Does the Battery have to be ''Re-programmed'' to my car??

[milan2k13]

So I brought my car into the dealership yesterday for the CVT settlement extended warranty. Then on top of that It was having hard starts...

Got a call back from the Audi dealership just now and he's saying it's a bad battery, bad cells in it.. Quoted me 270 dollars. 140 dollars for the battery and 130 dollars for the install...

I told him I can do the install my self in about a minute.. he tells me well the battery has to be re-programmed back with the car so it knows how to use it bla bla bla...

I thought I have swapped batteries before without a problem, can't recall 100%...

But is he being honest about the battery having to be re programmed with the car? Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me..

[Staz]

no

[MikTip]

The Audi needs to be reprogrammed once the battery is changed...got VCDS?

Once you remove the cars 12v source, all its electronics go haywire....

[milan2k13]

The Audi needs to be reprogrammed once the battery is changed...got VCDS?

No.. he said the radio might not work..it blows my mind they want 130 dollars to put a battery in.

[03a4b6ztk]

The Audi needs to be reprogrammed once the battery is changed...got VCDS?

Once you remove the cars 12v source, all its electronics go haywire....

Sorry for threadjack, but curious, when you say the electronics go haywire, can you expand on this, I bought my A4 off a guy that put a new battery in himself and am curious if some issues I am seeing are results of the battery change or are legitimate issues.

[MikTip]

No.. he said the radio might not work..it blows my mind they want 130 dollars to put a battery in.

You went to the $tealer$hip!

They charge $130 an hour!

What did you expect?

They are in business to make money.

Why ya think many of us DIY our Audi's?

[texasboy21]

Sorry for threadjack, but curious, when you say the electronics go haywire, can you expand on this, I bought my A4 off a guy that put a new battery in himself and am curious if some issues I am seeing are results of the battery change or are legitimate issues.

Clock/date gets reset, the radio may require the code, the key fob may get disconnected. Nothing major, and I highly doubt your car's previous owner did much detrimental damage simply installing a new battery.

[MikTip]

Sorry for threadjack, but curious, when you say the electronics go haywire, can you expand on this, I bought my A4 off a guy that put a new battery in himself and am curious if some issues I am seeing are results of the battery change or are legitimate issues.

ESP light stays on... auto-windows dont work... and key remote doesnt work....the ECU needs to relearn the engine....etc, etc...

[MikTip]

Learn to DIY your aged B6 Audi and save thousands of $$$$$!

[AVier]

I was in the middle of nowhere and def no where near a dealership, got my battery changed at Advanced and all that happened was my alarm went off sporadically for 15 minutes then quite once it reset itself. I have not had an electrical problems since and this was about 1 year ago.

[claudiovagkraft]

My battery's been disconnected/reconnected a few times for work that's been done to the car with no ill effects. Other than having to reprogram the clock and all my trip data reset to zero, I think one time I had to cycle my windows so that they auto up and down again, and maybe the keyfob, but that's it. Your dealership is full of shit.

[milan2k13]

I was in the middle of nowhere and def no where near a dealership, got my battery changed at Advanced and all that happened was my alarm went off sporadically for 15 minutes then quite once it reset itself. I have not had an electrical problems since and this was about 1 year ago.

I am almost positive I had my battery changed once, I think I did it.. and everything worked..

Doesn't the computer re program it's self after a while?

[AudiA4_20T]

yes you can disconnect the battery and reconnect. Nothing has to be programmed. You will lose your radio presets.

[milan2k13]

ESP light stays on... auto-windows dont work... and key remote doesnt work....the ECU needs to relearn the engine....etc, etc...

Now I remember even when I was getting my sound system installed... the battery terminals were pulled... when everything was done, the only thing that happened was the ESP light stayed on for about 15 minutes, then it went off... everything worked fine..

It reminded me that you posted ESP light stays on.

SO I think the dealership is full of it.. and certainly doesn't take an hour to install a battery

[Charles.waite]

Simply? No. The remote relearn s by starting the car a few times. The rest is unimportant. Reset the clock and that's as much as you need to worry about. Maybe the windows auto up-down will need to be reset. All very easy things to do.

The only hiccup is if you have the sport package, you have a strut bar that will need to be unbolted to remove the battery I think. Otherwise save yourself $140 andtell the dealer to stuff it. As usual.

[AVier]

I am almost positive I had my battery changed once, I think I did it.. and everything worked..

Doesn't the computer re program it's self after a while?

It took about 15 minutes but it eventually re-programmed itself.

[milan2k13]

Just got a quote for a fuel filter replacement.. $317... 2 hours of labor...

lmao, are these people on crack? it takes no more than 30 minutes to change a fuel filter.

[kwimberly]

Autobahn in Longwood has a $75/hr rate. If you can't DIY this stuff, consider an indie shop. I do a lot of DIY work, but Autobahn has done my clutch and control arm installs.

[milan2k13]

Autobahn in Longwood has a $75/hr rate. If you can't DIY this stuff, consider an indie shop. I do a lot of DIY work, but Autobahn has done my clutch and control arm installs.

Thanks for the suggestion, I live about 10 minutes from Longwood... but I can do a battery and fuel filter my self no problem..

[elewsader]

FYI; Newer advanced Audi, BMW, MB, and other high-end cars require programming replacement batteries to the systems battery control module; however the B6's technology pre-dates that necessity.

[travrach]

Can always get this simple item, works off a 9v battery. Plug it in, disconnect your battery and it keeps the memory alive.

