s3 battery lasted 2.5 years and chargeable

R

royalsteve68

Registered User
Joined
Oct 11, 2013
Messages
2,010
Reaction score
669
Points
113
Location
NULL
Just had to replace the battery on my audi s3. Pretty lame as it's not even 30 months old. Also had to pay as it's not a warranty item apparently. Had issues for over a year. Had to pay as they blamed it on my old dashcam camera setup with two powered dashcams. Got a reduction from the crazy 330.00 to a slightly less eye-watering 245.00. i now have a different dascham camera setup so the issue shouldn't happen again; anypower pass through battery and thinkware 750. Thing is, does anyone else had issues with their s3 8v car battery or last so little time. My cars only done 16000 miles but currently doing 60 a day.my Peugeot 307xsi has had dashcams and has had zero issues and doesn't need a pass through battery either.
Seems shocking that it lasted so little time and surprisingly I had to pay for a replacement too as it's still under standard warranty until march 2017 and extended warranty until March 2018. I'll speak to audi direct though.
 
In my 2013 A3 I have the thinkware F750 and after installing my dashcam with the parking feature the battery looses seem to have lost its capacity and doesn't do the stop start unless ive been driving for 30mins plus.

So yes I'm getting a similar issue to yours unless my wiring is incorrect and draing too much power on the dash cam. I have set the cut off power on the F750 to the highest figure but it doesn't make too much difference.

Didd you old 307 have stop start in it?
 
wow £330 to start! Just put my reg in and looked for a battery, with the xmas discount:

My Basket Euro Car Parts UKs No1 for Car Parts
 
Hi guys I have a similar problem. Recently bought a 2010 S line A3 and battery went dead after not using it for a few days. Had battery checked and they said it needed a new one as it was 6 yrs old. New one went flat after it being parked up for 3 days in work and I think it was from my dashcam being hard wired in. Not done a drain test yet but I'm certain it's that. Had it wired into the rear wiper fuse so it shouldn't really drain. Also, my start stop is playing up too, it's only worked twice and both times once restarted it says brake fault. I switch it off most of the time anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Schizophonic said:
In my 2013 A3 I have the thinkware F750 and after installing my dashcam with the parking feature the battery looses seem to have lost its capacity and doesn't do the stop start unless ive been driving for 30mins plus.

So yes I'm getting a similar issue to yours unless my wiring is incorrect and draing too much power on the dash cam. I have set the cut off power on the F750 to the highest figure but it doesn't make too much difference.

Didd you old 307 have stop start in it?
Click to expand...
my 307 doesn't have stop start but it shouldn't make any difference if the audi does...the car battery should be fit for purpose. My audi has had a pass through anypower tpower battery installed which has helped a lot and the stupid warning messages disappeared for months until 2 weeks ago after the car was sat in the drive for 4 days. The thinkware should be set to the lowest setting I think it's 11.6v as any higher the low battery warning messages will appear. My anypower is set to its lowest too
 
Schizophonic said:
In my 2013 A3 I have the thinkware F750 and after installing my dashcam with the parking feature the battery looses seem to have lost its capacity and doesn't do the stop start unless ive been driving for 30mins plus.

So yes I'm getting a similar issue to yours unless my wiring is incorrect and draing too much power on the dash cam. I have set the cut off power on the F750 to the highest figure but it doesn't make too much difference.

Didd you old 307 have stop start in it?
Click to expand...
my 307 doesn't have stop start but it shouldn't make any difference if the audi does...the car battery should be fit for purpose. My audi has had a pass through anypower tpower battery installed which has helped a lot and the stupid warning messages disappeared for months until 2 weeks ago after the car was sat in the drive for 4 days. The thinkware should be set to the lowest setting I think it's 11.6v as any higher the low battery warning messages will appear. My anypower is set to its lowest too
 
Schizophonic said:
In my 2013 A3 I have the thinkware F750 and after installing my dashcam with the parking feature the battery looses seem to have lost its capacity and doesn't do the stop start unless ive been driving for 30mins plus.

So yes I'm getting a similar issue to yours unless my wiring is incorrect and draing too much power on the dash cam. I have set the cut off power on the F750 to the highest figure but it doesn't make too much difference.

Didd you old 307 have stop start in it?
Click to expand...
my 307 doesn't have stop start but it shouldn't make any difference if the audi does...the car battery should be fit for purpose. My audi has had a pass through anypower tpower battery installed which has helped a lot and the stupid warning messages disappeared for months until 2 weeks ago after the car was sat in the drive for 4 days. The thinkware should be set to the lowest setting I think it's 11.6v as any higher the low battery warning messages will appear. ĢMy anypower is set to its lowest too
 
Audi dealer are saying that the damage done to the battery was caused by my previous blackvue and winycam setup

also i switch off stop start every journey as I hate it. Worst designed thing ever
 
Varta 096 AGM £127 delivered .
https://www.tayna.co.uk/E39-Varta-Start-Stop-Plus-AGM-Car-Battery-570901076-P4367.html

TBH I am not surprised you had issues with 2 dashcams running. The battery will be being drained to a lower level than it should be every time it's turned off. This will have a big effect on the battery life . Manufacturers go to a lot of trouble to reduce parasitic load on the battery when the car is locked .with just the alarm and remote entry working most cars get down to 10-20 mA standby current. Try measuring how much current the cameras take when the car is locked.
 
