audios82

Thanks for your help.Would something like a trickle charger be a waist of time?

audios82

Would something like a battery trickle charger be a complete waist of time? Thanks

SS_RTR

May be worth a shot, just remember to not hook the negative charge cable to the battery post, instead hook to the hex post to avoid harming sensitive electronics. You may save time by taking the battery out first and have tested at advanced auto for free. If it's still good you could charge while it's still out. I replaced mine about a month ago. My battery was borderline but with winter on the way, I didn't want to take any chances. I replaced with Advanced Auto's platinum line.

mishar

Most likely it would. It is 5 years old battery, completely drained and not charged for a year. Definitely waste of time. New one is less than $150.

MP4.2+6.0

Current one is likely toast. But from going thru this with my now 15 year old runabout boat with its typical (Group 24) starter battery, if you intend to have car sit extended periods, trickle charger is way to go.

My boat sits 9-10 months a year. And when it splashes off the trailer, the battery darned well better work. I always start it for a few seconds before it comes off the trailer to be sure. Net, having BTDT, if I just put it in garage at end of season, if I'm lucky battery makes it maybe 3 seasons. Having learned my lesson it now has a trickle charger on it and a simple connector off the hardwired terminal connections. Battery now goes at least 5-6 years, maybe more if it actually stays plugged in for the overwintering. Similar experience by the way on other end of the spectrum with a Vespa battery and scooter that only got seasonal use; needed the trickle charger to keep battery good for the longer term.

audios82

Do you have a resource for replacing the battery ? It looks pretty complicated to remove ? Thanks for everyone helps !

MP4.2+6.0

Simple by Audi stds. Doubt there is a how to for it. Roughly goes like this:

• Open side access on passenger side of trunk w/ large flat screwdriver. If you have a separate trunk floor mat, take it out. Battery tends to hang up on any mat lip when you go to pull it out.
  
• You basically need a 10mm wrench to undo the terminals, and a 13mm socket with some extensions to undo various other bolts.
  
• Open the plastic black box you see in front of the battery. Your choice of which cables inside of it to undo--13mm nuts. Besides the basic first disconnect, the other main objective with this step is just to get this box out of way, and some cables have to come off to do it. Close box lid when done--car is now deenergized and you don't want an inadvertent reconnect as you move to the positive terminal later.
• Now unbolt black box off floor. 13mm. It is also the battery hold down. I do this step second because it is easier to get leverage on the nuts inside of it holding the cables with it still bolted to floor.
  
• Undo cables from top of battery w/ the 10mm. I usually use a small 10mm box end wrench. Be careful with the little wire you find on the positive terminal. If you break that charging system acts up.
  
• Grunt the battery out. Have to lift it a bit as you pull it into trunk area.
  
• Reverse steps for install.
  
• If genuine Audi or equivalent, write down serial #.
  
• With VAGCOM/VCDS recode it for the new battery. If it isn't genuine Audi, just add one to last digit of prior serial #. Per others' prior posts, even if you don't have VAG COM, system apparently figures out you changed battery over time anyway. Putting in battery info has to do with system knowing your battery capacity and that it is up to snuff. Over time it can make calculations of battery quality, and this is really the part you are resetting, but it should learn as it goes anyway.

When my car is running, I have literally done it in the parking lot, opening panel ahead of time and putting it aside, and then just bringing those two tools with me to the store. 10 minutes out, 10 in. 10 more minutes w/ VCDS to recode.