Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly?

Flyer · 9th April 2019, 14:44

Hi all, I need suggestions on which battery to use as a replacement for the Varta battery in my A3.

The current battery is facing charging problem on a daily basis and I need to change it immediately. The same battery (72AH) will cost me 21k from Audi service. I'm not able to find another brand in the market with same specifications.

Can I go with 68AH or 74AH battery or stick with the same brand and AH as suggested by my SA? Looking for suggestions from the experienced folks here.

Here is the pic of current Varta battery with its specifications.

Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly?-img_8266.jpg

Rehaan · 9th April 2019, 17:07

Is your car out of the warranty period?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyer

The same battery (72AH) will cost me 21k from Audi service.
...
...
Can I go with 68AH or 74AH battery or stick with the same brand and AH as suggested by my SA?

AH (Amp Hours) is a rating for how much power a battery can store & provide.

68AH and 74AH are close enough to 72AH -- So i don't think it will be a problem either way.

To be on the safe side, buy the 74AH one (larger capacity).

Dhruv29 · 9th April 2019, 17:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyer

Can I go with 68AH or 74AH battery or stick with the same brand and AH as suggested by my SA? Looking for suggestions from the experienced folks here.

To be on the safe side go with 74AH battery. But do check if the battery is AGM type or normal lead acid type battery. AGM batteries are considerably more expensive than lead acid batteries. Euro cars typically use AGM type batteries.

sharktale · 9th April 2019, 18:19

My Skoda's Varta battery went kaput in just under 2 years. Varta batteries don't last long, and was replaced by Exide batteries by the SC under warranty.

You should go ahead with Exide 74AH itself. Probably they are trying to maximize their profits. Anyways, since the amps will match, one doesn't need to worry much about anything else.

EXIDE 74AH battery at INR 8199

R2D2 · 9th April 2019, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyer

Hi all, I need suggestions on which battery to use as a replacement for the Varta battery in my A3.

This is a flooded battery, the sticker and magic eye tell you the type. Gell cell or VRLA batteries would cost about 1.5-2x more

You can buy an equivalent unit from another brand with the [u]same dimensions, terminal size, -ve terminal polarity (L or R) and capacity (72 AH).

If this isn't available from Exide/Amaron/Tata Green then your only option is to go for a battery from the dealer. Assuming your car is a diesel A3, this is what I could find at batterybhai dot com

A3 Diesel Mumbai

This is for Mumbai, please change the city to your place of residence to check availability. Or call a local dealer for one of the below mentioned battery models which should fit your car:

AMARON AAM-PR-574102069

EXIDE MTREDDIN74

SF SONIC FFS0-FS1440-DIN74

Flyer · 10th April 2019, 00:33

Thank you all for the suggestions. As per your suggestions I have decided to go ahead with Amaron Pro 74 AH battery. I already spoke with the supplier and he said it'll fit in my vehicle.

My car is out of its warranty period.

I'll update the thread once it's done.

Flyer · 14th April 2019, 02:27

Hi all, Got new battery for my car. Ended up with Exide 74 AH. Costed me Rs. 8700 with exchange of old battery. Thanks for the timely help everyone.

aeolus · 25th September 2019, 20:13

HI everyone. My two and a half year old Q3 battery too is dying. Its the same as the one posted here by Flyer.

My vehicle is in warranty and I was told that a battery has to be calibrated after its installation and so the dealer does not entertain any other battery other than the ones they sell. Their price is about 22,000/- while the same is available in the market for 1/3rd its price.
Is it true that the batteries need calibration?
Thanks.

Rehaan · 26th September 2019, 17:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeolus

My vehicle is in warranty and I was told that a battery has to be calibrated after its installation and so the dealer does not entertain any other battery other than the ones they sell.

I guess the difference here is that your car is still in the warranty period, so adding a battery from a 3rd party might cause complications if you were to try to make a warranty claim in the future...

Jeroen · 26th September 2019, 19:36

Just a few additional comments. In general as long as the replacement battery has at least the same rating as per the manufacturer requirements you should be good to go. You might want to check physical dimensions and position of the poles as well. I know that caught me out once.

The other thing, make sure it is actually the battery that is the problem and not the charging from your car.

Calibration of a battery is not necessary. This stems mainly from devices such as phones and laptops. All what is needed after a battery replacement on these devices is to reset or calibrate the battery indicator (e.g.% charge).

I vaguely remember reading about some high end cars needing something resetting or so after a battery swap, but I have never come across it myself. Obviously, most electronics in your car will, to a certain degree reset due to a battery swap, but that is no problem. (Eg on my Jaguar the various dashboard reading on fuel use etc reset and so does the ECU to some extend.

Jeroen

greendream · 26th September 2019, 21:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeolus

HI everyone. My two and a half year old Q3 battery too is dying. Its the same as the one posted here by Flyer.

My vehicle is in warranty and I was told that a battery has to be calibrated after its installation and so the dealer does not entertain any other battery other than the ones they sell. Their price is about 22,000/- while the same is available in the market for 1/3rd its price.
Is it true that the batteries need calibration?
Thanks.

Classic case of ripping a customer. Try writing to the company. If at all you might get a healthy discount. Sadly we are living in a world where dealers of all segments frighten customers citing warranties becoming void.

Turbanator · 26th September 2019, 21:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeolus

I was told that a battery has to be calibrated after its installation and so the dealer does not entertain any other battery other than the ones they sell. Their price is about 22,000/- while the same is available in the market for 1/3rd its price.

It's kind of registration where the Dealership will run some program and feed information of the new battery. Usually, on BMW's batteries does last long, not sure why Audi worked for 2 1/2 year. If it's under warranty, better pay to the dealership. With VW group, it's better to keep the warranty intact. The outside battery may throw some errors as well.

