Replacement Battery
- Thread starter mpc
- Start date
I would go with a Varta battery, they are what are fitted OE and are about the best standard car battery you can get.
Looking around on the net they don't have to be expensive either.
I recently replaced the 110Ah Varta battery on my 2008 3.0 TDI and it cost me £95.
This seller on E-bay is very good.
stores.ebay.co.uk/Battery-Megastore-UK?
On the B8 A4 it has battery management so you are supposed to program the details of the new battery in using VAG-COM ,Especially if you change to a different battery. If you stick with a battery of the same or similar spec it's not so critical.
Fortunately I have VAG-COM so used that and the original battery serial number tweaked.
Looking at the Varta battery selector I think this looks like the correct battery assuming you don't have stop /start fitted.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-77AH-...461722?hash=item3f533d3c5a:g:v3cAAOxydlFS38ML
Check the dimensions and capacity of the battery fitted.
Karl.
Looking around on the net they don't have to be expensive either.
I recently replaced the 110Ah Varta battery on my 2008 3.0 TDI and it cost me £95.
This seller on E-bay is very good.
stores.ebay.co.uk/Battery-Megastore-UK?
On the B8 A4 it has battery management so you are supposed to program the details of the new battery in using VAG-COM ,Especially if you change to a different battery. If you stick with a battery of the same or similar spec it's not so critical.
Fortunately I have VAG-COM so used that and the original battery serial number tweaked.
Looking at the Varta battery selector I think this looks like the correct battery assuming you don't have stop /start fitted.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-77AH-...461722?hash=item3f533d3c5a:g:v3cAAOxydlFS38ML
Check the dimensions and capacity of the battery fitted.
Karl.
Hi desertstorm,
I need to replace my battery on my A4 2008 S-Line. Is the coding of the new battery essential?
I think I can change the battery myself with ease but I don't have a VAG-COM and I don't fancy paying massive amount of money for the dealers to do it.
If I install the same battery will the car self learn that a new battery has been installed?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Always been happy with Exide via Euro Car Parts. BMW owners have the same debate about whether or not it is necessary to have some "special ECU programming" done to match the new battery and existing alternator. 
Never seen ant definitive proof that it is necessary. As said by Karl above, the same conclusion is stated by many BMW owners i.e. buy one of the same size and power as the original and just put it in the car.
Never seen ant definitive proof that it is necessary. As said by Karl above, the same conclusion is stated by many BMW owners i.e. buy one of the same size and power as the original and just put it in the car.
The coding of the battery isn't entirely essential as long as the battery you fit is the same size / capacity as the existing battery. Ideally fit a Varta silver battery of the correct size.
The Battery control module monitors the status of the battery and needs to know the capacity of the battery and it's type to work correctly.
If you were to replace the original battery in your car with an OE one with the same part number the only thing you would change would be the serial number. When you change the serial number this tells the Battery control module that a new battery has been fitted and if the battery control module had been limiting certain functionality because of poor battery performance this limit will be removed.
The battery controller would within a short period actually see that the new battery is working a lot better and the higher terminal voltage and charging/ discharge current profile would work out that it's performance is a lot better.
I replaced the battery in my car 2 years ago with a Varta Silver dynamic and just changed 2 digits in the serial number. Not had any issues.
http://www.bannerbatteries.com/banner/files/Newsletter_Technik_GB3.pdf
I have seen threads where people have left it till the last minute to change the battery when it has been on it's last legs and have had issues getting the full functionality back without having the battery coded in VCDS.
Have a look at the VCDS map and see if anybody is near you.
The Battery control module monitors the status of the battery and needs to know the capacity of the battery and it's type to work correctly.
If you were to replace the original battery in your car with an OE one with the same part number the only thing you would change would be the serial number. When you change the serial number this tells the Battery control module that a new battery has been fitted and if the battery control module had been limiting certain functionality because of poor battery performance this limit will be removed.
The battery controller would within a short period actually see that the new battery is working a lot better and the higher terminal voltage and charging/ discharge current profile would work out that it's performance is a lot better.
I replaced the battery in my car 2 years ago with a Varta Silver dynamic and just changed 2 digits in the serial number. Not had any issues.
http://www.bannerbatteries.com/banner/files/Newsletter_Technik_GB3.pdf
I have seen threads where people have left it till the last minute to change the battery when it has been on it's last legs and have had issues getting the full functionality back without having the battery coded in VCDS.
