Hi about 8 months ago i got a warning on my radio display upon opening car about low 12v battery warning and something about turning infotainment system off? i took it to garage where it was tested and was ok told to take long route home to get it charged fully been ok till 2weeks ago then got same message done a long run again was ok till this morning then got same warning any advice please

1 hour ago, casperlad said:

this morning then got same warning any advice please

 

Charge the battery with a smart charger. Check where to connect it up to!

The car will NOT fully charge your stop/start battery by design. 😮

 

Thanks AG Falco

It's the crap BMC (battery management control) unit. We do a high percentage of local joneys with start/stop enabled and used to have the same problem. 

The BMC module was designed by a moron. To save power, it aims to keep the battery at 75% charge and only charges when you are not accelerating - only on overrun. So combined with start stop, the battery doesn't get a chance to ever be fully charged. 

You can overcome this permanently by disconnecting the BCM connector. It is the little black connector on the battery ground terminal. Just pull back the little white white 'lock' and pull the plug off at the same time. Tuck it out of the way. Now your battery will take a full charge and start stop will be totally disabled. I defy anyone to prove that it makes an iota of difference to either battery life or fuel consumption! 

There was new software released for battery management, fitted to one of our cars while in for service. Have never seen this issue on either of the Mk3s we have or had. The older one is now four years old and hasn't behaved like this.

6 hours ago, TerFar said:

 I defy anyone to prove that it makes an iota of difference to either battery life or fuel consumption! 

Hard to prove as a man in the street. However common sense says that if you sit for two minutes at lights with the engine running then you are using fuel that you wouldn't use if the engine was stopped (unless we have invented perpetual motion while I wasn't looking). You are also generating emissions that you wouldn't be with the engine stopped. No it's not much, but surely you can't argue it's nothing at all?

 

So, if 100,000 cars all save a bit of fuel an emit a bit less CO2 and NOx then surely 100000 x a little bit is slightly larger than an iota? Or is my maths flawed somewhere?

I've got the service history of mine and there's no mention of any update to the BCM. Would look at your history and see if there's a reference to it please. 

I'll also check on line again to see if Skoda list any updates for my car. My Skoda agent said there was nothing wrong when I reported the problem. 

But I'm certain the BCM firmware is the problem: when disconnected, I never have a problem. 

3 minutes ago, lowedb said:

Hard to prove as a man in the street. However common sense says that if you sit for two minutes at lights with the engine running then you are using fuel that you wouldn't use if the engine was stopped (unless we have invented perpetual motion while I wasn't looking). You are also generating emissions that you wouldn't be with the engine stopped. No it's not much, but surely you can't argue it's nothing at all?

 

So, if 100,000 cars all save a bit of fuel an emit a bit less CO2 and NOx then surely 100000 x a little bit is slightly larger than an iota? Or is my maths flawed somewhere?

 

Maybe I should have said miniscule! It certainly makes far more difference if all those huge SUVs were switched to eco hatchbacks! 

We have the same problem, if I change the battery will I need a code for the radio?
 

 

If you wish to disable start-stop, and all the "smart charge" features, there's a little connector on the -ve battery connector, carefully unplug that (might want to put it in a little resealable bag to stop dirt getting into it), and that will disable everything.

 

It makes the car feel like it drives smoother, will charge the battery fully to 100% (given a decent journey), and disables stop-start.

 

It doesn't cause any lights or errors, only thing youll see is a A symbol to say that stop-start didn't activate, and checking the head unit status will just say "power consumption too high".

 

It just makes it run as if it was a standard car with no start-stop or overrun-regen.

 

@PLJ no you won't. I've had the battery out a few times doing various messing around with engine mounts, never once had to recode the radio. Only thing you'll loose is the time/date.

Edited 7 February, 20206 yr by FabiaGonzales

I have to say that this is the best piece of advice that I have had today, bar none. Being old school I hate and loath all this messing about that some manufacturers seem to want to do these days which give no real advantages to the consumer (me). I do not need electric windows, I can reverse any car without it bleating at me, I do not need a super dooper radio because I never use it, I do not need air conditioning (don't have it in the garden do I and I don't need a car that bleats when I get too close becuase I do not do tailgating. Got that off my chest and reckon my car would be at least £1500 cheaper if I did not have to pay for all this junk.

41 minutes ago, Eccles said:

I have to say that this is the best piece of advice that I have had today, bar none. Being old school I hate and loath all this messing about that some manufacturers seem to want to do these days which give no real advantages to the consumer (me). I do not need electric windows, I can reverse any car without it bleating at me, I do not need a super dooper radio because I never use it, I do not need air conditioning (don't have it in the garden do I and I don't need a car that bleats when I get too close becuase I do not do tailgating. Got that off my chest and reckon my car would be at least £1500 cheaper if I did not have to pay for all this junk.

