Replacement Car Battery

[spiff]

Question then. I've got dealers and repairers telling me that they have to reset codes, have software updates and whatnot after a battery is replaced. Are they lying?

[K1W1]

Did not have to do it on our Audi. All that happened was that the ESC or some other light stayed on for the first 30 seconds or so of driving until it relearned its parameters. That is exactly what I was told would happen and I cannot see why there would be any difference in the Skoda.

[brad]

Question then. I've got dealers and repairers telling me that they have to reset codes, have software updates and whatnot after a battery is replaced. Are they lying?

Probably more that they haven't a clue.

As others have said, you just swap it out. This makes sense if you consider how low the current draw is when the car is locked.

My experience from many years back was that you hooked up a 12v source (everyready lantern battery or another car battery or the battery you are about to fit) in parallell to the old battery so that all the dormant electrics kept receiving 12v. A good battery retailer knows this. I'd steer clear of anywhere that thinks otherwise.

[K1W1]

My experience from many years back was that you hooked up a 12v source (everyready lantern battery or another car battery or the battery you are about to fit) in parallell to the old battery so that all the dormant electrics kept receiving 12v. A good battery retailer knows this. I'd steer clear of anywhere that thinks otherwise.

Not necessary and imo way to potentially dangerous for somebody who does not know what they are doing. It would be so easy to short something as you juggle a 17kg battery in out of the car with the extra leads attached. A short on a modern car could potentially be very expensive.
If you do the preliminary work taking the battery covers and clamps off and having the new battery beside the car ready to go it's only going to be less than a minute from the time you disconnect the leads of the old battery before you start reconnectin them to the new one.

[spiff]

Probably more that they haven't a clue.

As others have said, you just swap it out. This makes sense if you consider how low the current draw is when the car is locked.

My experience from many years back was that you hooked up a 12v source (everyready lantern battery or another car battery or the battery you are about to fit) in parallell to the old battery so that all the dormant electrics kept receiving 12v. A good battery retailer knows this. I'd steer clear of anywhere that thinks otherwise.

thanks k1w1 and brad.
does a battery tender/trickle charger count as a 12v source?

[brad]

Not necessary and imo way to potentially dangerous for somebody who does not know what they are doing. It would be so easy to short something as you juggle a 17kg battery in out of the car with the extra leads attached. A short on a modern car could potentially be very expensive.
If you do the preliminary work taking the battery covers and clamps off and having the new battery beside the car ready to go it's only going to be less than a minute from the time you disconnect the leads of the old battery before you start reconnectin them to the new one.

Kiwi
have you ever seen the process done? While I agree that the process is potentially dangerous for somebody who does not know what they are doing I did say that a good battery retailer should know this. If the battery retailer doesn't, then steer clear.

Some of the 12v sources plug straight into the cigarette lighter.

If you are using a 12v battery then you connect some ~10swg wire with alligator clips from the battery to an earth (nowhere near the actual battery being replaced) and the positive to somewhere downstream of the +ve terminal.

Sure, if you don't feel confident, don't do it. There are plenty of full service retailers out there that can do the job.


spiff: I've never used a trickle charge to do that job. I know if I tried to use my trickle charger at home it would spike to 6amps & overheat & shut down for 30 seconds & spike again but it's 30 years old & cost peanuts.

[spud75]

Just did the '09 A3 tdi. Careful with Diesels as they need bigger CCA, and cost more

I got a quote from Audi at 380+, RACV 310+ (member price), Century in for just over $210.

I spoke to the engineer at Audi and he said I may have to reset some settings etc, and auto windows, but if I had any issues to give them a call.

Disconnected terminals. Pulled old battery out. Put New battery in, reconnected terminals.

ESC on for about 100m of driving, then went out, as handbook said it would. MFD in German!!?? Worked how to get to the menu to swap back to English. Doubled checked all other settings in MFD while I was there. No Biggie.

Otherwise all good. No stuffing around with other connections etc.

[K1W1]

I've changed hundreds of car batteries in my life in the auto industry and never once needed to supply extra back up power nor have I actually seen any fully qualified mechanics or auto electricians do it whilst changing batteries.
In the old pre electronic days all you had to worry about was resetting the clock and radio stations. On the last four vehicles that I have owned and changed batteries on (all late model BMW, Land Rover, Audi and Ducati) the Ducati was the only one that needed the clock reset none of the others needed anything done after the battery was changed.
If anybody wants to add a supplementary source of power while they change the battery go ahead but it is just not necessary unless you plan on leaving the vehicle for some considerable time without the battery installed.

[K1W1]

Just did the '09 A3 tdi. Careful with Diesels as they need bigger CCA, and cost more

Our petrol audi and diesel Skoda both use the same battery.

[spiff]

thanks for that k1w1.
going to have to find a place that does good prices on either varta (which i have now) or bosch (which i hear is a good alternative).