HI

my ccar battery is not performing wel these cold mornings, and i am checking to see if anyone can recommend a particular battery for to use..... is there fitting type eg 096/063 etc

also is it easy to change / is plastic cover ove battery easily removed, any thing watch out for apart from water in tray, should i try and keep power to car to make sure radio code etc is kept

VARTA batteries are very good.

The job is pretty straightforward but not what I would call 'easy' due to it's location, the 2.5 V6 battery is IIRC larger and very awkward to get out, the 1.9 is easier but still quite tight.

Whilst the battery is out remove the two rubber grommets in the plenum chamber (one is under the battery tray and the other is under the servo) also you will ideally be re-sealing the pollen filter housing as these will leak and cause you loads of grief - not to mention expense! do a search for 'water ingress' as it has been covered many times before.

Forgot to say that the radio code should be remembered - BUT it somehow 'forgot' my code after approx the 3rd time I disconnected mine, this then requires a dealer to hook the car up to their diagnostics to retrieve the code from Germany.

also is it easy to change / is plastic cover ove battery easily removed, any thing watch out for apart from water in tray, should i try and keep power to car to make sure radio code etc is kept

I had my battery out earlier in the year - and while it's not a difficult job, it's not without some physical effort!

The plastic cover over the plenum chamber is easy enough to take off - you need to remove the seal around the top of the bulkhead first, and this will need replacing carefully afterwards to make sure that the seal remains continuous (it's not all one piece and is split near the corners) I think the plastic cover is held down by about three clips - bit of a pain to take off, especially in this cold weather I guess. Pull it towards you and treat it gently, you don't want to break it - which includes when you refit the clips afterwards.

You'll need a long bar extension for your socket to get down to the battery clamp, and that's the easy bit done.

Lifting the b***ard out is another matter and if you have a dicky back, then get a second pair of hands to help - though replacing it is a bit easier due to the force of gravity!

While the battery is out, absolutely make sure you check to see if the rubber grommets under the battery and the brake servo have been removed (check the numerous posts on here about the pollen filter seal).

As regards the radio code - I believe the code should be stored automatically somehow by the car and it all works after you reconnect - don't know if this is always the case, but it worked OK for me.

It's not a five minute job...

Use the socket in the boot to connect a slave battery to the system, so avoiding the loss of any codes/window settings.

Remember if you do this, the positive lead connected to the car's battery will be live when you remove it - I put it into an old glove with a rubber band around it.

Plenum drain bung removal and pollen filter housing seal are essential jobs on this car - snow packed up at the base of the windscreen will make a real mess of the car when it thaws. Thanks, VAG - you've only had about 15 years to fix this.

rotodiesel.

Nice tip on the boot connector vs slave battery, thx roto. :-)