What is the correct Audi battery?

[ps2cho]

My 2016 Allroad has a factory battery with part# 3D0915105H. It is an AGM battery.

I've charged the thing and it stops at about 12.45v and then overnight drops to 12.14v and stays there. Its from 2015 so I think its done for now.

I wanted to confirm if there are any superceded part# etc...is there some sort of place where I can plug my VIN# in and it will confirm the part #'s?

[Spawne32]

You can run basically anything from H5 to H9 batteries in our tray. But generally speaking any H7-H9 is what you will find depending on the options.

[Spawne32]

000915105CD is the part number that superseded that part number you gave btw

[ps2cho]

ok thanks! I want a Genuine Audi battery and an AGM, as I know other models didnt offer AGM, but I've always found its more cost effective as they last 2-3 years longer than traditional.

[A4B8 2.0tfsi]

If you don't care about the cost, which you obviously don't, just go to the local Audi dealership and buy the battery. If you do want to get a battery for 50 % off, dealership rip-off prices, any same size AGM battery will be perfectly fine.

[ps2cho]

If you don't care about the cost, which you obviously don't, just go to the local Audi dealership and buy the battery. If you do want to get a battery for 50 % off, dealership rip-off prices, any same size AGM battery will be perfectly fine.

I'm seeing the OE battery for $211 from the part # above, its barely more than a decent aftermarket.
The trick is to NOT go to the part desk because you get ripped off paying MSRP or MSRP +%. Buy it using their parts site and its usually below MSRP.

[A4B8 2.0tfsi]

It's just a car battery. Nothing fancy. Same size Ah and AGM and you're fine. OEM battery's isn't any different from non OEM battery's.

[ps2cho]

Duralast Platinum AGM are $210 from autozone so for the same price I can keep OE and input the actual battery coding. There’s always some opinions on OE ca aftermarket.

If you look at tires, there is a difference in what the manufacturer put on versus the same in the aftermarket space. It’s possible batteries are the same - if nothing else they may get a higher quality batch than what they provide in the aftermarket space.

Bottom line it’s the same price, so I’ll stick with Audi.

[Smac770]

PR code is more reliable than a battery part number, but if you've had the car since day one, they should match.
For an 8K (our cars), PR-J1N = H7 AGM 75Ah = 3D0 915 105 H.
The field replacement battery part numbers are parts bin 000 rather than actual platforms (like 3D0, which is the VW Phaeton; 3C0 was the VW Passat during that time). As already pointed out to you, the field replacement H7 AGM 75Ah is 000 915 105 CD.
There's no value to any H7 AGM over any other H7 AGM. In a particular region, they are all likely made by the same factory anyway. Make no assumptions of the batteries the factory installs vs the batteries a dealership might stock. The best price and convenience is the way to go.

[ps2cho]

Got the battery installed today and when trying to program it, the new part # has an extra digit, so I just updated the serial # and called it good. Wonder how the dealer does it?

[Smac770]

If your original part number had a single letter revision, then it had two spaces after it. If your new part number has a double letter revision, then you'd only put one space after it.

[ps2cho]

If your original part number had a single letter revision, then it had two spaces after it. If your new part number has a double letter revision, then you'd only put one space after it.

Ah got it, thanks! I can go back in and make that small edit. Probably doesn't really matter though I guess.

[Smac770]

If it's the same battery type (flood vs AGM) and same size (H7 vs H8 vs H9), then no, it won't make any difference. It's also possible the new battery part number (I presume you picked up a 000 915 105 xx item?) won't be accepted by the older J533. But you have a '16, so it might know the field replacement parts bin (000). But again, if it's the same type and size, the old part number already tells the J533 all it needs to know; no need to change it.

[Kolbenringe]

I never checked the battery in my car, but it's getting a bit weak, IMO, and I'll be in the Arctic next month at -30c, so I'm looking to change the battery before something happens. I actually have a nearly new battery from my old car that passed the checks, will fit, 80aH, but it's non-AGM. I mean, is it really, really required to go AGM? I don't have start-stop and almost never manually do it.

