Battery bother
 

I got a call while at work today from the wife saying her car won't start (A4 3.0 TDi) The car has been fine with no early warning signs of battery trouble and she only just used it yesterday, as well as the previous couple of days. I went home and took her to work and had a quick check around and there appears to be no interior lights left on etc, so I'm suspecting the battery is dying. I'll put it on a trickle charge when I get in tonight but if that doesn't work are there any common faults or suggestions anyone can make? If I do end up purchasing a replacement is there anything I should be aware of before disconnectiong the old one? I appreciate this isn't a car that many on here are experienced with but I'm hoping the common traits apply through the whole Audi range and I can save myself some trouble if forewarned +++

Thanks in advance

Hi,

It may be worth passing by a Kwikfit or Halfords. They both use the pukka battery testers from Bosch i believe and will be able to tell you straight away if the battery is still ok.

...it's a quick way to find out if you need to be looking for something else +++
Oli

Nothing specific from me on precautions to take, but our c5 a6 died in similar fashion on a Monday morning even after a lengthy journey the weekend immediately before!

For new battery have a look at Bosch 5yr warranty ones on euro car parts and try discount code audsrs25 (might need to be in capitals) for 25% off

Thanks for the swift responses guys, much appreciated +++

I'll keep you updated on how I get on, sounds like a battery test is the first course of action then take it from there.

Update
 

I put the battery on trickle charge last night when I got home from work and a few hours later it fired up at the first attempt. I took a short drive in it to see if any warning lights came on or anything was unusual.........all seemed normal. I parked it up with the intention of taking it to get tested today but came out this morning and nothing, well, not enough to turn the engine over. I put it on charge and went back a few hours later and it just managed to turn over so I took it to my independant (taking care not to stall!) and turned it off when I got there (a five mile journey) and it wouldn't turn over again.

Suffice to say, I didn't bother with the test and just fitted the new battery immediately. It's a Bosch battery with a four year guarantee and I got it at cost price so can't complain, hopefully job sorted and peace of mind for the winter ahead. It's the original battery so around seven years old so I can't complain.

If it did not turn over just after journey I would suspect that it does not get charged.

I thought it either wasn't getting charge or not holding charge and as the alternator warning / battery symbol hasn't illuminated then I assumed the battery had failed quickly, maybe I'm wrong?

It turns over rapidly enough for me to realise it's been fairly sluggish for a while so hopefully the new battery has resolved the issue. +++

You'll find out soon enough, but if the old battery was knackered it wouldn't want to hold a charge for long.

Update
 

And this is sorted too, still turning over quicker than Stuart Hall in his prison bed +++