T2/T3 battery life

Bought a 2013 recently and noticed it has the original battery. And that thing is a PAIN to change.. Got me wondering how long these things typically last, and whether I should look at changing it before the thing leaves me stranded.

So, guys with 2009+ TDI touaregs.. how long have your batteries been lasting? (Might help to add how significant the winters are where you live)

Thanks

Like most things on the T'reg, a battery replacement is a bit more involved, but I would not consider it to be that bad of a job. Just a little time consuming.

Luckily, batteries that are located inside (away from the engine) are not subjected to the temp extremes, and thus often last longer.

There are testers that can sometimes catch a failing battery before it actually dies, but they are not always a sure fire method. And to be used properly, you need to access the battery, which is 90% of the job of just replacing it on your rig.

I would say if it gets to the five year mark from build date (go by the tag on the door jam, not the model year), then you may be better off to just proactively replace it if it is of concern for you. Or carry a jump pack on any trips you take (they can be jump started from under the hood).

FWIW, summer heat is harder on batteries than winter cold. Always been that way. And if you go by data from JCI (the largest replacement battery supplier in all of North America) they will confirm that to be the case.

I hesitate to answer, but our battery is original in our 2009. We purchased it preowned in late 2011, still cranking fine but we do keep it in the garage.

My '10 is on the original battery and I bought it brand new in Nov of '09. Still running strong with no signs of letting go.

As advised elsewhere, on most Touaregs the battery can be changed in just a few minutes since the front seat it is situated under simply hinges backwards after undoing the two bolts in the floor.

There are some later model cars where you may have to remove the seat but any owner should check first.

There's a Youtube video where the guy removes the seat on a T1/T2 which is definitely the wrong move!

NoobyT said:

As advised elsewhere, on most Touaregs the battery can be changed in just a few minutes since the front seat it is situated under simply hinges backwards after undoing the two bolts in the floor.

There are some later model cars where you may have to remove the seat but any owner should check first.

There's a Youtube video where the guy removes the seat on a T1/T2 which is definitely the wrong move!

Click to expand...

I was hoping for the hinges in my 2013 but no joy.. appears all 4 bolts have to come out, and as it is access to the rear inner one is limited. Had to cut off a triple-square adapter and use a wrench on it, my stubby triple-square bits weren't short enough.

Sounds like mine has a couple more good years in it based on the experiences of other forum members though.

2012 has 180k in canada colds no issues still factory

Any failed batteries in Touareg TDIs ?

Let's ask a related question, any 2010 or later Touareg TDI owners had their original battery fail? and at what age?

I bought my TDI new in 2012 and am wondering if I should try to nurse the battery to 2019 when I sell it back to VW.

5 years is usually my point at which I'll replace a battery, but I replaced my wife's AUDI A4 battery and it was a $300 AGM battery. I'm guessing the TDI battery is pretty special too.

Good luck to all

propstrike said:

Let's ask a related question, any 2010 or later Touareg TDI owners had their original battery fail? and at what age?

I'm guessing the TDI battery is pretty special too.

Good luck to all

Click to expand...

2010 Touareg TDI original battery lasted until Sept 2015 w/ 114k miles on vehicle.

Replacement part # 000-915-105-DL-DSP

It was actually less to purchase from the local Audi dealership than the VW dealership. Cost was around $200.00 w/ tax. I did the replacement myself, so no labor included in that price.

Thanks Sprocket. Good info.

And I was mistaken about my Audi AGM battery, it was $205 at Napa before tax, not $300.

Thinking about replacement, to keep stuff powered up can I just hook a spare to the jumper posts underhood and then replace underseat battery? Or do I need VCDS as I’ve not gotten one yet.
Thanks,
jrc

2011 in Florida. Battery just went yesterday. I’m satisfied with 6 years.

So who has changed their battery and NOT coded it? Is this for sure a requirement for new battery installation? Just reading up on replacement and would appear that should be done at dealership. Interesting as I stopped by our local dealership to purchase a battery and they referred me to outside battery seller and never mentioned coding of battery?
Other thing I’ve done is purchased a fairly stout AGM battery and wondering it that will effect anything.
I don’t really need to change battery as it fires right up but wanted to be proactive as it’s the wife’s rig and don’t want her caught out in the weeds with dead battery.
Any insight is appreciated.

j

Our 2009's battery finally started getting weaker, replaced it about a month ago. Used no special measures so it set several codes with the temporary loss of power, but cleared them with VCDS and no problems.

Mine failed 2 days ago. COMPLETE failure could not even unlock doors. To make matters worse the manual key lock is seized and my key broke in the lock. Now need to break in, any suggestions? Is there a way to open hood from outside? 2014 with 90000km, assume it is OE battery. Never showed signs of failure. Just died flat out after being parked for 2 days in -27C temps. Next step is call towing to slim jim it. I have a slim jim but could not get it to work, maybe you cannot even slim jim the Touareg?

Oh that sux Radman. Not sure on a break in method, I did purchase one of those small pump up air bladders (6”by6”) to use as a wedge. The notion is you slide it in between the door and vehicle body then pump up just enough to get coat hanger or other rod to get at the door latch. I have it stored in my work truck, though not used it yet.

Just replaced the battery in ours yesterday, not that big a deal. I hooked jumper cables to spare battery and jumper posts under hood to keep constant power to ECM as I don’t have VCDS yet. I installed a more robust AGM battery the has higher CC amps and much larger amp hour capacity. Kinda disappointed as the AGM was a fare bit shorter then the stock, with means I may have been able to install an even larger battery... oh well the new one works great. My suggestion is to take out the old battery, measure the dimensions then get the largest AGM you can fit it there, if you plan to keep the vehicle.
Keep us posted on how you make out.
J

spoke to soon lol 187,000kms 2012...it was -20c left to days, it was low it didnt recognize the key to push to start..used manual ignition and it was all it had to start

Looking foreword to installing the inline block heater when it lands. That’ll be easier on the new AGM I just installed. Will take some install pix when it arrives.

j

I went with the stock battery. No-one else had any available due to severe cold and holidays they are all sold out. Dealer had only 2 left. $195 my cost (garage price)

just replaced my '10TregTDI battery in November- proactive. Same process as my front seat '06TregTDI. With the change in weather, I had a lapse in trust of the current battery but it still had started and ran fine. As others have said, the main steps are removing the 2 bolts in the front and tilt the seat back. There are earlier posts on here with detailed steps.

I got the old battery out before sunset and since it rained the next morning, it sat 'til the afternoon for the reinstall. Did not use a spare to power in the interim. The only thing I had to reset besides error codes was the clock. I performed the steering angle circular ride, but not sure if I would have had to or if it would have cleared itself. No battery coding required.

Locating and picking up the 9A95R AGM that I wanted, was the most time consuming part.

Does anyone know if the T3s (specifically 2017) have a battery energy management system?

I think they do have battery management. Mine was completely shutdown until we opened the door then it came back to life and the alarm even went on. Had a low battery warning on MFD but it still started.