Incorrect Battery from Dealership!!?!

[Bengoshi2000]

So my 02 Golf TDI needs a new battery. I bought one from the local VW dealership. Gave them my VIN and they brought me a battery. $190 out the door no core.

I’ll be dammed if it don’t look too small. 000915105DE is the part number. I googled it and I don’t think it’s the right one. If it’s correct, I’ll install it. If it’s wrong, what is the proper part number?

 

[benmarks]

I don't think that's officially the right battery. While some people here will say you can use other battery types, the official diesel battery is Group 94R.

I believe this is the current part number: 000915105DH

 

[benmarks]

The dealer is usually a good option for getting a good price. Another option I like to recommend is the 94R Duracell Platinum AGM battery. It is one of the only batteries you can find that is still made in the USA. It's a rebranded East Penn/Deka battery which is a company in Pennsylvania.

 

[jettawreck]

They probably supplied you with the battery for a TDI beetle. They were smaller.
It's not the "correct" one but if you don't live where it's really cold it would probably be fine. It starts the TDI beetles.....

 

[oilhammer]

That is TWO sizes too small. You need the 80Ah DH suffix bettery. You got the tiny 61Ah (there is also a 72Ah unit, which is what the TDI NBs use).

They sold you the wrong one, take it back and tell them you need the proper 80Ah unit.

Most all VAG products (save for the bigger Audis and Phaetons and T'regs and such) use the H5 (what you mistakingly got), the H6, or the H7 case configuration.

ALH and BEW G/J use the H7

ALH and BEW NB use the H6, as does the BHW B5 (the B5 can easily be upgraded to the H7 with a hold down swap, see my thread)

No TDIs use the H5.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I'm betting they didn't even bother to run your VIN.

 

[paul_cat]

FWIW I put an H8 in my ALH, had to discard the battery cover and make a tiny mod to the tray with a utility knife [extend rear base latching groove 1 extra inch], but it fits just fine and cranks well. Been in there for years now...

 

[pedroYUL]

My 2015 golf sportwagen came with a 61Ah battery, but very easy way to upgrade to the 72Ah size by just sliding the hold down bracket.

If you got a battery with no handles, then for sure it is way too small. Dealers are dumb.

 

[oilhammer]

The newer cars have smaller batteries, and I suspect it is a combination of cost cutting as well as the lower compression CR engines along with more sophisticated engine management might make them less stressful to start up in extreme conditions.

 

[benshaw]

fwiw, when i got the bew at 5 years old it had the original factory fit in it and it was iirc 56ah. i recall as it was so small ah.

i reckon its all they had left on the line.

 

[gearheadgrrrl]

My 2015 Golf TDI came with the 61AH H5, e-mailed selling dealer to see about replacement and parts guy insisted that was the correct battery despite Canadian 2015 Golf TDIs coming with H6s. He didn't know what an H5 or H6, etc. was, apparently VW just teaches them their part numbers. Then Costco changed their mind and decided the H6 would fit so I got an Interstate conventional H6 there.

 

[Mongler98]

So my 02 Golf TDI needs a new battery. I bought one from the local VW dealership. Gave them my VIN and they brought me a battery. $190 out the door no core.

I’ll be dammed if it don’t look too small. 000915105DE is the part number. I googled it and I don’t think it’s the right one. If it’s correct, I’ll install it. If it’s wrong, what is the proper part number?

Nearly 200 bucks for a battery? And they didnt put you on the right path or treat you right? Omg its impossible! And people are saying it's some times cheaper than box stores? Good god! You know costco even with a membership would save you nearly 100 bucks. And if you were frugal maybe even more. Average price for a battery on a decent deal for your car is about $75 bucks at 20 to 25% discount.
Last thread I got reamed for suggesting that oil hammers precious dealerships didnt have good deals! Looks like I was right! @oilhammer must not be pleased today! So what's a good price on a battery? Surely $190 and some bad service and a repeat visit is all worth the convenience of not shopping around and getting shistered Into an upsold chunk of lead and mostly water and some plastic.

