[LynksEffect]

Hi All, Happy New year,

I'm looking to buy a replacement battery for my 2014 Jetta SE for when I need it. The battery is original from 2014 and still works perfect, but I figure its more than living on borrowed time. I figured I would buy a similar OEM battery from the dealer given that their prices are as good if not better than most 3rd party batteries in my area, and well if the OEM has lasted 8 years without signs of slowing why would I change it up.

The problem is when I went to the parts counter the guy told me I would need to take the battery out of my car and return it to him to sell me a new one. I'm still relatively new to DIY maintenance so my question is: is this standard procedure? Or was the parts counter guy just being difficult for some reason? My understanding was that the core charge exists to incentivize you to return the old battery at a later date. Just doesn't make sense to me to turn in a working battery even if its old.

The follow up question to this being how I should proceed if I need to buy third party. I've read up all about the coding/adaptation issue and have got myself the tools to do, and my understanding is that the main qualities you need to look for are getting a battery with the same battery technology and at least as many CCA as the one coming out. The only problem is I'm not sure how to get that information from the label on my battery:

I'm not sure if I just dont know how to read it, but I've done all sorts of googling of the parts number, etc. and the best I've found is this page that lists both 280 and 330 CCA, but to my eye doesn't list what type of battery it is.

Actually, while writing this post I did something further reading, and I've read now that both 280A and 480A are both CCA, just with the different DIN/SAE standards, is this correct?

TL;DR: Dealer said I would have to return the old battery to sell me a new one, is that normal?/ How to determine battery technology of OEM battery?

 

[DrGER]

@LynksEffect : Find the starter battery PR code on the vehicle data sticker (starts with letter 'J').

The current VAG PN for your 60 Ah conventional flooded H5/L2 starter battery is 000915105DE (as of Oct 2018). I put together some common starter battery info over here: Speaking of Batteries: A Brief Review of ETKA VAG Part...
Depending on how much room you have for the battery installation, you may not be able to go larger than H5/L2.
My guess is your Jetta has PR-J1L. VAG has a part numbers for AGM & enhanced flooded (EFB) H5/L2 starter batteries: 000915105CB & 000915105EB.
Unless you car is spec'ed for it (say, for start/stop tech), these upgrades aren't necessary.

Re starter battery exchange, that's standard practice so that the old lead is sure to be recycled. Some vendors will sell you the new starter battery & give you the core credit when you return the old battery. --g

 

[LynksEffect]

Thank you, this comment and your linked post are very helpful. I confirmed that I do have PR-J1L, and my own research aligns with your knowledge that the new part number is 000915105DE.

And I see, I figured this was an industry standard practice that I just wasn't aware of, being new to DIY maintenance. Suppose I'll have to call around and see if anyone is willing to give me the core credit on return. I certainly trust myself to responsibly return the used battery, but I understand why the standard is in place

 

[petemx5]

Regarding battery replacement, I went to Advanced Auto the other day to get a replancement battery for my 2014 Jetta, 2.0, 5 speed manual and they told me I shouldn't replace it myself because "it has a computer". I didn't ask them to elaborate but assumed once the battery is disconnected there is some process to reboot or reset some of the software. If true, is this something only a dealer can do or can I take it to my local, independent, mechanic? Thanks.

 

[DrGER]

@petemx5 : See my post #2, above, for info on the starter battery spec for your '14 Jetta build. If you have VCDS or similar VAG-specific diagnostic tool, battery registration is recommended when Battery Monitoring Control Module J367 is installed to the negative terminal of the starter battery. If the negative terminal is connected directly to body ground with a simple (but hefty) cable, battery registration is unsupported, and the starter battery can be replaced directly with the correct fitment size (likely H5, maybe H6).

BTW, start/stop tech usually includes J367 to the starter battery negative terminal, so there's that. Diagnostic tools like VCDS, OBDeleven, Foxwell NT510 VAG edition, and so on, can do the registration by adaptation. An indy shop that works on VAG products should be able to do this, too. Your local VW dealer might have a battery special that might be competitive, so it's worth asking. --g

 

[petemx5]

@petemx5 : See my post #2, above, for info on the starter battery spec for your '14 Jetta build. If you have VCDS or similar VAG-specific diagnostic tool, battery registration is recommended when Battery Monitoring Control Module J367 is installed to the negative terminal of the starter battery. If the negative terminal is connected directly to body ground with a simple (but hefty) cable, battery registration is unsupported, and the starter battery can be replaced directly with the correct fitment size (likely H5, maybe H6).

BTW, start/stop tech usually includes J367 to the starter battery negative terminal, so there's that. Diagnostic tools like VCDS, OBDeleven, Foxwell NT510 VAG edition, and so on, can do the registration by adaptation. An indy shop that works on VAG products should be able to do this, too. Your local VW dealer might have a battery special that might be competitive, so it's worth asking. --g

Thanks for your help.