Well, I had problems starting my car today. It's actually been taking a little bit longer to start than normal so I knew something was up. But today I had to boost it so I knew I had to get this checked out. I have a Motomaster battery charger with a battery/alternator diagnostic tool, so it read some interesting numbers. Alternator output was between 65-75%. If it reads lower than 60% then it should probably be replaced. That tells me that I better start saving up for a new alternator. But the battery voltage was still 12V with the engine off, and was brought up to 14V with the engine on. So common sense says check all the little things first. Canadian Tire offers free battery testing if you bring your battery in so I took a trip to Canadian Tire to see what they would find. Sure enough, battery was reading 470CCA on a 700CCA battery. So I purchased a new battery and installed it in the Canadian Tire parking lot. Replacement time was less than 5 minutes. Cost was $140 with a full 9 year free replacement warranty. Back on the road and everything is looking good. Except my wallet...

 

140 for 9 years is less than 20/yr, hell of a deal when you look at it that way

 

Hahahaha, I have done a few Canadian Tire installs.....not on the Audi yet.

 

Yup. This battery is a Motomaster Eliminator, which is their second highest other than the very limited spiral grid Eliminator. All of their batteries are made by Interstate. This particular battery has 690CCA, and my original had 700CCA. The 10CCA won't make a difference as that is plenty of juice to start a 2.8 30V motor in -30 weather. And the battery comes with a 3 year free replacement, after which the warranty is pro-rated up to 9 years. I opted for the $10 extended warranty plan, which gives it a full 9 year free replacement warranty. Yup, less than $20 a year is a good price. Hell, I spend about $35 in fuel on a daily basis just driving around for work!

 

[QUOTE=LR Audi;165082]Well, I had problems starting my car today. It's actually been taking a little bit longer to start than normal so I knew something was up. But today I had to boost it so I knew I had to get this checked out. QUOTE]

I'm experiencing the exact same thing you did so I though I'd take the battery out & take it to CT to have them check it out before buying another battery. Disconnected the wires but could not take the battery out. It's just too heavy and in such an awkward position that I just can't remove it. BTW, it for the '06 B7 4.2. Anyone have any tip on removing the battery on this car?
Thanks,

 

I have a battery that has been installed in my 2001 C5 A6 since November 2005. A sticker on the battery indicates that it was manufactured in April 2005. I believe, but not sure, that it is an OEM (Bosch?) battery because it was installed at a dealer by the previous owner.

It still starts on one crank and I didn't drive the car - or even start it - for six weeks last winter (Dec-Feb) and it started on the first crank.

I hope to make it through the winter and replace next year sometime - as seven years for a battery is plenty long. What kind of life span do you think I can I expect from the battery?

 

If you're not overloading your battery with a 1000W sound system or anything crazy a quality battery should last 10 years. I never go cheap on stuff like that. I never actually go cheap on anything.

 

i also had to replace my battery. battery/alternator diagnostic tool? How does it work/connect? I suspect my alternator to not charge enough. 14v at idle as supposed. with defrost at On 13.7v

 

My battery/alternator tester hooks up directly to your battery. Start up your car, put it in alternator test mode and run it for a couple of minutes and it'll tell you the alternator output as well as battery health. There are different models available for different prices. 14V is plenty of juice. If your alternator is not up to par then you would notice your voltmeter dropping as you run more electrical devices such as defrost, stereo, headlights, etc.

 

finally, the brand new battery I've buy was defect!! If i let the door open for 10 minutes, like when loading lugage, the battery was almost empty. I exchange the battery and now every thing is ok. Yes a new battery can be defective.