Hello all,

 

I have a MK 2 Superb Kombi, (2011),  which has had a new battery very recently.

 

In the mornings - after the car has been idle for approx 14 hours overnight - the car starts, but in very unimpressive fashion.  It seems to struggle a bit and might take a few seconds to fire into life.  I have a commute of about 25 miles each way, so it gets a decent run on work days.

 

In contrast, when starting it later in the day - say at lunch or when coming home - it roars into life.   

 

At first I had put it down to the colder/wetter weather, but then I read that these cars can have issues with the battery draining, thanks to the Columbus unit (?).  

 

A battery drain might explain what I describe above, with the car struggling after an idle period, but being fine after a decent run (when the alternator would top up the battery).

 

I have had the car a while, but I have only noticed this issue recently.  Could a power interruption have caused a drain problem?    There would have been an interruption when the battery was changed.  Also, I stupidly let the old battery go flat (months ago) when updating maps.

 

I read drain problems might also be caused by a Columbus firmware issue.  A while ago, I updated the firmware (I think to v 5238) after the Columbus went into the German language and would not change back to English.  The update fixed it. 

 

Do you think its worth re-installing the same version, incase it has developed a problem?  (would a re-install even work, or would it reject it thinking "I already have that version"?)

 

I would hugely appreciate any advice about how to detect / resolve a battery drain issue, or what else might be behind this!

 

Its in for its MOT soon, so could ask the garage for help, but I would not what to ask them and I am sure a busy garage has no time for a vague wild goose chase!

 

I like the car, but its reliability has been very disappointing, despite it being well looked after and having a low mileage for its age. 

(Before this I had 7 mostly trouble free years with a vectra which I got up to 120k miles.)

Thanks.

@sheeplover

When exactly did the battery get changed and by who?

When fitting a new battery in these cars they need coded to the car to tell  it has had a new battery.

Also was it the correct type of battery that has been fitted  (WET EFG or AGM)

ALso Also I fitted a new Varta E44 that only lasted 12 months and was returned under warranty after going through all the same problems you are having

Doing the columbas,disconecting the tv module, removing bluetooth module then going on to parasitic current drain on each circuit 

To find out it was the battery (4yr Gtee) and coded correctly 

Get the battery fully charged then tested by someone with the correct equipment to test😎  Then start looking

There is a good post on here that explains the correct way to check for parasitic drain with out pulling the fuses
I will look for it later

 

@DEL80Y

 

Hi mate thanks for your reply.

 

The Battery was changed about a month ago, by National Tyres and Autocare.  

 

Although I left it with them to fit, i was present when the guy searched his system using my reg number to find an appropriate replacement part.  When I came back he gave me some good feedback about the old unit, he seemed pretty switched on.

 

I suppose you cant take anything for granted, but I would think changing batteries would be "bread and butter" for a place like that? 

 

Is there any way I can check if its been coded properly, as you say?  Or should I ask the garage to do that when its in for MOT?

 

it wasn't the most expensive battery, but a decent one with a 3 yr guarantee.

 

I think I have seen the post you mention about checking for parasitic drain, I will look it out.  What is the resolution if something is found?

 

I had been seeking to borrow a multi-meter to check the voltage in the evenings, compared to the mornings.

🙂Your answer is in the above 😄

Take it to independant V/W specialist and get them to code the battery to the car and also get them to check the battery while they are there 

NTA or Kwik Fit will not code the battery in to the vehicle.

The vehicle still thinks there is a knackered battery in it and charges it accordingly.

Recoding tells vehicle it has a new  battery     what type, make serial number and ampage and the charging system sorts itself out

You need to find someone with VCDS to do it properly 

There is a list of members on here that could do it for you depending where about in the country you are.

But honestly best take to a independant that can check your battery and recode  then start form there

42 minutes ago, DEL80Y said:

@sheeplover

When exactly did the battery get changed and by who?

When fitting a new battery in these cars they need coded to the car to tell  it has had a new battery.

