How long did your battery last?

tcp_ip_dude

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2010
Location
Cape Fear area, NC
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI Sedan
I'm coming up to 4 years on my '10 (in Feb), still going strong (knock on wood). I'm on the Carolina coast, no real temp extremes, although we have a month or so of pretty hot/humid days during summer (95-100F), pretty mild the rest of the year.

Even though it's called a "maintenance free battery", which is a misnomer; I have maintained the battery. i.e. removed the labels to gain access to the filler caps underneath and kept the battery topped off with distilled water a few times, probably around 8-10 ounces over the lifetime.
 

msantram

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Location
PA & NYC
TDI
2011 SportWagen TDI DSG (Buyback 2018.01.30)
Batteries are like cats, they have a certain # of lives, kill em dead a few times and the clock is really ticking!
best line in this thread to remember. i've had some electrical issues and a mystery power drain which have killed a few batteries in the last six months. luckily vw has replaced them, and looks like they'll be replacing another next week.

the JNC/Booster-Pac jumpers are an invaluable backup to have in your garage or in your car in my case. Money well spent: http://www.amazon.com/Clore-JNC660-...TF8&qid=1387679692&sr=8-1&keywords=jnc+jumper

We're going to run a 24 hour load test on the sw after the new battery is in place. Hopefully we'll find the issue and if not I finally found an electrical guru who should be able to find the leak.
 

Jagerbecher

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Location
USA
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen, MT
The non OEM Interstate battery In my Mitsu Galant had a marked date on a sticker Feb 2001. It finally died in fall of 2012. I owned it since 2006 so don't know it's usage profile before that but I know that it lived in nothern Nevada 25' to 95', few years in area with Low 16' in winter months, and finally killed probably by few years in desert heat of 110'. Between it's 5th and 9th year driven on hw trips lasting 30 minutes at least, driven during weekends only, sometimes sitting idle for few weeks in a row. Several times not driven for whole month or more in winter due to too much snow. Always turned over the engine well. At leas once I know of got drained due to a light left on. Never any corosion aroud posts whatsoever. Water level checked regulary.
Another story is with my current JSW, OEM batt died almost right at its 4th year birthday. Probably heat and low acid leve killed it. Whole life spent in southwest. The batt looked like maintenance free but after it was already dead I realized that the stickers on top can be peeled off and there are plugs under stickers. Checked the fluid level and in all cells it was just a milimeter above plates. I'm assuming the plates got exposed during turning, accelerating, etc and that's what contributed to it's death. So, foks, maintain your OEM maintenance-free batteries!
Got new Interstate batt now, for $180 or so, looking just like OEM without stickers. Hoping it will last 10years at least :) Also claims mainenance-free but now I know. I will need to figure out how to grab the plugs to unscrew them since they are flush and have no groove, hole or whatever.
I also made a heatshield around the battery from Reflectix.
 

NCDiesel001

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Location
North Carolina
TDI
2009 Jetta TDI Sedan 2011 Golf 2DR HB Manual tranny
My wife's 2009 Jetta diesel: 4 yrs, 7 months. Just up and died. First cold morning of the fall a few months ago. No slow turning or other warning signs. I could not get it to take a charge when I tried.

That is the problem with batteries: Lots of deviation around mean time to failure, lots of failure modes, and lots of symptoms surrounding those modes.

So its really just a 2-8 year crap shoot. So don't worry about it. Keep your AAA membership up to date and drive.

PS: I dropped in the NAPA replacement and have been happy with it. Getting the base of the battery to catch the tray clips right was a bit of a pain though.
 
