a dealer I went to at the weekend was embarrassed enough by the vulnerability of the 12v unit to just replace it at 8 months old, and hand me a free solar charger (the ultimate submission!). Too many people are coming with workarounds for a car that costs £42k when what is needed is better design and better awareness of drivers' different lifestyles.

When I booked the car in on Friday I was advised that even four days is a problem, and that the service manager always used a solar charger when going on holiday. That is why they gave me one. Furthermore his is a different model and the tech I spoke with today confirmed that the LBX battery is very low capacity, even when compared with other Lexus models. My own experience has been that if the car was left even a week then the battery discharged fully and that came as no surprise to the dealer's service team. It may of course fare better in the summer as batteries like to be warm. Bottom line is we are talking about whether a battery will survive even two weeks, a conversation I haven't had for over forty years.

I had mine in dock for the past 24 hours while they checked out my battery. However, after I described to them my experience of a frequently discharged battery, they agreed to replace the battery even before checking it. On top of that, because they felt I hadn't had a good deal with the car (understatement) they gave me a free solar charger. Ironically, this followed me querying what would happen if I left the car for two weeks in an airport car park - the irony being there is no sunlight in a multi-storey car park, but gesture appreciated anyway. I was not charged for the battery, which apparently is a different model from the original but not greater capacity, nor for the solar charger. I imagine that if I asked for a monitor they probably would have fitted that for free as they were very understanding of the problem - clearly not their first rodeo! To be honest, unless you can guarantee using the car most days I wouldn't buy this car. It has a lot going for it but having to drive around with solar panel; jump starter kit in 2024 is, frankly, ridiculous. Add to that the kit you are proposing to purchase and then ask whether another manufacturer would suit you better, and for less cash in all probability. In a perfect world adverts for the LBX would state "not suitable for retirees or people working from home".

Have you ever owned a vehicle that is six months old, cost £40k and had to charge it even once, let alone twice, let alone call the AA out twice, let alone jump start three times, let alone all of the above. To have a six month old car that you have to manually unlock warrants a far swifter (immediate) response from a manufacturer. A potential 10 year warranty is worthless if it expires whilst waiting for an appointment. To check the battery literally takes minutes, and if they then choose to charge it up they won't stand there watching it - or maybe the delay is attributable to the queue for the battery charger. In 45 years of driving I have never had to wait even for a routine service, let alone a limiting problem such as this. As for what I do then I shall need to await this Friday's assessment and take it from there. If there was enough interest I'd be happy to co-ordinate a complaint to Lexus.

Are you suggesting the "hybrid protocol" justifies a battery that needs 2 AA visits, five jump starts and two 24 hour charges in a month? According to the numbers floating around I should be able to leave my LBX undisturbed for a month and still expect it to start, but maybe mine didn't read the "hybrid protocol". My previous hybrids have not presented an issue so maybe they read the protocol. Very lazy to attribute responsibility for poor engineering and cost cutting by a supposedly innovative manufacturer to the people who fork out £40k for what is meant to be a high end vehicle..

"Once and for all" 🙂 . Sorry, I hadn't realised you were the resident expert and arbiter of what is and isn't OK. With respect, your argument defeats itself; you cannot say it isn't a Lexus problem and in the next breath that Lexus made a decision - one led to the other so it is exactly a Lexus problem. If other owners have addressed the issue by fitting a larger capacity battery then it occurs to little old me that Lexus could obviate the need, but choose not to.

For me it is not my first hybrid, or EV, so it really it isn't a generic hybrid problem. If other manufacturers can sort it; if after market upgrades can sort it; then it is a Lexus problem and they will only listen if people make a noise. If you don't want to read the posts, or contribute, then you have the option of scrolling.

A bit sad isn't it, that in 2024 we are having to take such measures to ensure we can get into, and start, a £40k car! I have the jump kit as I had no choice after it failed twice, but not sure I will invest in anything else before I sell the car.

Pretty sure that is what they intend to do as I have to leave it with them all day. I fully expect them to give it a clean bill of health though, and I'll be jump starting again within a couple of weeks.

Which is a sensible thing to do, but should be so unnecessary in 2024. especially with a manufacturer who claims to be so innovative.

Exactly the same this end. AA came out twice in a short space of time and condemned the battery on the second visit, but Lexus wouldn't even inspect it for four weeks. It is booked in for next week but I doubt they will agree with the AA. In the meanwhile I have jump started three times, including once in a supermarket car park, and 24 hour charged once. I got a jump kit from Amazon for about £35 and it works well - shouldn't have to on a 6 month old £40k car though! Too many instances reported for this to be idiot drivers, as some suggest.

It's called technological innovation, apparently 🙂