I have a 2015 Passat TDI - I had the dealer replace the battery 10 months ago. I brought it in for service and reported a weak cold start, the service rep called me back and said that the under warranty battery needs to be replaced . The kicker is not that the battery is bad but that they are refusing to cover the “bad” battery under warranty because the diagnostic tester registers that the battery is “good”. The tech says there is nothing wrong with the car and there are no drains or other issues and can not explain why the bad battery would test as good. It doesn’t seem right to have to pay another $280 for something that is still under warranty. Help!
DEALER BATTERY ISSUE
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I don’t get how they can say it is a bad battery that needs to be replaced , yet refuse to cover it under warranty because the machine says it’s good…. Isn’t it good or bad based on whether it does what it is supposed to when it is supposed to????
90 jetta coupe, 91 cabby, 81 caddy, 86 vanagon, mk1 tt, mk4 jetta, b5 s4
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im a dealer employee, for alot of manufacturer warranty claims they require the battery tester printout for processing, however i am confused on what basis he has to say the battery is bad, especially if its tests good. possibly a missed diagnosis or the car has a draw, once charging the battery its tests fine. seems kinda wonky either way. if the dealer isnt cooperating i would try volkswagen directly.
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4,355 Posts
Any battery test worth its salts comes with a printout.
And you’re not giving us the whole story.
They didn’t just find you and try to take your battery and make you buy a new one…..
What’s going on here?
There are many ways a battery can be killed in 9 months.
Too many short trips for one.
Any drive under 10 min is discharging the battery.
Leaving phone charger plugged in 24/7
Any time a battery is drawn down below 50% you run the risk of damaging the battery.
Do it over and over and a good battery becomes junk.
Not accusing you.
Just - there’s always two parts to a story.
But you’re only giving us half of your side.
Let’s hear it.
Lay out your battery saga for us.
And you’re not giving us the whole story.
They didn’t just find you and try to take your battery and make you buy a new one…..
What’s going on here?
There are many ways a battery can be killed in 9 months.
Too many short trips for one.
Any drive under 10 min is discharging the battery.
Leaving phone charger plugged in 24/7
Any time a battery is drawn down below 50% you run the risk of damaging the battery.
Do it over and over and a good battery becomes junk.
Not accusing you.
Just - there’s always two parts to a story.
But you’re only giving us half of your side.
Let’s hear it.
Lay out your battery saga for us.
it is exactly as I said. I went to the manager and said if the mechanic says the battery is bad but the diagnostic test says it is good, either way, one of the two is wrong. The battery is still under warranty , either it does what it is supposed to or it doesn’t .If the battery is good, asking me to buy a new one makes no sense, because wouldn’t the same underlying issue still be there?
The manager went to the service texhnician and when he returned told me that I was getting a new batte
Proper tests are better than opinions.
People do not understand, no body cares what the tech says. It's the test results that will dictate if the warranty claim gets paid.
Once you wrap you head around this, as a dealership mechanic for 30 years, there are ways to make a test result anything you want it to be. Not that I would do anything incorrect, I always provided the test results that I knew would get the claim paid. In the end, everyone was happy.
People do not understand, no body cares what the tech says. It's the test results that will dictate if the warranty claim gets paid.
Once you wrap you head around this, as a dealership mechanic for 30 years, there are ways to make a test result anything you want it to be. Not that I would do anything incorrect, I always provided the test results that I knew would get the claim paid. In the end, everyone was happy.
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4,355 Posts
Testing a battery within any length of time after the engine had just been running would give you faulty results.
As…. It may well have had 120amps flowing INTO it.
It really pissed me off when people would drive up wanting a battery test.
You can kind of test it.
But the numbers are not a representation of what to expect for the battery.
I don’t even understand what is going on here.
If **you**haven’t had any problems.
Are YOU creating the problem?
That is one to always ask yourself.
And if you did have battery problems did I miss that?
Which is fine.
To each his own.
But to involve others in your own life’s current Made up problems really discourages the few who have the time and ability to fix real problems.
As…. It may well have had 120amps flowing INTO it.
It really pissed me off when people would drive up wanting a battery test.
You can kind of test it.
But the numbers are not a representation of what to expect for the battery.
I don’t even understand what is going on here.
If **you**haven’t had any problems.
Are YOU creating the problem?
That is one to always ask yourself.
And if you did have battery problems did I miss that?
Which is fine.
To each his own.
But to involve others in your own life’s current Made up problems really discourages the few who have the time and ability to fix real problems.
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19 Posts
It doesn't sound like you have noticed any issues with the battery, so I would question if the dealer can be trusted. I took my car in to a dealer for an oil change once, first or second oil change after buying it new in 2009, and they told me the battery was shot and I needed a new one. They said batteries weren't covered under warranty and I would have to pay full price for the ~$300 battery. Knowing beforehand that that dealer couldn't be trusted (free oil change though), I declined and continued to drive with that "shot" battery for another 7 years.
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