Have a look at the VCDS map and see if anybody is near you.
Thanks for the reply. I plan to replace the battery with the same size and capacity. Are you confident the new battery will work fine without the recoding part? My car battery died after not being driven for a few weeks :-S
After looking at the user manual, it also suggests replacing the car battery every 5 years.
This has some interesting information, what is the largest capacity/physical size battery that the cars can take? Halfrauds quote a 019 but I'm sure it's too tall...
Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk
Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk
My car has a 110Ah battery as standard. I replaced it with a Varta I1
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Varta-I1-Van-Battery-12V-Silver-Dynamic-Battery-/281843348620?
If you were to upgrade the battery you would need to recode the new one so the Battery module is aware of the capacity of the new battery.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...cated-is-it-to-replace-the-battery-on-a-B8-A4
There are some conflicting reports of people having issues when they don't change the battery code in VCDS. But I would bet some of those people have other issues with alternators or batteries being drained due to issues with the car. Also if you let the battery state get really low the battery module doesn't seem to recognise the new battery.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Varta-I1-Van-Battery-12V-Silver-Dynamic-Battery-/281843348620?
If you were to upgrade the battery you would need to recode the new one so the Battery module is aware of the capacity of the new battery.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...cated-is-it-to-replace-the-battery-on-a-B8-A4
There are some conflicting reports of people having issues when they don't change the battery code in VCDS. But I would bet some of those people have other issues with alternators or batteries being drained due to issues with the car. Also if you let the battery state get really low the battery module doesn't seem to recognise the new battery.
Thanks for the info. Would the car with the new battery just operate in limp mode/power saving mode until the recode? My only concern is if I just replace the battery without the recode, what would the behaviour of the car/battery be.
That is an excellent and informative post, thank you.
I have VCDS so can code the new battery properly. I don't know the age of my battery or if it is factory spec so will find out what one it should have and get that.
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The “official Audi” manual suggests a course of action which would result in you having to go to an Audi dealer to buy a “special” Audi battery with a VAG part number which would then be “notified” to the ECU with “special” VAG software so that everything would run perfectly again. Audi aren’t going to deviate from this stance and give alternative, pragmatic advice. Ultimately it’s your decision for your car.
I took a personal decision to put an aftermarket battery in my car and I don’t have access to any VAG software and everything worked (and is still working) fine. Personally, I believe it’s just a simple marketing ploy to get business as ECUs spend their whole life “adapting” to changes like new alternators being fitted, higher & lower octane petrol, higher altitudes, differences in air temperature etc – adapting to these changes does not need a laptop to be plugged in.
However, modern cars do have sophisticated electrics and so I agree that it is sensible to pick a replacement battery which has identical specifications to the original.
I changed the battery on my A4 B8 S-Line last year, I put in a Varta Silver H3 heavy duty car battery 100AH size 017 (5 Year Warranty) which i bought of ebay for £84.15. I simply swapped out the old and put the new one in - i don't have vag-com and everything worked fine for me and still is.
What would you call 'last legs' @desertstorm ?
I know mine is on its way, pretty sure it is the original. I measured 2 months ago 13V when the engine is on, and 10-11v when off..
So my dash cam switches off within a an hour now when the car is off where as before it would last 4 days, the power unit is set to switch it off when the volts are less than 11.95.
I know mine is on its way, pretty sure it is the original. I measured 2 months ago 13V when the engine is on, and 10-11v when off..
So my dash cam switches off within a an hour now when the car is off where as before it would last 4 days, the power unit is set to switch it off when the volts are less than 11.95.
Completely agree with your points. Varta seems to be the recommended choice so I will order one of these that is the same spec as my current one and report back. Hopefully no issues.
Your battery is certainly well past it's best then. An OEM battery should be good for at least 5 years and typically 7-10 years if you are lucky.
When a battery reaches 12V it has around 30-35% of it's capacity left. That's open circuit voltage. You are measuring the voltage with a small load on it so if you were to disconnect the battery from the car the voltage would increase but not by much.
I replaced the battery in my car last year it's an 08 with 100K on it so the battery was around seven years old. It wasn't as bad as yours and wasn't showing any major signs of any issues until we went away on holiday for a week.
Car was parked in the airport multi storey for a week, came to it and when I went to start it the engine was very very sluggish when being turned over. Another few days and it probably wouldn't have started at all.
