Battery Dead, or something more sinister

[spanky1]

Bought my 2012 CPO (24k miles) in October 2018. Now twice in 5 days, I've tried to start the car, only to get the dreaded click. Had to jump it both times.

Here are a few questions:
-I've read that many of the CPO(fixed) cars get new batteries. Is this always the case? You'd like to hope that a 6 year old car would have gotten one. If not, are these covered under the 24-month warranty? Is there a date code on the battery so that I can see the manufacture date?

-On my 2003 TDI, I found out that the battery at the dealership was cheaper than most other places. Is that still the case?

-I've noticed that when I leave my lights on, and turn the key off, there is no audible alert, or dinging. I've never had a car that didn't let you know the lights were left on. Is this common with the 2012 VW?

 

[oilhammer]

I cannot say if your car should alert you if the lights were left on, may be one of the many things they left out of the cheapened NCS cars although that seems like a dumb thing to do since all the "stuff" to do that is already there.

The batteries have a date code. Sounds like yours is dead, regardless.

No idea if it is under warranty.

I would recommend getting one from the dealer.

 

[kjclow]

last one I bought was cheaper at Advance Auto than the dealer. Not by much so it depends on how close you are to one versus the other.

 

[pebjr]

If you purchased the car as a CPO in Oct 2018 the battery should be under warranty. You will only responsible for the $50 deductible.
$50 isnt too bad for a new battery.

 

[spanky1]

If you purchased the car as a CPO in Oct 2018 the battery should be under warranty. You will only responsible for the $50 deductible.
$50 isnt too bad for a new battery.

That's good to hear. I'd read somewhere that the battery wasn't covered, but wanted verification. I guess I could call the dealer, but I always find that painful.

 

[sandmansans]

There is a light chime. Perhaps yours was disabled by the previous owner.?

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[spanky1]

There is a light chime. Perhaps yours was disabled by the previous owner.?

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

Maybe so.

I generally don't care for most annoyance chirps, but leaving the lights on can cause lots of inconvenience, so I'll happily take the chirping.

 

[andreigbs]

On my '14, I found the negative terminal was loose on the battery. I just happened to touch it and saw it move freely, even though it was sitting squarely around the battery post.

Even so, an original '12 battery should be on its last legs.

And mine does chime if you leave the headlights on, but the chime is pretty muted and easy to dismiss if you're in a hurry to get out.

 

[spanky1]

After yet another non-start, I decided to take a look at the battery for a manufacture date.

Much to my surprise, the manufacture date was the 12th week of 2012. Yep, it's the original battery. I'm pretty unhappy that they sold a CPO VW in 9/2018 with a 6 1/2 year old battery. I've talked to the dealer and VWoA, and they are useless.

 

[andreigbs]

I guess they consider the battery a "normal wear and tear" item, to be replaced for CPO cars only if it doesn't pass the charge test (if they even did one).

At least now you know what it is. Replace and keep motoring on, don't dwell on it too much.

 

[spanky1]

If you purchased the car as a CPO in Oct 2018 the battery should be under warranty. You will only responsible for the $50 deductible.
$50 isnt too bad for a new battery.

Unfortunately, it's not covered.