Time For A Battery

Palladin · Apr 23, 2013

I dropped my car off at the dealer this morning to check out a check engine light that self extinguished itself ... twice. The checked the code left behind and turns out it was due to low battery voltage so I need a new battery. I thought, "that's fine the car is still under warranty". Not so fast there buddy, seems that batteries are only warranted for 2 years or 24,000 miles not 3 and 36,000 like the rest of the car. the car is 30 months old with 22,000 miles on it. They'll put one in if I give them $275

but I'm sure I'll pass on that. I coulda swore the battery was covered 3/36. Oh well. I'll check the warranty book when I go to pick it up just to be sure.

JSWTDI09 · Apr 23, 2013

I do not know what VW's warranty is for OE batteries, but their replacement batteries are warranted for 3 years.

However, what I do know is that $275 for a battery replacement is outrageous. I bought a new battery for my '09 JSW for $120 (from a dealer) and I replaced it myself in about 15 minutes. No car battery is worth $275 unless it is gold plated, and I would never buy a gold lated battery.

Have Fun!

Don

Palladin · Apr 23, 2013

I checked with the VW parts dept and the cost of the battery is $138 with a 12/12 free replacement plus 2 years pro rated. So the extra $137 is for the gold plated installation. Seemed pretty harsh to me so I picked up a DuraLast Gold H6 from Autozone. $135 with 3yr/36,000 mile free replacement plus 2 additional years pro rated. I'll drop it in tonight.

Ol'Rattler · Apr 24, 2013

Not bad. you saved $3 over the dealer and AutoBone sold you a battery for a gasser. Their select-a-battery app shows the same battery for the TDI and for the gasser.

That's why a dealer for battery's is a good idea. If you have them look up the battery P/N by VIN, you will get the correct battery for you TDI.

My dealer parts guy kinda hinted that he might give me the Interstate P/N if I wanted to go to Interstate. (Dub batteries are made by Interstate or Johnson Controls)

hotpocketdeath · Apr 24, 2013

Ol'Rattler said:
Not bad. you saved $3 over the dealer and AutoBone sold you a battery for a gasser. Their select-a-battery app shows the same battery for the TDI and for the gasser

What makes you say there is any difference in the batteries between a diesel and a gas vehicle?

Other than a diesel needing a higher CCA rating than a gas engine, I know of no other difference.

On a side note, when my battery showed signs of failing, I opted for a Super Start platinum AGM which has a 3yr/36k warranty, and an additional 84 month pro rate. Being AGM means it is a true maintenance free battery and just better in many other ways.

schultp · Apr 25, 2013

hotpocketdeath said:
what makes you say there is any difference in the batteries between a diesel and a gas vehicle?

Other than a diesel needing a higher cca rating than a gas engine, i know of no other difference.

On a side note, when my battery showed signs of failing, i opted for a super start platinum agm which has a 3yr/36k warranty, and an additional 84 month pro rate. Being agm means it is a true maintenance free battery and just better in many other ways.

+1 ......

IFRCFI · Apr 25, 2013

#1 Duralast batteries are made by Johnson Controls. The size and CCAs are correct.

#2 I'd rather shove a sharp stick in my eye than patronize the d-bags at my local VW dealership.

Palladin · Apr 25, 2013

Just for clarification, the Duralast H6 is the exact match replacement for the Varta OEM batt with a better warranty as noted above. The H5 is the physically smaller battery with 750 cranking amps vs 950 for the H6 and is more likely the OE spec for gasoline models. Just because the H6 can be used in the 2.5 gasoline model because it will fit hardly makes it a "gasser battery".

St.Hubbins · Apr 25, 2013

mine died @ 24.9k
i initially thought it was the intercooler, but when the battery tested bad I just had them replace it for $120 + 50 labor.

service mngr. told me the stock batteries are pretty cheap, and the replacement is warrantied for 5 yrs... could be b.s. on the 5 yr. assertion, but just like stock tires are usually average at best, VW ain't gonna put top-notch batteries in at assembly.

part # is 000-915-105-DG-DSP

Claydon · Apr 25, 2013

i purchased the extended service contract. I should look at the fine print and see if the battery is covered as well.

At least anecdotal evidence on this forum would suggest that the batteries VW drops into their vehicles are less than stellar.

I have always replaced batteries in my cars on my own (it's like the only car repair I can or am willing to do). I always use whatever brand is for sale at the local no name auto parts store full of C.R.A.P.

Never had a problem.

GD · Apr 28, 2013

hotpocketdeath said:
What makes you say there is any difference in the batteries between a diesel and a gas vehicle?

Other than a diesel needing a higher CCA rating than a gas engine, I know of no other difference.

On a side note, when my battery showed signs of failing, I opted for a Super Start platinum AGM which has a 3yr/36k warranty, and an additional 84 month pro rate. Being AGM means it is a true maintenance free battery and just better in many other ways.

