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Flat battery - locked out - BROKE key

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4 minutes ago, Subota Boy said:

My replacement 65ah Toyota battery has been playing up, and lasts about 2 days after a charge.  It is now on permanent trickle charge as I don't trust even the 65ah battery.  It was fitted under warranty in November 17.

Total joke Keith my 65 amp sat around for 2 months with only occasional starting but seems ok now will see how it goes

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2 hours ago, Subota Boy said:

My replacement 65ah Toyota battery has been playing up, and lasts about 2 days after a charge.  It is now on permanent trickle charge as I don't trust even the 65ah battery.  It was fitted under warranty in November 17.

I was reading the manual, specifically page 405, regarding how to avoid a discharged battery. 

One of the bullet points reads " Turn off any unnecessary electrical components when the vehicle is running at a low speed for an extended period, such as in heavy traffic, etc".

What do people classify as "unnecessary"? I think Dashcam is very important with lunatics on the road. I think the only other thing is my phone is sometimes on charge when on long journeys... But all these are turned off or not connected when the car is not running. 

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Mine has a 60ah battery I think.
No idea how old it is, it has been fine as long as I've had it.

It sat most of December, whilst I was off work, on the drive and fired up perfectly when I came to start it again.

I have a dash cam, but I'm buggered if I'm unplugging it and faffing about.

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I would not want to turn off a dash cam in heavy slow traffic just to save the battery, but I would wait to eat a waffle once the traffic had thinned out.  I will therefore raise the issue of domestic appliances with Toyota soonest!

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On 07/01/2019 at 9:33 PM, Shippers said:

Hi Vad.  I had the same thing. I was worried about breaking the key but in the end it was a firm turn to the left which did it. I can see why some use pliers, it's not easy to grip the key, and all the time hoping it doesn't snap in the lock 🤨

There is a small hole in the key through the metal part so I put a thin allen key through it to get a better grip. 

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There is a small hole in the key through the metal part so I put a thin allen key through it to get a better grip. 
I used padded gloves, still awkward. Thanks for suggestion.

I am going to get a proper key cut over the weekend, just in case...

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2 hours ago, gazza82 said:

There is a small hole in the key through the metal part so I put a thin allen key through it to get a better grip. 

Not sure if I have a different key but the hole feels very plastic'y (if that's a word) on my one. Hopefully it wont go flat again 🤔

 

20190109_195830.jpg

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No need to reach across to unlock passenger door! Just press the button on  inside of driver's door as you get in. You can also put in a code on keypad in glovebox that unlocks both doors, instructions on forum somewhere.

I had full size key cut by independent, he did say he hadn't got one with the hole in!!! I explained it was only there to latch original small key into fob.

He also checked for a transponder for coding, doesn't have one!!

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My battery is dead after holiday again:wacko:

Called Toyota Kigston about replacement under warranty. They told me "technician needs to carry inspection. The cost is £150. If replacement needs to be done, the cost would be refunded, if not its a charge to pay".

This just does not sound right considering its still under warranty and the cost is higher than the cost of replacement 65amp battery.

Considering I am driving it again, afraid their "test" may show all is fine with the battery,

Did anyone had to pay recently such charges just to get their cars inspected while under warranty?

Very tempted to write a letter of complaint, but don't think they care tbf..

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It seems to be a standard charge regardless of work required as I got quoted same cost of £150 to investigate heated seats not working. It was going in for a service so said how can you justify cost and they backed down. I guess it's there to put off people claiming as only those convinced it's warranty work will proceed?

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3 hours ago, VAD17 said:

My battery is dead after holiday again:wacko:

Called Toyota Kigston about replacement under warranty. They told me "technician needs to carry inspection. The cost is £150. If replacement needs to be done, the cost would be refunded, if not its a charge to pay".

This just does not sound right considering its still under warranty and the cost is higher than the cost of replacement 65amp battery.

Considering I am driving it again, afraid their "test" may show all is fine with the battery,

Did anyone had to pay recently such charges just to get their cars inspected while under warranty?

Very tempted to write a letter of complaint, but don't think they care tbf..

Your right Vad they don't care or most of them they will tell you your battery is fine when it isn't suprised a 65 amp has gone so early have you added anything to car that might drain it?

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I kept the original 48amp battery, but still surprised that in normal temps it lasted only 2 weeks (exactly).

Wrote Toyota an email and immediately received a call offering free battery testing...

Will do it right after servicing at Abbey, lets see if they give be free replacement and 65amp battery instead.

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£150 to test a battery! I'm glad you kicked them into line, as it sure sounds like they were charging £600+/hr to whip the battery out and connect up a load tester.

I don't know that I'll get many more years out of my 48 Ah battery either, all it takes is one big holiday without a trickle charger...

