How long did your battery last?

ezshift5

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2003
Location
West Coast
TDI
2013 JSW TDI (Enroute BB).......2017 Jetta 1.4 turbo 5M ....................
....would I be correct in stating Batteries Plus offers a hellacious 'deal'?

Hint................the above is inferred from Mighty Mouse' post............


ez (still impressed w/VW's proposed buyback................)
 

YukonLT

Veteran Member - TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Location
N/A
TDI
2010 Golf TDI 6MT
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.
Wow, that $$$ amount is crazy.
 

jekl843

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Location
CT
TDI
2011 Golf TDI (sold), 2002 Jetta TDI 5spd, 2017 GTI SE 6spd
Wow, that $$$ amount is crazy.
Tell me about it!! I typically would negotiate or just walk away (considering it takes all of 10 minutes to replace a battery yourself). I do all maintenance on the car myself and have a local indie shop do the harder stuff. But since I plan on letting VW buy it back and don't have much use for that dealer card, I figure I'd let them gouge me... and boy did I get gouged! :rolleyes:
 

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
every price is a good deal.

sometimes for the customer,

sometimes for the salesman.
 

gmcjetpilot

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Location
Memphis TN
TDI
2010 JSW TDI DSG Matalic Grey
Originally Posted by jekl843
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.
Wow, that $$$ amount is crazy.
$170 to install ha ha.... The $130 battery price is not bad... However the battery our VW's came with are the lowest grade, and if that is the same quality sold at dealer as a replacement battery, $130 is a rip off. You can get a better quality battery for less. BOSH makes good batteries, but the one from the factory is their bottom-O-barrel model.

I remember going way back, 40 years up to about 12 years ago, a good battery was never more than $35-$50 and price was pretty consistent. Last battery I bought for the VW $89. Now I am seeing best prices at WallyWorld.... about $117. Cost of meeting environmental regulations, cost of manufacturing are driving factors. In third world countries it is literally a "cottage industry" smelting down old battery lead. Not good for those folks.
 
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Alan Drake

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Location
N of Boston
TDI
2015 DSG
Nov 2010 jette, just replaced battery, 10/17/16, however it was acting up a month before. Now have lights on the dash and can not turn Off! Told to go to Stealer and pay to have reset. Just about to turn car in under court case and look at other VW's, now I'll go to Honda. What a . . . . . (four leter words deleted)
 

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.
Since you just replaced the battery, the lights may go off after so many starts. I don't remember if it's 10 or 15 starts.
 

MoparGreg

Veteran Member
Joined
May 28, 2010
Location
Michiana
TDI
2010 JSW DSG
2010 JSW, 83k miles, purchased 5-10, not sure of build date, battery still going strong. Put a "Schu..... Battery Maintainer" on it last winter, as it gets little use January-February, and plan on doing it again this winter. Will replace it when the cranking speeds slow down. Don't want to get caught anywhere but at home when the battery dies.

Greg
 

Alan Drake

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Location
N of Boston
TDI
2015 DSG
Greg, same car same millage! The cranking speed did not slow down. The week before battery died it took more than the normal cranking time (some say the CPU does not see sufficient voltage & will not start) That never happened again until the day before when again it needed more cranking time, parked car for night. Next morning no cranking, no start. So do not shoot your self in the foot, naturally looks who's talking.
 

MoparGreg

Veteran Member
Joined
May 28, 2010
Location
Michiana
TDI
2010 JSW DSG
Alan,

Thanks for the heads up. Still have normal short crank to start time, but will keep your experience in mind.

Greg
 

jesssssser

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2016
Location
Buffalo
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagen ~118K
Alan Drake and MoparGreg, I'm also in the same boat!

Just did my 80K service. Given the info in this thread, I'm planning on replacing the battery before winter sets in.
 