 

To say nothing of the enormous displays over half the width of the car that flash, "DO NOT LET THE DISPLAY DISTRACT YOUR DRIVING" or some such wording, as soon as you sit in the car! All I need is a familiar circular speedo. 

My wife's August 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL, had not been used for 5 days, so I checked the battery health using my CTEK battery checker and the CCA was down to 500 CCA EN from 625 CCA EN back in the summer time, battery rating when new 640 CCA EN, this was a bit annoying, so I ran a RECON and recharge on it using my CTEK Charger/Support unit, at the end of that I waited 40 minutes and checked the battery again, it was 475 CCA EN.

 

Most of the time I switch Stop/Start off, so I'm a bit surprised that this battery is dying this much after 4.5 years - not unheard of but still disappointing, there are currently no signs that the battery is becoming too weak to start and run the car, starter motor spins quickly and if the Stop/Start is left on, the car always stops at the first set of lights I stop at from a cold start.

 

I might need to consider buying an AMG battery next time, when that time comes.

4 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

My wife's August 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS SEL, had not been used for 5 days, so I checked the battery health using my CTEK battery checker and the CCA was down to 500 CCA EN from 625 CCA EN back in the summer time, battery rating when new 640 CCA EN, this was a bit annoying, so I ran a RECON and recharge on it using my CTEK Charger/Support unit, at the end of that I waited 40 minutes and checked the battery again, it was 475 CCA EN.

 

Most of the time I switch Stop/Start off, so I'm a bit surprised that this battery is dying this much after 4.5 years - not unheard of but still disappointing, there are currently no signs that the battery is becoming too weak to start and run the car, starter motor spins quickly and if the Stop/Start is left on, the car always stops at the first set of lights I stop at from a cold start.

 

I might need to consider buying an AMG battery next time, when that time comes.

 

I had mine checked at its last service, mine's an EFB one rated 640 CCA, it came back at 659 CCA. Not bad for 4.5 years old! It also just sat recently for 3 weeks not even being touched, no battery light, started right up didn't take any longer than a normal start!!

4 minutes ago, FabiaGonzales said:

 

I had mine checked at its last service, mine's an EFB one rated 640 CCA, it came back at 659 CCA. Not bad for 4.5 years old! It also just sat recently for 3 weeks not even being touched, no battery light, started right up didn't take any longer than a normal start!!

 

Same as in that Polo, just a bit disappointing.

6 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

 

Same as in that Polo, just a bit disappointing.

 

Some time a year or two ago, in a local Tesco car park, came by someone with another Fabia, their battery was shot, had to give them a jump start. Their battery was slightly bulged at the sides. Probably wouldn't have done bad to disconnect the battery after we'd started it up. It didn't look healthy. Don't know what ever came of it but yeah! (it worried me a little cos it was the same battery down to the same week of manufacture!) but mines still going as strong as ever. So far.

 

I've been getting the same warning probably once a week. Last service back in July when it was tested it was down to 232 DIN from 320 DIN capacity. The year before, 272 DIN.

 

Thinking it might be time to get it swapped, before it starts causing me grief. Does anyone know if this is a suitable size? https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/bosch/s5a05/ From the sites i've looked at, they all seem to suggest a 027 battery for my 1.2 TSI 110.

 

Would just need to get someone to code it in via VCDS after 🤔

My sister-in-law on Monday had the message on her 16 plate Monte Carlo. She had it for 3 months and was taking it to the dealer for a battery check under warranty. She could not start it so called Skoda Assist for a jump start. Technician said he has had many calls on battery failure. sister-in-law had a new battery put in and no more further trouble. She has turned off the stop/start feature 

Ooh, that looks an interesting one, I'll need to get prepared by measuring up the one in the Polo currently and checking on the Bosch website for similar or even slightly bigger options or AGM batteries - the reason to check for slightly bigger options is that we have a Costco card and Costco sell Bosch batteries but really have a "condensed" range, so if they don't stock the exact correct one, I'd aim to move up slightly and not down slightly.

 

Edit:- being a bit OTT, I might order in a -VE chassis lead nut/terminal as the one currently fitted beside the battery is a domed one and looks like it is painted - so when I charged that battery in the car I needed to use the engine LHS lifting eye as the -VE connection point. (gives me something to buy/fit!)

