I had my battery replaced at a non-dealer, and they don't have a lot of experiences with VW. Installation was "free". I wish I had discussed things a tad differently, tho things worked out fine. With winter coming, there may be others who would want to change the battery now rather than in cold weather. I wanted to offer some suggestions.
- When the battery is restored, the alarm will go on. The alarm is reset by turning the key in the door. The installer did ask about that in advance, which is good. Even better would be the installer who keeps a backup circuit powering things during the change so you don't have to reprogram the radio from safe mode.
- I have a black cloth cover over and around the sides of my battery. I believe that a water return hose is intended to be routed thru there on the way to the coolant reservoir. The cover would insulate the battery to keep it warmer on cold days.
This cover is much easer to install if the installer moves it to the new battery before securing the battery down. Note the orientation of the flap and openings that clear the cables and hose. Consider pinning a note to the cover that says "front". Check the install before leaving the shop.
Now here are a few things that I am uncertain about.
- I am somewhat uncertain about is how that hose should route. My battery is in the front left (from the point of view of the driver-- is that the convention I should use in this kind of description?) in the engine compartment. The Velcro flap flaps from the outside of the vehicle toward the vehicle center. There is clearance for the cables, and a small cutout on the front left to clear that warming hose by the Velcro. However the hose is not really long enough to come out the other side. I just fit the flap to let the hose come thru about 2/3 of the way toward the rear of the battery. Does this sound right?
- Where the sides of the battery cover meet, there are two die-cut tabs on one piece, and corresponding slits on the mating end. I figure that the tabs go thru the slits, but there does not seem to be any locking method. Is there a trick with that?
I see no mention of this blanket in the Bentley book.