Wrong, Diesels need a higher reserve capacity 80ah. Firstly to make the glow plugs warm up and secondly to crank the starter.

JSWTDI09 · Apr 28, 2013

GD said:
Wrong, Diesels need a higher reserve capacity 80ah. Firstly to make the glow plugs warm up and secondly to crank the starter.

This is an important issue. Some US vendors (and battery makers) only post CCA numbers and do not advertise (or disclose) Amp-Hour ratings. I bought a new battery for my car. It was the same size as the OEM one and it had higher CCA ratings, however within 6 months it was failing to start my car. I recharged it (to start my car) and took it back to the place where I bought it. They spent almost an hour load testing it and determined it was OK. Within a week, it again failed to start my car. I ended up going to my VW dealer and buying a "proper" replacement battery and I have had zero problems.

My point is that there are different ways to rate battery capacity. Most people only care (know) about CCA (Cold Cranking Amps). This is a measure of how much current can be put out for a short time (a few seconds to start the car). AH (Amp Hours) is a measure of the total amount of energy that can be stored in the battery if/when discharged more slowly. Nowhere in the specs for the first battery I bought could I find anything about Amp-Hours, just CCA. It had plenty of amps to crank the engine (when it was fully charged), but it did not have enough total capacity to provide "sleep mode" power (alarm system, clock, etc.) overnight and then power glow plugs plus starter in the morning. I became a believer in OEM batteries the hard way. I still have a perfectly good battery (for a gasser maybe) sitting on the floor in my garage for emergency use.

Have Fun!

Don

St.Hubbins · Apr 28, 2013

JSWTDI09 said:
This is an important issue. Some US vendors (and battery makers) only post CCA numbers and do not advertise (or disclose) Amp-Hour ratings. I bought a new battery for my car. It was the same size as the OEM one and it had higher CCA ratings, however within 6 months it was failing to start my car. I recharged it (to start my car) and took it back to the place where I bought it. They spent almost an hour load testing it and determined it was OK. Within a week, it again failed to start my car. I ended up going to my VW dealer and buying a "proper" replacement battery and I have had zero problems.
My point is that there are different ways to rate battery capacity. Most people only care (know) about CCA (Cold Cranking Amps). This is a measure of how much current can be put out for a short time (a few seconds to start the car). AH (Amp Hours) is a measure of the total amount of energy that can be stored in the battery if/when discharged more slowly. Nowhere in the specs for the first battery I bought could I find anything about Amp-Hours, just CCA. It had plenty of amps to crank the engine (when it was fully charged), but it did not have enough total capacity to provide "sleep mode" power (alarm system, clock, etc.) overnight and then power glow plugs plus starter in the morning. I became a believer in OEM batteries the hard way. I still have a perfectly good battery (for a gasser maybe) sitting on the floor in my garage for emergency use.
Have Fun!
Don

any idea of the spec differential between the stock battery from the assembly plant and the the replacement you got from the dealer? just curious...

JSWTDI09 · Apr 28, 2013

St.Hubbins said:
any idea of the spec differential between the stock battery from the assembly plant and the the replacement you got from the dealer? just curious...

No, the factory battery was kept by the people who sold me the first battery and I did not look at its specs. The dealer replacement battery was (IIRC) rated at 72 amp hours. The other battery I bought has no published specification for Amp Hours at all, only the CCA rating.

Have Fun!

Don

GD · Apr 28, 2013

Here is some more info based on a couple of Interstate Battery examples

Always look at the amp hour (ah) rating for battries not just the CCA's as TDI's draw a lot of current at start up e.g. glow plugs on top of a starter. 94R is the recommended battery for A4 Jetta's and Golf TDI's. Quick calculation for ah based on 2 recommended Interstate battries is:

MTP-H7 is a 94R equivalent with 640 CCA and a 80ah rating

MTP-H7 640CCA 135 min reserve capacity
MTP-91 700CCA 120 min reserve capacity

Is it 135RC x 0.6 = 81ah
Is it 120RC x 0.6 = 72ah

schultp · Apr 28, 2013

I was unaware that you could convert reserve capacity to Ah using a conversion factor. Or, were you just playing with the numbers and asking if this is a way to find the Ah for a battery?

GD · Apr 28, 2013

schultp said:
I was unaware that you could convert reserve capacity to Ah using a conversion factor. Or, were you just playing with the numbers and asking if this is a way to find the Ah for a battery?

I was stating the fact that looking at CCA alone is useless, you need to look at Ah and this can be calculated from the reserve capacity. So no really playing with numbers more calculating with number per se.

sflier · Apr 28, 2013

There is no formula for converting Ah to CCA despite stories to the contrary all over the Internet. It is totally dependent upon the design of the battery.

hotpocketdeath · Apr 29, 2013

GD said:
Wrong, Diesels need a higher reserve capacity 80ah. Firstly to make the glow plugs warm up and secondly to crank the starter.

