# HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY



## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

Hey guys, here is a step by step guide I created to show people how to replace the Touareg stock battery. It wasn't as hard as I first thought it would be. You just have to have the 10 mm triple square bit and some free time. It took me about an hour once I had all the parts/tools. 
It saved me a good chunk of money and I didn't have to bring it to the dealer which is what I liked the most.
Mine lasted about 3.5 years. So there are probably a lot of you that will need a new battery in the coming months if you have an 04 or years if you have a newer model. 
Enjoy here: http://web.mac.com/renojoints/Touareg/Battery.html

<br/>



_Modified by Tahoe12 at 1:56 PM 11-4-2007_


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## amv (Apr 21, 2006)

well done!


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## Ross08TouaregV8 (Dec 14, 2005)

*Re: (amv)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Mine is only 2 years old but I'm feeling the battery get VERY sluggish on cold days, and it goes dead if I leave the int. lights on for more than half an hour. Sounds like a battery replacement is in the works for me!


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## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

*Re: (Ross06TouaregV8)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Ross06TouaregV8* »_ http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Mine is only 2 years old but I'm feeling the battery get VERY sluggish on cold days, and it goes dead if I leave the int. lights on for more than half an hour. Sounds like a battery replacement is in the works for me!









Ya, mine was doing that for a good 2 months and I just kept dealing with it. The first time I started the car with the new battery there was a noticeable difference (interior lights looked brighter and the engine fired up in about 1/2 the time).


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## v10treg (Oct 26, 2007)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (Tahoe12)*

Tahoe,
Thanks for the walk thru guide. I've saved your guide, and will refer to it when my batteries need to be replace!
Jason


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## mescaline (Jul 15, 2005)

*Re: (Tahoe12)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Tahoe12* »_
Ya, mine was doing that for a good 2 months and I just kept dealing with it. The first time I started the car with the new battery there was a noticeable difference (interior lights looked brighter and the engine fired up in about 1/2 the time). 

Thats bull, generator will power your lights and everything , battery will just crank the engine


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## VegasMatt (Aug 30, 2006)

*Re: (mescaline)*


_Quote, originally posted by *mescaline* »_
Thats bull, generator will power your lights and everything , battery will just crank the engine

Not when you just open the door to get in and the interior lights are on. That's all battery, as the engine isn't even running yet.
Matt


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## mescaline (Jul 15, 2005)

*Re: (VegasMatt)*


_Quote, originally posted by *VegasMatt* »_
Not when you just open the door to get in and the interior lights are on. That's all battery, as the engine isn't even running yet.
Matt

Oh that, well do you have voltmeter inside the car? Was your battery off? I dont think you need your eyes to test this


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## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

*Re: (mescaline)*

Touareg doesnt have a generator,but an alternator,
a notible difference.


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## Arkarch (Jul 20, 2007)

*Re: (mescaline)*

Question is - what were the available cranking amps?
Hey, does OBD measure that?


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## glass (Feb 15, 2007)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (Tahoe12)*

Very nice. Not needing a battery yet, but that little write up on coil packs that I found on your site was helpful -- I am in need of some now, and will install myself and reading how easy it is.


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## miraclewhips (Aug 10, 2005)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (Tahoe12)*

What flavor Vitamin Water do you suggest for this operation? It looks like from your diagram Dragonfruit is the best?


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## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (miraclewhips)*


_Quote, originally posted by *miraclewhips* »_What flavor Vitamin Water do you suggest for this operation? It looks like from your diagram Dragonfruit is the best?









Yes Dragonfruit is highly recommended and keeps the mind sharp when working on the cars.


