# Replacing battery: Do I need to do anything special?



## twiggs462 (Mar 20, 2007)

If I replace the battery. Do I need to do anything special? I have ODB11 and don’t see anything about the battery listed. I’m just curious.

Haven’t have a VW since I had a 2004 Wagon... so please ignore the ignorance. I’m just glad to be back in a VW and like to know all the ins and outs.


----------



## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

Are you swapping for OEM or a different manufacturer and battery technology?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## azgman (Aug 16, 2016)

When I swapped in a new battery on my Jetta, it went bonkers for a little bit, but it went back to normal after a minute or two. Don't be surprised if you get a lot of dash lights that come on at first. BTW, I went to an AGM type battery I got at Costco (Interstate brand) which is an improvement over a lead-acid type.


----------



## jonese (Jun 21, 2020)

Yes, you should recode for a new battery. This changes the changing behavior (and probablly other things). This applies not just when you change battery type, but also from old battery to new battery of the same battery type/capacity.

Battery Replacement


----------



## twiggs462 (Mar 20, 2007)

jonese said:


> Yes, you should recode for a new battery. This changes the changing behavior (and probably other things). This applies not just when you change battery type, but also from old battery to new battery of the same battery type/capacity.
> 
> Battery Replacement


I have an ODB11... any guides for that. Or should I get Ross-Tech VCSD?


----------



## twiggs462 (Mar 20, 2007)

azgman said:


> When I swapped in a new battery on my Jetta, it went bonkers for a little bit, but it went back to normal after a minute or two. Don't be surprised if you get a lot of dash lights that come on at first. BTW, I went to an AGM type battery I got at Costco (Interstate brand) which is an improvement over a lead-acid type.


I want to get an AGM battery for it. I still have the OEM installed.


----------



## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

You can follow the VCDS steps and it’ll translate pretty well to OBD11. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DoC0427 (Sep 16, 2019)

twiggs462 said:


> I have an ODB11... any guides for that. Or should I get Ross-Tech VCSD?


You can do it with OBDeleven.
It's easier to get a new OEM battery only because the needed info is clear and printed on the battery itself. If you get a non-OEM, I'm sure it's fine but you need to know the battery capacity (not CCA) and the battery technology. You also need to know the vendor/manufacturer as well though I am not sure why that info is required.

Here's the steps using OBDeleven:

physically change the battery. I try to keep a 12V charge connected to the vehicle doing this just to be safe and keep any computer settings from being reset.
with the car on but engine NOT running, connect your OBDeleven
navigate to Module 19 - Gateway
select Adaptations
select Battery Adaptation
enter the correct values for capacity, manufacturer, serial (if you know it), and technology
save the data
disconnect the OBD, shut down the car for a while (allow it to completely power down) then go for a drive
check for any diagnostic codes

For what it's worth, I don't think the serial number is relevant... mine is currently set to "11111111" as the serial number and its that way from the factory.
As for the manufacturer, I'm not sure if that does anything either other than a data tag particularly since it's not a "drop down" and you can type anything you want into that field.
My guess (and only that) is that the only 2 fields that probably mean/do anything is the capacity and the technology.

I've attached a couple screen shots of what is set on mine (2020 Highline), as well as the listing of available battery technology types to choose from.



















Factory battery:









Hope this helps...

Cheers...
DoC


----------



## Kushdaiin (Feb 24, 2012)

Supposedly changing the serial number by one digit (I.e. 111112) prompts the computer that there’s a newly installed battery and to ‘relearn’ it. Worth doing if for nothing else. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## LennyNero (Aug 25, 2018)

Just saw this thread and wanted to chime in.

My 2018 originally came with a Banner EFB+ battery. Replaced it in Mar 2020 with a VW/Audi AGM by Varta. The dealer was within $10 of my aftermarket sources so it was a no-brainer. VW part number is *000 915 105 CC* although I think it got superseded to a new letter designation. 

Recoding when changing chemistry/capacity is a necessity due to the different charge profiles of AGMs vs flooded and enhanced flooded cell batteries. It's the primary reason for aftermarket AGM battery failure in vehicles with "dumb" charging systems.


----------