[Smac770]

If it was really required to go AGM, then Audi wouldn't have non-AGM in some of the cars. Even in the 8W, they still have some EFB options alongside AGM. But if you're going into real cold, you probably would be better off AGM. Though whichever you go with, just make sure it stays charged up (more sulfuric acid, less water) in that kind of freeze.

80Ah, so we're to assume this is a H7 wet flood? Be sure to update the part number to 8K0 915 105 D. Is your current one a H7 AGM? What part number is currently stored? 3D0...H?

[Kolbenringe]

If it was really required to go AGM, then Audi wouldn't have non-AGM in some of the cars. Even in the 8W, they still have some EFB options alongside AGM. But if you're going into real cold, you probably would be better off AGM. Though whichever you go with, just make sure it stays charged up (more sulfuric acid, less water) in that kind of freeze.

80Ah, so we're to assume this is a H7 wet flood? Be sure to update the part number to 8K0 915 105 D. Is your current one a H7 AGM? What part number is currently stored? 3D0...H?

Thanks for the tips and I will provide the info later for more a more complete info reference for the thread. As for the trip, I will be bringing a small battery charger and conditioner, as well as a small jump pack. The battery charger will keep the battery hopefully ok when parked over the week.

[silver_tt]

Once you go AGM you will never go back to lead acid...........Best battery for this car is the Optima Yellowtop.

[DrGER]

We replaced the original H9 conventional (J0Z) in our '14 A4q in March '19 with another H9 flooded; so far, so good. With our other VAG vehicle, this got me to thinking about matching battery PR codes to current ETKA VAG part numbers for the two platforms (A4Q and GOV), so I finally got around to putting this together: https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/spe...codes.9490580/ --g

[Kolbenringe]

Once you go AGM you will never go back to lead acid...........Best battery for this car is the Optima Yellowtop.

Nice to know, but WHY, other than you bought one? Like concrete examples of situations where the AGM did something the standard lead-acid couldn't?

[silver_tt]

There are several technological advantages to AGM batteries over LA. They have a longer lifespan (I expect 10-15 years out of mine based on experience), are sealed/spill proof, less likely to sulfate, have a higher output and can charge faster, can be deep cycled, are better in the cold, are more durable to vibration, etc. Optima was originally a Swedish company before Johnson Controls bought it. There is tons of information out there on AGM batteries if you are interested.

[alhutch]

We replaced the original H9 conventional (J0Z) in our '14 A4q in March '19 with another H9 flooded; so far, so good. With our other VAG vehicle, this got me to thinking about matching battery PR codes to current ETKA VAG part numbers for the two platforms (A4Q and GOV), so I finally got around to putting this together: https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/spe...codes.9490580/ --g

Very handy @DrGER, thanks!

[findalex]

I thought that AGM and flooded batteries have different charging characteristics. So if your car's ECU isn't coded for AGM, then it won't charge the batter properly and would probably shorten the lifespan of the battery or alternator.

Also, my understanding regarding why some cars have AGM and some have flooded is because auto-start-stop. My A5 doesn't have that, and I have the regular flooded. However, other cars with auto-start-stop have AGM batteries. AGM batteries handels deep discharge better than flooded, so it can handle all those auto-start cranks better when you're stuck in traffic a lot.

[ps2cho]

I can attest that after 10 years of regular flooded, AGM have always lasted me 3-5 years longer. I was replacing flooded every 3-5 years like clockwork, AGM is always 5-8 years.

[silver_tt]

The charging voltages are almost identical but the AGM has a lower internal resistance and can be charged at a much faster rate. It is not the case that your ECU has to be coded for AGM or something like that. Case in point: my Porsche originally came with a lead acid battery and I put a AGM in it. My Audi Q5 originally came with a Varta AGM and I replaced it with the Optima AGM. One of the reasons it may come with a AGM is my car has higher power demands -- things like the lift gate, heated seats, lots of electronics, etc. My car does not have the auto-start-stop feature FWIW.

