2014 S4 is still on its original battery.

**HedonismBot** · 11-21-2019 07:42 AM

I considered buying a new battery when I got my car into its winter configuration but I've not gotten any warning lights about it and it still behaves like new.

How long will the OEM battery last? Should I wait till it calls attention to itself before I address it? The car has just under 50k Miles (78k KM).

**Chris@EPL** · 11-21-2019 07:47 AM

If the battery is 5 years old you are living on borrowed time. Normally 3-5 years seems to be normal for these cars. And when it starts to go bad you can get all sorts of odd codes.

**irish07** · 11-21-2019 08:00 AM

I have a 2012, still on original battery. Have cold Canadian winters, starting to feel the affects of slow cranking this year. I have the battery meter coded to MMI, I find when I drive very short distance throughout week, batt meter will be very low and the keyless entry door locks won’t work. So good sign to check out for is the keyless entry locks. Once battery is charged above 40%, keyless door locks function as normal again.

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**HedonismBot** · 11-21-2019 08:08 AM

Thanks guys.

Since door locks et all are still functioning fine, I will ride it out till the Spring.
I'm going through the Service schedule now and it looks like I'll also be due for some new spark plugs.

**hilmar2k** · 11-21-2019 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by HedonismBot

Thanks guys.

Since door locks et all are still functioning fine, I will ride it out till the Spring.
I'm going through the Service schedule now and it looks like I'll also be due for some new spark plugs.

No need to replace it until you have to. I still have the original in my 2014 and don't plan to replace it until it shows signs of going bad.

**BucDan** · 11-21-2019 08:41 AM

Easiest way to test it, Go for a drive, then park the car. Scan the car and get the voltage level. Being fulling charged, it should be over 12V. Higher the better. Replaced my battery in a 2013 that was at 13V fully charged, with a new one that holds about 19V fully charged. I'm a preventative maintenance kind of guy if it's easy to do.

**Ginge247** · 11-21-2019 08:57 AM

My original battery on my S4 was still going strong after 75k miles and nearly 7 years old. Only changed it because I thought it surely can't last much longer

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**CDN BCN** · 11-21-2019 09:59 AM

2012 S4 with 105k here, never showed signs of wear.... ended up changing it out about 6 months ago. i just didn't want to get caught away from home with a dead battery.

**wangshuo1989** · 11-21-2019 10:19 AM

2013 with 80K here, still on original battery. These AGM batteries are surprisingly long lasting.

**PenttisHSR** · 11-21-2019 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by wangshuo1989

2013 with 80K here, still on original battery. These AGM batteries are surprisingly long lasting.

Thought USA cars mostly came with conventional Lead-Acid Batteries?
Yes - AGM are very good - Changed mine at 8 years, but nothing wrong with it (preventative maintenance).

**B8S42011** · 11-21-2019 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by PenttisHSR

Thought USA cars mostly came with conventional Lead-Acid Batteries?
Yes - AGM are very good - Changed mine at 8 years, but nothing wrong with it (preventative maintenance).

Yes they are. Just changed mine out over the summer. 2011 S4

**Nor_Cal_Driver** · 11-21-2019 12:32 PM

Wow. I’m impressed.

**BooS4tedBulldog** · 11-21-2019 02:40 PM

I've got a 2010 with 38k miles. Original battery.

**AerotusX** · 11-21-2019 03:01 PM

My 2015 is 5.5 years old, 52K miles, battery kicking strong like new. My co-worker's 2015 Q5, 78K miles, still no sign of dying. I'm very impressed with the OEM battery lasting this long. My other Honda/Acura batteries need replacement every 4 years consistently, no matter what brand.

**khahn** · 11-21-2019 03:27 PM

I have a 2014 w/ 35,000,
still works great.

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**richsnipe** · 11-21-2019 06:47 PM

Also a 2014 with 73k. Last inspection I had at dealer it tested fine. Dealer said not to worry about it and not waste my money to replace it.

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**hilmar2k** · 11-21-2019 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by richsnipe

Also a 2014 with 73k. Last inspection I had at dealer it tested fine. Dealer said not to worry about it and not waste my money to replace it.

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Exactly this. I can't understand replacing it as "preventative maintenance". You aren't preventing anything. You're not just going to get stranded, there will signs that it's on its last legs before it dies. That's when you replace it.

**purelife** · 11-21-2019 08:43 PM

2014 104000KM still original battery and i run dash cam in parking mode.

**Dippy** · 11-22-2019 05:47 AM

There must be circumstances which very between owners and cars affecting battery life. I know someone who has an S4 almost exactly the same age as my S5 and he just got the DIS low battery warning a couple of times. Mine seems OK, although I notice that my car restarts after a start/stop quicker than it used to. Presumably our AGM batteries are identical.

**IbisDesign** · 11-22-2019 06:48 AM

2012 @ 110 km here. Still original battery. Had it tested a week ago as a pre-winter check in and it checked out fine.

**Silver Streakin** · 11-22-2019 07:01 AM

2011 and 93k miles. Original and still going.

**Crucible35** · 11-22-2019 07:34 AM

19V? What battery is that? A typical 12V battery doesn't normally charge beyond 14 volts in most applications. Normal in our cars is around 13.8v fully charged.
The 19v may be your charging voltage....was the car running when you took that reading? This was a respionse to BucDan's comments.....forgot to add the quote.