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SkipCycle

Active member
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Location
Greenville, SC
TDI
2015 Golf Station Wagen TDI SEL w/ DSG
Nice timely thread and I was curious so here I am. I'm right at 4 years and winter (of sorts) is upon me in western SC so I think I'm going to at least put the cables in the car for just in case whenever. I've got pretty low mileage on the car and no electrical issues so I'm hoping I'll get 5 years. Since it's been a while since I've used them, I read up on the proper procedure in using cables. Might have to check the water levels too in my maintenance free battery. :rolleyes:
 

BMLO13

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Location
Pa
TDI
2010 Sportwagon
Looking to replace my battery, slow cranking when cold and really don't want to deal with a dead battery at 5:00AM in subfreezing temps. Three years and 67,000 miles on the car. I will go with a battery from Deck, they have a 760 CCA the highest I have found for our cars. http://www.dekacatalog.com/
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
A few of us were talking about battery life on the new cars at a GTG today. I wasn't aware that the batteries in the new cars are smaller than before, and with all the electrical demands (cabin heater, heated seats, urea heater on Passats, cooling fans running more often) there's a larger drain on them than in the older cars. As a result they probably cycle more frequently, shortening their life. All to save a bit of weight.
 

tadurkee

Veteran Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Location
Michigan
TDI
none (formerly 2010 JSW DSG)
Can someone clue me in as to how far down the plate is and how far above it should the water level be? Still have original battery on my 2010 JSW, build date 3/2010. Have put over 283,000 miles on since May of 2010 when purchased new. Was gonna do this last winter but just now peeled back the stickers and got a few of the caps off. I can see water but it's way down. Can't see the plate, so obviously water level is above the plate but by how much I can't tell. Should I add distilled water? If so, how much?
 

30_Yr_Dsl_Veteran

banned Ric Woodruff alias account and troll
Joined
Dec 20, 2013
Location
Lake Placid, FL
TDI
2009 Jetta
I generally replace them every 5 years, on the money, without question.
I had a Wal Mart battery that lasted 8 years, so you have thrown away 3 good years.

Usually batteries show signs of weakness before they finally die, so you probably will get some time to replace. :):):)
 

Jagerbecher

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Location
USA
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen, MT
Can someone clue me in as to how far down the plate is and how far above it should the water level be? Still have original battery on my 2010 JSW, build date 3/2010. Have put over 283,000 miles on since May of 2010 when purchased new. Was gonna do this last winter but just now peeled back the stickers and got a few of the caps off. I can see water but it's way down. Can't see the plate, so obviously water level is above the plate but by how much I can't tell. Should I add distilled water? If so, how much?

The max water level should be when water touches both plastic tabs protruding from the filler opening down into the cell. When the water touches both tabs it will curve and form a lens.
 

dunerking

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Location
Saugus,Ca
TDI
04 Jetta TDI
Looks like the wife's JSW battery has not gone away. Last month was the HPFP,now a battery,which threw her a code for the ESP. She was going to have it towed to the dealer when the driver checked the battery,and was able to jump it. Car is 10' and has lived it's whole life in SoCal,not much of a life span as my Dodge CTD original batteries were just replaced after 9 years.
Read thru and some get their batteries from dealer some elsewhere,I would like to get a longer life what battery would u guys suggest? Thanks
 

Cooper

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Location
MA
TDI
2011 JSW (traded in 5/2015)
Four years on mine this month.

Watch, I'll try to start the car today and it will be dead. :D
 

Mike_Van

Veteran Member
Joined
May 15, 2003
Location
Boulder, Colorado
TDI
(SOLD) 2010 Golf, 2 door
@dunerking,

Three years is about all I can count on (in my former MK4 & now MK6). The engine compartment in our cars is tighter & hotter than a dodge truck's, so a more hostile/extreme environment for any battery.
 

TDIRoady

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2014
Location
Midwest - Chicago, IL (Northern Suburb)
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagen TDI, 6-speed auto (DSG) w/Sun & Nav, Moonrock Silver Metallic, Cornsilk Beige
I'm coming up on 4 years now on my battery and wondering what other's experiences have been - how long should I expect my battery to last?
I'd rather replace it before it strands me, but is 4 years too soon to be worth it?
It'll be different for everyone, depending on conditions, Here's from a site of frequently asked questions.

