Battery

[phm14]

I've been driving Toyota/Lexus vehicles for 40+ years, and don't know of any maker that rivals their warranty service. Sounds like the Austin dealer may be lazy...could be an extra hoop since it's a bimmer, but that shouldn't matter. Do what you have to to help them decide to do the right thing. If being nice doesn't work, a polite, factual post on their FB page sometimes produces quick results. Manufacturers can't fix what they don't know is broken, so a call to Toyota USA CS may be in order.

Sponsored

 

[JasonO]

A good point was brought up. Was the battery actually replaced? Unless you have an electrical issue, there is almost no way the battery died in that time. If there is an electrical issue, then that is warranty related no matter how they try and slice it.

It is a valve regulated battery. If the AGM dried out that fast, you’d have smelled it (hydrogen sulfide) as the PRV would have been burping heavily in a contained environment. The only way a new battery could die or flag poorly without being discharged improperly would be a manufacturing defect which is warranty covered by the battery manufacturer itself since you purchased the second battery new.

I would push for your warranty on the BATTERY, not the car, to cover the replacement. I bet there isn’t one because they just cleared the code and took your money.

You need to call corporate. I’d also be asking to speak to the manager of the dealership. I’d bypass the parts department entirely. I would also want the discussion to be done in the center of their sales floor so people hear it. If they cannot show you their invoice for the “new” battery you purchased, I’d expect a refund. I would then go to another dealership.

I’m an engineer with an entire job description that revolves around lead acid batteries and support systems. None of this makes sense unless they are scummy. They either didn’t replace the battery or they did and they aren’t providing warranty on the new battery that the damn battery comes with. The only other option is you have an electrical issue in the car which is warranty coverage for troubleshooting.

 

[digicidal]

None of this makes sense unless they are scummy. They either didn’t replace the battery or they did and they aren’t providing warranty on the new battery that the damn battery comes with. The only other option is you have an electrical issue in the car which is warranty coverage for troubleshooting.

There are a lot of unknowns here for sure... however that (bold statement) is 100% a certainty. Whether they replaced the battery or not is almost immaterial in the face of the fact that they said "you'll probably have to replace it every few months"... even the cheapest batteries at WalMart come with 36 month warranties.

As you pointed out... if they were even slightly honest - they would have had his car in the shop for days trying to track down what was causing the problem after the first replacement. The only reason I could guess at for not doing so is because they figured they could take him for $2400/year in bogus charges (4 battery "replacements"). I'd save the documentation, work with Toyota NA for resolution... and when all was said and done... I'd file fraud charges with the state DA.

I swear I hate almost every brand's dealership experience... but Toyota (here at least) is close to the worst of the worst. Even Lexus is subpar in comparison to my experience at Infiniti and Porsche... but they're still way better than the Toyota dealerships.

 

[thedude]

I’ve taken a lot of heat in other threads for suggesting this, but I think Toyota should make it possible for us to get our Supras serviced at Lexus dealers. I won’t go into my rationale for the special treatment, but I think it’s more than justified - especially now that it appears the price of the car will be creeping upwards.

 

[phm14]

There are a lot of unknowns here for sure... however that (bold statement) is 100% a certainty. Whether they replaced the battery or not is almost immaterial in the face of the fact that they said "you'll probably have to replace it every few months"... even the cheapest batteries at WalMart come with 36 month warranties.

As you pointed out... if they were even slightly honest - they would have had his car in the shop for days trying to track down what was causing the problem after the first replacement. The only reason I could guess at for not doing so is because they figured they could take him for $2400/year in bogus charges (4 battery "replacements"). I'd save the documentation, work with Toyota NA for resolution... and when all was said and done... I'd file fraud charges with the state DA.

I swear I hate almost every brand's dealership experience... but Toyota (here at least) is close to the worst of the worst. Even Lexus is subpar in comparison to my experience at Infiniti and Porsche... but they're still way better than the Toyota dealerships.

I must have caught the Porsche dealer at a really bad time. I had a 2018 911 with a possessed head unit. I made at least 4 calls-told to call the parts dept. (?), put on hold forever...and still never got a live person on the phone to explain the problem to. I couldn't believe what was happening with such an expensive car. That car was a blast on track, but the warranty farse was the last straw, and I traded in in on a Lexus LC500 (my 4th Lexus). I doubt I'll ever buy a Porshe again, unless I win the lottery and have a stable of track cars. Whatever is happening with this battery situation, speculation aside, it's wrong. The only way a dealer can continue to treat customers that badly, is if their victims refuse to expose them to Toyota and social media.

 

[digicidal]

I’ve taken a lot of heat in other threads for suggesting this, but I think Toyota should make it possible for us to get our Supras serviced at Lexus dealers. I won’t go into my rationale for the special treatment, but I think it’s more than justified - especially now that it appears the price of the car will be creeping upwards.

Either that or in select markets (e.g larger metro areas) set up small "Supra service centers" - with BMW trained techs. One can dream...

 

[JasonO]

Either that or in select markets (e.g larger metro areas) set up small "Supra service centers" - with BMW trained techs. One can dream...

So BMW dealerships?

 

[digicidal]

So BMW dealerships?

That really would be a dream. Hell, if the Z4 wasn't a convertible and didn't feel so "boat-ish" when I drove it... I might have cut out the middle-man altogether. But I really, really, really hate convertibles.

 

[phm14]

Another dead battery this AM. Another $650. (200 of which is labor!) No warranty I was told.

The likelihood of getting 2 bad batteries in a row is astronomically low. It is far more likely that that they never replaced the battery and didn't charge it properly, charged it and it is defective, or you have a parasitic draw condition that needs repair (most likely). It seems very likely they are taking advantage of you. Which dealership is it?

 

[E46M3forRay]

^ the fact that the Toyota dealer charged him (pun intended) for labor is very disturbing. Standard practice or not, that should be covered under warranty.

BMW service will cover everything and even give you a new loaner to hoon around - no questions ask.

I would give corporate a call ... sayin

 

[Jtrade36]

Another thing you can do to make sure they did change the battery is to find a place on the battery, like a sticker, and initial it or make some clear marking and take a picture of it before servicing. After the service, check to see if it's still the same battery.

There is another thread where the OP got Toyota Corporate to pay the dealership : https://www.supramkv.com/threads/battery-replacement-on-new-le-2020.2322/page-3#post-55745

 

[AustinGRSupra]

I went through 4 batteries in 30k mikes, and finally switched to an antigravity battery. No issues.

 

[KingTai]

I went through 4 batteries in 30k mikes, and finally switched to an antigravity battery. No issues.

I'm looking into the antigravity battery also. Did you have any issues programming the battery?

 

[AustinGRSupra]

I'm looking into the antigravity battery also. Did you have any issues programming the battery?

None at all.

 

[digicidal]

That's so weird @AustinGRSupra - if it weren't for the issues disappearing with the antigravity replacement, I'd be positive there was something else causing this. Way too many to be a manufacturing issue too.

My battery was signaling replacement when I took delivery (it was one of the showroom Supras), and they didn't even replace it... just charged it and reset. Told me they'd replace if I got a second warning... but so far no problems at all.

I'm a bit behind you on mileage but it's still going strong at 25K miles and approaching her 2nd birthday in a few months - never had any issues. If you didn't have so many miles I'd guess it was too much sitting... but obviously you DD (or nearly so) yours as well, so that's not it either.

If it was the engine, I'd say I just babied mine more - but it's not like we can start our cars differently and we've probably done that about the same number of times actually. I can't see a tune making a difference either... so... weirdness. Glad you got it sorted at least (just not for free or with a stock part).

Sponsored