Killabee228

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Location
Shelby, IA
TDI
2013 Sportwagen manual
Mine lasted 3 years (I'm at 92k miles now though). Tried to start it one day and the HID's started flickering and if I turned on the brights the radio would turn off.

I replaced it with a 730CCA O'Reilly Auto battery.
 

showdown 42

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Location
naples,FL
TDI
2016 TDI touareg
Mine is a 09 and still going fine. I will replace it this spring since it is stored for the winter. Can the battery just be replaced or does it screw up all the internal computers? I have a device using a 9v plug into the cigarette lighter plug that is suppose to keep enough current to prevent a total electrical shutdown. I've never tried it out.
 

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.
Only issue I've run into on replacing the battery is having to reset the clock. Oh, and possibly loosing the miles since last reset on the odometer.
 

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
the lighter plug is not connected with the car turned off.

better off to just shut the doors and leave everything turned off.

couple dash lights will come on and clear as soon as you drive a bit.

power windows may need to be run up and down.

and, as indicated, reset the clock, and know various miles/average miles mpg......... will reset.
 

newbury

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2003
Location
Fairfax, VA/Fulton, MS
TDI
2009 JSW
I replaced my battery before it failed after five years. Cost me $140 total at the dealer.
Mine was an 09 bought Dec' 08. Died about two months ago. VW dealer had a $100 special plus $15 core charge. I'm planning on keeping the new battery and selling the car back with the old battery.
Mine is a 09 and still going fine. I will replace it this spring since it is stored for the winter. Can the battery just be replaced or does it screw up all the internal computers? I have a device using a 9v plug into the cigarette lighter plug that is suppose to keep enough current to prevent a total electrical shutdown. I've never tried it out.
Since I replaced it the DA@& alarm has been going off sometimes when the key fob was near. I took the battery out of the key fob today.
 

crashtested

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2010
Location
Nelson, BC
TDI
2016 Q5 TDI Technik, 2014 GSW CL 6MT (RIP), 2004 Jetta GLS 5MT (sold), 2010 GSW HL 6MT (buy back)
4yrs almost to the day.
 

DerekG

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
'13 4dr Golf TDI 6-speed manual
Still on my original battery from 2013. No signs of weakness yet, but it's been mostly garage kept. We'll see how it does this winter.
 

ihatespeed

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Location
holbrook, ma
TDI
11 tdi wagon 6mt 15 golf 6mt (Wife's) 2000 Ford 350 7.3l 6mt 4x4 (technically a TDI)
Mine finally died, date code on the battery was 34th week of 2010, so original battery and it lasted right at 8 years, died pretty suddenly, couple sluggish starts then would not take a charge at all. got another vw battery, figured why not, price was 170, about half way between the cheap and expensive auto zone choices. Cary Jumper cables
 

vincej

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Location
Calgary
TDI
2014 Golf Wagon
First one in VW six months and then replaced on warranty. Probably it was run down and then frozen while sitting on the lot waiting to be sold.

Ford battery in 64 Rambler car coming up to 21 years and still going. It sits on a piece of plywood because it overhangs the battery box and stays connected in the car unused over winter in an unheated garage. So far it has been starting every spring for a new season of driving.
 

piotrsko

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Location
Reno Nv
TDI
2013 Golf, 2000 F-250 (7.3)
5 years 2 months on my ownership, perhaps 6 months sitting at stealership because nobody wants a 6 spd stick in CA. WALLYWORLD replacement 119.75.

Wife got glow plug warning couple of times on cold mornings, was clueless otherwise. She is famous for " IT wouldn't start" when I ask her how she got home.

Might have to buy new car now because it might now be "unreliable" anymore.
 
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mickyTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Location
Longford, Ireland
My fathers 14 year old Passat 1.9 TDI still on original battery. It’s only a 63ah , quite small. Starts any cold frosty morning.
My own Passat 4 years old that came with an AGM battery due to the start stop system has noticably become weaker in cold weather, on it’s way out.
 
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