Which is worse for a battery, hot weather or cold weather?
Hot Weather! While most of us have grown up thinking that cold weather is the worst weather for a battery, the fact is that your vehicle is simply harder to start on very cold days. This is primarily due to the thickening of the motor oil during extreme cold. Heat actually damages the battery causing increased grid corrosion and water loss. Studies indicate that the average battery lasts nearly twice as long in a cold weather climate vs. a hot weather climate.

Here's a Link for more info. http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/ranch-life/extreme-climates-affect-trucks1.htm
 

dunerking

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Location
Saugus,Ca
TDI
04 Jetta TDI
Mike Van thanks for the info. Ended up going to dealer in Valencia and got it for $124. Swapped out and starting and running as it should. Last 2 months had the HPFP go out and the battery,hopefully good for a couple years.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Just stumbled across this thread. On my 10 JSW, the OEM battery lasted about 12 months. Went to start and nothing. Since the replace under warranty, no issues. Also no issues at three years in the 11 Golf.
 

bobt2382

Veteran Member - TDIClub Contributor
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Location
NJ
TDI
2010 CW GOLF 4DR 6MT TDI
My battery lasted 3.5 years but spent those years in the heat of the Ca desert.
Same here. Replaced with one from Autozone as I had $60 in their rewards and the dealers are 100 miles from me.
 

SkipCycle

Active member
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Location
Greenville, SC
TDI
2015 Golf Station Wagen TDI SEL w/ DSG
Guess I should be thankful mine lasted as long as it did. Four years and seven months and I don't drive it much more than 10K a year and it's garage kept. Tuesday morning I got in to go to work and nothing. When it goes it's gone. A neighbor jumped me and then another jump after work. Got my replacement at Advance Auto and the installer cleaned the terminals and sprayed something on them. He also hooked something under the dash to preserve the computer settings which I thought was pretty cool. Tipped him $10 after he had already given me a 10% discount. With tax and tip I was out about $155. If I get over 4 years again it will be money well spent.
 

higgledy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Location
Sterling, VA
TDI
2014 Golf TDI (buyback)
I generally replace them every 5 years, on the money, without question.

But with that in mind, my parents have a 2001 Civic that has the same battery as it had the day it rolled off the factory floor.
That's not my experience with Hondas. I owned two new Hondas and both batteries died within two years.
 

turborod

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
Location
SoCal
TDI
09 TDI Sport Wagon
Second battery in hot SoCal lasted a few months short of three years. Since I got it from the SoCal AAA (auto club) installed, they replaced it free of charge!
 

JKC_NC

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Location
Raleigh
TDI
'15 Passat TDI DSG | '15 Passat TDI SE Manual (sold 7/2018) | '10 Jetta Wagon TDI manual (sold 4/2015)
I'm coming up on 4 years now on my battery and wondering what other's experiences have been - how long should I expect my battery to last?
I've been wondering the same since last winter...I've been carrying some thick jumper-cables since ~Oct '13. My battery finally died this a.m. I drove ~280 miles yesterday without issue. This morning...dead. Would not even think of turning over. The only hint it was coming was a slight hesitation starting last night after trip. OEM battery was clean. No corrosion. Plenty of electrolyte. Looks "new".

I replaced with an AutoZone Duralast Platinum. After reading about it, I now wonder/wish I got the flooded "Gold" rather than the "AGM" "Platinum"....but...at least it was fast and easy. Discovered the dead battery at 8:15 and made it to a 9:30 meeting with time to spare, so not an ordeal at all.

Only funny *stupid me* story from the break down...when the AutoZone Tech pulled the battery, I noticed there was about a teaspoon of water on the tray. I thought I'd wipe it up since the water would be trapped under the new battery. Went into the store to get a paper towel. Came out, wiped it up, and walked to throw away the towel. Not wearing gloves, and the towel soaked through, I thought...hmmm...I wonder if that was water or acid. My hand was already wiped dry. I'm a chemist and know what H2SO4 can do, so I went to the john to rinse my hand. On the way, to check if it was acid, I touched my (formerly wet, but now dry) finger to my tounge. Sour-Ouch. f'kin acid. I spit and rinsed my hand clean. Rinsed my mouth. Tounge still burns and I have bad taste in my mouth. Colleague says dryly..."Yeah...bad idea tasting stuff from your car."

