Battery - "must buy now" question/help

[UNsweet]

OK, last night I accidentally left the little plug in heater running while I ran into the store.... dead, no attempt at cranking after about 45 minutes. Called roadside, after laughing at his first attempt to jump it with a whimsy little thing he had apparently used multiple times that day.... he caved and did the jumper cables. WHich was also potentially a joke in his little 90's Nissan truck (apparently, I should have mentioned it was a diesel to the roadside person....).

So all was well once it started, I never thought to put my scan gauge on the battery gauge - but we went to another store and it sat a bit and started right up. Mind you, it was FREEZING last night (close to literal) and I only drove about 2-3 miles max after the jump.

Went to go at 5pm today to take the kids to get a couple of things and it was dead... had to let my boyfriends econoline run for awhile before it would even start even when the scan gauge was showing 13.2 volts. Did the "dump the kids at the door and let them shop" thing for fear of waiting with them for another jump.

I did put the scan gauge to the battery voltage and it was about 13.2-5 while I was driving around the parking lot, with some drops to 12.9. When I got home I turned it off and restarted it and it dropped to 10.9 when the scan gauge read it. I expect it will need to be jumped tomorrow morning too (great, have to go to Sam's CLub at 7am).

So, here it is 7pm on Sunday... tomorrow is CHristmas Eve. I have a 20% off coupon for parts from the dealer... that is 60 miles away. I don't have TIME to do that tomorrow.

We have a new dealership here in town - I was thinking I could call them and see if they would honor the other dealers coupon to snag my business, it couldn't hurt right?

Otherwise, it is Auto Zone, Sam's Club, Walmart... honestly, the timing sucks and I need to do it as cheap as possible. But obviously because of the timing of the holiday - time is important too.

I"m trying to remember what the date on the battery is (OEM) - I want to say 06 or 08. I hear FL kills batteries....

I think I just saw a thread that says I need a 48R battery? Darnit, I should have written that down.

Anyway, I do have a glow plug CEL, but that is it. Given the fact that i killed it, and it has been slow to start on cold mornings (longer crank time), i'm going with the battery is the culprit.

The biggest question is - what will the WM vs dealer battery cost be... and why can't i figure out how to use my coupon!

 

[flee]

Your battery is between 4 and 7 years old so it is probably due for replacement.
Your alternator is working so that's good.
Florida is not as hard on batteries as, say, Canada!
The dealer will at least have the right battery so try to get a deal out of them.

 

[DIXIEDOG]

I bought mine at the VW dealer, the price was fair and the factory battery is pretty heavy on reserve capacity.

 

[roadhard1960]

O'Reillys has Varta batteries (probably not branded as Varta) which is the same maker that was in my car when new. http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=263027&highlight=Battery if you scroll down a bit you will see a battery chart.

 

[Ol'Rattler]

Before you replace the battery, you should charge it on a battery charger over night. The alternator alone will not restore a battery that has been run flat to a full charge.

The best reason to go to a dealers is that if you have them look up your battery by VIN # there is zero chance of being sold a battery for a gasser. Some aftermarket battery charts don't even differentiate between a gasser battery and a TDI battery. Also, the dealer price for battery's isn't all that bad, either.

 

[paramedick]

Group 48 indeed. The Walmart batteries are fine.

Around here, the dealers gouge on the battery prices. $160, ouch!

 

[mountain-valleymotors]

The Wal-Mart batteries are not fine. Unless they only need to work for about a year. At my shop we have replaced more Wal-Mart batteries than I can count that were nothing but junk and didn't even last to half of their advertised life. The customers could have gone back to Wal-Mart and gotten some warranty help but they didn't want another Wal-Mart battery.

Advance and AutoZone batteries are not much better unless you get their premium label batteries. Napa and Federated stores carry some decent batteries.

 

[OlyTDI]

Check the battery threads -- consensus has been that oem has performed excellently and is sometimes the best price compared to aftermarket. Plus it's the right battery and fits. One of the few things you should ever go to the stealership for.

 

[DIXIEDOG]

Group 48 indeed. The Walmart batteries are fine.

Around here, the dealers gouge on the battery prices. $160, ouch!