[Smac770]

The only B8 products (8K, 8T, 8R) in the US to have stop-start system were B8.5 Q5 3.0T, Q5 3.0 TDI, and Q5 2.0T hybrid. Stop-start in B8 would always have AGM. Wet flood will have a very short life in stop-start. B9 added EFB (enhanced flooded) which can be used in stop-start, but AGM should still be preferred.

AGM is always a better battery than a wet flooded. But I wouldn't toss out a working wet flood just to replace it with an AGM. Just buy an AGM at your next replacement. My factory AGM is 13 years old and sits around charged up. I replaced it trying to hunt down some voltage issues after an alternator fault two years ago; it wasn't the battery. Any wet flooded last 10+ years?

My '09 2.0T wagon probably has AGM (H8) because of the tail gate. The '09 3.2L sedans seem to often have the H9 flooded. Still don't know any B8 that has a H9 AGM; wanting to see what factory part number would have been encoded for it.

AGM and wet flood have difference tolerances for charging rate and over-voltage. Just like how a turbo siphons energy from the exhaust stream that would otherwise go out the tail pipe and how regen braking siphons energy from the decelerating wheel that would otherwise turn to friction heat, the J533 tries to reclaim energy from a decelerating crank by turning up the output voltage of the voltage regulator. But what it can do in this regard is going to depend on the current state of the battery and the type and size of the battery.

[Kolbenringe]

Just identified mine via VCDS:000915105DL VAO. It was replaced under warranty by Audi previously. I didn't have time to get in there and pull the bracket to identify what the battery is stickered as (it's 100% an VAG from the dealer), so I only have the entered part number and serial from VCDS. From what I'm seeing, I guess this is a standard lead-acid (though the interchanges keep referring to "lead-calcium" models. I don't know if they are considered premium or are an upsell.

The lead-acid one I have at home is the same physical size, terminals line up, BUT 80Ah.

The other thing is that some of the parts interchanges clearly list in German DO NOT USE WITH START-STOP for this model number. There's also a supercession where the 110Ah models now replace the 100 and 105 Ah applications.

The other thing is batteries here are stupid expensive, so it's not necessarily a no-brainer, but this thread helps to determine if I need to do AGM or not and if it's worth the price. I'm tipping towards going with the cheapest option possible, but still maintaining good quality. I had nearly five years on this Audi battery (just two months shy). It still works, but I don't think it will work in Sweden. I left the car outside for the last three days in temps below freezing and it started the car pretty slow, but started at -2C. At -30, it will be a completely different story.

@smac: what would you pick for an AGM interchange that I can try to reference? I don't think they are barring AGM in non-AGM cars in Germany, but it doesn't look like they are encouraging it.

[Smac770]

Kol, do you have a B8.5? My '09 J533 wouldn't take a 000 parts bin part number. It seems around the time of B8.5, Audi started to get a clue and realized there was no point having all these parts bin specific variants of part numbers for the same standardized battery configs, reducing batteries to 000 915 105 xy, where x is C for AGM, D for wet flood, E for EFB (and apparently there's an F for EFB+?). Maybe the updated J533 in the B8.5 takes these newer 000 part numbers.

Anyway, DL is a H9 wet flood. So your car is PR code J0Z? The 8K has six batteries within its catalog, H7 through H9 sizes (ie, 94R, 49, and 95R), wet flood and AGM for each size. The AGM always has about 5% less Ah and 15% more CCA than the same sized wet flood, at least for the specifications of the ones Audi uses in the 8K. The 92Ah H8 AGM (PR J0B, 000...CE) has the same CCA as the 110Ah wet flood H9 (PR J0Z, 000...DL). Obviously the capacity is different.

