Battery life for 2019 Octavia VRS

[jonjc]

My 2019 Octavia VRS is in for service (19,900miles), I took delivery new in Feb 2019.

The the Skoda dealer has just contacted me to say that the battery is defective and they are quoting around £300 to replace.

a) Should I be paying for this?  I think it might be covered by warranty but not sure.

b) Should a battery in a brand new car last more then 2yrs, 9months?

c) Does Skoda supply cars with such shoddy batteries (and presumably replace them with same) ? And if so should I get it replaced elsewhere - and if I do, will this invalidate my warranty? 

 

Any thoughts welcome  🙂

[arnold]

My battery lasted just over 3 years and I replaced it myself for a bosch which was just over 100 quid for my diesel vrs. 

300 rubs is a bit steep. It's a 20 minute job even with the coding. The bosch is a far better battery and turns over far quicker than it ever did from new. 

[Gerrycan]

Anecdotally it seems that cars (not just Skoda) with stop/start are susceptible to shorter-than-expected battery life.

Lot of caveats, like it will depend on driving conditions, whether subjected to abnormal battery depletion (accidental or otherwise), whether the car's battery management system is working properly, or just possibly the battery fitted was defective, but if the latter was the case then it would probably have failed earlier.

 

I'd be surprised if you could not find a better deal on line than what the dealer is offering but in my limited experience the warranties for new batteries are rarely longer than 3 years.

I think that batteries are excluded from the car warranty, like brakes and other 'consumables'.

 

Edited 5 November, 2021 by Gerrycan

[nta16]

Modern cars eat batteries especially with the start/stop monitoring.

 

I think there might have been a spate of iffy Skoda batteries, see other threads on other models, but I'd wanted to know what's defective about the battery, batteries are one of the most oversold car parts and it's rare now to get faulty batteries.  If it is really defective then perhaps it's covered by a recall (there was one on our 2016 Fabia but ours was clear for that).

 

Batteries can normally be recharged (if not already flogged to death) but this takes time and patience which most modern car owners don't have a lot of.  I've revive quite a few of my neighbours batteries (one failure though) by giving them a long slow low recharge which can literally take a day or two.  Faster charging can often be shallower in its effect and longevity.

 

You could replace the battery yourself if you know someone with the coding equipment.  The battery can't be under warranty if they're charging to replace it and no if a correct battery is fitted correctly it won't invalidate the car's warranty.

 

Bosch don't make batteries as I discovered when I fitted one (it's a Vitara) but any good battery is a good battery, you want it to at least the same spec as the factory item.  Generally the longer the warranty the better, subject to it being to at least factory spec Ah and CCA but don't put too much faith in just numbers bigger isn't always best (consistence of performance is better).

 

Have a look here. - https://www.tayna.co.uk/Skoda-Octavia-Car-Battery

 

[nta16]

18 minutes ago, Gerrycan said:

Anecdotally it seems that cars (not just Skoda) with stop/start are susceptible to shorter-than-expected battery life.

Lot of caveats, like it will depend on driving conditions, whether subjected to abnormal battery depletion (accidental or otherwise), whether the car's battery management system is working properly, or just possibly the battery fitted was defective, but if the latter was the case then it would probably have failed earlier.

 

I'd be surprised if you could not find a better deal on line than what the dealer is offering but in my limited experience the warranties for new batteries are rarely longer than 3 years.

 

Good points.  (You missed out driver's not knowing the importance of the car battery, use, abuse and neglect, not saying that's the case here).

 

Aftermarket batteries can come with 4 or 5 years guarantee and those are the ones I'd look at.

 

Also beware of Halfords data base as they offer different numbers and the fittings are not always spot on, plus unless the batteries are on offer they tend to be expensive - but they will soon, if not already, be in the 'distress' buying season for car batteries so stocks on the shelves can get lower.

 

 

Edited 5 November, 2021 by nta16
forgot the 'not' as in not always spot on

[Gerrycan]

I did say "my limited experience" as my cars do not have stop/start so I my battery replacements are the far cheaper basic lead acid with limited warranties.