  • Like
Reactions: A3_Rider, richinsoton and Wibbly
I'm getting exactly the same on my 3 year old A3 TDI with the Thinkware 750. I've set the camera to switch off at 11.9v but every morning it says "Battery flat will recharge whilst driving"



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68
  • Like
Reactions: Phil-1
desertstorm said:
Varta 096 AGM £127 delivered .
https://www.tayna.co.uk/E39-Varta-Start-Stop-Plus-AGM-Car-Battery-570901076-P4367.html

TBH I am not surprised you had issues with 2 dashcams running. The battery will be being drained to a lower level than it should be every time it's turned off. This will have a big effect on the battery life . Manufacturers go to a lot of trouble to reduce parasitic load on the battery when the car is locked .with just the alarm and remote entry working most cars get down to 10-20 mA standby current. Try measuring how much current the cameras take when the car is locked.
Click to expand...

well, my peugeot 307xsi has had a 2 powered dashcam setup for years - no issues - recently upgraded that to a tinkware front only dashcam - no ups battery needed either. Audi really need a kick up the backside, they are in danger of pricing themselves out of the car market - 50% more expensive than the likes of Honda/Ford/etc with far less kit
 
audi upgrades
Lets face it car manufacturers should expect people to add a few electronic devices to a car; it is not an excuse to develop a car that just fits in oem form - this is 2016, not 1980
 
i was thinking of getting an rs3 and the wife a q2 in the next year or so but Audi's sheer greed has put me off
 
Mine lasted 18 months and was replaced under warranty, no dash cams installed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: richinsoton
audi upgrades
This is the issue that puts me off hardwired dashcams (without an expensive dashcam battery). Habitually discharging the car battery to a low state of charge (before dashcam cuts off) has got to be worse for its longivity than not doing so. I know these days some are optimised for low states of charge (so will be better than batteries than are not) but I think car battery chemistry is such that maintaining a full charge is best.

We really need a next gen of dashcam that consumes a LOT less than 3.5W on standby!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68
royalsteve68 said:
Lets face it car manufacturers should expect people to add a few electronic devices to a car; it is not an excuse to develop a car that just fits in oem form - this is 2016, not 1980
Click to expand...

The problem is not with the car being unsuitable for modification. The problem is with dash cams not being designed for the power limitations of the in-car environment. Of course, it is 2016, and the dash cam manufacturers have realised that this is a problem, and have developed pass-through battery systems specifically to allow their products to work without damaging car batteries.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wibbly and richinsoton
Voltage measured straight to a battery means nothing...

If you take a multimeter to a battery it will show you surface voltage. Batteries can only be truly proven to be fine or faulty if they are load tested...

*place meter on battery. (Check surface voltage first)

* leave probs on terminals and put the meter in a place where it can seen from drivers position.

*start the car and watch to see what the actuall load is on the battery.(the dip of voltage at start)

On a 12V battery the acceptable load limit is a tad below 8v. Volts between 7-8 means that the battery could potentially be topped up and recharged.

If it drops below the 6v mark its generally means that one of the cells has depleted. (Buy new battery)

Lead acid batteries, aren't actually designed to be slightly discharged and then recharged.....

Even tho this is what a alternator does...

Technically speaking lead acid batteries are designed to be fully charged and then completely discharged.

The average life span of a 12v car battery these days (with batteries with cheaper made and thinner lead cells) is around 3 years.
 
The battery is rated at what? 70Ah? So if a dashcam on standby draws 3.5W / 0.3A, then the dashcam alone will entirely deplete the battery in ten days. I'm sure some people have said they have the cameras on permanently even overnight and I think they draw about an amp, so in that case you're down to just three days of life.
 
My battery has had it I think - after 3 years 4 months. I have a Blackvue hard wired in, though I'm about to turn off the Power MAgic Pro I have so it only powers the camera while the engine is on. My next car will have a pass through battery system instead.

2 days ago, my car failed to start, and this morning the same thing happened. I'm going to stop off at Halfords on the way home and get a new battery fitted at £150, but it does seem to be a theme with the dashcam hard wirings.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68 and RSS-S3
A 70Ah battery will only supply 3.5amps for around 20 hours though.

A constant flow of discharging at 0.3 ish amps will eventually effect the battery.
 
RSS-S3 said:
Technically speaking lead acid batteries are designed to be fully charged and then completely discharged.
The average life span of a 12v car battery these days (with batteries with cheaper made and thinner lead cells) is around 3 years.
Click to expand...

