My LR4 is still on its original 2016 battery and I've been getting the occasional weird error message (half the time having to do with the adjustable height suspension), and the battery died the other day after a relatively normal amount of time with the interior lights on while the engine was off. So, I think it's time to replace the battery and hopefully some of those bugs might go away too.

I called the dealership and of course they wanted an arm and a leg for a replacement, but they also remarked that they used this particular battery because of the start/stop - a feature that I absolutely hate. My start/stop has thankfully been inoperable for about 3 years and I want it to stay that way. So, my question is twofold:
1) what battery can/should I get that will be optimal for my vehicle which sometimes sits for long periods of time. If it's more than a few weeks I use a battery tender. From what I read I think some battery types are better than others for vehicles that sit idle and that these types also allow for more time that you can have accessories or cabin lights on with the engine off. Hopefully I wasn't reading fiction.
2) what do I need to do, or not do, so that the start/stop stays inoperable? [that is the way I like it, please don't lecture me on the virtues of start/stop]

Thanks in advance for any advice on a good battery make/model!

 

Following this thread! Time is so apropos. I have been having an issue with my rear hatch (top half) where the release mechanism constantly goes off to the point where is drained my battery this weekend. (As in I can hear the mechanism clicking constantly or the hatch will half pop open when I start the engine.

It is going in for service on Monday to review the issue, but the service advisor in Edmonton said it could be the battery issue. I said, oh ok, I will change it this week and see if it helps. He told me I cannot change myself as the ECM or control module needs to be reprogrammed or Ill be locked out of my vehicle. I cannot find anything online to confirm or provide DIY guidance. Is this in fact true? (2016 LR4 HSE Lux)

 

Dang, crickets chirping eh, brotha? From what I know you do need to "tell" your vehicle's computer that the battery has been changed. Not sure if you can do this yourself or you need an interface device of some sort.

Anyone have a battery recommendation?

Bueller?

Bueller?

 

I think OP got some responses on the other forum, but the general consensus is that updating the battery monitoring is not really needed, but if you want to do it, you can do it yourself using the GAP IID tool. My car was running three years with an H8 battery that the last owner put in it, and he didn’t update the BMS (still said it was an H7 battery). No ill effects. I switched back to an H7 a few months ago, and I changed the little start/stop battery last summer, both without resetting the BMS. Nothing changed.

Now, admittedly, my start/stop has never worked (the way I like it), so I won’t reset the BMS because I don’t want to accidentally make it start working again (I changed the start/stop battery for other reasons). But, if your start/stop ceases to work and you want it to work again, resetting the BMS is one thing to try.

As for battery recommendations - my understanding is that there are really only like three manufacturers of all the batteries in the US (rebranded under a hundred different labels), and they’re all about equal at this point. H7 is the original size, H8 is a slightly larger battery that will still fit (used in the Range Rover I believe). Newer cars require AGM, so make sure you check for that designation if you need it. If you need a new start/stop, you can get the oem exide overseas from Czech republic and some other places at a fraction of the cost of buying it here (including really fast shipping). You can also use an atv battery, but might have to modify the terminals a bit.

 

I paid around $250 from a dealer for the replacement start/stop battery on my 2015 several months ago. You can easiily do the install yourself. The start/stop feature is bizarre and doesn't seem to work consistently. It doesn't ever work if the outside temp is below 45-ish degrees F, and when warmer it only seems to work about 10% of the time. I also had AAA replace the main battery; they did the install but I could have easily done it myself; there is nothing special about it. I think the battery was about $275. In both cases I reset the BMS using the GAAP tool but the you don't really need to.

 

I ended up choosing the Odyssey Performance ODP-AGM94R H7 L4 battery. It was a bit pricey at $325 delivered, but from what I read it might be worth it for the quality (sometimes cheap is expensive). Anyhoo, installing it later this week and will report back if I have any issues. Thanks to the posters who answered, and I agree, the start/stop is best left inoperable!

Hopefully this thread helps someone else who seeks the same answers I did.

 

I use the Interstate battery. They work great, last a long time and the local Interstate Store carries blems for about $50, they have a 6 month warranty vs. 3 years from Costco for the same battery, but I have only had one not last more than three years. Phil