Calcium is used in the wet flood batteries:

The three most common types of CAR batteries are wet low maintenance (non-sealed), wet maintenance free (non-sealed or sealed), and gas-recombinant absorbed glass mat (AGM). The low maintenance batteries have a lead-antimony/calcium (dual alloy or hybrid) plate formulation. Maintenance free batteries have a lead-calcium/calcium formulation.

Audi's wet flood and EFB (enhanced wet flood, reinforced for stop-start) have a sight glass, but I believe they are still sealed and therefore no maintenance. But maybe they are still delivering "low maintenance" versions you can top off. I have AGM, so all that is a non-concern to me.

Super cold is going to impact the cranking amps of any battery, regardless of tech. 0°F temp range is a generally foreign concept to me here at 34°N. More CCA is easy to know as better, but is a 92Ah AGM better than a 110Ah wet flood when CCA is the same? No idea.

Not sure what you mean by "AGM interchange". The Audi part number for the H9 AGM is 000 915 105 CF. The H8 AGM, such as what I have, is 000 915 105 CE. But I wouldn't buy an Audi battery per se. I used a NAPA Legend one. Looks like H9 AGM are anywhere from $210 to $290 here. The 000 915 105 Dy batteries are wet flood and definitely not suitable for stop-start enabled vehicles.

Audi's 80Ah wet would be a H7 rather than a H9. Same profile, but very different lengths (315mm vs 394mm). Audi's 80Ah H7 wet is rated at only 380A DIN (vs 520A DIN for the 110Ah H9 wet). Your car is coded H9 wet, but is the battery actually 394mm long? Maybe the other battery is just a low spec? 80Ah is really low for a H9 sized battery.

[Kolbenringe]

B8, build is late 2010. We use "Baujahr" here, which means "build year", but I *think* this translates to a 2011 model elsewhere. Unfortunately, I didn't get into the trunk far enough to get the liner off (it's bolted in on mine) to look at the sticker. By the "AGM interchange", I meant what Audi might have recommended as the replacement for the flooded type battery.

As for the sizes, that's also another issue- I don't think we use the H numbers. I believe we use group number, so it's double digit.

I found a pic of the battery that corresponds to the part number, but no real information to be had that we don't already have: https://www.ebay.de/itm/284437629748...8AAOSwAx1fahbh

Here's an example of what an aftermarket parts site has that corresponds to the part number, but no AGM suggestions: https://www.autodoc.de/continental/13517116

When I search the car and then select AGM: https://www.autodoc.de/bosch/7616820

The pricing isn't hugely different, TBH, plus there are cheaper AGMs out there. The only issue is I don't really have orientation on what Ah level I should pick to correspond to 110 on a standard lead acid since this topic is pretty new for me.

[Kolbenringe]

Edit: I also checked the label on the battery I have lying around and it's 90Ah, not 80. The label was a bit crusty, but after cleaning, it's definitely printed with 90 on it.

Edit again: I tried another parts finder and it's only providing hits for 70aH AGMs for the car.

[A4B8 2.0tfsi]

Hey. If you're going to us in Sweden, just head over to the closest Biltema store and pick up one of these. https://www.biltema.se/bil---mc/bilb...ah--2000045767

[Perry01]

Just identified mine via VCDS:000915105DL VAO.

Strange timing... My Q5 was parked outside overnight in 20°F weather. It was very slow to turn over this morning but it started. It is time for a new battery. Audi parts website shows multiple different part numbers. What address in VCDS did you find your battery part number?

[DrGER]

Strange timing... My Q5 was parked outside overnight in 20°F weather. It was very slow to turn over this morning but it started. It is time for a new battery. Audi parts website shows multiple different part numbers. What address in VCDS did you find your battery part number?

See my post #18, above. --g

[Perry01]

See my post #18, above. --g

Got it, thanks. It shows PR J0B = ….CE which I see is an H8 AGM. It’s factory original, so 8 years isn’t too bad.