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You did the right thing Vad. I went directly to Toyota after reading some other posts and getting fed up of the battery going flat on a brand new car. They responded very quickly and offered a free test at my local dealership at no cost. 

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I think today might turn out a bit better!
 
I just got ID'd in Tesco Express when buying ciggies!   I'm 52 LOL

Similar thing happened to me in a Florida liquor store when I was 52ish - felt good till store owner said he was checking to see if I was entitled to the over 60s discount! Ouch!


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I do wonder about this aspect of the car. You're pretty boned with keyless entry if your battery dies. Perhaps it's a good plan to lubricate and/or warm the lock in winter before going blood and thunder on the puny key. If you remove the battery or it goes dead, you're also in the situation of not being able to lock the car very easily either.
Batteries die right? Especially as the car gets older. Perhaps it's worth exercising the lock a few times a year to make sure it moves before Twigman's debacle occurs to the rest of us?

When I bought mine and saw battery issues I checked I had the 65 battery then use a solar conditioner with panel left on the dashboard. So far so good


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Toyota dealership tested the battery and said its all fine and it holds the charge. As I expected, not surprised as I've been regularly driving for the past week.

I'll keep the RAC call-out sheet and if this happens again (which I expect it would when I am away for 2 weeks again), I will write a letter asking for replacement of the battery.

The guy at the dealership suggested I buy a solar car battery charger to use if I am away for a few weeks😣

And they have done an "inspection" highlight by TPMS light as advisory "suspected after market wheels fitted" - I like the "suspected" bit🤣

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An update...

Battery died again, took it to Toyota dealership again. They ended up replacing alarm unit (allegedly it was draining battery) rather than replacing the battery with 65amp one, even though I told them it would have been quicker and cheaper.😣 They first tried to convince me it was my aftermarket mods that may be affecting the battery but after I told them in no uncertain words to stop trying to b/s me they accepted I will not just go away.

Well, I am off on holidays in a week so if it dies again I will be back asking for battery replacement under the warranty (probably to a different dealer though and after I send an e-mail or letter to Toyota customer services first).

I did buy a trickle charger that plugs into obd port, but I am not going to use it to see if battery lasts 3 weeks...

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What made them think it was power drain from the alarm

i have been trying to find out why battery failing and wondered about power drain from somewhere 

did they measure the alarm outputs

let me know outcome

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What made them think it was power drain from the alarm
i have been trying to find out why battery failing and wondered about power drain from somewhere 
did they measure the alarm outputs
let me know outcome
They tested it and decided alarm unit was using more than expected. Allegedly they have retested it after replacement and said its ok.
Still recommend trickle charger though

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Hi all,

First off, I hope everyone is doing as OK as possible during this odd time we're all going through.  It puts car issues into perspective to a degree, but the one I face today is seeming rather frustrating (and you can guess by the thread I'm adding to!).

Long story short - I'm locked out of my 86, dead battery and no joy with the physical keys (I have both).  Potentially more worryingly in the past (September 2018) I've had success with one of the physical keys when just my key fob battery died.

I have tried with some GT85/WD40 and turned the key back and forth for ~20 minutes now - no joy.  Any specific technique/extra detail that those who had success applied here - @Chess010, @Cerastes, @maurice ?  I can turn it both ways which I'm not sure is more worrying that it just being stiff and not moving. 

The key turns further right/clockwise (which I understand from this thread would be to lock) than the distance it moves left/anticlockwise which I understand would be to unclock) - is that in line with what could be curren expectations suggesting it needs a bit more force to turn further anticlockwise?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

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Hi all,
First off, I hope everyone is doing as OK as possible during this odd time we're all going through.  It puts car issues into perspective to a degree, but the one I face today is seeming rather frustrating (and you can guess by the thread I'm adding to!).
Long story short - I'm locked out of my 86, dead battery and no joy with the physical keys (I have both).  Potentially more worryingly in the past (September 2018) I've had success with one of the physical keys when just my key fob battery died.
I have tried with some GT85/WD40 and turned the key back and forth for ~20 minutes now - no joy.  Any specific technique/extra detail that those who had success applied here - [mention=3157]Chess010[/mention], [mention=2394]Cerastes[/mention], [mention=1957]maurice[/mention] ?  I can turn it both ways which I'm not sure is more worrying that it just being stiff and not moving. 
The key turns further right/clockwise (which I understand from this thread would be to lock) than the distance it moves left/anticlockwise which I understand would be to unclock) - is that in line with what could be curren expectations suggesting it needs a bit more force to turn further anticlockwise?
Thanks in advance for any insight!
I had same issue (all 3 times before Toyota replaced the battery) - clockwise it was moving about 1/4 or more of the revolution, while anticlockwise only just a bit. 1st time it took me around 20 mins to unlock (i found padded gloves to make it slightly more bearable).

I'd say try again, but yeah its very very annoying

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