Battery Life

chaiyachaiya Member Posts: 14
edited May 2016 in Lexus
I have a 2008 RX350 which has been sitting in the garage with a battery minder. The car has 2600 miles on it. I bought it brand new and hardly drive it, however I do plan on driving it more now since my work commute has changed. The battery is 8 years old but has been on continuous charge with the battery minder. I started it up today and it started up fine. Should I replace the battery? It is 8 years old but the car has only 2600 miles on it. I am a single female and I don't want to get stranded but I also don't want to pay for a new battery if it's not needed at this time. Is there a "battery warning" or will the battery eventually just conk out? Please let me know if you think I should replace the battery to be safe rather than sorry. Thanks so much!!!
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  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited May 2016
    You're probably due for a new one - I had one or two batteries last 8 years but that was in older cars that probably had less electrical demands than an '08. More typical lifespan is around 5 years.

    Most auto parts stores will load test a battery for free, hoping they'll be able to sell you a new one. Walmart/Sears probably do free testing too.

    The dealer can test it, but maybe not for free. But since you have driven the car so little and are concerned about being stranded, it may be a good idea to have the dealer do a thorough inspection and check all the fluids (and the tires too - they may look fine but tires have a shelf life too).
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yes, a car such as yours needs a thorough inspection, despite the few miles. Age causes wear and tear, just like mileage, but in different ways.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,815
    A lead acid battery in a car that is used all of the time will eventually fail just because of the bouncing around and vibrations from using the car. That same battery used in a stationary situation can last twenty years. Since your car has been sitting more than it was used and you have kept a battery tender on it, there would be no surprise if it has plenty of useable life remaining.

    This question is as much about piece of mind as it is anything, and should you choose to replace the battery that is what you would really be buying. While testing could prove if the battery needs to be replaced, there is plenty of room for it to pass testing right now and still not last very long once you start using the car on a regular basis.
  • chaiyachaiya Member Posts: 14
    Thank you so much everyone for your really helpful advice! I really appreciate it!!!
  • shockmeshockme Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2023
    Don’t recharge just replace
    When you go to fill your tank with gas, it may take 5 minutes.
    To recharge your EV it takes maybe an hour while you sit and wait.
    There is a much faster way to charge your EV, instead of sitting and waiting, why not just exchange your discharged battery with a charged one?



    You drive up to a battery exchange site, much like a gas station today only it is more like a car drive though wash where you drive your car between two rails until the red light flashed to stop. A mechanical arm reaches up, removing your discharged battery, replacing your discharged one with a charged one. Your used battery is checked, and you are given credit for any remaining charge still in the battery.
    The turn around time maybe five minutes
    Comments pro or con welcome


  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,815
    There is more to it than just replacing the battery. Most EV batteries have heating/cooling systems to keep the batteries in a very narrow temperature range during both use and recharging. Typically these are refrigerant based heat pump systems that use a refrigerant to air, or a refrigerant to liquid heat exchanger often referred to as a "chiller".

    Then there is the problem of someone having a battery swapped out that has an internal cell issue and would be problematic for the next vehicle that it gets installed into. That would drive the cost up significantly for the facility doing the battery exchange while the EV owner that unloaded the failing battery slips away with a serviceable unit.

    That's two problems that wild have to be overcome, there are more. While I can't and won't say it could never happen on a commercial basis as of today it isn't practical.
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