 

[PakProtector]

The only time you get water, the rest of the 'active' bit is lead sulphate. Simplifying slightly, charged it is lead and sulfuric acid.

But anyway, I find H8's less expensive than H7's even though the 8's are bigger( more capacity and CCA ), so that is what goes in...
cheers,
Douglas

 

[paul_cat]

But anyway, I find H8's less expensive than H7's even though the 8's are bigger( more capacity and CCA ), so that is what goes in...
cheers,
Douglas

Yes indeed, I found that too so I chose the H8 as well...

 

[Mozambiquer]

Nearly 200 bucks for a battery? And they didnt put you on the right path or treat you right? Omg its impossible! And people are saying it's some times cheaper than box stores? Good god! You know costco even with a membership would save you nearly 100 bucks. And if you were frugal maybe even more. Average price for a battery on a decent deal for your car is about $75 bucks at 20 to 25% discount.
Last thread I got reamed for suggesting that oil hammers precious dealerships didnt have good deals! Looks like I was right! @oilhammer must not be pleased today! So what's a good price kn a battery? Surely $190 and some bad service and a repeat visit is all worth the convenience of not shopping around and getting shistered Into an unsold chunk of lead and water.

So, it's somehow oilhammer's fault that a dealership gave the wrong battery?
Sounds more like someone needs to learn how to be nice and not blast people all the time.

 

[Mongler98]

So, it's somehow oilhammer's fault that a dealership gave the wrong battery?
Sounds more like someone needs to learn how to be nice and not blast people all the time.

No and I didnt say that.

 

[mrGutWrench]

The dealerships sell me the correct battery (03 ALH, TDI JW, 545000 miles). Price usually $129 or so - they tend to last about 2 years. Not happy.

 

[CleverUserName]

The best deals on batteries is at NAPA. Their legend line is also made by East Penn and they regularly have 20% off sales and rebates.

Got 2 diesel AGM batteries for $120 each this year in august. Costco was $180 each…

 

[03TDICommuter]

The best deals on batteries is at NAPA. Their legend line is also made by East Penn and they regularly have 20% off sales and rebates.

Got 2 diesel AGM batteries for $120 each this year in august. Costco was $180 each…

Wow! That's a fantastic price! My beetle's battery is on the charger right now as the engine was cranking slow this morning after sitting for only 2 days. Yeah, it was 46 degrees out but that's not too cold. Current battery looks to be a Deka AGM.

 

[Gothmolly]

Had a similar problem, had to physically bring the battery in, stare-and-compare. Turns out the "right" battery had the wrong part number label attached!

 

[Ragdude]

My son purchased the "best" battery o'riellys had back in 9/20 (I was out of town) temps are now getting down in the mid 40's, and found out battery is shot.Pitiful

 

[Ragdude]

...
Average price for a battery on a decent deal for your car is about $75 bucks at 20 to 25% discount.
...

I'm curious, where are you shopping to find a $75.00 battery? Autozone' cheapest is $99. and probably not worth the effort of installing

 

[Mongler98]

I'm curious, where are you shopping to find a $75.00 battery? Autozone' cheapest is $99. and probably not worth the effort of installing

In a previous thread I mentioned this. It's not a go tomorrow deal. But usually you can get 25% off easily. There are times you can sneak up to 48% off. It's called shopping. Slickdeals.net is a good start.
Click through rebate sites. % on credit cards. Getting stores to compete on prices.
Its doable and a way of life.
Let's say advanced has a $40 off $150 or more. This actually used to be a thing online. Then ebates had an 8% cash back if you click though them. 5% on a credit card and another 10% for having your grandfather or military . Some filler items and you have a $160 battery for brings that to about 85 bucks.

There are only 3 manufacturers for car lead acid batteries. These get sold with ratings for QC and then unsold with branding and more marketing bs.
If you get a battery that is new in date and you know the inner workings on what really has poor QC and play the market for deals... a good battery can be had.

