What battery size for an '05 Passat TDI?

daedalus

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Aug 3, 2005
Location
Pittstown NJ
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05 Variant TDI Black w/Gray
I've read various threads and links but can't find the answer....

My guess is that a 2005 Passat TDI uses a type 94R battery.

Can anyone confirm or correct?

Thanks
 

Dick_Larimore

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Jun 28, 2003
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Central Indiana
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'05 GL Passat & '05 GLS Passat & '05 Beetle TDI

daedalus

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Pittstown NJ
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05 Variant TDI Black w/Gray
Thanks! I guess my 94R was not the answer. I'll dig out the ruler, though I'm sure I'll see the same as you measured.

Dick_Larimore said:
I measured my Passat sedan B5.5 battery to be 11" long X 7" wide X 7.5" tall. The closest group size appears to be a group 48. A group 94R is listed at 12.375" long (other dimensions are the same as a group 48). I don't know if you can get the longer battery in the tray. The following Sears Diehard appears to fit:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Batteries+%26+Chargers&pid=02833348000&vertical=AUTO&subcat=Batteries&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes
 

TDIPASSATGUY

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Dec 7, 2005
Location
ROSWELL, GA
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2005 GLS Passat Sedan
I thought I had it at my fingertips... I got an Interstate last month that fit fine. The paperwork doesn't show the model, but 94R rings a bell. It was starting a bit slow when cold. It tested weak. The new battery kicks it off MUCH better. I'm surprised at needing a battery before tires or brakes. 60 K miles
 

Smokerr

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Joined
Sep 3, 2005
Location
Alaska
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Passat Wagon GL,2005,Silver
FYI, the Interstate Battery is my first and only choice in batteries these days.

They are made by Johnson Controls (yea I know, its a odd world), who also make the Motorcraft, Costco and some of the Wal-Mart’s. 9-12 years are common for them. And they deliver in the cold.

I have detected our battery feeling weak, so it may just not be a good OEM. It should be under warranty, but then you get another?????

Next question, how to you get the plastic tr9im piece off the top?

Measure up the tray, not the battery, and close attention to height as well, and then put the biggest one you can fit in it! (and let us know what it was of course!)

I use their 4D type for generators, they are so reliable, I don’t bother to take the hydrometer readings, and they last 7+ years. Lucky to get 3 out of most batteries, 5 is doing great.
 

TDIPASSATGUY

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Location
ROSWELL, GA
TDI
2005 GLS Passat Sedan
I just pulled the cover off to check.
Interstate MTP91 - It is tight but fits. The OE has a drain port and a hose to exit the battery box Interstate does not.

I have had the same success with Interstate as SMOKERR, and failures with all others. I paid $104 installed after calling the dealer to check on warranty. I was told at 56K it was out of warranty. When I got home with the invoice I saw in the file the letter from VWoA extending my bumper to bumper warranty to 62K becuase it took 6 weeks to diagnose and replace a bad turbo. Oh well, like SMOKERR was saying --- did I really want another 2 YR OE battery when my first indication of a bad battery is 1000 miles from home in a hotel parking lot? NO WAY.
 
Last edited:

Smokerr

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Sep 3, 2005
Location
Alaska
TDI
Passat Wagon GL,2005,Silver
Still would like ti know how the trim piece over the top of the battery comes off, you can't pull out through that little inspection thingy.

As for batteries

Battery longevity is a combination of time, heat and charge. Heat and charge time being worse (they age just sitting there as well, but it’s the other two that usually get them).

54k in 2.5 years is a lot, but if you figure 15k a year average, that’s 4 years driving (charge time) not a whole lot, it should last longer.

Worst service abuse is a lot of charge time and heat (not miles necessarily, i.e. taxi cab continuously running in traffice, lots of heat under the hood).

My battery is not dead, its just getting weak. Will see if it goes till spring and then off to the Interstate store (probably sooner, as its only November, and amidst a long if not deep (i.e. -10F) cold spell)
 

daedalus

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Location
Pittstown NJ
TDI
05 Variant TDI Black w/Gray
Smokerr,

The entire top trim section in the top rear of the engince compartment comes off. It is a bit intimidating to read, but once you try it you will see it's very easy.

Tehre is a rubber trim, about 1" in diameter that holds the whole thing in place. Start 'peeling' the rubber trim strip back from one end or the other - it doesn't matter which. It peels right off and then the whole plastic 'shelf' pops right out.

Installation is just the reverse. I know it sounds scary, but as soon as you start you will see it's a piece of cake.