Jeroen · 26th September 2019, 21:55

Some more information on the battery replacement procedure for BMW.

https://bimmertips.com/bmw-battery-r...ing-explained/

Jeroen

KMT · 27th September 2019, 09:23

Thanks for this link. My F30 battery is 6 years old and is going strong but I guess a change will be required in the next year or so.

My FNG guy said he can source a Gel battery for about 50% of BMW service price but I did not ask him whether he has the software to recaliberate the vehicle sensors to accept the new battery as explained in the above post. I will send him this link and ask him whether he can do this.

smack_himanshu · 7th January 2020, 11:08

Battery for my A3 which is around 2 years old also suddenly died and I had to get it jump started yesterday.
I have found a dealer who source VARTA batteries in delhi. Would my extended warranty have any issues if I buy the same battery from outside instead of service center.

Off Topic -

Can someone suggest where to buy the lug nut key as the one provided with car is unable to open the nuts.

9th April 2019, 14:44	#1
Flyer BHPian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: KL 02 Posts: 557 Thanked: 1,388 Times View My Garage	Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly? Hi all, I need suggestions on which battery to use as a replacement for the Varta battery in my A3. The current battery is facing charging problem on a daily basis and I need to change it immediately. The same battery (72AH) will cost me 21k from Audi service. I'm not able to find another brand in the market with same specifications. Can I go with 68AH or 74AH battery or stick with the same brand and AH as suggested by my SA? Looking for suggestions from the experienced folks here. Here is the pic of current Varta battery with its specifications.
	(1) Thanks

9th April 2019, 18:19	#4
sharktale BHPian Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: SG / CCU Posts: 391 Thanked: 795 Times View My Garage	Re: Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly? My Skoda's Varta battery went kaput in just under 2 years. Varta batteries don't last long, and was replaced by Exide batteries by the SC under warranty. You should go ahead with Exide 74AH itself. Probably they are trying to maximize their profits. Anyways, since the amps will match, one doesn't need to worry much about anything else. EXIDE 74AH battery at INR 8199
	(3) Thanks

10th April 2019, 00:33	#6
Flyer BHPian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: KL 02 Posts: 557 Thanked: 1,388 Times View My Garage	Re: Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly? Thank you all for the suggestions. As per your suggestions I have decided to go ahead with Amaron Pro 74 AH battery. I already spoke with the supplier and he said it'll fit in my vehicle. My car is out of its warranty period. I'll update the thread once it's done.
	(2) Thanks

14th April 2019, 02:27	#7
Flyer BHPian Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: KL 02 Posts: 557 Thanked: 1,388 Times View My Garage	Re: Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly? Hi all, Got new battery for my car. Ended up with Exide 74 AH. Costed me Rs. 8700 with exchange of old battery. Thanks for the timely help everyone.
	(1) Thanks

25th September 2019, 20:13	#8
aeolus Newbie Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: nasik Posts: 1 Thanked: 0 Times	Re: Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly? HI everyone. My two and a half year old Q3 battery too is dying. Its the same as the one posted here by Flyer. My vehicle is in warranty and I was told that a battery has to be calibrated after its installation and so the dealer does not entertain any other battery other than the ones they sell. Their price is about 22,000/- while the same is available in the market for 1/3rd its price. Is it true that the batteries need calibration? Thanks. Last edited by Rehaan : 26th September 2019 at 17:35. Reason: Fixing typos. Please re-read your post before submitting.
	() Thanks

26th September 2019, 19:36	#10
Jeroen Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Delhi Posts: 8,093 Thanked: 50,786 Times View My Garage	Just a few additional comments. In general as long as the replacement battery has at least the same rating as per the manufacturer requirements you should be good to go. You might want to check physical dimensions and position of the poles as well. I know that caught me out once. The other thing, make sure it is actually the battery that is the problem and not the charging from your car. Calibration of a battery is not necessary. This stems mainly from devices such as phones and laptops. All what is needed after a battery replacement on these devices is to reset or calibrate the battery indicator (e.g.% charge). I vaguely remember reading about some high end cars needing something resetting or so after a battery swap, but I have never come across it myself. Obviously, most electronics in your car will, to a certain degree reset due to a battery swap, but that is no problem. (Eg on my Jaguar the various dashboard reading on fuel use etc reset and so does the ECU to some extend. Jeroen Last edited by Jeroen : 26th September 2019 at 19:42.
	() Thanks

26th September 2019, 21:55	#13
Jeroen Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Delhi Posts: 8,093 Thanked: 50,786 Times View My Garage	Re: Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly? Some more information on the battery replacement procedure for BMW. https://bimmertips.com/bmw-battery-r...ing-explained/ Jeroen
	(1) Thanks

27th September 2019, 09:23	#14
KMT BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Coorg Posts: 455 Thanked: 877 Times	Re: Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly? Thanks for this link. My F30 battery is 6 years old and is going strong but I guess a change will be required in the next year or so. My FNG guy said he can source a Gel battery for about 50% of BMW service price but I did not ask him whether he has the software to recaliberate the vehicle sensors to accept the new battery as explained in the above post. I will send him this link and ask him whether he can do this.
	() Thanks

7th January 2020, 11:08	#15
smack_himanshu BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 91 Thanked: 9 Times	Re: Replacement battery for my Audi A3: Do specifications have to match exactly? Battery for my A3 which is around 2 years old also suddenly died and I had to get it jump started yesterday. I have found a dealer who source VARTA batteries in delhi. Would my extended warranty have any issues if I buy the same battery from outside instead of service center. Off Topic - Can someone suggest where to buy the lug nut key as the one provided with car is unable to open the nuts.
	() Thanks