So...for me...OEM battery lasted 4 years 10 months. Never drained the battery, and I am only driver. I had two "intercooler icing" events where I needed to draw hard on the battery to get car started. Also, I use the key-in-door to roll down all 4 windows before getting in car when it's hot...that is the only drain I put on the battery prior to starting. Other than that, it's 12 mile commutes and gentle treatment. I added water to the "maintainance free" OEM battery twice.

'nother thing...after battery swap...my settings were wonky. Stuff like the window auto-roll up/down did not work right. After setting them correctly and rebooting the car, it all seems sorted out. Some settings did not kick in until the second restart. Dunno why.

Cheers,

Joe
 
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gimpy9195

Active member
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Location
Sumter, SC
TDI
2012 Golf
Mine lasted 2 years.. just replaced it.. Interstate will never let you down. Plus the 36month free replacement warranty.
 

bobt2382

Veteran Member - TDIClub Contributor
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Location
NJ
TDI
2010 CW GOLF 4DR 6MT TDI
'nother thing...after battery swap...my settings were wonky. Stuff like the window auto-roll up/down did not work right. After setting them correctly and rebooting the car, it all seems sorted out. Some settings did not kick in until the second restart. Dunno why.

Cheers,

Joe
Normal. Samething occurs when I disconnect the battery. Just need to run all the windows up and down, twice, irc.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
I've been wondering the same since last winter...I've been carrying some thick jumper-cables since ~Oct '13. My battery finally died this a.m. I drove ~280 miles yesterday without issue. This morning...dead. Would not even think of turning over. The only hint it was coming was a slight hesitation starting last night after trip. OEM battery was clean. No corrosion. Plenty of electrolyte. Looks "new".

I replaced with an AutoZone Duralast Platinum. After reading about it, I now wonder/wish I got the flooded "Gold" rather than the "AGM" "Platinum"....but...at least it was fast and easy. Discovered the dead battery at 8:15 and made it to a 9:30 meeting with time to spare, so not an ordeal at all.

Only funny *stupic me* story from the break down...when the AutoZone Tech pulled the battery, I noticed there was about a teaspoon of water on the tray. I thought I'd wipe it up since the water would be trapped under the new battery. Went into the store to get a paper towel. Came out, wiped it up, and walked to throw away the towel. Not wearing gloves, and the towel soaked through, I thought...hmmm...I wonder if that was water or acid. My hand was already wiped dry. I'm a chemist and know what H2SO4 can do, so I went to the john to rinse my hand. On the way, to check if it was acid, I touched my (formerly wet, but now dry) finger to my tounge. Sour-Ouch. f'kin acid. I spit and rinsed my hand clean. Rinsed my mouth. Tounge still burns and I have bad taste in my mouth. Colleague says dryly..."Yeah...bad idea tasting stuff from your car."

So...for me...OEM battery lasted 4 years 10 months. Never drained the battery, and I am only driver. I had two "intercooler icing" events where I needed to draw hard on the battery to get car started. Also, I use the key-in-door to roll down all 4 windows before getting in car when it's hot...that is the only drain I put on the battery prior to starting. Other than that, it's 12 mile commutes and gentle treatment. I added water to the "maintainance free" OEM battery twice.

'nother thing...after battery swap...my settings were wonky. Stuff like the window auto-roll up/down did not work right. After setting them correctly and rebooting the car, it all seems sorted out. Some settings did not kick in until the second restart. Dunno why.

Cheers,

Joe
Not sure after that tasting your acid covered finger, that I would admit that I'm a chemist, which I also am. I thought you were going to say that you wiped your wet hand on your pants. Most of my jeans in college had bleach spots and acid holes in them.

Battery charging could probably not keep up with the lights, ac, and radio that were probably running through the drive home.
 
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