Hi,

 

I recently bought an 18 month old (January 2015) Superb L&K and yes I think its great, However it has always had a bit of a duff battery, twice now it has let me down and left me unable to start the car. Yes both of these times were when I was sat playing with the gadgets with the engine off but it wasn't for a long period of time maybe 30 minutes max. The battery is a Varta AGM battery and I can only assume its the original, perhaps it was duff to start with or the previous owner spent a lot of time watching tv with the engine off. I suppose I could take it back to Skoda and complain but time and circumstances mean I fitted a new one myself. There isn't much on how to fit a new battery here or online and a few brief comments on what will/wont happen if you disconnect the battery.

 

Its an easy 10 minute job if you have the tools and after taking a plunge in to the unknown to see if everything will work again afterwards, I can report its all fine. Removing the battery requires an 8mm spanner (I think but cant remember) for the connections and a 1/2 inch socket on a long bar for the clamp. Yes I did say 1/2 inch and was quite surprised when neither a 13mm or 14mm socket fitted a 2015 car, luckily I have imperial tools for other cars I own.

 

To remove the battery simply undo and remove the connections, lift off the fabric cover and remove the clamp bolt. Lift out the battery and its that easy, refitting is the reverse of removal!

 

On the first start all the warning lamps on the dash come on and go out on the first drive, start stop said it had an error but was ok on the second start. Oddly, the fuel gauge read high to start with but after 30 minutes settled back to where it should be. Otherwise apart from the time nothing else needed setting, the electric windows didn't need a reset.

 

Finally one of the reasons I ran the battery flat was that I sat playing with smartgate for a while. After the battery change the password went back to the default VIN of the car. I had changed it previously as advised by the smartgate app, I've seen that some are taking it back to the stealers and for a charge they are resetting the smartgate password. I'd try disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes and see what happens (kessy users remember to keep the car unlocked).

 

Hope this is useful to someone.

 

Edited 2 December, 20178 yr by skoda_yoda

If you change the battery, the car system has to be told about that via coding.  The S3 appears to have intelligent charging which changes the charging cycle as the battery ages.  My Dealer had to get me back in after they changed the battery but didn’t code that.  It only takes a few minutes but should be done in order to preserve the battery.

 

AGM batteries do not like going flat, and it will shorten their service life each time it happens.

I've read about having the battery code put in to the ECU and about BEM codes etc... It irks me a little that a simple battery change has to be the preserve of the dealerships. Also it seems to me like this could be against anti trust and competition law, if the battery that is replaced is of the same type, voltage etc. etc, who are the dealers to stop people or a garage round the corner that isn't aware of this from installing a like for like battery even if its not one of the three listed brands in VCDS? Remember what happened years back to car manufacturers that said warranties weren't valid unless the services had been carried out at dealers? They got told off big time http://ec.europa.eu/competition/sectors/motor_vehicles/legislation/mv_faq_en.pdf

 

From the manual there is this on page 215:

 

The new vehicle battery must have the same capacity, voltage, current and the
same size as the original Battery. Suitable vehicle battery types can be purchased
from a specialist garage.
We recommend you have the battery replaced by a specialist garage.

 

Only 'recommended' not a 'must'... I think  I'll pop an e-mail to Skoda and see what they say... 

Škoda are not the only manufacturer doing this.  BMW have been doing it for more than ten years that I know of.  I haven’t seen the VAG version but BMW simply want the battery type and Ah rating (choice of AGM or conventional).  You can put any battery you like in as long as it meets the performance stated.

 

All Manufacturers use the ‘recommend you use a......’ approach as it covers them against claims.  It also protects the warranty liability that they have.

1 hour ago, FelisBengalensis said:

Škoda are not the only manufacturer doing this.  BMW have been doing it for more than ten years that I know of.  I haven’t seen the VAG version but BMW simply want the battery type and Ah rating (choice of AGM or conventional).  You can put any battery you like in as long as it meets the performance stated.

 

All Manufacturers use the ‘recommend you use a......’ approach as it covers them against claims.  It also protects the warranty liability that they have.

 

 

Yup.. The bmw e60 5 series was one of the first with a ibs back in 2003 on launch.. Battery required coding via inpa .. As there's so many battery types the ibs has to be coded to the ah of the battery and told it's been changed in order to keep it in too quality...

 

Also.. The ibs was common to fail and was a £160 part...

My 2008 BMW had to be coded when a new battery was fitted. Luckily it was under warranty when they diagnosed a problem, one day left.

 

Personally I don't have an issue with this. As cars have got more complicated its inevitable that jobs that were once simple have become more complex requiring special kit. But now since a battery tends to last at least 7 or 8 years instead of 2 years like they did in my youth I am more than happy to have the extra controls that keep the battery in good order for longer.

 

Do I miss the early morning click when I turn the key and the long wait for the RAC, not one bit.