I also read my warranty booklet yesterday. The stock battery has a 4 year/48K mile warranty (or something like that). The 'magic eye' is black and I'm pretty sure the OEM battery is a sealed unit. I'm going to visit the dealer on Monday to see if it can be replaced under warranty. I believe the OEM battery is undersized for the application but I will live with it if they replace it for free.
 

daedalus

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Joined
Aug 3, 2005
Location
Pittstown NJ
TDI
05 Variant TDI Black w/Gray
daedalus said:
I also read my warranty booklet yesterday. The stock battery has a 4 year/48K mile warranty (or something like that). The 'magic eye' is black and I'm pretty sure the OEM battery is a sealed unit. I'm going to visit the dealer on Monday to see if it can be replaced under warranty. I believe the OEM battery is undersized for the application but I will live with it if they replace it for free.
It's a cruel, cruel world. I took the car to the dealer this morning to have the system checked. Their answer is that something is drawing current when the ignition is in the 'off' position and that is what is drawing down the battery. They pulled the radio fuse and the current draw stopped.

I tend to believe them since I have added a few after market gadgets: radar detector, XM-receiver, GPS, replaced the stock head unit with a Pioneer, scanner radio. OK, so I'm a gadget freak! My suspicion is that the XM receiver (an XM-Direct) is drawing the current all the time. All except the XM and the GPS are powered by a switched power source. My weak memory tells me that there are 2 power leads on the XM, one hot and one switched. I probably tied them together because it was 'easier'. The problem is that the XM-Direct is a b***h to get to - I buried it up above and behind the glove box.

I figure I have three options:
1. Remove the glove box (again!) to check and rewire the XM
2. Remember to start the car every 2 days whether I drive it or not (back to the italics: weak memory)
3. Buy a new battery with a higher amp-hour rating
4. Remember to plug in a battery charger on weekends (back to italics yet again)

It's too cold for the glove box trick so I'm down to 3 choices. Kind of leaning to a more robust battery since I know I'll screw up on choices 2 and 4.

BTW - the dealer was Douglas VW in Summit NJ. I was nervous about getting raped but they did me right. They diagnosed the problem, didn't mention all of the accessories in their computer entry and didn't charge me a dime!
 

tdireader

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USA
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TDI
5. Pull the fuse to the radio on the weekends.

Quicker than hooking up a charger on the weekends.
 

Smokerr

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Sep 3, 2005
Location
Alaska
TDI
Passat Wagon GL,2005,Silver
daedalus said:
Smokerr,

The entire top trim section in the top rear of the engince compartment comes off. It is a bit intimidating to read, but once you try it you will see it's very easy.

Tehre is a rubber trim, about 1" in diameter that holds the whole thing in place. Start 'peeling' the rubber trim strip back from one end or the other - it doesn't matter which. It peels right off and then the whole plastic 'shelf' pops right out.

Installation is just the reverse. I know it sounds scary, but as soon as you start you will see it's a piece of cake.

I also read my warranty booklet yesterday. The stock battery has a 4 year/48K mile warranty (or something like that). The 'magic eye' is black and I'm pretty sure the OEM battery is a sealed unit. I'm going to visit the dealer on Monday to see if it can be replaced under warranty. I believe the OEM battery is undersized for the application but I will live with it if they replace it for free.

Ahh, I wondered, but did not seem right. Thought maybe plastic trim pins or some such.

Thanks, now to get the battery and get it installed.

I will go for aftermarket (Interstate of course!). It gets too cold up here to have anything but the best, and with the diesel even more so. First winter it did ok, but now, even with the block pad heater plugged in, it works hard to crank at -10. Some and some, I have done well with most, the Ford Pickup did the same thing after 3 winters, do this and good for 10 or 15 years.

I like the block pad heater, as it also heats up the tranny, and it runs a lot better with that warm.
 

guidoman

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Location
Modesto California
TDI
2001 Golf TDI
Yes it would be a a 94R

I went to a local Pep Boys and they looked it up and gave me a battery obviously for a gas car, I looked on the shelf and saw a bosch group 94R that appeared identical to the one in it. Installed it and confirmined it is the identical match to the factory one. This battery should fit most 98-06 TDI's, BTW why do you already need a battery in your 05? They typically last over 5 years, :D
 

tditom

Top Post Dawg
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Sep 5, 2001
Location
Jackson, MI
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formerly: 2001 Golf GL, '97 Passat (RIP) '98 NB, '05 B5 sedan
What does the label on the OE B5 battery say? (CCA, Ah)
 

Smokerr

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Location
Alaska
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Passat Wagon GL,2005,Silver
Sometims new batteries just go bad. While I have had phenomonal life out of all but one Motorcraft in my Fords, the one went bad the third winter. Just slowly petered out.

Seems VW does not have the best battery in the world. If so, you have to do the warranty fight thing, and when all said and done, its probably going to cost you more in time than getting a know good battery with a good warranty (and I know the Interstate dealer well, and there would be no issues).
 

