Car battery

[Mr Huge]

I have a 2016 VW Golf with all bells and whistles including a stop/start battery, Last December the battery conked out on the autoroute and I had to call the service de depannage and have it replaced, which they, did, for a bras and a jambe. Today, idly reading the service manual (there is little else to do here) I learnt that this type of battery must be replaced by one of a similar kind, by a qualified VW technician in their own workshop. Since last Dec I have driven on the replacement battery without trouble. Should I be worried, or is this just VW trying to keep the work in-house?

[EuroTr@sh]

Well I imagine it was replaced by one of a similar kind, or it probably wouldn't be working.

Sounds to me like VW trying to keep work in-house.

Replacing a battery is not rocket science.

[nomoss]

[quote user="Mr Huge"]I have a 2016 VW Golf with all bells and whistles including a stop/start battery, Last December the battery conked out on the autoroute and I had to call the service de depannage and have it replaced, which they, did, for a bras and a jambe. Today, idly reading the service manual (there is little else to do here) I learnt that this type of battery must be replaced by one of a similar kind, by a qualified VW technician in their own workshop. Since last Dec I have driven on the replacement battery without trouble. Should I be worried, or is this just VW trying to keep the work in-house?

[/quote]

Recent VAG vehicles have the battery coded to the onboard computer/electronic control unit (ECU), French: calculateur,  which is done by connecting equipment to the vehicles onboard diagnostic (OBD) system.

Better to ask your question HERE, in the appropriate model-specific section. There are people on there who can give you an exact answer.

If you run through the posts in the Golf Mk 7 section you might find someone has already asked your question.

[Mr Huge]

Nomoss, thank you. I found your link very helpful.

[nomoss]

ET wrote: Well I imagine it was replaced by one of a similar kind, or it probably wouldn't be working.

Sounds to me like VW trying to keep work in-house.

Replacing a battery is not rocket science.

Unfortunately things are heading that way with battery changing and many other service jobs which were once simple.

I have a friend in the UK who had unfortunate results after fiddling with minor items on both a Japanese SUV and a Range Rover, after which they wouldn't start.

This resulted in his selling them both as non-runners at a substantial loss, because he wouldn't/couldn't pay for a dealer to fix them, and two so-called mobile mechanics took his money for the call-out, but couldn't fix it.

[nomoss]

Mr Huge

I notice you have not yet had a response to your question on the VW Audi forum.

Possibly because Golf owners tend to use more specialised forums, such as [url]https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php[/url]

However, if your car is running correctly, chances are that the people who replaced the battery followed the correct procedure, and hopefully fitted the correct type of battery.

OEM batteries for cars with stop-start use either EFB (Enhanced flooded technology) or AGM (Absorbent glass mat) batteries. AGM have superior performance, and must be replaced with AGM, but EFB can be replaced with either type.

Unfortunately I can't find a definite spec for the type of battery your car should have, and I have been unable to find any reference for your Renault battery in a language I can understand, so have no idea if they are compatible.

Your car's handbook should state which type of battery should be fitted. If it says EFB you probably have no worries. If AGM you may be looking at replacing it earlier than would be  normal.

Another reason for using an agent or specialised workshop to replace batteries nowadays is that besides being "keyed" to the ECU, on some cars the ECU also controls the charging of the battery according to its type and the time it has been in service, to maintain the optimum charge without overcharging, so it needs to "know" when a new battery has been fitted.

It is possible to cheat this protection by maintaining a 12 volt supply to the car's system so that it is not interrupted while changing the battery, but, if the car does have an intelligent charging system, the life of the new battery may be compromised.

[BritinBretagne]

The batteries used in stop start systems are a bit of a hybrid between standard car batteries that provide the short sharp power that is required to start an ICE and the leisure batteries found in motor caravans and on boats that supply a long steady 12v supply. This belt and braces approach allows you to keep the a/c and other electrical devices going while the engine stops in traffic jams etc. A standard battery will work fine most of the time, it just won’t be able to provide the same level of leisure battery function when the car is stopped.

A four year lifespan doesn’t sound brilliant. I replaced my Mark V Golf’s battery after 13.

[Mr Huge]

Nomoss, thank you for getting back to me. Among the information on the top of my battery it says "L3 EFB", so it seems the dépannage mechanic knew his job, and I can rest easy.

Thank you also for the new specialised link - you are correct, as of today I still have had no replies on the original forum.