VW Battery Warranty

[993er]

I called the dealer yesterday and asked about the battery warranty since I could find no mention of it in the manuals received with my new car.

4 years according to them which is what the vehicle is warrantied for. And if it is, batteries are usually pro-rated after the first or second year.

I doubt that because batteries and tires are usually covered by a separate warranty.

Has anyone found that in writing in the maintenance and warranty book?

 

[Savageman69]

id like to know also, my 2011 battery is failing when its cold it will hardly crank via the sight glass looks to be empty.

Any one know the specs on the factory battery?...if its not covered im surly not using another oem one seeing quality has gone to crap....time for an odyssey i guess

 

[imo000]

A sample size of one is not enough to say a product is bad. If the dealer said it's 4 years then why isn't that good enough?

 

[Savageman69]

there are plenty others with mk6s with poor battery life ....it has been documented its no longer the same brand of battery used in older models and the quality is poor

 

[deflux]

id like to know also, my 2011 battery is failing when its cold it will hardly crank via the sight glass looks to be empty.

Any one know the specs on the factory battery?...if its not covered im surly not using another oem one seeing quality has gone to crap....time for an odyssey i guess

When I had my last car I got two odyssey batteries that were defective. The first one wouldn't even start the car, so I returned it and the second one lasted a couple weeks and then it wouldn't even hold a charge anymore.

It's just a gamble whether you get a good one or not. I don't believe the brand matters anymore.

 

[993er]

...sight glass looks to be empty.

Well it should look "black" according to the label on the battery.

The VW battery in my 2013 is Made in Mexico by Enertec. Having worked with evaluating batteries and battery chargers prior to retiring, I never heard of them, but then they could be under Johnson Controls, Enersys, etc.

Click on link to view a large sized pic of battery along with markings on labels.

Any one know the specs on the factory battery?...time for an odyssey i guess

See battery label. CCA is not listed though.

Don't bet on an Odyssey. In fact for everyday automotive use, I will always buy a flooded lead acid battery. I purposely stay away from AGM and GEL batteries for this application.

Also note you can top this battery up with distilled water after removing the labels. Your battery might be low...but use distilled water.

 

[993er]

I guess I should have mentioned East Penn batteries.

I went with them for my other car. And they had a FLA and AGM for my car...I chose the FLA.

Pics of an East Penn group 48 flooded lead acid battery.

 

[deflux]

They must use at least two different batteries. We have a 2013 that came from the factory with a Varta battery. I've never heard of Entertec either.

 

[DumpInfo]

I just changed my battery over the weekend and failed to ask about battery warranty. I will once I take my old Varta battery back. I also picked up was an Enertec.

 

[993er]

We have a 2013 that came from the factory with a Varta battery.

Where does the label say the battery is made?

 

[Uberhare]

Replaced my factory battery last winter. Car is a 2005

 

[yatzee]

batteries are covered 4/80. Had 1 replaced on a previous car during the base warranty.

 

[Savageman69]

See battery label. CCA is not listed though.

Don't bet on an Odyssey. In fact for everyday automotive use, I will always buy a flooded lead acid battery. I purposely stay away from AGM and GEL batteries for this application.

Also note you can top this battery up with distilled water after removing the labels. Your battery might be low...but use distilled water.

Why avoid agm or gel?...I have an odyssey in my atv and couldnt be happier with it strong, deep cycle and sits out in the elements for the last 5 years and works great.

 

[993er]

Why avoid agm or gel?

For starters, a particular battery type needs to be matched up to a particular charging system. Car manufacturers even play it safe and pick an alternator with voltage regulator that tends to be low (14.0 to 14.2V) from what I have seen (both my cars and my motorcycle for example). Thats a bit low for even a FLA or AGM battery, but fine for a GEL.

Then some battery types are more forgiving than others if overcharged which can easily happen when it is hot and the voltage regulator does not compensate. An AGM and GEL are not forgiving at all to overcharging. I can overcharge my FLA battery and top it up as necessary. You cannot top up an AGM or GEL and they will gas if overcharged.

I prefer a FLA battery because it can be maintained and because I got 15+ years out of my last two.

 

[Little Joe]

My 04 Ram 3500 still has original batteries. It has a battery temp sensor on driverside battery that controls voltage output from ECM regulator.
The colder it is outside the higher the charge voltage (as high as 14.8-14.9). It must work to extend battery life as I have never had batteries last this long.
Best previous record was 9 years from a Delco (OEM) in a 01 Corolla.

 

[imo000]

there are plenty others with mk6s with poor battery life ....it has been documented its no longer the same brand of battery used in older models and the quality is poor

Internet forums are a poor source for any data. They represent a very small fraction of the population. Just because a few people post about it, it doesn't mean much.

 

[993er]

It has a battery temp sensor on driverside battery that controls voltage output from ECM regulator.

That is the correct way but very rarely used method to control battery charge voltages.

Most if not all voltage regulators in our cars have temperature compensation, but that is the temperature at the alternator and not at the battery where it should be. In a voltage regulator specification, you'll see numbers like Vset (14.2, 14.5, 14.8V for example) and mV/C (8 mV/C or 11 mV/C for example).

The colder it is outside the higher the charge voltage (as high as 14.8-14.9).

That is correct and the hotter it gets, the lower the charge voltage should be. 14.4V @ 27C (for a standard lead acid battery) is the standard from which the voltage deviates based on temperature. And that standard varies based on battery type as well...AGM, GEL, etc.