I usually get more than 5 years out of them and I don't lose out on as much petrol savings as you may think as I'm quite prepared to turn off the engine manually in situations where I know  no movement will happen for a while. Annoys the wife no end when I do it  

[nta16]

I was going to put I perhaps had more experience but wasn't sure if you meant Skoda car warranty rather than what's usually referred to over here as guarantee for the aftermarket battery.

 

Until a few months ago I had no real practical experience of other than standard batteries, I only knew of the other types, and I broke my own rule and replaced the battery on my wife's Fabia before trying to recharge it as she didn't have the car from new and she'd worry if the battery wasn't 100% reliable.

 

I didn't even know the new battery needed coding to the car and how very invasive the battery monitoring system is to the rest of the car's systems (well computer programs).

 

Turning the engine off is a good thing, apart from the fumes not created you're also saving some wear on the engine, idling isn't good for it.

 

I'm from turning all electrical items off before turning the engine off and not turning any electrical items on until the engine is running (except safety items obviously) but this isn't the modern way with all manner of items on the go constantly even when the car is parked and that's on top of the modern cars' running all sorts of electrical systems.  If cars had an electric meter running same as in the homes people would realise just how much they use.

 

Then as with my wife's car it often only goes very short journeys so the battery is depleted and not restored.

 

My car is from 1973 and even for that time has very little additional electric items on it, my previous model didn't have the interior and boot light so even less, so I'm more used to basics, a couple of years back I had a lady in her 20s as a passenger and she was surprised to see me push the switch to turn the wipers on and off, I didn't realise until latter she'd only seen automatic wipers before!

     

Edited 5 November, 2021 by nta16

[Ciderspace]

My 2018 VRS suffered a failed battery. AA confirmed it, car booked in at local dealer and battery replaced free of charge so yes, mine was under warranty so see no reason why yours would not be.

[ords]

2 hours ago, jonjc said:

My 2019 Octavia VRS is in for service (19,900miles), I took delivery new in Feb 2019.

The the Skoda dealer has just contacted me to say that the battery is defective and they are quoting around £300 to replace.

a) Should I be paying for this?  I think it might be covered by warranty but not sure.

b) Should a battery in a brand new car last more then 2yrs, 9months?

c) Does Skoda supply cars with such shoddy batteries (and presumably replace them with same) ? And if so should I get it replaced elsewhere - and if I do, will this invalidate my warranty? 

 

Any thoughts welcome  🙂

Fight to get it replaced under warranty. Have you noticed any difference in cranking speed? Unless you know you've really abused the battery it shouldn't need replacing yet.

[nta16]

Both good points but I'm concerned with the fact the car is at a Skoda Dealership and what is actually meant by it being defective or more precisely what has caused this.

 

If it's a battery failed/faulty/defective from manufacturer then it's a car warranty matter, same as the ones I mentioned before in which case why are the Dealership asking for £300 - or are they saying it defective by use alone, wear and tear which is quite possible in well under 2 years 9 months depending on use (abuse, neglect, not knowing, again I'm not say this is the case with jonjc - but on the other hand it might be I can't know).

 

The other side is that there is a fault in the charging system or in one of the car's many computers and programs.

 

ETA: Cars are now very complicated for various reasons with so many computers and programs, such as trying to get the last nth degree out of a very ancient technology that is ICE, perhaps to test out systems require for future models, and even perhaps to be able to play around with regulations, as has been proven.

 

Edited 5 November, 2021 by nta16

[Ecomatt]

This is a warranty issue as the car is covered under the manufacturers warranty and that includes batteries. If they say not I would raise it with the dealer principal.

[Stoofa]

December 2017 vRS - 32K miles.

Service last weekend, bought the print out from the battery test showing me that my battery had failed.

I could quite believe it - my car rarely dropped into Stop/Start and when I sat in the car with music on, my dashcams were ****ting down due to low battery almost immediately.

 

Was quoted similar for new one, said I'd look elsewhere. They said they had a "non-premium" battery they could supply and fit for around £200.