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## elecoq (Sep 10, 2004)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (Tahoe12)*

Thanks very much for your excellent instructions for replacing the Touareg battery. Here are some additional things that I learned.
CHECK FOR FOREIGN MATTER IN TRIPLE SQUARE SOCKETS:
There was a small pebble in the socket of one of my 10mm triple square bolts. I overlooked this and nearly stripped the bolt head before discovering and removing the pebble so as to enable full engagement of the bit. This could have been disastrous because this bolt was torqued to more than 150 ft-lbs. None of the other bolts was nearly so tight. When I reinstalled the seat I torqued these bolts to 50 ft-lbs. This may or may not be close to VW's designed tension, but at least I know they won't be that difficult to remove if there is a next time.
COMPATIBLE BATTERY:
I used the Interstate Mega-Tron Plus MTP-93 from NAPA for less than $120. Any group 49 battery should drop in the space, but it should have a common vent that can be directed outside the battery box. 
USE EXTRA CARE WHEN TILTING THE SEAT REARWARD:
I was careless when I tilted the seat back to get at the hardware below, tearing loose the wiring harness where it was secured under the seat. During reassembly I repositioned the harness in its carrier and secured it with some sturdy tie-wraps.
FORWARD BATTERY HOLD-DOWN:
This battery was not compatible with the forward hold-down in my 2004 Touareg V8. Newer models may not have this issue. Rather than modify this hold-down, I judged that the battery would be secure if moved forward all the way to engage under the flange hold-down built into the battery box and then clamped with the rear hold-down. 
VENT CONNECTION:
The vent of this battery was different from the original equipment battery. I found a piece of plastic tubing that seemed to fit securely, then cobbled a connection with the original vent line. 
Thanks again for your timely posting of these instructions.


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## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

Glad it helped you out elecoq. Thanks for letting us know about the aftermarket battery that fits and additional notes.
I know what you mean about those damm torx bolts. Mine were stripped from the last mechanic.


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## sd986 (Jul 21, 2004)

Thanks Tahoe12 for the writeup about changing the battery. My truck had been showing all the symptoms of a weak battery and I was finding myself having to recharge it every week. 
I called Batteries Plus and they carry a heavy duty battery for "foreign and luxury cars" for $109.95. It was a perfect fit and has more cranking power than OEM. Took about an hour to install and found 4 cents and a lost ATM card during the work. The battery placement is a royal PITA. My very late model '04 did not seem to have a seat tilt back feature so I followed the instructions and removed the entire seat. 
I put the battery tender on but still lost power for a moment. Then put on the battery charger and it went into standby so lost power for another moment. Now I have a EBC error and system fault and they have not cleared after taking it out for a drive. I probably need to put more time on the car before they clear. Will see if I can clear it with the VAG tonight.


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## Lord Hemming (Aug 6, 2006)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (sd986)*

I had my battery replaced by my dealer under warranty, so I suggest you try your dealer first


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## Hammerdog (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (Lord Hemming)*

Tahoe, I used your write up to replace my battery today. The hardest bolts to remove were the two 10mm triple square floor bolts. 
The other (4) seats bolts were a lot easier. Thinking about it later, I did the replacement about an hour after the car had been out in freezing weather all night. The floor bolts may have come loose easier if I heated them with a hair dryer.
Not a hard job to replace the battery using your instructions; just labor intensive. I did replace the bolts VW recommends and I torque them to 45 newton-meter’s as per VW. I used a VW OEM battery for my replacement. 
Thanks again for your write up.


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## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (Hammerdog)*

Ya, you are right Hammerdog. Those seat bolts are really stiff. I don't think it was just the cold. MIne were super tight from the factory. I think I mentioned to make sure you have your wrench perfectly 90 degrees to the bolt, so as to not strip them. I used my large torque wrench for wheels to get enough leverage. Anyhow, happy to hear you got it replaced and didn't have to visit the dealership








You live in stockton? I ride the delta waterways out there a lot in the summer. Super cool how the shipping canal comes all the way into town. 

--------------
Update to the LINK above that has since Expired: http://web.me.com/airtahoe/Touareg/Battery.html











_Modified by Tahoe12 at 5:21 PM 1-26-2009_


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## Hammerdog (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (Tahoe12)*

Have a home in Stockton by University of Pacific, but spend most of my time up on Highway 88, above Pioneer at a small cabin I own. 
Thanks again for your excellent write up.


