Battery Charging Query

[Wesley949]

Hi guys, hope you are all staying safe and well.

Last week, I had to call out Audi Roadside Assistance as my car wouldn't start and kept being prompted of Low Battery charge.  The Audi Technician jumped the car and it started first-time and left running for 2-minutes before shutting off and doing a battery test.  The test failed and stated battery defect (see attached photo).  My Audi A6 is only 3 1/2 years old.  The Audi Technician did state the original battery was notorious for having issues with a certain batch produced.   A new battery was purchased and fitted by the Audi Technician and the BEM code was uploaded to the car.  This cost me £256.51.  Maybe I could have purchased a cheaper battery elsewhere but I was concerned about the battery having to be coded to the car as this is something I cannot do myself.

  I have since purchased a Battery Charger (NOCO Genius 5) from Halfords so I can keep charging my battery when the car is not being used during the lockdown.

Unfortunately, there are two charging modes stated but the charger manufacturer insisted I contact the battery manufacturer (MLA MOLL) for correct charging procedures.  Why cannot things be much more simple like in the days of my Escort RS Turbo where I could easily remove the battery and charge with one mode.

• Mode 1 - 12V which covers Enhanced Flooded.
• Mode 2 - 12V LITHIUM which covers batteries with a Battery Management System.

I have attached a photo of the charger user guide with the modes explained.

The battery fitted to my car is as follows - MLA Moll (Part Number 000 915 105 EE) and is a 12V 93Ah 520A DIN 850A EN / SAE / GS.  Battery Type is EFB.

Would anyone be able to assist with the best charging mode to use?  The battery will remain in the car and I will be using the Jumping/Charging pegs located in the engine bay as stated in the Audi Handbook.

Cheers everyone and stay safe.

[Entwood]

Do you have "stop/start" on your vehicle? , because, AFAIK, all vehicles fitted with stop/start "should" have an AGM battery not an EFB one (this is due to the heavy load the stop/start system can apply to the battery under some conditions) .. if you fit an AGM battery your charger already has the required setting .. 12v AGM ..... 

[Wesley949]

Thank-you for the reply.  The original battery was an EFB/EFB+ type so it must have been okay if the Factory fitted it. 

On the new battery, I managed to take two photos of the labelling on the other side of the battery, which I did my best as the battery is bolted in.  The VW/Audi label does state Start-Stop approved (see photos).

[Magnet]

Hello Wesley,

EFB batteries are suitable for stop/start, and in basic terms are ‘a poor man’s version’ of the AGM - bit of an ironic statement when you paid a high price for it. 

In terms of your charger, I would be asking Halfords, or better still, why not return it for a refund since you are highly unlikely to need it. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Wesley949]

Thank-you for the reply.  There are too many battery types now, so I'm just going by what has been replaced.  Like for Like (hopefully).

Returning the battery charger had crossed my mind but the battery replacement has made me a tad paranoid especially with hardly driving the vehicle during the lockdown and the fact that a battery is NOT covered under Extended Warranty as its now classed as a Wear and Tear item.  I guess the charger is probably not needed but many thanks for the reply.

[Magnet]

Thanks for coming back Wesley. 

With regard to keeping the battery ‘topped up’ when not regularly used, I simply start the car twice a week and let it run for 20 minutes.

Apart from keeping the battery up to par, it also ensures the engine gets up to operating temperature and gets a good lubrication. Moving it a few feet on the drive also assists by minimising the risk of the tyres getting flat spots. 

For me, the battery charger would be going back, since I guess it’s still not clear what (Chinese?) charging cycle it should be set on, so it’s unlikely to get used. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Wesley949]

I guess starting the car makes sense.  Its a new battery so will be much more reliable.  

The tyres were the other issue I was concerned about - flat spots but I will make more effort to move the car more frequently or even let the tyre pressures down.

I did ask the Audi Roadside Assistance and they stated to use Mode 1 but I might send the charger back, but seems too much hassle but i'll decide shortly.

Cheers

[Magnet]

Apologies for being a pain Wesley, but please don’t under inflate the tyres in an attempt to minimise flat spotting. You are better off moving the car about at regular intervals and/or slightly over inflating the tyres - of course remembering to reset the pressures before using the car on the road.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Wesley949]

Hi Gareth,

Its cool, I'll leave them as they are and make more of an effort to move the vehicle more often.

Cheers