Edited 14 February, 20206 yr by rum4mo

15 hours ago, Eccles said:

I have to say that this is the best piece of advice that I have had today, bar none. Being old school I hate and loath all this messing about that some manufacturers seem to want to do these days which give no real advantages to the consumer (me). I do not need electric windows, I can reverse any car without it bleating at me, I do not need a super dooper radio because I never use it, I do not need air conditioning (don't have it in the garden do I and I don't need a car that bleats when I get too close becuase I do not do tailgating. Got that off my chest and reckon my car would be at least £1500 cheaper if I did not have to pay for all this junk.

Quite agree. The competition with infotainment screen sizes between manufacturers is amusing. I am surprised anything works when you see films of the wiring looms being installed in cars. You could see the extremities of past generation of cars by their fins and the bonnet was visible from the driving seat. There was no need for 360 cameras and park assist. I was told how to do a hill start without the current hill-assist; I was told to drive in lane without the current lane assist and now the steering wheel vibrates when it thinks you are losing concentration. I never use cruise control as the consequences would be dire if I became ill and lost control or fainted. We have this spiral of manufacturers outdoing each other with these comfort features. It is what distinguishes the SE from the S or the GT from the GLX. I felt short changed when manufacturers done away with the starting handle.

Well after discovering that Tayna sell the bigger Diesel version, ie size 96 £8.50 cheaper for more 76OA CCA and 70AH, I checked to see if there was scope to fit in a battery that is 36mm longer, but not in the Polo at least as doing that would require replacing the plastic battery tray, so probably not worth the extra cost and effort.

 

The AGM that left the factory with my 2011 Audi S4 (without stop/start) is still giving good test results, though that car is not used much, sits connected to a CTEK battery maintenance unit most of the time and might still be giving CCA figures still higher than its rating.

 

The original battery in the 2015 Polo is an Exide EFB, that car is used most days and Stop/Start is usually disabled if I'm driving and there are no hold ups.

 

I think that I've seen a statement or table comparing normal, EFB and AGM car batteries, and the difference between EFB and AGM for expected number of engine starts before starting to degrade is quite a bit!

Edited 14 February, 20206 yr by rum4mo

47 minutes ago, edbostan said:

Quite agree. The competition with infotainment screen sizes between manufacturers is amusing. I am surprised anything works when you see films of the wiring looms being installed in cars. You could see the extremities of past generation of cars by their fins and the bonnet was visible from the driving seat. There was no need for 360 cameras and park assist. I was told how to do a hill start without the current hill-assist; I was told to drive in lane without the current lane assist and now the steering wheel vibrates when it thinks you are losing concentration. I never use cruise control as the consequences would be dire if I became ill and lost control or fainted. We have this spiral of manufacturers outdoing each other with these comfort features. It is what distinguishes the SE from the S or the GT from the GLX. I felt short changed when manufacturers done away with the starting handle.

 

I think that a lot of us will be very annoyed when an essential "switch" has become a virtual switch accessed through the infotainment system - and what used to be the "radio" - stops working, game over, return to dealer!

 

My wife's previous 2002 Polo had ESP-EDL as an option, and that had a switch that was close to hand just in case you felt to need to compete with the EESP-EDL to get going in winter, now I think that switch is hidden below layers of menus so will probably never be reached when in a tight spot!

30 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

I think that I've seen a statement or table comparing normal, EFB and AGM car batteries, and the difference between EFB and AGM for expected number of engine starts before starting to degrade is quite a bit!

I've likely far exceeded those numbers, i've done about 25k miles of journeys no more than 5 miles each (delivery driving), 5000 starts at least, thats not including any stop-start happening in traffic (or 25k miles of leisure/commuting). I generally only have stop-start disabled in summer, as the AC going hi-power low-power hi-power low-power every time i lift off the throttle and the surgey kind of feel it causes gets on my nerves.

Edited 14 February, 20206 yr by FabiaGonzales

Pretty annoyed that the option to set the type of battery, capacity and serial are a VCDS job only. Means replacing the battery yourself at home is an annoying/expensive endeavour. It should really be doable via the car's settings imho. Phoned a local vag independent specialist and they said they'd only fit the same type of battery that is in the vehicle, wouldn't consider fitting/coding an AGM battery for me 🤦‍♂️

That is not very encouraging at all, I hope that they are wrong and just playing safe. 

 

Now to try to find out if anyone has swopped ELB for an AGM!

 

Bother!!

From what I've read using an AGM battery is fine, you just need to tell the BMC that its no longer an "EFB" battery and is a "Fleece" battery along with modifying the serial so it knows its a new battery. Without that, it won't charge the battery correctly.

Edited 14 February, 20206 yr by Confused_Cheese