Ouch , mine was $80 at the dealer.

 

[david_594]

Group 48 indeed. The Walmart batteries are fine.

Around here, the dealers gouge on the battery prices. $160, ouch!

I'm about 3 years in on my Walmart battery and it still seems to be working just fine. N=1 though.

 

[Joe_Meehan]

The Wal-Mart batteries are not fine. Unless they only need to work for about a year. At my shop we have replaced more Wal-Mart batteries than I can count that were nothing but junk and didn't even last to half of their advertised life. The customers could have gone back to Wal-Mart and gotten some warranty help but they didn't want another Wal-Mart battery.

Advance and AutoZone batteries are not much better unless you get their premium label batteries. Napa and Federated stores carry some decent batteries.

I have had to replace Wal-Mart batteries three times (in the last 10+ years.) Or should I say Wal-Mart replaced them. They even pointed out that it was still covered under warranty (I was about a month left)

I have not had any problems with them in Ohio winters.

Note: Those references to Wal-Mart should read Sam's Club. My bad

I would not call them junk, but I would say they gave very good service.

 

[scooperhsd]

New Beetle TDI - You should get a Group 48 battery (not the group 47 that goes on gassers) - be sure to TELL the place that this is for the 1.9 L 4 cylinder.

And yes - I recommend the battery from the VW dealer as well - will work and in most places - is a pretty good value.

Also - if you do go to a non-VW place - they need to unbolt the power steering fluid tank to get the battery out.

While you have it out - check your battery terminals for corrosion as well.

 

[white95v6]

the dealers around here was the cheapest place to get a battery. soo i got OEM.

 

[MattRabbit]

My car is a 2001, and I replaced my original battery with a dealer battery at 7 years old. That is the longest I've ever had a car battery last. This one is nearly 5 years old with little sign that it's slowing down.

OEM seems to be fairly high quality!

 

[yakfish]

I think Wal-mart batteries are just fine. The reason there seems to be a high failure rate is due the to volume of batteries they sell. There are probably nearly as many Walmart batteries as everything else out there. I have purchased several over the years and none of them have given me any issues. I have one in my other car that has been in there for nearly 5 years now and it is still strong. I am needing to replace the battery in me Jetta soon and I will most likely be getting a walmart battery for it.

 

[UNsweet]

Well, Walmart was out last night. However, the can started this morning just fine - sat from 10-7:15pm. Then wouldn't start at 1pm. Ugh. However, not enough to zero my trip odometer, just wouldn't start the car.

So at this point I will call and get the prices at the two dealers, i had my mom turn her van around in case I need a jump to get home. Drove for about 25 minutes and it never got over 13.9 volts.

However.... I did finally remember to look at the date. Ugh. October 09. The car was only driven about 7k miles a year before i got it, so I'm not sure if the helped run it down?? It only has 79k on it total.

We have to go to Orlando this week anyway, and I won't have kids with me so it won't be as much of an issue if I need a jump in between.

Have a great holiday if you are celebrating!!

 

[flee]

UNsweet, as previously stated by Ol'Rattler, I recommend an overnight charge on a good charger.
You might be able to borrow one (people are always borrowing them from me)!
That will give it a fair test. If it holds a charge, you win. Merry Christmas

 

[VeeDubTDI]

Just picked up an 80Ah battery from the local dealer for $125 after core rebate ($141 - $16). Apparently the large 80 has been superceded in the parts catalog by the 72Ah that the New Beetles used and you have to specifically request the larger battery.

Part number suffix for the 80Ah is "DH" while the suffix for the 72Ah is "DG" ... the dealer wanted $120 for the 72Ah.

 

[Ol'Rattler]

UNsweet, I recommend an overnight charge on a good charger. You might be able to borrow one (people are always borrowing them from me)!
That will give it a fair test. If it holds a charge, you win. Merry Christmas

I feel like I recommended that. Even if a new battery is run flat, the charging system will have a hard time bringing the battery up to a full charge without some help.

Rule #1. If you run your battery completely flat, charge it to a full charge with a battery charger and then have it tested before you assume the battery is shot.

 

[revgov]

OEM from the dealer.

