SomethingSuperbly

Here's an update for everyone: Firstly thank you everyone for your help and insight, with that being said, I was able to replace and code the battery on my own. 😁 The only real thing that I think can hold anyone back from doing this is either a lack of an OBDII scanner with coding abilities, a wrench with an extension or two and determination. A local garage quoted me at £20 to fit a battery but when I asked if this included coding they said no. The other was a Varta specialist going for around £40 up to £80 just to fit one in. Halfords had their own brand EFB battery at £186.99 plus £27.99 fitting. 🤯 So with that being said let's go over it. I have a 2017 Skoda Superb MkIII fitted with an OEM Banner EFB 6R0 915 105 B 12V 69Ah 360A DIN battery. The main key points are the battery type, EFB, the capacity 69Ah and the dimensions, length: 275 mm, width: 175 mm and height: 190 mm. I realised my battery was dying/dead when I had the error message "Manoveure braking unavailable" pop up time over time and then one day it wouldn't crank without the help of a jump starter. It wouldn't even hold any charge even when charged with a trickle charger. 6 years, low miles over Covid (still low miles now) and plenty of cold winter starts probably killed the battery. I ordered the ever popular Varta AGM E39 12V 70Ah 760A 570 901 076 D86 2 battery for £145 including next day delivery. One reason I picked Varta is because it's also an OEM choice battery found in some other VAG vehicles. The key differences are that it is an AGM type battery, the capcity is 70Ah and that it is slightly longer at 278mm but the same width: 175mm and height: 190mm. The extra 3mm is nothing to be concerned about. It arrived next day from Tayna and was pretty much fully charged when I tested it with my trickle charger. From what I understand an AGM type battery should last three times as long as a regular battery, compared to an EFB type when compared to a regular battery which only lasts twice as long. The only issue is that AGM batteries don't like heat - hence why there is a thermal battery sleeve in the Superb. The other thing that needs doing is that changing from an EFB to an AGM type battery needs coding. I originally got the OBDeleven when it was on sale with a voucher, however at the time you could get free credits (not anymore) but in order to do any coding or adaptations you'll need a Pro subcription. So you're looking at just under £100 together in order to do it (the OBD2 device is £60 and the 1 year Pro plan is £50 separately). This together can really put someone off, nearly did for me, but it can save some money clearing codes, diagnosing faults on the car, service intervals, and in my case when I managed in a very roundabout way of getting Pro, save money. That and you need a 10mm and a 13mm sockets with a wrench and extension bar. As @BillyParkersays, it took longer to get the battery swapped over than coding it in. You first disconnect the negative terminal first by loosening the 10mm socket, then loosen the postive terminal and move them aside - it can take a lot of loosening and nudging to remove the terminals from the battery. I wasn't keen on the idea of using a screw driver to wedge loose the terminals so that's probably where I took the longest. At the front of the battery there is a bracket with a 13mm bolt that you can undo with the extension bar (in my case I used two) and the removed the bracket which can be finnicky. But once that is out, you'll need to pull the battery towards you so it leaves the battery tray mounts at the rear, then you can remove the thermal battery sleeve, and then carefully lift the whole battery out - it was pretty heavy especially when you're leaning forwards and you have to be cafeul that you don't want to drop it on the car panels. I used the plastic cover from the positive end of the new battery to cover the old one - there is also a plastic nub that I used to seal up the old battery to stop any leaking. Give it a clean at the bottom of the battery tray - there are several mounting holes you can use but I can't imagine anyone using a smaller battery. then lift and insert the new one into the bottom battery mounts and push until it's fully in. Here I put the thermal sleeve on but I imagine it might've been easier to put the sleeve on first then push it into position. When you're connecting the new battery, do it in reverse, connect the positive terminal and then the negative. I got a few sparks when trying to seat the negative terminal but once it's in there wasn't anything to be afraid of. Then you can add the battery bracket and hand tighten them all. That's the hard part done. The next part was coding, I turned the ignotion on and instantly nearly every warning light came on - low tyre pressure light, brake disc fault, hill hold disabled, start stop disabled, cruise control disabled, auto parking brake error, steering angle error, digital radio antenna fault, emergency SOS fault and so on. Kinda scary. I connected my OBDeleven to the car and went straight to code the new battery in, tapping onto Control Unit, Gateway 19, Adaptation, then Battery Adaptation, where you are presented with your old battery settings. Incidentally a lot of it wasn't accurate, I had a Banner battery which was labelled as JCB instead of BA2 and the Battery serial number was just 1111111111. The only correct things were the Rated battery capacity at 69 Ah and the Battery technology EFB. So this is where you need the Pro version of OBDeleven, which has a green checkmark on the bottom right which you hold to save your new values, otherwise you're faced with a red padlock and needing to splash out £50 or so. Thankfully I was about to get around this and save myself a bunch. So the new settings I added were 70Ah, changed the last digit on the Battery serial number to 1111111110 (10 digits, doesn't really matter what), changed the Battery manufacturer to Varta's code VA0 (or VAO, it apparently doesn't matter which one as long as it doesn't flag up an error) and the new Battery technology Fleece. Tap and hold the green button (at this point I should at looked for a test on the app but didn't) and then turned on the engine. I did a full lock left to right (which instantly cleared one or two faults) and then did a little drive. The engine turned over instantly and the steering and acceleration felt a lot more tighter. When I next stopped I turned the engine off, key out of the ignition, then open and shut door, key back in and only turn on the ignition - I cleared all the remaning faults and then it was all good. I even silenced the Superb's remote liftback beeps while I was at it. So thanks everyone, and if anyone is interested in doing it themselves I hope this helps, given this new experience. 😁