**BucDan** · 11-22-2019 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by Crucible35

19V? What battery is that? A typical 12V battery doesn't normally charge beyond 14 volts in most applications. Normal in our cars is around 13.8v fully charged.
The 19v may be your charging voltage....was the car running when you took that reading? This was a respionse to BucDan's comments.....forgot to add the quote.

Nope. Checked it after a drive around, and using OBDEleven; so I'm taking it for what it's saying. I'll try to get a screen shot for you.

**hilmar2k** · 11-22-2019 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by BucDan

Nope. Checked it after a drive around, and using OBDEleven; so I'm taking it for what it's saying. I'll try to get a screen shot for you.

There's no way a 12v battery is ever at 19v.

**BucDan** · 11-22-2019 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by hilmar2k

There's no way a 12v battery is ever at 19v.

Thinking about it, you're probably right. I'll double check.

Originally Posted by hilmar2k

Exactly this. I can't understand replacing it as "preventative maintenance". You aren't preventing anything. You're not just going to get stranded, there will signs that it's on its last legs before it dies. That's when you replace it.

My reason being was that I went to a drive-in movie theater, after 2 showings, it wasn't turning over anymore so I had to get a jump. Thinking back, I should've turned on my car at the end of the first airing to charge the battery and shut off right when the second movie started, but I didn't think accessory usage would've killed it that much.

**jsh139** · 11-22-2019 05:10 PM

I changed my 2010’s original battery about a year ago. Had about 95K miles on it. It was slow to start when it was really cold. The MMI battery meter showed it was at 40%. I charged it overnight and got it back to 100% but after a week it fell back down to 50%. Didn’t wanna get stranded or strain the alternator so I replaced it the next day. Easy peasy.

**HedonismBot** · 11-23-2019 07:38 AM

I have to suspect that people who might mock the concept of "preventative maintenance" have never been stranded by a disabled vehicle in sub-zero temperatures.
Winter here will literally kill you if you're overly careless.

Replacing a car battery after 5 years doesn't strike me as extravagant, but given people seem to be getting impressive longevity out of these, I'll hang on to it until it gives me some indication of reduced charge.

**S4'ed** · 11-23-2019 08:11 AM

2010 S4 on original battery, 73,000 miles.

**Vogz** · 11-23-2019 09:31 AM

My OEM battery lasted 7 years and almost 70K miles. It didn't fail, but the MMI battery meter was showing pretty low and car was cranking slow in cold weather.

**evanb** · 11-23-2019 03:04 PM

You guys sure like to roll the dice.

**ryanlada** · 11-24-2019 09:01 AM

They do make something called a battery tester. Any good mechanic should have one that can test voltage and perform a load test. Why change it if it's working fine?

**TFSI** · 11-24-2019 06:30 PM

2013 88k miles with original battery. I haven't tested my battery yet, I should. However the car starts fine in the cold weather and haven't noticed any issues.

**hilmar2k** · 11-25-2019 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by evanb

You guys sure like to roll the dice.

I don't understand this. How is it rolling the dice? It's not like the battery is perfect one day and completely dead the next. If you can't identify the signs of an aging, and thus needing to be replaced, battery, that's on you. It's far from rocket surgery. I don't plan to needlessly spend $100+ on a battery I don't need (and may never need, depending on how long I keep my car). People are funny....

**AudiS4SD** · 11-25-2019 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by hilmar2k

I don't understand this. How is it rolling the dice? It's not like the battery is perfect one day and completely dead the next. If you can't identify the signs of an aging, and thus needing to be replaced, battery, that's on you. It's far from rocket surgery. I don't plan to needlessly spend $100+ on a battery I don't need (and may never need, depending on how long I keep my car). People are funny....

I've had 2 cars show zero signs of impending battery failure (Toyota Camry and S4), only for them to be completely dead 48 hours later. Granted, the extreme heat in Las Vegas did play a role, but these batteries were pushing "only" 4 years. Just be careful and don't cheap out for $100. Batteries (and tires) are some of the most important things you can easily maintain on your car, but can have big consequences if you are not proactive.

**adkmooserider** · 11-25-2019 02:25 PM

https://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/2...eplace_battery

Used this videos today. 13 mm and 10 mm socket. About half hour to change. Super easy. $130 h9 agm battery on sale. 5 years 55k miles on the old one. Car never went into limp so no coding. Used the battery tender.

Don't overthink this one, just do it at 5-7 years and don't wait for the car to get weird and start throwing codes.if you do you'll have to code the battery too.

**Dippy** · 11-26-2019 05:23 AM

I had my B5 S4 for 13 years and in that time had to replace the battery 3 times. On every single occasion there was no warning, it just wouldn't start one day. For me the price of a new battery is nothing compared to the potential hassle from not having my car start when I really need it. Fortunately I am expecting my B8 S5 to give me warnings when the battery is low.

**sacandagaD** · 11-26-2019 07:06 AM

Just buy this battery and call it a day, and never worry about getting stuck with a dead one:

https://antigravitybatteries.com/pro...tive/ag-h8-rs/

**nick0188** · 11-26-2019 08:08 AM

My 2013 is also still on it's original battery at 74000 miles. If I'm leaving it for a long time I plug in the battery tender.

**jsh139** · 11-26-2019 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by adkmooserider

https://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/2...eplace_battery

This is the exact video I used. The Advance Auto guy couldn't figure out how to get to the bracket bolts in the rear. Then I found those videos that showed how to remove the amp. Was a life saver.