Battery Sudden Death - TDI

This does not smell right. "You can only buy the batteries from VW..."

A quick check shows AutoZone sells a battery for the 2001 TDI. I have also never heard of a battery acting this way be design. A few samples may, although I believe it is more often not the battery when it goes suddenly like this. My guess is a fusible link.

Where did you get all this information.

The designed in total failure mode sounds strange to me. The 2001 stock TDI battery in my vehicle was a convential lead acid unit.

For everyone's information, the Optima brand reversed terminal red top is a bolt in replacement for the TDI battery. It is physically smaller, and has a larger electrical capacity than the stock battery. I bought mine for less than $100.00, and installation is approx. 1/2 hour for novices like me. There is no battery box cutting/alteration required, and the OEM battery cover fits over the Optimal battery.

Optima's tech support is terrible, but there is information at Fred's TDI page.

"Loren Schooley" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@free.local...

[snip]

It's a group 94R and I got one two weeks ago at Batteries Plus for $89.00, they just became available aftermarket. See here for size and current ratings.

's the second replacement for me on my 99.5 (A4) jetta tdi, mfd Jan 99.The original started having problems starting when hot, a sign of slowcranking at 2 years. The first replacement I bought was a group 42 rated fora previous non tdi diesel (not enough cc and cca's but I was not hood winkedby VW) and after 2 years it started showing signs. My jetta has 111k milesand is started many times during the day. When a battery is dying itnormally gives you warning signs. Mr Meehan has never tried to find a newlyreleased battery size for a VW. By a US law a auto maker has the right to bethe only source of newly designed parts for 5 years. (for A4 platformsthat's 1999 model year plus five=2004 model year, any math). I learned ofthis when I bought my first battery for my 78 rabbit diesel in 1980, also anew size then. The local battery store told me of the law and I wasskeptical but it was confirmed by the parts manager I knew at the local vwdealer. Fram released oil filters for rabbit diesels a year early andwithdrew them for a year. The only source was the dealer or one close butnot exact at FLAPS. I've owned many vw diesels of most all flavors and cantell you they eat batteries and can suddenly die like yours. Also trying tojump start one is a futile effort. My thoughts are vibration from the dieselengine and large amounts of current used by the larger starter and glowplugs. When you replace it go a step further and remove the plastic carrierunder the battery and clean and coat the three grounding posts and wiresthere. Also look here

Joe R

I got all this from the experience, a local battery search, and the VW dealer. I would suspect that a massive battery hunt would yield an aftermarket battery. Sears and NTB was the first place I looked, and doesn't carry them. As far as a fuse cut-off, there is no way. Seemed odd to me too. The VW service desk also cited a cold wave (I'm in the South), which seemed to have triggered a huge rise in towing and battery sales, and seemed to know exactly my problem as soon as I started describing the issue. They described the instant cut-off voltage issue to me in detail, and I immediately figured that it was the computer that regulated the voltage which would prevent the starter from engaging, but when they tested the battery with a load tester out of the car, it did the same thing, it went from 14 volts to 1 volt instantly.

It took me less that two minutes. When was this you were looking?

Not all that unusual a failure for any auto battery. Not limited to VW.

I guess you can say when the battery died, so di d the power to my Jettas Internet connection :-)

I have probably replaced 100 batteries here and there in my lifetime. Not one of those occurances resembled this experience.

Loren, Sure sounds like someone's blowing smoke ............ Between my Wife and Daughter I have two 2001 Beetles, one 2.0L Gas and the other is a TDI. Both batteries were replaced this summer, they died about a month apart, and I purchased them both from Auto Zone for just around $68.00 and a 6 year warrantee. I got the same dealer BS about the battery and the headlights being dealer only replacable items, thats when I switched dealers. There are some very reputable dealers and technicians out there, many belonging to this group, but there are some money hungy deadbeats out there as well. Its up to you to make the decision which is which.

Good luck, Butch

I can tell you first hand, you CAN install an aftermarket battery. At my dealer, we keep Interstate batteries in stock because we are much more likely to sell them than the WAY overpriced OEM battery. OEM batteries are ONLY installed for warrenty jobs.

The $3 disposal fee may be a local thing. In Tenn, there is a $1 tax... er, rather "disposal fee" on any new tire sold.

Funny thing about those radios... unhook a battery for 1 minute and it might lock up, have the engine and tranny torn down and finish up the job 4 days later and the radio doesn't lock up. Go figure.

Hmmm ... I replaced the battery for my 99.5 Jetta TDI in the summer of

2002 with a battery from Batteries Plus; bolt-in replacement.

sd

You can certainly buy batteries from non-VW sources that work. Also, the OEM battery in your Jetta (as in my 2001 Golf) is not a maintenance-free battery. You have to peel off the plastic tape covering the cells and add water, as needed.

Had similar problems with other batteries in much less sophisticated cars. The lead precipitates out and eventually shorts the plates. One day you have a battery, the next day you don't.

Peter

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'97 Passat TDI did the same. Drove around town starting & stopping. The next morning lights dim, radio works, no crank. Put it on the charger but didn't help. This original VW battery is the only one I have seen die over night.

I just got the general purpos top/side post battery from Wal-Mart. I use it for my tracter too.

Bill