 

[UNsweet]

I feel like I recommended that. Even if a new battery is run flat, the charging system will have a hard time bringing the battery up to a full charge without some help.

Rule #1. If you run your battery completely flat, charge it to a full charge with a battery charger and then have it tested before you assume the battery is shot.

I"m 99% sure I don't have access to a battery charger though.

It would be great if it worked though.... then I can take the $100 i got for CHristmas and buy a dishwasher since that died at Thanksgiving (the age that it is even my ex that co-owns the house said it wasn't worth putting more money into it). 6 more months of this full-time student, always poor gig.

I sent the ex a text on the battery charger.... but the last time I asked about it he told me what to buy.

 

[UNsweet]

Jenkins VW.... $120 for the DG battery, plus $50 installation.

WM $99 or 119... free installation.

Sams Club $88.... free installation

3 years vs 6 years? I dunno..... this one is dated 10/09 and i'm a poor-single-mom-full-time-student at the moment!

 

[navyboy65]

Hey I had to chime in as I am looking at possibly getting a new battery for my jetta. Pretty sure it is the orginal my car came with (car made 03/2003) I only have just under 60K and am the second owner as of 10/2005 and never changed the battery. And acording to my battery tester the cca is about 340(should be 640) or my DIN is 190-200 (should be 380). Still starts the car fine but obviously the readouts are not good and being almost 10 years old doesn't help. I do have a desulfator that I have one the battery (battery minder 12v) and am sure its been helping!

Anyways, Current battery says Varta (does have vw and the audi emblem stamped near the negative terminal. 1J0915105AG - superceeded to 191915105AB

The funny thing is all of you saying stay OEM, which in my case is a Varta, but when you go to Varta atomotive (http://www.varta-automotive.com/index.php?id=3) right near the top Left it says VARTA by Johnson Controls. When I googled "who makes durlast batteries" I got Johnson Controls (http://bestbatterytips.com/tags/who-makes-duralast-batteries/). Johnson Controls also makes the walmart everstart, interstate, diehard , and many more (check out the bestbatterytips link and scroll down!
So if this information is accurate, OEM = Varta = Johnson Controls = any brand under Johnson Controls. So one could buy the best priced battery meeting the minimum requirements or upgrade. I will agree that the dealer could have the best price - list for the 191915105AB is around $150 where as the auto parts stores are around 155-180 for a 94 series battery. If you like me and the nearest VW dealer is over an hour drive away you may want to buy from a autoparts store or something closer incase you need to use the warranty!
Sorry if this info doesen't directly help those who can't use the 94 series battery, but the battery manufacturing info may help!

 

[paramedick]

I was at Walmart last night pricing a new battery for Eric. Some changes here. They no longer sell a battery under the 94R size listing. New info below.

Everstart MAXX H7. 36 month free replacement. $119.00

 

[Curious Chris]

I was at Walmart last night pricing a new battery for Eric. Some changes here. They no longer sell a battery under the 94R size listing. New info below.

Everstart MAXX H7. 36 month free replacement. $119.00

It is funny how the world is. The H7 is the DIN size for the Group 94R battery. http://www.dekabatteries.com/assets/base/0379.pdf

 

[ecodean]

My original battery died after seven years so I replaced it with OEM from the dealer. I just replaced that battery, it wouldn't hold a charge, actually it would not even take a charge and was only three years old. Now I'm running a Walmart battery. So in my experience, OEM gets a thumbs down.

 

[paramedick]

It is funny how the world is. The H7 is the DIN size for the Group 94R battery. http://www.dekabatteries.com/assets/base/0379.pdf

Probably easier in the Johnson control factory that makes it...............you know, the one that makes the OEM Varta and Interstate batteries. They've called the correct Interstate battery H7 for years.

 

[Wksg]

Replaced my battery last January, it was still the original battery after 9.5 years and 390K miles. It was still working, but cranking slow in the cold. Went to the dealer and got the same exact thing, $125.

 

[gotsoot]

Which would you rather have? Lead interstate or wal-mart sodium chloride.

 

[paramedick]

Which would you rather have? Lead interstate or wal-mart sodium chloride.

What does salt have to do with this discussion???