PassatTDIesel

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Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
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Passat 05 TDI Silverstone
I went in for a service yesterday at 64k and asked if i could get my battery load tested cause on some -30C days it didn't have enough juice to turn it over. They said before hand they were going to charge me $50 to test the battery.... So I declined since that would pay for 1/3 of a new interstate. If i really felt the need, i could just pull the battery out and take it to Canadian Tire for a load test for free... But if I'm going to go to all that trouble, I'd just as soon rather replace it.
 

daedalus

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Location
Pittstown NJ
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05 Variant TDI Black w/Gray
Rexking414 said:
why do you need a battery change so soon?
The battery goes flat if the car sits for more than 2 days. The 'magic eye' is black. I had the dealer load test it and they reported that there is a current draw even with the switch turned off. I suspect the problem is the XM-Direct receiver I installed. I may have run it to a hot instead of switched line, need to check.
 

Thunderstruck

Veteran Member
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Feb 19, 2004
Location
Chicago
TDI
2015 GTI SE 6M
Mine is really weak too-this is my second winter with the battery. If temps get down into the single digits, it barely will turn the car over. The dealer checked the battery last year and said it was fine, but my daily observations differ from their machine diagnosis.
I also just read the magic eye only tests one of the battery cells, so it's not a sure fire way to know if it's good or bad.
 

Octavian

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Skoda Superb 2.5TDI V6, Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI
Basenji said:
Interesting, mine went out at around 54,000 miles. It was 2.5 years old.
Folks, do you top up your batteries with water? At least here in Europe VW consistently puts into all their brands/models old-style batteries that require topping up. There is a sticker on all the caps, so it is easy to mistake it for maintenance free.
 

subeman

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Oct 30, 2008
Location
Edgewood, NM
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05 Passat B5.5
Diehard Battery Proven to Fit 2005 Passat

I just installed the Diehard battery listed below (Sears # 22833348) in my 2005 Passat B5.5 sedan. I looked everywhere to find a non-dealer battery and stumbled on this post. I wanted to let you all know that it fits perfectly with no modifications. It set me back $134.99 w/core. I've had good luck with Diehards starting my diesels for years up here in the mountains.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Dick_Larimore said:
I measured my Passat sedan B5.5 battery to be 11" long X 7" wide X 7.5" tall. The closest group size appears to be a group 48. A group 94R is listed at 12.375" long (other dimensions are the same as a group 48). I don't know if you can get the longer battery in the tray. The following Sears Diehard appears to fit:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?cat=Batteries+%26+Chargers&pid=02833348000&vertical=AUTO&subcat=Batteries&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes
 

leicaman

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Sheboygan, Wisconsin
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2015 Golf TDI SE, 2005 TDI GLS, RIP
subeman said:
I just installed the Diehard battery listed below (Sears # 22833348) in my 2005 Passat B5.5 sedan. I looked everywhere to find a non-dealer battery and stumbled on this post. I wanted to let you all know that it fits perfectly with no modifications. It set me back $134.99 w/core. I've had good luck with Diehards starting my diesels for years up here in the mountains.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!
Did you look at the comments section about this battery. Man are people ripping that battery and or Sears!
 

deming

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Joined
Nov 9, 2003
Location
Illinois
TDI
(2) 2005 TDI Passat Wagons
Where do they sell the OEM at a competitive price?

Stealership?

Thanks

PS. I will be needing to buy a pair of batteries in the near future.

Deming
 

canux

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Mar 4, 2010
Location
Toronto
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2013 Beetle TDI
Thanks

Just wanted to post here that thanks to this thread I was able to help the friendly folks at Canadian Tire find a battery that works for my 2005 Passat TDI wagon (they do not have one listed in their system). I went with the 94R, Canadian Tire Part #010-9400-0 ($159.99). This is one of their Eliminator models and comes with a 9-year warranty (3-year free replacement).

As others in this thread have mentioned the 94R group size is a tight fit and because it is a little longer, you won't be securing the bottom of it with the bolt and angle bracket. That said, any car event that would dislodge the battery would almost certainly result in my death anyway...

The top posts were the right size and in the right place, and the battery did have the drain/breather hole where it needed to be. Once I determined that the old battery needed to come out on an angle and towards the right side of the car, the install was easy, if not tight.

I got 6.5 years on the original battery FWIW.
 

thundershorts

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2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
the oem varta at vw is not that expensive and they consistently hold up well. i used the bosch 48 850ca with the vent but doing it again, varta would be my choice.
 

johnboy00

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Bridgewater,Ma.,USA
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2005 Passat Wagon, 2004 Jetta, 2003 Jetta wagon
As others in this thread have mentioned the 94R group size is a tight fit and because it is a little longer, you won't be securing the bottom of it with the bolt and angle bracket. That said, any car event that would dislodge the battery would almost certainly result in my death anyway...
This is the part number the clamping strip that will fit the larger battery:8D1-803-123-D. It's only $12 or so and far better than driving around with an unsecured battery.
 

TooDooIoo

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NJ
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2005 Passat
Also check you local stealer for the clip. It was on $6 at mine in NJ.
 
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