Also was it the correct type of battery that has been fitted  (WET EFG or AGM)

ALso Also I fitted a new Varta E44 that only lasted 12 months and was returned under warranty after going through all the same problems you are having

Doing the columbas,disconecting the tv module, removing bluetooth module then going on to parasitic current drain on each circuit 

To find out it was the battery (4yr Gtee) and coded correctly 

Get the battery fully charged then tested by someone with the correct equipment to test😎  Then start looking

There is a good post on here that explains the correct way to check for parasitic drain with out pulling the fuses
I will look for it later

Coding is only required for cars with Stop/Start.

Welcome to the forum.

 

Is the car a TDI?

What is the battery that is fitted?

23 minutes ago, DEL80Y said:

But honestly best take to a independant that can check your battery and recode  then start form there

 

Thanks, the garage I use mostly is an independent - not VW-group specific, but very good.

 

i will ask their advice if no further forward (MOT is next week).

 

21 minutes ago, chimaera said:

Coding is only required for cars with Stop/Start.

 

Aha, I don't have stop-start on mine, so that bit is a red herring then?  Thanks!

22 minutes ago, Roottootemoot said:

Welcome to the forum.

 

Is the car a TDI?

What is the battery that is fitted?

 

@Roottootemoot

 

Hi there,

 

Thanks for the welcome.

 

Yes, its a 170 PS TDI.

 

Battery details:

 

Platinum Prestige Battery (30,000 Engine Starts) 

B096E

12v battery
3 year guarantee

CCA: 670

AH: 72

 

I don't even know what some of that data means!

 

It was the only suitable one they had in stock (it was a sunday morning and I was desperate to get it sorted before the Monday lol).

 

1 hour ago, chimaera said:

Coding is only required for cars with Stop/Start.

After a lot of research its advised that all batteries are coded as it is a smart charging system fitted to these cars.

Not just stop/start

Ross Tech Battery coding

a wee vcds video

 

Edited 25 November, 20196 yr by DEL80Y
video

10 minutes ago, DEL80Y said:

After a lot of research its advised that all batteries are coded as it is a smart charging system fitted to these cars.

Not just stop/start

Ross Tech Battery coding

a wee vcds video

 

Interesting. The service manual only advises this for Start/Stop equipped cars with AGM batteries.

11 minutes ago, DEL80Y said:

all batteries are coded as it is a smart charging system fitted to these cars

Only if there's a battery monitor control unit on the battery negative terminal. Is there one on yours @sheeplover? 

We had a few taxi with problems after replaceing with Varta batteries and a local V/W specialist advised to recode them and all the problems went away by putting correct ampage and adjusting serial number by 1 

Sorry as above if fitted with smart charge😎

Edited 25 November, 20196 yr by DEL80Y

Whizzing through wiring diagrams, I can't see any mention of this battery monitor control unit in any Mk2 Superbs except ones with start/stop, at first glance, unless it's called something other than J367 sometimes?

 

5 minutes ago, Wino said:

Whizzing through wiring diagrams, I can't see any mention of this battery monitor control unit in any Mk2 Superbs except ones with start/stop, at first glance, unless it's called something other than J367 sometimes?

 

This seems to cover what you should be looking for: http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Battery_Replacement

Looking at scans I've taken on my car it doesn't support battery coding.

Edited 25 November, 20196 yr by chimaera

I had a really good V/W technical doc pdf about the battery management system but for the life of me I can not find on my hard drive😤

If you watch from 7mins 30 Sec it shows you how to get readings of state of charge and battery life
 

 

Edited 25 November, 20196 yr by DEL80Y

Hi all

 

Thanks for all your input.  I have been monitoring the battery charge overnight and it seems to be about 12.6 V in evening (after a commute of some 50 miles during day) and 12.4 V in the morning.   There is maybe about 9 hrs between these readings (repeated 3 times).

 

I don't think that small drop is significant, or is it? 

 

Cheers!

I think the battery is a red herring.

 

Just to be clear, is the engine taking longer on the key to start than normal, or is the idle reluctant to settle after the engine has started?

 

There are numerous possibilities for either scenario, but this time of year is good for exposing weak or failed glow plugs.

 

Before charging down the battery route then you'd be better scanning the car for fault codes. Faulty glow plugs will register and store as a fault that any OBD reader should see.

 

If you don't have access to VCDS / VAG-COM or OBDeleven then try Carista, £15.99 which includes one months free subscription...

 

https://caristaapp.com/pricing

 

Really simple and intuitive to use.

