Fitting a new a4 battery - please help!!!

[eddie13]

I am trying to fit a new battery to my 1998 audi a4, but how the hell do you get the old one out!!!??

On the right hand side of the battery there is a nut facing you that you can just reach, but it is impossible to turn with a normal spanner. It looks like its attached to the black plastic thing at the back and I'm not sure if you have to take this off at all but it seems like its holding the battery in place??

Could anyone please shed some light on what i need to do first to get the battery out and if i need any special tools or anything? any advice would be much appreciated thanks!

 

[mac1403]

you will need a socket set with a 10" extension to reach it. 2 minute job mate. Just loosen it and move it out the way.

 

[eddie13]

Thanks for the quick reply, just to double check, is it the bolt on the left hand side of the battery, as i can see one on the right but thats actually attached to the bulk head? Also my previous battery died flat, will I lose my radio when i put this new one in?

 

[mac1403]

It should be the bolt on the left hand side as you look at the battery.

 

[aragorn]

that bolt your looking at holds the battery frame to the car, you dont want to remove that.

If you look down between the heater pipes and the battery youll see an L shaped clip at the base of the battery with a 13mm nut on it. Unbolt that using a ratchet and extension (i doubt you'll get a spanner down there). lift the L shaped thing out, then slide the battery towards the heater pipes. You will need to remove the windscreen trim on the right hand side, (flat screw driver to turn the tabs under the screen 90deg and an 8mm bolt) With that out the way you should be able to lift the battery out.

 

[eddie13]

thanks guys, i'll give that a try in the morning :thumbsup:

 

[Siena]

^^^ You may need to unclip the wiring conduit from the false firewall too, to ease removal of the battery.

As for your radio code, if it's an OEM Audi Concert, you'll likely lose the code.

 

[aragorn]

odd, we had the battery off craigs S4 the other day while clearing the scuttle drains and in behind the ECU box (we ended up removing the entire ECU plenum chamber thing to get all the crud out from behind it!) and when we put it all back together the stereo didnt ask for a code, infact it powered straight on as soon as we reconnected the battery...

 

[Siena]

^^^ You can reconfigure your preference with VAG-COM or similar.

Either to require code input, after power loss.

Or require code input only if the head unit is physically unplugged from the car, and transferred to another.

In this instance, if power is lost through battery disconnection, once power's restored, and the Concert's powered up, it will show "SAFE" or "CODE" briefly, whilst it checks the system, then the "SAFE" or "CODE" changes to your set station / disc / cassette after about 5 - 10 secs.

You can also disable the code entirely, as long as it's in the original car, and the code is known.

 

[Adam-D]

i think i have a 096 in my car. you can get a 010 but if you have aircon the pipes get in the way.