 

[CleverUserName]

In a previous thread I mentioned this. It's not a go tomorrow deal. But usually you can get 25% off easily. There are times you can sneak up to 48% off. It's called shopping. Slickdeals.net is a good start.
Click through rebate sites. % on credit cards. Getting stores to compete on prices.
Its doable and a way of life.
Let's say advanced has a $40 off $150 or more. This actually used to be a thing online. Then ebates had an 8% cash back if you click though them. 5% on a credit card and another 10% for having your grandfather or military . Some filler items and you have a $160 battery for brings that to about 85 bucks.

There are only 3 manufacturers for car lead acid batteries. These get sold with ratings for QC and then unsold with branding and more marketing bs.
If you get a battery that is new in date and you know the inner workings on what really has poor QC and play the market for deals... a good battery can be had.

Ever since AAP bought the Die Hard name a couple years ago they don’t give those discounts on branded batteries which are excluded. I think they are the same as the old autocraft branded batteries which were made by Johnson Controls but with the Die Hard name.

Yes it’s better to buy a battery before you get stranded. I monitor voltage after sitting for a couple days. When it drops below 12v on an AGM you know you’re on borrowed time and capacity is less than 20%. You can try a smart charger to see if it recovers but if it’s been a few years it’s probably done or has a bad cell. If you know you need one soon best to start looking for deals.

OP Sign up for NAPA rewards. They give $5 back for every $100 spent and notifications for sales or rebates or both.

$180 battery - 20% off - $20 MIR - $5 Napa Rewards = $119. I got 2 Napa Legend AGMs for this price, an H8 and H7 back in August.

 

[Nero Morg]

Just throwing it out there, Cummins now sells batteries, got mine for $84 plus core charge, if cost of battery is really an issue.

 

[Diesel Fumes]

My car had a real small battery when I bought it. Not sure on the specs. But I haven't had any issues yet. I usually plug the frost heater in below zero and even at like -25c it will fire up perfectly fine.

What exactly am I missing out on by not having the biggest battery? Is there things that prematurely kill a smaller battery like maybe glow plugs running during the warming up of an engine? Coolant glow plugs (which I don't even have).

 

[turbodieseldyke]

What exactly am I missing out on by not having the biggest battery?

Nothing, for now. Keep using yours til it quits. When it's time to buy a new one, get the biggest one for the best price.

 

[benmarks]

Your FrostHeater is probably helping to mask the main issue you might experience, which is the ability to turn on the engine in cold weather, i.e. the CCA rating or "cold cranking amps." You could potentially have issues if you're somewhere where you can't use your FrostHeater.

 

[oilhammer]

The current list price from Volkswagen for a proper H7 type battery for the OP's ALH Golf is $180. 000-915-105-DH. This is the REAL one, not the "eco" one. I cannot comment on the pricing structure or ability of some other dealer to sell the correct one, nor if they price gouge, nor if some state has some crazy environmental tax on batteries (our state has a small tax, but it is very little).

Pricing is all over the place right now, but just for comparison: Wal-mart's version of the H7 is $164. Autozone's "cheap" version is $192.

I don't know what these prices were like a year ago, but in case anyone has been living under a rock, EVERYTHING has gone up in the past year. I stand by my statement that the dealer battery (the correct one, at the correct price) is a decent deal. Not only do ALL of my own Volkswagens have them, but we sell a couple dozen of them (at least) every year, with good results. Although, as part of a normal checkover, if I am replacing a battery in a car, I thoroughly check the car for potential parasitic drains, which for VAG products is VERY commonly found in door latches, often without the owner even knowing.

So if you are having a chronic battery problem, there is a reason.

 

[jayb79]

I picked up an H8 battery about 2 weeks ago at Home Depot for $119. The best deal I could find. For the H7 battery (smaller) it was $139. The H8 is a tight fit in my Golf but it does fit. This new H8 was shoehorned into my F150, again a tight fit but it goes.