Replaced my battery today

[edge130]

Had to replace the battery on the 2009 Jetta tdi today.
Saturday it would't turn over.
Thought something was left on, put the battery charger on it, noticed the ammeter stayed up on high end, never really tapering downward, as it would on a discharged, but healthy battery.
Took off the charger and the voltage on the battery measured 10.7v
I was just barely able to start the car.
Voltage reading with engine running was 13.9v
Drove car around area returned and again measured 10.7v
I figured the dealer would be a grave mistake, but the parts guy told me the new battery would be $115.00
I thought that was not that bad a price to pay for a new battery.
The old battery was Enertec 1J0 915 105 AF
New battery was Enertec 000 915 105 DG
My concern was that any other brand of new battery might not fit inside the fabric heat shield that surrounds the battery and has a flap that overs the top of the battery.
The new battery was the same size.

I thought replacing the battery would be difficult, but wound up not so bad at all.
I removed the negative and positive leads.
I found that by just moving a small hose before the mass air sensor, I was able to get a 13mm socket in there with a large extention. I did not have to remove the air filter box, nor open the top of the air filter box. I loosened the bolt till it was free, then was able to use a magnetic pick up tool to retrieve the bolt and hold down bracket.
I lifted the battery out, lifted off the fabric heat shield.

What I noticed here for future reference, it appears that you could remove the battery tray and then have access to the DSG filter. I don't see the need to take the air filter box off the car to access the DSG filter then.
I cleaned off the battery tray, placed the battery in, was able to place the hold down bracket in place. I used the old trick of adding a piece of thick paper around the bolt head to make a tight fit in the socket. This way you don't loose the bolt when inserting it and tightening it.
Slid the fabric heat shield over the new battery, replaced the cables and was back in business.
When I turned in the battery for the core deposit, the parts lady told me the battery had a 5 year warranty, 2 years free replacement, 3 years pro rated.

 

[Ol'Rattler]

Did the dealer look the battery P/N up by VIN? Some TDI owners have been sold gasser battery's which don't work well in a TDI when the weather gets cold. The new battery should have an AH (ampere Hour) rating of 72.

Added: Google is your friend. Worldipex list your replacement battery as the correct model for a TDI.

 

[edge130]

I always hand the parts guy the VIN number on paper when I go there.

Yes, it was the 72ah battery.

Since reading some posts I see that there is an 80 ah battery that some other models use. I wonder if that battery would fit as well, if it were the same physical size.

 

[oilhammer]

It isn't, and it won't. Unless you get the longer battery cover, which as far as I can tell was not available on any US-bound car so the dealer cannot order one for you.

 

[Henrick]

You old battery failure seems to be early and strange.
Did you check the water level in the cells (regulary)?
Did you check the electrolyte density?
Did you have a pint of beer after successful battery swap?

 

[meerschm]

you need to pull that battery tray to get to the DSG filter. (or at least break it loose and lift it)

this is even after pulling the air filter and feed hose out of the way.

( in my experience anyway....)

 

[Ol'Rattler]

You old battery failure seems to be early and strange.
Did you check the water level in the cells (regulary)?
Did you check the electrolyte density?
Did you have a pint of beer after successful battery swap?

At least since since my 2006, the cell covers are covered over by a decal and Bentley's claims the only maintenance for the battery is replacement once the electrolyte boils away. (Maintenance Free).

Everyone that has one of these ridiculous "Maintenance Free" batteries (other car brands,as well) should pull those stupid decals off and check their electrolyte level.

Good call on having a pint AFTER maintenance is done..............

 

[Henrick]

At least since since my 2006, the cell covers are covered over by a decal and Bentley's claims the only maintenance for the battery is replacement once the electrolyte boils away. (Maintenance Free).

Everyone that has one of these ridiculous "Maintenance Free" batteries (other car brands,as well) should pull those stupid decals off and check their electrolyte level.

Good call on having a pint AFTER maintenance is done..............

Indeed. Sometimes you nedd to peel the labels off to get access to the cells.

The only "Maintenance free" battery I have seen was Bosch S4 series (IIRC) which had solid plastic on the top of the battery. I have spent around 25 minutes trying to take apart that plastic but didn't find any proper way to do that without cutting or excessive prying.

Oh, FWIW, and no driving for the next 4-or-so hours after the beer!

 

[antonylj]

Sorry if im jumping in but "If" I found the same size battery with a higher Ah rating, would the car start any better? cos my 2004 2.0 tdi can be a slow starter sometimes.

 

[edge130]

I did peel the labels back.
I did check the water level and it seemed OK.
I measured the sp gr of one cell- very weak- 11.70 I recall.
I also saw thru the battery case a 1/4" size white colored mass of some sort.Perhaps that was killing the cell.
New battery has been OK so far, its been about a week since I replaced it.
Actually I did have a beer when I finished. The sun was beating down on my back!

 

[LarBear]

Did you clean the terminals on the battery and the clamps? Battery terminals can get a coating of lead oxide on them and along with whatever might be on the inside of the clamps can cause poor charging. A poor connection between the terminals and clamps on the original battery could also have been the cause of that batteries early death too. Terminal and clamp brushes are inexpensive and last a long time. If used at every battery change the battery should last for 5 or 6 years at least, assuming it's a good battery.

