How long did your battery last?

learningneverends

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 9, 2015
Location
Delaware
TDI
2011 TDI Sportwagen
My 2011 battery died yesterday. It had 114,6xx miles on it. Bought the car 5 years ago almost to the day. 5 years is not great but not bad either. Some hot summers and cold winters may have helped kill it to.
 

enki

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Location
Bradenton, FL
TDI
2011 VW Golf TDI
My first battery died at pretty much exactly three years. I had it replaced @ VW with the same standard battery that came with a warranty. About 2.9 years later, that battery died. And when they die, they are completely dead with no warning. I couldn't even jump start it. Fortunately, it was still covered under warranty so I got a replacement for free. I think they were supposed to charge a percentage, but since I got my 60k service at that point, they didn't.
 

CurlyDE

Active member
Joined
Jul 26, 2012
Location
SC
TDI
2012 JSW TDI DSG
Just replaced the battery in my wife's JSW about a month ago. The original battery made it right about three years.
 

fireinsyrup

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2010
Location
San Francisco, CA
TDI
2011 Golf TDI
Mine died abruptly around 76,000 miles (~4.5 years) - called AAA to have battery replaced only to tell me they didn't have a battery. Ended up towing to autozone.
 

dataiv

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Location
Ottawa, ON
TDI
2015 Golf Wagon TDI 6MT
Mine died yesterday abruptly after 4 years 4 months, ~100000km. Ended up replacing with a CAA battery of same size. I couldn't find a battery from the dealer in stock and since the existing one was completely toast, taking no charge at all, I called CAA.

Who knows, maybe it will last longer. 3 years free replacement then 3 years pro-rated. The battery on my old TDI lasted much longer.
 

Palladin

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2010
Location
Yorba Linda, CA
TDI
2011 TDI w DSG
My OEM battery died after 30 months and my Duralast Gold H6 Replacement died yesterday after 30 months. Quite a coincidence but I'm not at all upset about it since I was within the 36 month free replacement window. So on the new one I have 6 months left on the 36 month free replacement plus 2 years pro rata. I think I can live with that and when I have to replace again I can re-evaluate my options.
Frequent starts coupled with short drives and scorching outside temps plus DPF regens are murder on these batteries.
I've been really lucky in that both batteries conked out while the car was in the garage. I don't think that will happen a third time so I popped for a Solar BA 7 battery tester.
 
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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.
DPF regens are murder on these batteries.
Damn, I thought I had an Ah-ha moment today but you beat me too it. I stopped to run into a store and my fans kicked on. Didn't realize I was in the middle of a regen. Come back out of the store and the fans were still running. Car would not turn over. Turned it back to off and the fans turned off. Car then fired right up.
 

seth1065

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2011
Location
NJ
TDI
2011 JSW with DSG, Panoroof, rear air bags and the always fun velcro blocks, Blue with beige int
While I had my first car would start really slow today 4 years two months 114,000 miles took about 5 start s before it would catch, it was only about 45F today so not really cold at all. Guess I am going battery shopping this week, or i guess I can chug along until my VW visa card arrives in a month or so, what is the best battery to replace with OEM or something else, VW has the OEM battery 72 amp $136.
 

meerschm

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Location
Fairfax county VA
TDI
2009 Jetta wagon DSG 08/08 205k buyback 1/8/18; replaced with 2017 Golf Wagon 4mo 1.8l CXBB
I put an oem from the dealer in.

having a gift card makes it almost a no-brainer.

(unless you have something else in mind)
 

B25guy

Active member
Joined
Jun 22, 2010
Location
Yakima, WA
TDI
'10 JSW 3-pedal. '07 Dodge Cummins, '04 Caterpillar 420D IT, 43' Blue Bird Wanderlodge DP
I just replaced mine last week, 5.5 years. Started to get the "EPS" warning on startup here and there (usually after I interrupted a regen) and figured I'd get it done before winter.

Interstate from Costco, fitment #29,$110...a perfect fit and 730CCA.
 

Darth_Furious

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2005
TDI
2015 GSW, DSG
Interstate from Costco, fitment #29,$110...a perfect fit and 730CCA.
Me too. Costco. It had a hard time starting about 2 days before it died. Should have bought the battery while it was warning me instead of having to get a jump start.

5 years 2 month, 90,000 miles.

Normally when a car won't crank, the battery is very low and struggles with windows and lights. My battery could handle all of that but not starting. Diesel engines must require a ton of juice to start
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
Sometimes cars pick the worst time to not work...

Battery gave up the ghost and wouldn't start this morning. The morning of a job interview.

I'll be going to pick up a new battery shortly. Thinking a vw dealership would be a good place to get it since the stock battery lasted 5 years. That's a good run :)
Just bad timing on not starting :eek: :mad:

At least I have a use for the dealer card now :cool:
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
The battery in my '11 just started to get noticeably weak about 2 weeks ago. I'd better stop procrastinating, and buy a new one , before it leaves me stranded somewhere.
 

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
The battery in my '11 just started to get noticeably weak about 2 weeks ago. I'd better stop procrastinating, and buy a new one , before it leaves me stranded somewhere.
My battery gave me two warnings recently. Once after I left the radio on for a while and the other time was a slow start.

Get it today and use the vw card for the dealer if you have it.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
My battery gave me two warnings recently. Once after I left the radio on for a while and the other time was a slow start.
Get it today and use the vw card for the dealer if you have it.
I think I will pick one up tonight. I wiped out my dealer card on tires :). I have my eye on a 730 CCA H6 for $120.
 

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.
Don't delay. Once these batteries start to go, they go fast.
 

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 think the JSW gave me one slow start the second time. Then the airport valet cranked it to death and jumped it without telling me what was happening. On the golf, my wife called one morning while I was traveling and said it wouldn't start. No idea if she got any warnings.
 

flyboy320

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2010
Location
GTA, Canada
TDI
2018 e-Golf
Just replaced the battery in my '12 Golf. The signs I got were it would crank (and seemed to crank at the usual speed), but it would not catch or fire up, just turn over. Replaced it with one from Costco.
 

mytmouse

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Location
Roseville, CA
TDI
2012 JSW tdi
New JSW in May 2012, OEM battery lasted til 9/2014. 98K miles now......This week, while on 1000 mile road trip to so cal, heard what i thought was slow crank. sure enough Btty tested at 12.9 and the when running at 14.0.... so brought into Batteries Plus for load test. the 150.00 i spent in 9/2014 just paid for itself. Free replacement AGM for a shot AGM battery. (4 year replacement warranty) otherwise, i would have found a use for the 400 balance on my VW card.
 

YukonLT

Veteran Member - TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Location
N/A
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 6MT
My OEM battery lasted 5 years. Just replaced it this winter with a new Gel type from NAPA.
 

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.
Must work better if you never turn the car off!��
 

jekl843

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Location
CT
TDI
2011 Golf TDI (sold), 2002 Jetta TDI 5spd, 2017 GTI SE 6spd
After 5 years, 3 months and 119,000 miles chugging along in the Northeast, my original VW battery finally gave way to the forces of entropy. Finally was able to use the VW dealer card but goddamn it was pricey. $300 bucks out the door, $130 for the battery and $170 for labor to install it/core disposal. Talk about a ripoff.

**Also agree that once these start going, they go super fast. Had no warning signs at all, just wouldn't crank two mornings in a row.
 
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