It doesn't require credits if done by that way but unfortunately I need to be on an active Pro or Ultimate subscription to make any adaptations.. I just checked and I can see the fields where I can change them but there's a red padlock on the bottom which I imagine would otherwise allow me to save the changes. @nta16 Thanks for the link, there are two members nearby so I might give them a shout and see if they're willing to help.

Are there any other requirements like having heated seats? I've been on the search for a round heated steering wheel (would have been nice with paddles but I think the heating element is probably more useful) and read somewhere that by having and pressing the button for heated seats would also active the heated steering wheel or at least bring up a prompt on the infortainment. I know it needs a new steering clock spring for the heating element. This is probably something I'd like to get done.

Great thank you guys for your posts. It seems pretty simple though unfortunately it seems like I'll need to get the 1 year Pro subscription in order to do any adaptations. In the past Voltas had a one off "lifetime" Pro subscription, gave free credits via ads and even had a cheap option to upgrade to Pro from the Play Store. But it seems like that's all changed now. Feeling a bit gutted I didn't get it back then and it leaves me in a bit of a pinch - there's a garage nearby that can probably install it from £20. As for the BEM number seems like there's a specific way of getting it done if the battery doesn't have it on the label, not that I think the Superb needs it. Seems like it starts off with the 10 digits for the battery product no, (if it's 9 digits end with a space), then the make code (Banner = BA2, Varta = VA0) and then the year (YYMMDD) and the last 4 digits of the battery's serial, unless it ends in a Q then the first 4 digits of the last 5 digits.

@BillyParker Was your version of OBDeleven the Standard or Pro version? @JR RS Thanks for the screenshot, did you need to use any credits or was it simply going into the menus? I've been doing a little bit more research onto where and what I need to enter on the OBDeleven - I'm looking for Control unit Gateway (19), Adaptation, Battery adaptation and then enter in the different values there. It seems like the most important aspects are the battery size 69Ah to 70Ah, the battery type EFB to AGM (or Fleece on the system), the Battery Manufacturer (Funnily enough when I took this screenshot it has JCB listed despite having a Banner battery which incidently should be BA2) and then the serial number (doesn't seem serious at all since it's all 1's instead of the actual serial number but it must be different to the default). It seems like the BEM is a similar code consisting of all the above but I do not believe I would need to enter it if I'm using the Battery adaptation method. Of course there's the physical side of it first, removing the negative connection first, then positive, then connect the positive, then negative, turn the engine on, full steering lock side to side, (drive for a bit?) then battery adaptation.

@nta16 Yes that may well be the case, unfortunately I do not have off road access to trickle charge the car, I was only able to recently and I'm afraid by now the damage has been done. If that is the case I might as well go for the AGM, it's not entirely about the cost of the battery but the expected duration of the battery. The Varta E39 looks like a good choice then. I can see the options on the OBDeleven and what I would need to change to make the adaptation but I also see a red padlock. I think I'm about done with this scanner if I need to pay £56.99 just to make changes to the system. @SkudMissile21e Were there any obvious signs that the alternator wasn't working? Like black marks on the coils or something that you could see or warnings on the dash?