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## denm33 (May 29, 2007)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (Hammerdog)*

quote from your instructions: "4. Plug in a jump pack or jumper cables to your power socket under the hood to maintain voltage while you remove the battery. These will help to persevere your menu settings and prevent the computer from needing a possible reset. "

question: 
Do you mean hook up a battery charger/jumper to the positive and negative terminals under the hood? 
Thanks.


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## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (denm33)*

YES. or you can use the cigarette lighter, if that is the style of jumper you have. 


_Modified by Tahoe12 at 9:26 PM 1-27-2009_


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## DicknNancy (Nov 6, 2004)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (v10treg)*

v10treg, ours in the V10 are a little different in size and placement it appears. 
I did not have to remove the seat from the seat rails as described in Tahoe's excellent writeup. With the seat run slightly back to access the two front seat bolts (under the monster mats) and then after running the seat all the way forward using the electronic control, I was able to just tip the entire seat back on it's rear hinges to access the battery

A precise writeup is herehttp://www.precisionframe.com/...t.php for both the front and the rear battery, including the battery part numbers for our 2004 V10. HTH
Nancy 


_Modified by DicknNancy at 11:21 PM 1-27-2009_


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## atikovi (Oct 19, 2001)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (DicknNancy)*


_Quote »_A precise writeup is herehttp://www.precisionframe.com/...t.php for both the front and the rear battery

Anyone know why in that writeup they call the front battery the accessory battery. The front battery under the seat is the main battery while the rear battery under the spare tire is the auxilliary battery. Thats what it says in the Bentley manual.


_Modified by atikovi at 1:09 PM 2-13-2009_


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## touareg_girl007 (Feb 9, 2009)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (atikovi)*

Tahoe, thanks so much for the info. I'm mechanic illiterate, but wouldn't mind learning new things. Would this be VERY difficult for someone who knows nothing about cars? 
Our biggest gripe about owning our Touareg is that no matter what the bloody car needs, it always ends up in a shop or at the dealership.
We FINALLY figured out how to change our headlights (thanks to my Dad!!) and that in itself has saved us a good chunk of change. 
Anything I can learn about this car to do myself would be great.


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## Tahoe12 (Mar 22, 2005)

Hey thanks touareg_girl007. Nope, its not hard, even if you haven't worked on a car before. But you will need to order/buy the tool to remove the seat. A special torx bit and a socket wrench. 
It might seem like a lot of money at $20-$50 but you will have the tools in the future and the dealer will charge much more just for the labor. The VW dealers are a real pain in the arse, so I know what you mean about keeping it out of the shop. 
PM/email me your questions and I can talk you through it. I have done that with several others and they were very thankful.


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## DicknNancy (Nov 6, 2004)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (atikovi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *atikovi* »_
Anyone know why in that writeup they call the front battery the accessory battery. The front battery under the seat is the main battery while the rear battery under the spare tire is the auxilliary battery. Thats what it says in the Bentley manual.

Just going by what the eBahn (online Bentley manual) says...

















_Modified by DicknNancy at 8:47 PM 2-14-2009_


_Modified by DicknNancy at 8:47 PM 2-14-2009_


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## atikovi (Oct 19, 2001)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (DicknNancy)*

Not sure where you got that from but it's a misprint. All Touaregs have at least one battery under the seat so that is the main battery, then V10's have an additional battery under the spare tire, thus called an auxilliary battery as described below:


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## DJL SLC (Apr 8, 1999)

*Re: HOW TO REPLACE YOUR TOUAREG BATTERY (atikovi)*

Woke up to a dead battery this morning. Thankfully it was a Saturday, with nothing really going on. Jumped the t-reg and took it for a drive. Tried to start it back up about 2 hours later - dead battery again. Decided to replace the battery as it's the original one yet (2004 V8 t-reg). 
Ran into town and picked up an Autocraft 49H8 battery ($130). It was a direct match to the OE battery. Headed over to Napa and picked up the 12 point (triple square) 10mm driver bit ($7). 
Followed these DIY battery swap instructions and had the t-reg back up and running in about an 1 1/2 hours (kind of a b!tch to covertly do work in the apartment parking lot - technically not supposted to be doing it).
Directions were dead on. Very helpful. Thanks for writing them up!


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