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Hybrid Lexus Strategies For Keeping the Car Reliable

Lexus is one of the world's most popular luxury car brands. A subsidiary of Toyota, they use their parent company's hybrid technology in their cars. With an emphasis on greener motoring these days, Lexus hybrid vehicles sell like hotcakes!

As you can imagine, owning such a car will mean you'll have to take extra care with its maintenance. The good news is that all hybrid Lexus cars inherit Toyota's high and famed reliability. So, as an owner of a car like the 400h, how can you guarantee that reliability for years to come?

In today's blog post, I will share with you six smart and practical strategies that you can follow. Here is what you need to know:

hybrid engine

1. Drive your car on a regular basis

It might sound like an odd thing to suggest - driving your car. After all; that's the thing you would do when you buy a vehicle, right? The truth is, some people seldom drive their cars. If a vehicle spends most of its life sitting around, it won't perform well. Make sure you do plenty of driving - and not just around town!

2. Check the condition of your starting battery

The Lexus hybrid drive system comprises two batteries. One is the conventional battery that starts the combustion engine. The other gets used exclusively for the electric motor.

It's important your starting battery has at least 12.4v. If your battery runs flat, you can't really jump-start it like on a conventional car. Doing so may damage the hybrid drive electronics. And you could end up damaging the electric motor battery!

3. Don't skip any servicing

Hybrid drivetrains are great at keeping your fuel costs down. But, if they become faulty, they are expensive to repair. The good news is that the Lexus drivetrain can take a lot of abuse before it stops working. Still, that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep on top of your servicing!

hybrid drivetrain

4. Use a Lexus dealer for all major maintenance work

I don't usually advocate that you use dealers for servicing and repairs. But, I'm making an exception for Lexus hybrid cars. Dealers like Inchcape Lexus are best equipped to maintain the electric motor and electronics. A regular garage might end up damaging your car (it has happened in the past).

5. Cycle through the different power modes

Your hybrid Lexus offers three ways to power your car:
  • Combustion engine
  • Electric motor
  • A combination of the above.
It's crucial that you cycle through those three power options. Don't just use one alone. Why? Doing so will ensure that all components have equal use. Plus, you are less likely to have problems because one option gets seldom used.

6. Don't touch any wires wrapped with orange insulation

When you look in the engine bay, you'll notice one thing in particular. There are some orange insulated wires routed around various areas. Those wires carry the electricity to and from the electric motor and its battery.

Don't touch them! The system needs to get properly discharged before anything gets disconnected. That part of the system isn't 12 volts, by the way. It's more like 500 volts!

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