On 25/11/2019 at 23:12, DEL80Y said:

I had a really good V/W technical doc pdf about the battery management system but for the life of me I can not find on my hard drive😤

If you watch from 7mins 30 Sec it shows you how to get readings of state of charge and battery life
 

 

I just checked this on my car: none of this stuff is installed on it. Built in January 2012.

21 hours ago, silver1011 said:

I think the battery is a red herring.

 

Just to be clear, is the engine taking longer on the key to start than normal, or is the idle reluctant to settle after the engine has started

 

If you don't have access to VCDS / VAG-COM or OBDeleven then try Carista, £15.99 which includes one months free subscription...

 

https://caristaapp.com/pricing

 

Really simple and intuitive to use.

 

Its sometimes in the morning, starting it with the key it seems to splutter and take longer to start.  I don't need multiple attempts, just sometimes it seems lethargic.  During the day - eg on home commute - its fine.

 

Thanks for the carista tip, that looks like a good thing to check out.

Thanks for all the input chaps, much appreciated!

So I too have been dealing with some starting problems, including having to jump start it this morning after the battery died trying to start it. Having been to the mechanic, there are two issues. One is that the battery is draining down overnight, something I'd suspected already and need to deal with.

 

The other is more serious: injector 4 is misfiring and could be causing hard starts. I had noticed in the last few weeks that it's taken more cranking than normal to start it, and fuel economy has dropped a bit. From the scan the garage did, IQ deviation on cylinders 1-3 is around 0.15, and on cylinder 4 it's 0.65, and this is on a hot engine. I'm going to check this tonight when the car has cooled down (it's on a battery charger for the afternoon as well).

 

If it is the injector, I'll be straight down to the dealer in the morning for a new one under the TBM.

On 25/11/2019 at 16:13, DEL80Y said:

After a lot of research its advised that all batteries are coded as it is a smart charging system fitted to these cars.

Not just stop/start

Ross Tech Battery coding

a wee vcds video

 

 

dont give out poor info, it confuses. if you dont have stop/start there is nothing to code.

 

670cca is low for a battery of 096 size though.

@rover220

Did you actually read the  Ross Tech battery coding  ?

There is NO mention of having to have stop/start fitted to code the battery.

I have coded my own car with a Varta E44 twice now (first one went warranty return) which was slightly higher amp than the crap that is fitted as standard.

I changed supplier to Varta put in the correct amp and adjusted the serial number by 1 each time I fitted them as it was an aftermarket batteries and never had a QR code.

So yes it can be coded 

Sorry if you think I am giving out "poor info" .

I am only going by experience with my car and other Seat taxis that had problems with batteries holding charge and yes they were all Stop/Start not getting coded when replaced.

 

if you dont have the monitor on the negative terminal it is pointless coding as the car has no idea what power is being consumed/generated.

1 hour ago, DEL80Y said:

@rover220

Did you actually read the  Ross Tech battery coding  ?

There is NO mention of having to have stop/start fitted to code the battery.

I have coded my own car with a Varta E44 twice now (first one went warranty return) which was slightly higher amp than the crap that is fitted as standard.

I changed supplier to Varta put in the correct amp and adjusted the serial number by 1 each time I fitted them as it was an aftermarket batteries and never had a QR code.

So yes it can be coded 

Sorry if you think I am giving out "poor info" .

I am only going by experience with my car and other Seat taxis that had problems with batteries holding charge and yes they were all Stop/Start not getting coded when replaced.

 

Which set of instructions did you follow to do this coding, and what module did you code?

 

Can you post the long coding of the BCM and CAN gateway of your car here for comparison? Also, part numbers would be useful.

 

I would have seconded @rover220's assertion that this was only possible/necessary for cars with start/stop but I'm curious about it now. I wonder if it's a similar thing to XDS/HHC in that the feature is available but disabled via coding. Hence the questions for your car's details.

1 hour ago, DEL80Y said:

I am only going by experience with my car and other Seat taxis that had problems with batteries holding charge and yes they were all Stop/Start

 

I interpret this to mean that @DEL80Y's car does have start/stop, as had the others he has coded? 

 

@sheeplover; you never confirmed to us whether your car has the battery monitor module on the negative terminal. Please could you let us know?