Lexus RX450hL battery failure: Dealer unable to provide replacement

The length of this Amaron battery was more than the original battery by an inch or so & hence it was not possible to fit in the frame without modification.

BHPian Rahul Lal recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello, Team BHPians,

Though I became a member quite a long time back and have been reading threads almost every day, I am posting this first time, in fact, looking for expert advice on battery issues.

My friend's 2019 model Lexus RX450hL (registered in Jan 2020) recently failed to start the hybrid system. On contacting Toyota Lexus service, a technician was deputed to check the problem. He checked & informed us that the 12v battery voltage had dropped to 9.8 volts & needs replacement.

The Panasonic battery originally installed had a manufacturing date of 310819, so it lasted for three years. This Panasonic battery S55D23L, having 20HR 51Ah CCA355A rating, is not available with the Lexus workshop. Instead, they offered Amaron Flo part no.566112060 CCA600 110Min/600A.

The length of this battery was more than the original battery by an inch or so & hence it was not possible to fit in the frame without modification. Since this 12v battery is fitted on left side of the boot space, which is very compact, we refused to get this Amaron battery installed by modifying the frame (the same is welded in the vehicle’s body). The Lexus service had no other option so they left on us to find a new battery.

So the search started for a replacement battery. The current Panasonic battery is JIS D23 with a vent pipe hole on the side of the negative terminal. A rubber pipe thru the elbow is inserted so that gases are vented out of the enclosed battery chamber. We could find out two batteries only having a similar dimension in Exide & Amaron having 50AH capacity. (Exide MLDIN50 & Amaron 80D23L)

However vent hole in Exide was too small to insert a pipe & in Amaron, there was no side hole for the vent pipe.

Since the battery is fitted in the enclosed area of the boot, which is as good as being in the cabin, fixing of the vent pipe is necessary. Moreover, the Lexus service said that due to safety concerns, we have to ensure proper fixing of the vent pipe to the new battery (whichever battery we get) as hybrid batteries are also placed quite near to the 12v battery.

After a lot of research, we found a battery from Globatt brand, which luckily has a side vent hole on both sides & fits in the battery frame without modifying it. Globatt DIN50 SMF CCA525 50AH 55054.
Since never heard about this make, I googled to find that it is made in Bangladesh & imported in India.

Members, please advise if any other battery is available in India for replacement & also on the reliability of Globatt batteries if someone has used them.

Here's what BHPian Turbanator had to say on the matter:

It's not your job to search for the battery on a Lexus. You haven't bought something from the flea market that the dealership can suggest you do all these 'Jugaads' for a 3-Year-old car.

Escalate this to Lexus India and mark the principal owner of the concerned dealership, so they are aware of what the guys in the workshop are doing. It should not be difficult to get Panasonic batteries from Lexus at all.

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say on the matter:

Lexus response is inexplicable. Isn’t Lexus service handled by Toyota? Toyota routinely imports Panasonic batteries for servicing Camry Hybrid cars. You might want to check with them.

You can try reviving the battery to extend its service life. You can also buy battery charger (Bosch c7 on Amazon) to keep the battery in topped up condition in case you have a car that’s not used regularly.

If you have to go with non OEM battery, go with AGM battery and avoid flooded batteries. Venting is not as important with AGM batteries (most don’t have it) and batteries in the trunk are almost always AGM batteries. You can easily get AGM batteries in your city either from battery sellers (bieco.in) or from German car dealerships. Mercedes sells over the counter. I would not put a flooded battery in the trunk.

Here's what BHPian sgmuser had to say on the matter:

 Just to confirm, just because the battery warranty expired and your friend is asked to find this on his own? I had a battery fail in my new Landcruiser Prado (less than a year IIRC) and Toyota sent a new battery with the technician to change it free of cost at my home! For Lexus, I would have expect a lot more service attitude and not asking the customer to source the spare/do jugaad mods in such a costly and sophisticated car! Simply unacceptable. They should procure it for you and you should not touch the car to modify it to just fit in a battery. Not in a Hybrid like that of Lexus for sure. Worst case scenario, purchase the Globatt battery and meanwhile try to order the OEM one and fix it. Again, this is simply unacceptable for me if I own a Lexus.

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