Went to Halfords website, they would fit me one for about £150 - Dealership fitted whatever their "non premium" option was for the same price. 

[GUM213K]

The biggest battery that will fit the Mark 3 Octavia is the 096. The original battery sleeve might not fit if the original battery was the smaller 057 size.

In my case I replaced the OEM 057 EFB battery with an 096 AGM from Tanya batteries . It arrived the following day. I coded it with OBD ELEVEN. In my opinion it is cheaper to buy your own OBD ELEVEN and supply and fit the  battery yourself even if you never use OBD ELEVEN again?

My OEM battery lasted just over 3 years and 5 months but lockdown didn't help and TBH I didn't charge it often enough during long periods when the car was parked!

 

 

 

 

 

[paulski]

7 hours ago, jonjc said:

My 2019 Octavia VRS is in for service (19,900miles), I took delivery new in Feb 2019.

The the Skoda dealer has just contacted me to say that the battery is defective and they are quoting around £300 to replace.

a) Should I be paying for this?  I think it might be covered by warranty but not sure.  

b) Should a battery in a brand new car last more then 2yrs, 9months?

c) Does Skoda supply cars with such shoddy batteries (and presumably replace them with same) ? And if so should I get it replaced elsewhere - and if I do, will this invalidate my warranty? 

 

Any thoughts welcome  🙂

a) no should be covered by warranty, period. 

b) difficult to comment as depends on use but anything can fail prematurely. 

c) it's not an Audi so they have save the pennies somehow for it to be a Skoda. 😃, My 2016 2.0tdi has an EFB battery which is lower spec than an AGM battery, but it could be replaced with the better spec when it does go. 

 

Just to add that if you do not know already, the new battery has to coded to the car for the monitoring system to know it's condition and to charge it correctly. Dealer will charge for that,  first 30 mins of diagnostic time  is usually listed at £110. 

 

I can do it in 10mins with Vcds and would charge £10...lol. 

[AGFalco]

36 minutes ago, GUM213K said:

smaller 057 size

 027  ( 057 is a Japanese fitment )

 

 

6 hours ago, nta16 said:

Generally the longer the warranty the better

A 3 year guarantee battery is often the same battery as the 4 or 5 year guarantee batteries.

They just charge more and rely on very few coming back.

The battery supplier we use label up the batteries that are supplied by the manufacture themselves.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Edited 5 November, 2021 by AGFalco

[AGFalco]

6 hours ago, nta16 said:

Modern cars eat batteries

 Very true.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

[fabdavrav]

Likely to be an 096 size EFB or AGM that was factory fitted for the size of engine with stop/start..

 

 

I swapped my smaller sized EFB for an 096 AGM Bosch in Jan 2015 (coded it myself with VCDS)..still going strong & thats with the car being stood for ages...mine you I have a C-Tek charger that does AGM batteries...

 

oh.... I have coded out (via voltage method) the stop start...biggest PITA out...

[nta16]

1 hour ago, AGFalco said:

A 3 year guarantee battery is often the same battery as the 4 or 5 year guarantee batteries.

Yes sorry I was thinking of the battery manufacturer type guarantee (whether they actually make the battery themselves or have it produced) rather than the old chase the queen business operations of some suppliers.

 

Old type of batteries were easier as it was just physics, size and weight giving clues.

 

Edited 5 November, 2021 by nta16
ETA: the word type (guarantee)

[nta16]

2 hours ago, Stoofa said:

December 2017 vRS - 32K miles.

Service last weekend, bought the print out from the battery test showing me that my battery had failed.

Batteries can be recharged but they do need time and patience to do a proper job, long low and slow but they can be revived (or "reconditioned") unless you've dragged the arse out of it.  Given a recharge it would probably pass.  Batteries are one of the most oversold car parts.

 

 

2 hours ago, Stoofa said:

when I sat in the car with music on, my dashcams were ****ting down due to low battery almost immediately.

I don't know for certain but there might be clues here.