It's definitely not a good idea to fully discharge a lead acid battery and keep recharging it. That will only shorten it's life. The reason this thread exists is because people are regularly discharging the battery to a lower level than would normally happen.
http://www.yuasabatteries.com/faqs.php?action=1&id=32
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wibbly
Actually yes your right, they shouldnt be discharged below 30% if I remember.
 
After having similar low battery warnings on the DIS using a DR650S dual channel dash cam and PMPro set to 11.8v and reading this I've just bought the Cellink Battery B to replace the PMPro. Admittedly I'd get most of the battery warnings after 5 minutes or so of VCDS scanning with ignition on and engine off but agree running the car battery repeatedly low can't be a good thing.

The Cellink states that it powers a dual channel setup for 20 hours (double that for single channel) in parking mode and takes 1 - 1 1/2 hours of driving to reach full charge. Will hopefully get it installed this Friday when I have an hour of play time to myself waiting for the plumber to turn up.
 
That's going to be my choice in the new car. Perhaps with the extension battery too, though that's maybe not worth it.

Just went out this morning to get my battery replaced. £174 including fitting, which you have no choice over because the battery needs coding to the car...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68
Yep, the car 'manages' the battery a lot more than with the older styles, being an AGM battery needed for cars with stop/start.
 
  • Like
Reactions: davemk
audi upgrades
Just ordered my next Dashcam setup - Thinkware F770 + Cellink B battery. At some point in late Feb I'll take the Blackvue out my current car and sell it on if I can.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68
davemk said:
It needs coding to the car? Really??
Click to expand...

If you have damaged the battery, you need a coding tool to tell the battery management ECU that a new battery has been installed. Once the ECU has flagged the battery as end-of-life, it will disable stop-start and other power management features until a new battery is coded in.

Anyone with a tool like VCDS or OBD-eleven can code a battery. You don't need an OEM battery. Any battery which meets the specifications will do. The coding requires a battery part number (leave this unchanged) and a battery serial number (make this up - change a digit or something).

Important warning: the battery must be of the same or better chemistry (conventional lead acid, EFB or AGM) as well as of the same capacity; if you install a conventional battery when the OEM is EFB, then the new battery will be destroyed in a few weeks. AGM is the highest specification, and an AGM battery of similar specification can replace an EFB or conventional battery. Audi seem to be installing EFB batteries for start stop cars, rather than AGM as they are slight cheaper, but AGM would be the technically better choice.

If the battery is weakening, but the ECU has not flagged it as end-of-life, then no coding is required. Just change the battery.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: davemk
Wow... every day's a school day. Thanks for the info guys.
 
This is most possibly a ridiculously silly question,

I plan on hardwiring my dash cam in, the car is a second car and will only require the parking mode when out and about. No need for it on in the garage.

To stop battery usage in the garage, will I need to remove at the source or will a simple unplug in the camera do?
 
It's a modification that has caused the issue at the end of the day.
Why would Audi honour the warranty?
These are the risks you take with mods.
 
  • Like
Reactions: richinsoton
My new dashcam arrived today along with the Cellink B battery, which is absolutely massive! I had hoped to put this behind the dashboard somewhere but I don't think that's going to be possible now... probably have to live inside the glove box instead. I had thought about removing the glove box to get it installed but that involves removing the MMI unit and disconnecting airbags... not something I really want to fiddle with!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68
cemerson said:
My new dashcam arrived today along with the Cellink B battery, which is absolutely massive! I had hoped to put this behind the dashboard somewhere but I don't think that's going to be possible now... probably have to live inside the glove box instead. I had thought about removing the glove box to get it installed but that involves removing the MMI unit and disconnecting airbags... not something I really want to fiddle with!
Click to expand...

This is where mine will live, just wired up to test so will now file small notches in the fuse box cover panel so it'll close without trapping the cables then will Velcro the Cellink B to the cover panel so it won't be going anywhere ... still room for my owners mamual and usual glove box junk to the side of it .....

IMG 2256
 
  • Like
Reactions: cemerson, pburv and Gordo77
I already have a jot of junk in my glove box... might be time for a clear out!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68
A general point about the battery... in the last year when I've been away on holiday or away on business, (which has been quite a lot), and the car isn't used for around 2 weeks at a time, I switch off the alarm interior detection, really just in the belief that it "saves" the battery a bit. Not sure if my reasoning is totally valid tho! :shrug:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
New battery required after 3.5 years?
Replies
43
Views
8K
sebtomato
S
Damo S
Manual S3. How long has your original clutch lasted?
Replies
4
Views
559
JonnyS3
JonnyS3
S32B
Anyone extended their warranty at 3 years and then at 4 years?
Replies
15
Views
2K
L_G
L_G
J
Lasted all of five days!
Replies
5
Views
1K
bobinder
bobinder
jimbo_50001
12 years and 4 Audi S3's: well almost...part 1
Replies
11
Views
1K
jimbo_50001
jimbo_50001
Top
Back