Not necessarily true. CCA is typically more important with Diesels.

Both are certainly very important of course, but most diesel owners tend to look at the CCA first before the AH/RC. That is because diesels simply need more amperage to crank over due to things like higher compressions and glow plugs running.

Normally though, a battery with a higher CCA is typically going to have a higher AH/RC as well. Although I wouldn't hold that as a rule since there are exceptions.

What you did was try to correct me on something that is not wrong. Anywhere you look, you will find that diesels will always need a higher CCA rating compared to an equivalent sized gas engine.

Aclayton59 · Feb 16, 2020

Computer Reset?

Time for a new battery. Advance has the following note:

"In-Store Installation not available for this vehicle, requires professional install; Battery is vented to outside of vehicle.; OE manufacturer used various size batteries in production. Carefully size to fit.; Vehicle computer system must be reset, contact your service specialist;"

So is there more to this than just dropping in a new battery?

murphyslaw · Feb 19, 2020

I have the same hesitation as Aclyton59. It seems like it's just a battery but everyone is saying it required professional installation. Figure use one of those memory saver cig lighter plug things and swap it out.

IXLR8 · Feb 19, 2020

The battery on my '14 went dead about 3 weeks after I bought it last spring. I went to my local part store, picked up the correct sized battery, removed old battery, installed new battery.. started car and drove on, no issues.
The parts store gave me the same song and dance about needing professional installation and coding. But I didn't find it was needed.

ebain21 · Feb 20, 2020

IXLR8 said:
The battery on my '14 went dead about 3 weeks after I bought it last spring. I went to my local part store, picked up the correct sized battery, removed old battery, installed new battery.. started car and drove on, no issues.
The parts store gave me the same song and dance about needing professional installation and coding. But I didn't find it was needed.

Same here. If you're worried, use a battery tender. I was a little worried but did it anyway with no tender or memory saver. I had a couple lights on in the dash but my radio presets and all settings stayed, and as soon as I started driving, the lights went away. I have a manual so I'm not sure if the DSG programming would be reset and need to relearn shift points.

Fixmy59bug · Feb 20, 2020

The battery tender that plugs into the power outlet will be useless on modern vw's because the power circuit is cut with the ignition.

You would need one that attaches to the battery terminals directly.

Joe Romas · Feb 23, 2020

murphyslaw said:
I have the same hesitation as Aclyton59. It seems like it's just a battery but everyone is saying it required professional installation. Figure use one of those memory saver cig lighter plug things and swap it out.

The battery went dead on my Dieselgate JSW this morning, it should have been replaced because it's a CPO I could tell it was weak and it had sat for 22 months. I went to NAPA and got a group 48 and when I started it up the dashboard looked like a christmas tree. I connected my VAGCOM and there were errors all over the place that I cleared but there were still lights on the dash but on driving it they went away in a block.
Looking at the errors they corresponded with the dash lights. I wonder if the errors would have remained if I Had not cleared them.

I had the option of getting an AGM that I would have prefered but I understand there are changes needed to let the car know I put in a new AGM and I was not ready for that just now.

JELLOWSUBMARINE · Feb 23, 2020

Palladin said:
I checked with the VW parts dept and the cost of the battery is $138 with a 12/12 free replacement plus 2 years pro rated. So the extra $137 is for the gold plated installation. Seemed pretty harsh to me so I picked up a DuraLast Gold H6 from Autozone. $135 with 3yr/36,000 mile free replacement plus 2 additional years pro rated. I'll drop it in tonight.

The Autozones around here will replace the batteryas part of the purchase. Maybe it varies at diferent stores?
My new CPO battery died the next dayafter purchase . I bought the TOP battery and requested the dealership cover my cost. They rolled over easy when it was pointed out the fix paperwork had noted that the car needed jumped.

Fixmy59bug · Feb 23, 2020

If they told you the replacement battery warranty is only 12 months or 12,000 miles, they are either lying, stupid, or don’t know their arse from a hole in the ground.
The replacement battery warranty is 5 years or 60,000 miles.
The first 3 years are free replacement, the remaining two are prorated.
https://www.vwserviceandparts.com/car-care/volkswagen-warranty/battery-warranty-coverage/

06bluebeetletdi · Feb 24, 2020

Aclayton59 said:
Time for a new battery. Advance has the following note:
"In-Store Installation not available for this vehicle, requires professional install; Battery is vented to outside of vehicle.; OE manufacturer used various size batteries in production. Carefully size to fit.; Vehicle computer system must be reset, contact your service specialist;"
So is there more to this than just dropping in a new battery?

Sounds like autozone finally decided to stop blowing main fuses on VWs after installing batteries backwards. All you should have to do is set basic settings on the windows (each window all the way down, hold the down button for 3 seconds, all the way up on the window and hold the up button for 3 seconds) and drive it 50-100 feet to reset the dash lights that will come on due to low voltage.

Time For A Battery

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