[Minty AW11SC]

I recently took my SC out of storage and had it serviced at my local Toyota store. It's the only Toyota store that has ever touched this car with it's entire service history on their computer system. I changed the fluids, and replaced the dead battery - (the Crappy Tire trickle charger I had failed) - with a brand new over priced Toyota OEM battery because the car was already there anyways, and it has a 2 year parts & labor warranty.

I'm really fussy when it comes to my MR2. There's a reason why it's so minty.

I parked it for two months, bought a better, pricier trickle charger, returned to plug it in only to discover the new battery to be dead as a door nail......

I talked with the dealership, and they of course said to bring it in and they'll test it, which IMHO is an automotive industry way to "weasel out" of the warranty.

"I'm afraid we put it on the tester, and it checks out fine....shrug.....smile...." is what I'm expecting to hear & see.

It's now on the trickle charger, and if it starts - it should - driving it all the way to the dealership should recharge the battery. But now, I don't trust it.

Going to take it in sometime later this week and play it by ear......see what happens.

Any comments/insults or expletives are welcome.

Minty AW11SC

 

[RePete]

You might have gotten a lemon, it happens to the best of breed too. I wouldn't be discouraged. See if you can replace it w/ same and try again.

My car came with one of those premium redtop batteries and I had nothing but trouble with it - it stranded me once, luckily there was a hill nearby. Its only redeeming feature was free replacements for life. On its 3rd replacement in just a short time, I sold it as new and bought a boring ol' OEM battery. That was many years ago, never had a single issue with it, love that Toyota battery.

 

[DeftAnesthetik]

Had a Toyota battery in one of my 2's over the years and it wasn't the best I've had. It was in the car when I bought it and was fairly new but still always seemed to die if left sitting for any length of time. Eventually it wouldn't take a charge anymore. I just went to my local Bumper to Bumper and got an EXIDE Brand - 5 year replacement warranty battery for under $200, have yet to boost or charge and the car sat parked all winter.... actually bought 2 and one sat in my kids car outside all winter without issue.
It's nice to see that Toyota logo on as much as possible but from my experience you can get a much better battery at a much lower price.

 

[HadMany2s]

IMHO and experience, just because something is labeled OEM doesn't mean it's better. Sure if it's something you want to guarantee fit, but otherwise I just go with a brand I trust. For batteries, especially when a garage queen, I go with a deep cycle Optima. A bit more costly but they handle the charge/discharge cycles a bit better.

Secondly I would see if there is anything drawing excess current when off. I know my MKII would drain it's battery after a month sitting, due to something drawing more than it should (which I still haven't found.) If the battery charges fine, and takes it's capacity limit, then Toyota are going to say the battery is fine...and that something is draining current excessively. (Coming from working in service, over-discharge is often not covered...)

 

[rmeller]

..I parked it for two months, bought a better, pricier trickle charger, returned to plug it in only to discover the new battery to be dead as a door nail......

I think that you waited too long to connect your charger. As a rule, if you find your battery dead for no specific reason, then it is scrap, never mind that it was new a few months ago. As a lead-acid battery discharges, lead sulfate accumulates on the electrodes. This structure is mechanically unstable, and given a little time the PbSO4 will flake off and accumulate in the sump. That represents capacity that is lost forever, and so any capacity that is not promptly recharged is lost. That is why these batteries have a life span, even with regular recharge.

 

[RePete]

^ Yup, exactly.

Optima, its name escaped me in my previous post, that's the one I had issues with. The only reason I went OEM is because I've had such good fortune w/ Toyota OEM products. The good thing about that Optima is that I sold a $250 battery for $200 and still had $100 left over after I bought the Toyota battery.

I would have never imagined an OEM battery would have lasted me 12 years and still going, but probably due for a replacement soon.

 

[JimKing]

12 years for any automotive battery is a minor miracle!

 

[Minty AW11SC]

So I went to start my car tonight. A brand new battery trickle charger had been plugged in and charging for 6 or 7 days.

It was DEAD. Wouldn't even power on a dome light or ignition light.....NOTHING.

Flat bed central again tomorrow and straight back to the Toyota dealer.

This is a tough one to understand. This car never did this ever before.


Minty AW11SC

 

[xxxboosted2xxx]

Interesting.
What brand of charger?
Are you certain it was connected fully (both the charger and the cables to the battery)?
I think you need to check for a battery drain issue, something is drawing power

 

[rmeller]

So I went to start my car tonight. A brand new battery trickle charger had been plugged in and charging for 6 or 7 days.

It was DEAD. Wouldn't even power on a dome light or ignition light.....NOTHING.

A new charger, but not a new battery, right?

That is what I warned you about. If the battery has been dead for a month, then it is possible that there is nothing left to charge. There is still the issue of why the battery went dead in the first place, but if the car was not driven for months, that is not implausible.

 

[Minty AW11SC]

The verdict is in. The dealership sold me a faulty battery. It has a bad cell and they are replacing it with a new "Premium" battery..... ...... just like the last time.


Minty AW11SC