[Charles.waite]

FYI; Newer advanced Audi, BMW, MB, and other high-end cars require programming replacement batteries to the systems battery control module; however the B6's technology pre-dates that necessity.

Many MBs also have two batteries, one is a dedicated starter battery and one powers the electronics. Not sure if they do that anymore, but I know the 1st gen R230 SLs had two.

[AudiA4_20T]

Just got a quote for a fuel filter replacement.. $317... 2 hours of labor...

lmao, are these people on crack? it takes no more than 30 minutes to change a fuel filter.

They don't make the rules, it's "book time" to keep all shops on the same page

[kwimberly]

They don't make the rules, it's "book time" to keep all shops on the same page

That totally makes it ok then.

[Nlambert]

So I brought my car into the dealership yesterday for the CVT settlement extended warranty. Then on top of that It was having hard starts...

Got a call back from the Audi dealership just now and he's saying it's a bad battery, bad cells in it.. Quoted me 270 dollars. 140 dollars for the battery and 130 dollars for the install...

I told him I can do the install my self in about a minute.. he tells me well the battery has to be re-programmed back with the car so it knows how to use it bla bla bla...

I thought I have swapped batteries before without a problem, can't recall 100%...

But is he being honest about the battery having to be re programmed with the car? Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me..

I installed a new battery last week. My key fob stopped working and the windows wouldn't automatically roll all the way down. After about 2 days, all went back to normal. The computer will relearn everything. I wouldn't pay the stealership for this....

[Charles.waite]

I installed a new battery last week. My key fob stopped working and the windows wouldn't automatically roll all the way down. After about 2 days, all went back to normal. The computer will relearn everything. I wouldn't pay the stealership for this....

This.

If you put the key into the ignition, turn to on, and hold the lock or unlock button for 10 seconds, it'll re-sync the remote right away. The windows just need to cycle up and down a few times to learn the end points

[imnuts]

That totally makes it ok then.

Maybe it isn't "ok" but it makes cross-shopping much easier, and you know you're comparing costs for the same services. Of course there is always going to be a garage that ignores book time when giving a quote, or gives you a price that is low but still reasonable just to get you in the door, but not much you can do about that. It also gives the shops some leeway in case something happens since book time is always on the slow side of getting the job done.

[old guy]

Actually all you need to do is to turn the key to the on position and wait a few seconds. Turn it to the off position and it should resync. No need to press any buttons. Believe me, I know. Remember key fob craziness?

To force a reset on the windows just lower the window all the way and hold the switch in the lower position for 5 seconds. Run the window all the way up and hold it in the up position for 5 seconds. That should do it.

[milan2k13]

So I changed the battery today.

Didn't have to do any of that. Everything worked right away.

Fuck the dealership.

[AudiA4_20T]

That totally makes it ok then.

Right so when it takes one tech 30 minutes, and you go and tell your friend "Yeah I got charged $100 out the door" and they get a shitty tech who takes 90 minutes, and they get charged $180, someone would be pissed. Also, I don't know what you do, but I sure as hell don't want my pay to go down as I get better at doing things. No thanks. Just because I'm faster shouldnt be deducted from my salary

[milan2k13]

They don't make the rules, it's "book time" to keep all shops on the same page

Yeah I know.. but come on, two hours to replace a fuel filter? I don't know who made these books or how the procedure goes... but two hours for a fuel filter that's outside right under the car? And they're supposed to be Audi ''specialists'' ... I can show my mom where it's located and how to do it, and she would do it in an hour lol.

[Charles.waite]

So I changed the battery today.

Didn't have to do any of that. Everything worked right away.

Fuck the dealership.

Pretty much my mantra right there. Words to live by for sure, haha.

[AudiA4_20T]

Yeah I know.. but come on, two hours to replace a fuel filter? I don't know who made these books or how the procedure goes... but two hours for a fuel filter that's outside right under the car? And they're supposed to be Audi ''specialists'' ... I can show my mom where it's located and how to do it, and she would do it in an hour lol.

I agree man, but keep in mind I don't believe they set the book hours.

[manhertm]

ESP light stays on... auto-windows dont work... and key remote doesnt work....the ECU needs to relearn the engine....etc, etc...

All that goes away on its own. The radio would be the big thing, but unless he got a radio from a different car, it should be stored.

[beerto]

hate to thread just but what if you can't turn your ignition to the on position after changing the battery?

[Charles.waite]

hate to thread just but what if you can't turn your ignition to the on position after changing the battery?

Turn the steering wheel. The interlock is probably stuck....

[beerto]

already tried that lol

[Sam091990]

They don't make the rules, it's "book time" to keep all shops on the same page

Not true at all, in fact, an Audi dealership might charge you 2 hours for a repair whereas a Volkswagen dealership will only charge 1 hour for that same repair (labor times are consistent in THAT shop but can vary from shop to shop). On a side note, we only charge half an hour for a fuel filter.

[milan2k13]

Not true at all, in fact, an Audi dealership might charge you 2 hours for a repair whereas a Volkswagen dealership will only charge 1 hour for that same repair (labor times are consistent in THAT shop but can vary from shop to shop). On a side note, we only charge half an hour for a fuel filter.

And that's what it should be.. and who is we? I assume you work at a VW dealership?

[AudiA4_20T]

Not true at all, in fact, an Audi dealership might charge you 2 hours for a repair whereas a Volkswagen dealership will only charge 1 hour for that same repair (labor times are consistent in THAT shop but can vary from shop to shop). On a side note, we only charge half an hour for a fuel filter.

However, there is a "book" time