[Kolbenringe]

Hey. If you're going to us in Sweden, just head over to the closest Biltema store and pick up one of these. https://www.biltema.se/bil---mc/bilb...ah--2000045767

Thanks, but will be up in Abisko. I will be doing this before it becomes a problem while I'm away from home and it's -30C.

[DrGER]

Our local Costco in NW OH offers only Interstate AGMs for H7 and H8 specs, both $176 +core (H6 in both standard and AGM, and no H9s on the rack). --g

[Kolbenringe]

So I went to a dealer for Varta batteries (stated to be one of the vendors for VAG batteries) and they are also recommending batteries in the 70s. Completely nuts. It seems that if I had the 3.0TDI, then I would get the recommendation for the larger ones.

Confirmed from the sticker that I have a J0Z from the factory and exactly what the car was equipped with at the last warranty replacement in Feb 2017.

Oddly, other parts checkers are referring me to an H15 size for an AGM in 105Ah in the 39.x x 17.x x 19 cm dimension which is pretty much what my present battery is. The sizing has also thrown me off in picking something right. I don't know why things are always so complicated in Germany to find parts for Audis, but I guess this is just that the H-sizing isn't the big thing here. You simply measure the battery and the dimensions go into some of these parts checkers. The one that keeps popping up is this one: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/605901095...0+Tfsi+Quattro

The price for an AGM is not bad. It actually overlaps with higher end flooded batteries. Varta's battery finder even goes into the 70Ah range for my car: https://www.varta-partner-portal.com...8/28277#result

This would mean the battery I have at home will work according to them, but is not what the car was built with.

If I select start/stop it goes into this range and identifies the above-linked Amazon battery where the guaranteed parts checker said it was for my specific car: https://www.varta-partner-portal.com...8/28277#result So far, Amazon's parts checker has been VERY good.

I don't get why they are making this so complicated and even the German forums have people trying to figure out what to do for aftermarket.

[A4B8 2.0tfsi]

It's not complicated at all. If you get a 70, 88, 95 or 110 Ah battery, is completely up to you. It's just different "fuel tank" volume. All works fine, as long as the positive and negative is on the correct position as the one in the car.

People just need to learn about what a battery is. AGM is preferred, since it's a better battery overall, but of course, a standard fluid battery works. Just as you have ignorant people, driving all seasons tire year round, you can put a 60 Ah battery in your B8. It will work, but not as good as a correct battery (tires).

[silver_tt]

IMHO this battery replacement is overblown in complication as evidenced by me dropping in an Optima (no BEM code, not a OE approved battery) agnostic of part number and it works perfectly. My Varta was 75 Ah and the Optima is 72 Ah -- just replace with a like battery with similar Ah / CCA rating. All I did was replaced the battery and changed the BEM code by one alphanumeric character in VCDS. I never bothered to look at a part number and Optima's website said the DH6 was a direct match for my car (very reliable checker, much more so than amazon FWIW). The Optima was $289 (gone up $20 since, COVID inflation with everything else) when I bought it and Advance Auto Parts still allowed coupons (since nixed) so I got $50 off and it ended up being ~$250 shipped to my front door. I just don't recommend buying one in the store as they are a lot older (the one I got from the store had the born on date torn off but I checked the sticker which you can decode with the Julian calendar, reordered online and the one that came from a warehouse had a born-on date just 30 days ago). In my opinion having a high quality battery is worth paying up for. Varta is also a very good brand -- my wife is German and since you live there you will know that Varta is basically the Energizer/Duracell of Deutschland. My Varta may have had more life in it but it was load testing borderline weak and where I live it can get cold in the winter; last thing I want is to be out somewhere in freezing weather and have a battery that won't start. So I knock stuff like that out in the summer when it's warm and easy, before it ever becomes a problem.