With the winter ahead I decided to change the battery. It probably would have made it through last year OK as it wasn't that bad. But I intend to keep the car for several more years and I want it to be reliable so I would have to be replacing the battery at some point. Rather do it in my time and get the best deal possible rather than having to run around to Halfords and buying something sub standard and paying 50% more for the privilege.
Winter is on it's way now and the cold only makes the situation worse for a failing battery. Having a battery with low capacity has knock on consequences for other parts of the car, as the alternator has to work a lot harder. And the large voltage variations can cause issues for all the complex electronics in the modules.
If you intend to keep the car for another 2-3 years then you may as well change the battery now and get the best out of a new one.
hmmmm.. Thank you, i really should get off my tight butt and fork out then lol
I measure through the fuses with a volt meter. back in the day of the polo i did this often as i couldnt afford a new battery with uni and renting, it kept going till 9v then it stopped being able to start... dont think I want to do that again lol
I presume that was a petrol. With diesels the starting currents are a lot higher and with glow plugs and all the electrical loads on modern cars you wouldn't get away with that.
Yeah that was a 3 cylinder 1.2 Petrol, basically a hair dryer on wheels
The battery you linked, did you need to modify the space it sits in, or is it the same dimensions as the OE one?
It is exactly the same dimensions as the standard battery which is a Varta item. What size battery do you have in your car at the moment ?
If you look at the model data on the parts listing here you will see the option code of the battery on your car.
http://www.oemepc.com/audi/part_sin.../915/subcategory/915000/part_id/261830/lang/e
My car has the JOZ option on the PR sticker
Check the PR codes on your PR sticker and see whats fitted.
http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/imag...mments.jpg/180px-Pr_code_sticker_comments.jpg
If you look at the model data on the parts listing here you will see the option code of the battery on your car.
http://www.oemepc.com/audi/part_sin.../915/subcategory/915000/part_id/261830/lang/e
My car has the JOZ option on the PR sticker
Check the PR codes on your PR sticker and see whats fitted.
http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/imag...mments.jpg/180px-Pr_code_sticker_comments.jpg
I bought a Bosch S5 Battery 020 with a 5 Year Guarantee earlier in the year. Again simply swapped it out. Had no issues so far
The Bosch S5 battery is identical to the Varta I1 as Varta make the Bosch batteries but for some reason the Varta Batteries always tend to be cheaper.
Doesn't look like an OE battery and doesn't look that old either judging by the date code. I am assuming the date of manufacture is 14/04/2014.
How long have you had the car ? .
You can work out the original size of battery supplied in the car by looking at the PR sticker.
http://prsearch.planetvag.com/
How long have you had the car ? .
You can work out the original size of battery supplied in the car by looking at the PR sticker.
http://prsearch.planetvag.com/
Thanks. I've had the car over a year and I bought it second hand. It's a 2008 A4 S-Line TDI.
Wonder if the car was sitting around a bit before you bought it and the battery went down. If an older battery is left to go completely flat it can kill it. Strange that you are having battery issues though if it is a fairly new battery.
I believe it was because when I purchased it, it had a low battery warning on the dash. After I brought it and used it daily the problem disappeared. The lack of driving it recently and the cold weather probably killed the crap battery. Lesson learned.
I'm going to order a varta replacement tonight once I've figured out the original battery spec from the pr sticker.
*edit*
After checking the pr sticker, my original battery spec was J1U - battery 450A (95 Ah)
Last edited:
Which battery should I get?
The second one is slightly higher spec, more expensive with a extra year guarantee. The length of these is also 1.5mm longer than my current 017 battery. I think either one should be fine?
Should I just stick with original spec noted in the PR sticker?
The G3 blue Varta is pretty much the OE spec battery. The silver dynamic the upgraded Item. If you are thinking of keeping the car for a few years I would probably pay the extra and get the silver dynamic. Especially if you will be leaving the car standing for periods of time.
Either are good batteries.
Either are good batteries.
Thanks for the advice. I've ordered the Silver Dynamic model and it should arrive Thursday morning. Hopefully no issues when I install.
Dreaded 'battery low: this will charge whilst driving' message came up this week so got the new battery ready with a 5 year warrentee.
Anyone know if you can use Snap-on reader to update the battery serial?
Anyone know if you can use Snap-on reader to update the battery serial?
