2016 1.2 Polo OEM Battery ?

[bym007]

Hi, my wife's 2016 1.2 66TSI Polo's battery is running low. It is still on OEM Exide battery from factory. Believe it says made in Spain.

I am looking for battery suggestions. Prefer to go German, Bosch or Varta. Whats consensus on this ?

Also, is currrent battery AGM ?

If I change the battery myself, do I need to code in the new battery ?

Thanks in advance.

[bym007]

Here's a pic of the battery for reference.

https://paste.pics/FTB8C

[Lucas_R]

The factory batteries are EFB. Replace it with an AGM as the AGM batteries are better quality than EFB.

No problem to get a Varta but its completely unnecessary as there are local battery manufacturers who make good AGM batteries with good warranty. I have a Supercharge AGM battery for example, but other brands like Century or Exide make suitable batteries.

And yes, new batteries should be coded for optimal longevity and performance, but its not a necessity.

Double check the specs, but this should be the right battery for your car. The Varta is approx $150 more than the Supercharge:

SuperCharge MF55HSS Start-Stop AGM Car Battery | Batteries Direct

Century Battery | DIN53LH MF AGM | Start Stop Battery | The Battery Base

VARTA 560 901 068 (D52) Silver Dynamic AGM with Start-Stop Functionality (DIN55 RHP tall with full ledges) | Batteries Direct

[bluey]

I read AGM batteries last about half as long as non-AGM. Stop-start is bad for batteries. Never been keen on stop-start. So the VCDS stop-start volt tweak works great to disable the stop-start system.

Exide non-AGM battery from Bunnings special order takes several days as of last week. <$200. Warranty 42 months.

If I had to keep the stop-start running, I was going to get a Varta. No local manufacturer of DIN size batteries. Century i got for Yeti came from Korea. Only non-DIN Century batteries are made locally. Yeti battery is identical size to Polo battery. Exide from Philippines.

[bym007]

Should have come back earlier to say that I managed to get Varta AGM (German) for $440 delivered. Happy so far.

My wife's Polo has Stop/Start, but we tend to disable it as soon as the engine is running.

[bluey]

Got sick of pressing the stop/start disable button! Two battery swaps to non AGM battery and you’ve paid for your VCDS.

[Lucas_R]

I read AGM batteries last about half as long as non-AGM.

First ive heard of this - I think its the other way around. My 2015 Audi still has the factory AGM battery and its still going strong. A traditional non-AGM would have more than likely given up by now.

And yes, its no surprise that the stop/start feature is a battery killer, no wonder they only last a few years. I have disabled it in both my cars - not only because its a battery killer, but because I just dont like the engine turning off and on all the time.

Should have come back earlier to say that I managed to get Varta AGM (German) for $440 delivered. Happy so far.

The Varta will do the trick. Not a cheap battery though.

[bym007]

I have disabled it in both my cars

Is there a thread here on how to go about it ?

[Lucas_R]

Is there a thread here on how to go about it ?

You will need a coding tool such as Carista, OBD11 or VCDS in order to do it. I have not done this on a Polo, but have done by 2015 Golf GTI, my 2015 Audi SQ5, my brothers 2018 Skoda Octavia vRS and various other friends and family members cars.

Carista is the cheapest of the 3x options and is my go-to tool. A very handy little device for coding changes, checking error codes, battery coding etc etc Carista OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner and Customiser for Android and iOS – AutoInstruct

[Sharkie]

Is there a thread here on how to go about it ?

Get this: CMT Memory Module for Volkswagen New Polo Start-Stop Automatic de-activator | eBay

No coding required, simple plug in behind the switch, we have it in the A1 and its brilliant.