Otherwise you have a charging system problem, although if the ammeter was showing high output I'd bet that the charge wasn't making it to the battery.

 

[tdiatlast]

Did you clean the terminals on the battery and the clamps? Battery terminals can get a coating of lead oxide on them and along with whatever might be on the inside of the clamps can cause poor charging. A poor connection between the terminals and clamps on the original battery could also have been the cause of that batteries early death too. Terminal and clamp brushes are inexpensive and last a long time. If used at every battery change the battery should last for 5 or 6 years at least, assuming it's a good battery.

Otherwise you have a charging system problem, although if the ammeter was showing high output I'd bet that the charge wasn't making it to the battery.

While I agree that with you that 5-6 years "should" be the normal lifespan of a modern auto battery, it seems that some OEM batteries in the CR TDIs are failing at around 3 years...mine included. Yes, fluid was checked regularly, but under load, voltage dropped rapidly.

 

[jjblbi]

At the risk of jinxing myself...'06 BRM and it has the original battery at 206k miles. One start each weekday morning with a ~70 mile commute repeated late each afternoon. Terminals cleaned every 40k with DSG service, no water added to date.

 

[oilhammer]

While I agree that with you that 5-6 years "should" be the normal lifespan of a modern auto battery, it seems that some OEM batteries in the CR TDIs are failing at around 3 years...mine included. Yes, fluid was checked regularly, but under load, voltage dropped rapidly.

That seems to be what we are seeing here, too. I wonder if the frequent fan run ons are just taking their toll on the battery that isn't any bigger than what they had before.

 

[Henrick]

At the risk of jinxing myself...'06 BRM and it has the original battery at 206k miles. One start each weekday morning with a ~70 mile commute repeated late each afternoon. Terminals cleaned every 40k with DSG service, no water added to date.

I think it's time to check the water level and probably add it if needed. And your battery might reach 412k mile mark

 

[ZeroCool]

Has anyone tried putting in the Optima yellow or red top batteries into their TDIs?

 

[jjblbi]

I think it's time to check the water level and probably add it if needed. And your battery might reach 412k mile mark

I do actually verify the electrolyte level through the case, it has remained between the high and low marks. I will add if and when needed.

 

[dano0726]

2006 with 77K miles

Just replaced the VW (2nd one) battery again at 77K miles...bought a NAPA for $102

 

[grindMARC]

The bracket is made to be left in place during the removal. Just loosen it up about 5 turns and pull the battery out. If you have a 2nd person around to hold the bracket up, you could probably install the battery with the bracket still bolted on. I could get my hand down by the firewall and under the air intake to put the bracket and bolt on. The paper trick is a good idea.

Had to replace the battery on the 2009 Jetta tdi today.
Saturday it would't turn over.
Thought something was left on, put the battery charger on it, noticed the ammeter stayed up on high end, never really tapering downward, as it would on a discharged, but healthy battery.
Took off the charger and the voltage on the battery measured 10.7v
I was just barely able to start the car.
Voltage reading with engine running was 13.9v
Drove car around area returned and again measured 10.7v
I figured the dealer would be a grave mistake, but the parts guy told me the new battery would be $115.00
I thought that was not that bad a price to pay for a new battery.
The old battery was Enertec 1J0 915 105 AF
New battery was Enertec 000 915 105 DG
My concern was that any other brand of new battery might not fit inside the fabric heat shield that surrounds the battery and has a flap that overs the top of the battery.
The new battery was the same size.

I thought replacing the battery would be difficult, but wound up not so bad at all.
I removed the negative and positive leads.
I found that by just moving a small hose before the mass air sensor, I was able to get a 13mm socket in there with a large extention. I did not have to remove the air filter box, nor open the top of the air filter box. I loosened the bolt till it was free, then was able to use a magnetic pick up tool to retrieve the bolt and hold down bracket.
I lifted the battery out, lifted off the fabric heat shield.

What I noticed here for future reference, it appears that you could remove the battery tray and then have access to the DSG filter. I don't see the need to take the air filter box off the car to access the DSG filter then.
I cleaned off the battery tray, placed the battery in, was able to place the hold down bracket in place. I used the old trick of adding a piece of thick paper around the bolt head to make a tight fit in the socket. This way you don't loose the bolt when inserting it and tightening it.
Slid the fabric heat shield over the new battery, replaced the cables and was back in business.
When I turned in the battery for the core deposit, the parts lady told me the battery had a 5 year warranty, 2 years free replacement, 3 years pro rated.

 

[Ol'Rattler]

Has anyone tried putting in the Optima yellow or red top batteries into their TDIs?

Both are a bad choice for a TDI. IIRC, the yellow is a deep cycle battery, for use in RV's and the red is a cranking type battery but doesn't have the AH rating required for TDI's and makes for hard starting in cold weather.

I had a red Optima in my gasser Jetta, and it worked great in that application.

The battery the dealer sells, if looked up by VIN to make sure it is the right one, does have the correct AH rating and is cheaper than an Optima.