 

 

2 hours ago, Stoofa said:

Was quoted similar for new one, said I'd look elsewhere. They said they had a "non-premium" battery they could supply and fit for around £200.

Went to Halfords website, they would fit me one for about £150 - Dealership fitted whatever their "non premium" option was for the same price. 

Again I don't know but that sounds like it might have been a more expensive choice if the battery fails sooner than the previous or the "premium" option.  You might want to consider buying a suitable battery charger/trickle (not a higher amp fast or booster charger though).

 

Or you could buy a device to plug in to show you when and how much electric battery power you are using at any given time, bit like a home smart meter, if the alternator isn't running you're depleting the car battery's store.

 

I'm thinking of marketing slot-meters for cars electric supply to help with understanding where all the electric goes and on what and when.  😁

 

[GUM213K]

2 hours ago, GUM213K said:

The biggest battery that will fit the Mark 3 Octavia is the 096. The original battery sleeve might not fit if the original battery was the smaller 057 size.

In my case I replaced the OEM 057 EFB battery with an 096 AGM from Tanya batteries . It arrived the following day. I coded it with OBD ELEVEN. In my opinion it is cheaper to buy your own OBD ELEVEN and supply and fit the  battery yourself even if you never use OBD ELEVEN again?

My OEM battery lasted just over 3 years and 5 months but lockdown didn't help and TBH I didn't charge it often enough during long periods when the car was parked!

 

 

 

 

 

Apologies not 057 but 027 . I stand corrected. It's a bit of a pain that you can't correct a post some time after the event?

[nta16]

12 hours ago, GUM213K said:

Apologies not 057 but 027 . I stand corrected. It's a bit of a pain that you can't correct a post some time after the event?

What machine are you using, a mobile (not-so) smart device or i-can'tPhone, if it's your post click on the three dots at rhs top corner of post for drop-menu with 'Edit' at the bottom.  Apologies, once again I was wrong, see next post from roottoot. 

 

You'll be lucky to see many posts of mine without edits.  (As proven with this post)

 

Edited 6 November, 2021 by nta16
I was wrong again

[Ootohere]

@nta16  Your time to edit a post on Briskoda is limited if you are not a Freedom member.

[jonjc]

Thanks all for your info and advice.  It was good have the confidence of going back to them with a bit more knowledge if needed.

However, in the event, they put the battery on charge and at the end of it all everything seemed to be OK.  I asked why the battery had been low in the first place and they were a bit vague - 'Just one of those things - have you been doing a lot of short journeys recently?'.  I said, no particularly short journeys - but then remembered that I'd left my wireless phone charger plugged into the USB port over night and when I left it at the dealers (I don't usually leave it plugged in).  They said that this could have caused it. 

 

So all's well.  No big bill for a new battery and I drove away with a smile and everything working and feeling just fine.

The only other thing that came up on the vehicle check was that the rear screen wash was squirting in not quite the right direction.  I declined the offer of paying them 30 mins labour to spend 2 mins poking it with a pin - I can do that myself! 

 

Anyway - thanks again.

[nta16]

Thanks for reporting back, and good news.

 

It does highlight how you can depleted the battery's store though and with the shorter days and colder weather coming up now is a good time to consider a suitable battery charger perhaps to save being caught out and being one of the very many that need to call out the breakdown services because the battery is flat,  the AA number one most common cause of breakdowns - Flat or faulty battery.  The AA won't say this but I will, very rarely is it a faulty battery, a few might be charging system faults but vast majority will be user error, ignorance or neglect. - https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/advice/top-ten-breakdown-causes

 

Perhaps consider buying a trickle charger or low, slow charger for longer chagrining, don't go for very quick quick or booster chargers.

 

Good luck.

 

[varaderoguy]

AGM/EFM batteries are notoriously not good.  On my 2019 Scout, I turn off the auto-stop/start as it does in my head my journeys are now not so long (10 miles each way to work), so therefore I keep my battery happy with using a solar panel charger plugged into my ODBC2 port to keep the battery happy.