[Kolbenringe]

IMHO this battery replacement is overblown in complication as evidenced by me dropping in an Optima (no BEM code, not a OE approved battery) agnostic of part number and it works perfectly. My Varta was 75 Ah and the Optima is 72 Ah -- just replace with a like battery with similar Ah / CCA rating. All I did was replaced the battery and changed the BEM code by one alphanumeric character in VCDS. I never bothered to look at a part number and Optima's website said the DH6 was a direct match for my car (very reliable checker, much more so than amazon FWIW). The Optima was $289 (gone up $20 since, COVID inflation with everything else) when I bought it and Advance Auto Parts still allowed coupons (since nixed) so I got $50 off and it ended up being ~$250 shipped to my front door. I just don't recommend buying one in the store as they are a lot older (the one I got from the store had the born on date torn off but I checked the sticker which you can decode with the Julian calendar, reordered online and the one that came from a warehouse had a born-on date just 30 days ago). In my opinion having a high quality battery is worth paying up for. Varta is also a very good brand -- my wife is German and since you live there you will know that Varta is basically the Energizer/Duracell of Deutschland. My Varta may have had more life in it but it was load testing borderline weak and where I live it can get cold in the winter; last thing I want is to be out somewhere in freezing weather and have a battery that won't start. So I knock stuff like that out in the summer when it's warm and easy, before it ever becomes a problem.

It's a big player, but it's known across the board in every sector for having incredibly variable quality. Since moving here many years ago, it was a tough lesson in reality to learn our perceptions of anything with a German name on it is the best quality. Simply come here and you'll see the stinkers. What the rest of the world gets is largely export quality stuff to justify unreasonable pricing, thus the perception comes with it. Also, most of the batteries aren't even made here, but come from further east and Asia. The funny thing is we actually have Energizer and Duracell here. I'm not saying it's bad, but that's one of the things that makes things NOT no-brainers. Gone is the era of picking a known, trusted German name because they're screwing us over pretty bad now. That said, I likely will get the Varta AGM because that pricing is really good and someone even wrote in the reviews of how to code it and provided a dummy number to enter, even though all I have to do is change one digit of the present serial. Amazon's return policies, should this give problems, are quite above and beyond. At a price, of course.

The only real complication based on my specific case is that I have a battery that has barely any use. It's a 90Ah, but there are conflicting listings for batteries on my car, with the OE manufacturers stating it should have something below 80Ah and these are the exact same problems many people on the German forums are encountering and likely, if they get their batteries replaced, they might get something smaller than what was originally installed. 20Ah isn't that much, tbh, but with afterrun cooling and so on, I don't want to take an excessive chance.

[silver_tt]

I tell my wife this all the time. The Germans still make many excellent products but just like everyone else they make crap too. Many companies are making thing in Asia now that is no problem -- Porsche makes several models there. Coming from Asia doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. It depends on the controls in place. Apple made my iPhone in China and it works great. A lot of people said when Optima moved their plant to Mexico the quality tanked but that's bullshit. There's tons of junk that comes out of China and I never buy anything but OE parts for this car but that's because the "OE" stamp to me means quality control and reliability so I will pay up for it (probably also why my cars never have problems).

Optima is not the same as a standard AGM battery and uses a patented technology. They have a (1) yellow-top, which is a deep-cycle battery (2) red top, which is a so-called "starter battery", ran these in my Porsche 911 and 911 TT racecars since they have minimal electronics and (3) blue top, which is a marine battery for boats etc. Extremely reliable even in the most brutal conditions with high/low temps and high vibration which kills batteries. That said, I know everything in Germany is expensive compared to USA. I was just there a few months ago in Hamburg and Berlin... and in Copenhagen, which is ridiculously expensive ($8-10 USD for a latte that doesn't come anywhere near the taste of the same one I get in Italy for $2-3). In Denmark I paid like $30-40 USD for a quart of crap oil at circle K. The driven DI40 oil I run here is the best oil you can buy for this engine and is only $10/quart LOL wtffffffffff.

Anytime you pickup a battery I suggest checking/verifying the born on date to be sure they aren't sending you an old one as was my last experience in-store when they tried to sell me a 2 year old battery.