Hi all, As mentioned in the title the original battery in my 2017 Superb is pretty much dead after all these years, either due to time or short journeys (it happens when you change jobs and find one close by). The usual warning signs happened, "Manoeuvre braking unavailable" and rarely "ACC unavailable", I turned off the usual high consumption aspects (infotainment, lights, stop/start, removed internal devices) then one day the engine just failed to crank and had to jump start with my portable starter. I topped up the battery at work with a trickle charger but it doesn't seem to hold any charge anymore and with the "ACC unavailable" and various other faults. Haven't tried a forced 12V charge using the Noco Genius 5 but at this point I think a battery swap is best. What I have is the OEM supplied Banner EFB battery in the sleeve (should be 6R0 915 105 B, 12V 69Ah 360A DIN, 680A EN/SAE/GS). Looking on the forums here suggests changing to the AGM type battery, which typically lasts three times longer than the EFB type which only lasts twice as long and is better with high loads. However to make this change it seems like does require coding or adaptation, I have the non-subscription (Basic) version of OBDeleven with some credits but it seems like I may need the Pro version to do this. It's nice to have it as a reader however if I need to throw more money at it might've been more sensible to have gone for a scanner that does it all without needing any subscriptions. I was looking at the E39 Varta AGM 70Ah battery from Tayna seems to be the most recommended on here, however after further reading I'm beginning to wonder if this is a good idea? From what I've read, AGM batteries do not like heat as it causes the cells to dry up, and so are installed away from the engine bay. My Superb does have a protective thermal battery sleeve which should keep out the heat. Has anyone experienced or heard of this? Given the issue I may just go back to buying another EFB type battery from Tayna (I don't use the stop/start but usually have the infortainment on) and just doing a straight swap. Any EFB recommendations? Do they still need adaptation for battery increase (69Ah to 70Ah, battery manufacturer, change last digits on the battery serial)? Alternatively someone I know recommended going to Halfords and just getting one of their Yuasa batteries fitted and coded. Thanks for reading.

Maybe that's what it is on mine too, it just looks and feels flimsy. That's a relief.

Ah my car's sill lips are looking very much like yours, thanks to the garages and previous owner's garages just using whatever on them. I don't suppose there's any way to "straighten" and strengthen them once they've been bent? Would've thought this part of the car would've been particularly strengthened and not prone to being bent...

Is there anything like this for the sedan's rear glass? I usually find all kinds of twigs in between the glass.

Sorry to hear that. It does sound like a typical dealer response. Have you considered looking for a DRL LED repair specialist - someone who would take apart and repair the failed part inside the light unit? I'm curious about the internal design of the Superb's headlight unit. I imagine there must be something like a DRL tube/strip that's powered by an LED module that's gone wrong - like this in the Audi A3 where the DRL was turning yellow.

Yikes I remember thinking about this issue when looking between the trim levels on the car. The DRL looks great from a design point of view, they're sharp and stand out in the dark and are really clear when you have the indicators going on. However, they're integrated into the headlight unit and, unlike the SE trim, you cannot just change the bulb. It would be interesting to see a teardown of the headlight unit and see exactly what part failed.

Slightly off topic but still in relation to floor mats, what do most people do when the driver's floor mat is showing it's age (wear and tear) but the others are still in pristine condition? I've gotten the case where my mat is showing signs of heel damage just below the brake pedal. I ordered the deluxe floor mats from carandvanmats, a bit expensive but they seem pretty good except for the above-mentioned issue. It doesn't appear that these companies sell individual/replacement mats on their own (and if they do it seems to cost about half the price of the entire set!). I'm tempted to order a rubber heel pad from AliExpress and fix it over the damaged area. Any thoughts on this matter?

The new Arteon looks great on the outside. The interior you can see the design influences from Passat, however the rear windows only go down half way. Also, it seems like on some review models the rear passengers seats can get heating and a time/outside temperature screen but not available when you try and build your own. Doesn't even seem like you're able to spec electric, heated or ventilated front seats either.

All good and done. 👍 Remembered to attach the positive first, then the negative to the mount on the engine chassis then turned it all on. Picked the regular 12V charge and then left it for a few hours and came back to find that it had charged pretty quickly too. No errors anywhere.