VW Golf GTI Battery Warranty...

Goksly

Goksly

Goksly

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Joined
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Nottingham
Got in my car today (July 2018) and nothing. Got it jump started to Halfords and they did a battery test and came back with recommended replacement.

Car was a demo car from a dealership so officially a used car 2 years and 4 months.

Will VW cover a replacement battery? Doing 40 miles a day so not like I never use it...
 
Ask VW, not a computer overclocking forum. ;)

Offhand I seem to recall last time I owned a VW the 12v battery was covered for three years.
 
Your battery aside, you could probably buy a brand new battery at Halfords, walk outside with it, ask them to test it and they'll tell you to replace it.
 
Can Halfords do modern VW batteries? Mate with a Transporter had to get his done at the main dealer as it needed a special stop/start battery and coding in to make the van accept it.
 
If my sub 3 year old warrantied car didn't start I'd be expecting whatever it is to be covered under warranty even something simple and "consumable" like a battery!
 
MagicBoy said:
Can Halfords do modern VW batteries? Mate with a Transporter had to get his done at the main dealer as it needed a special stop/start battery and coding in to make the van accept it.
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Halfords have the batteries, most likely an 096 AGM for the OPs car. Their webpage seems to imply they can do the coding:

"For start/stop batteries we recommend that we expertly fit them for you as many vehicles require registration of the new battery with the on-board computer system"

I had AA come out to me and fit + code the same battery on an Octavia on the same platform. However given the age of the OPs car I'd be having an argument with the dealer than paying for a new one myself.
 
It should be covered by the warranty. The only exclusions are key fob batteries. The current terms (which now include EV batteries) specifically say 12v batteries are covered by the initial 3yr/60k warranty.

They'll likely run it through their battery tester to confirm.
 
The standard batteries are EFB type, Ideally you want the AGM type as the new one as they last longer. If VW won't play Halfords do one as well as the EFB and you can get a good chunk off if you have a mate with a Trade Card. Any new battery will need coding either by the garage fitting it or again if you know a mate with VCDS or OBDEleven it will take 5 minutes.
 
ahenners said:
Halfords have the batteries, most likely an 096 AGM for the OPs car. Their webpage seems to imply they can do the coding:

"For start/stop batteries we recommend that we expertly fit them for you as many vehicles require registration of the new battery with the on-board computer system"

I had AA come out to me and fit + code the same battery on an Octavia on the same platform. However given the age of the OPs car I'd be having an argument with the dealer than paying for a new one myself.
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Fair enough, the Transporter was about 18 months ago IIRC. Sounds like they got on top of it.
 
MagicBoy said:
Can Halfords do modern VW batteries? Mate with a Transporter had to get his done at the main dealer as it needed a special stop/start battery and coding in to make the van accept it.
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I've heard similar. Maybe I'm a luddite but I just don't understand why a battery would need coding, other than to generate income for the dealership.
 
Hades said:
I've heard similar. Maybe I'm a luddite but I just don't understand why a battery would need coding, other than to generate income for the dealership.
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I was told it's to do with stop/start. The ECU needs to know what the parameters for the battery are so the stop/start system works correctly.

Given it's a consumable part I can see your point. Surely with modern infotainment systems and LCD screens for instruments they can add a settings box to allow the end user to input/reset it without requiring dealership diagnostic equipment.
 
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Yeah, I had heard something similar. That the ECU counts the number of stop/starts and keeps an eye on voltages so if you replace it, the counters need to be reset as a result.
 
So... the very marginal cost and environmental savings you might make with the reduced fuel and emissions with stop/start are blown away when you need to replace the battery sooner. You also have to pay for lube when the dealer asks you to bend over to recode it.
 
Hades said:
So... the very marginal cost and environmental savings you might make with the reduced fuel and emissions with stop/start are blown away when you need to replace the battery sooner. You also have to pay for lube when the dealer asks you to bend over to recode it.
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Hey look at the bright side, you'll find out if you can still touch your toes:D:eek:. I agree fuel savings are wiped put by the battery.
 
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