Replacing the 12-volt vehicle battery
The 12-volt vehicle battery has been devel-
oped to suit the conditions of its installation
location and has special safety features. If
a 12-volt vehicle battery has to be replaced,
discuss the electromagnetic compatibility,
size and necessary servicing, output and safe-
ty requirements for the new 12-volt vehicle
battery with a Volkswagen dealership before
purchase. The ventilation opening of the 12-
volt vehicle battery must always be on the
negative terminal side: the ventilation open-
ing on the positive terminal side must always
be sealed.
Only maintenance-free 12-volt vehicle bat-
teries compliant with the standards
TL 825 06 and VW 7 50 73 should be used.
These standards must be dated October 2014
or later.
Always have the 12-volt vehicle battery re-
placed by a qualified workshop, as the vehicle
electronics must be adapted as part of the
replacement process. Only qualified work-
shops have the technology required to carry
out this adjustment correctly. Volkswagen
recommends that the 12-volt vehicle battery
is replaced by a Volkswagen dealership.
Disconnecting the 12-volt vehicle battery
Please observe the following if the 12-volt
vehicle battery has to be disconnected from
the electrical system in the vehicle:
— Switch all electrical consumers off.
— Unlock the vehicle before disconnecting
the battery in order to avoid triggering the
anti-theft alarm.
— First disconnect the negative cable and
then the positive cable → .
Connecting the 12-volt vehicle battery
— Switch off all electrical consumers before
reconnecting the 12-volt vehicle battery.
— First reconnect the positive cable and then
the negative cable → .
Various indicator lamps may light up after the
12-volt vehicle battery has been connected
and the ignition is switched on. They will go
out if you drive a short distance at a speed of
approximately 15 – 20 km/h (10 – 12 mph). If
the indicator lamps remain lit up, the vehicle
should be checked by a qualified workshop.
If the 12-volt vehicle battery was disconnec-
ted for an extended period, the system may
not able to calculate or correctly display the
time when the next service is due → page 18.
Observe the maximum permissible service in-
tervals → page 353.
Vehicles with Keyless Access:
the ignition cannot be switched on after con-
necting the 12-volt vehicle battery, lock and
unlock the vehicle from the outside. Then try
to switch on the ignition again. Please seek
expert assistance if the ignition cannot be
switched on.
Automatic switch-off for electrical consum-
ers
The intelligent vehicle electrical system auto-
matically implements a range of measures to
prevent the 12-volt vehicle battery from dis-
charging under high loads:
— The performance of large electrical con-
sumers may be reduced or they may be
switched off completely.
The vehicle electrical system cannot always
prevent the 12-volt vehicle battery from dis-
charging. For example, if ignition or the side
or parking lights are left switched on while
the vehicle is parked for a long period.
12-volt vehicle battery is discharged
— Through use of electrical consumers when
the vehicle’s drive system has been deacti-
vated.
WARNING
Incorrectly securing the battery and using
incorrect 12-volt vehicle batteries can
cause short circuits, fire and serious inju-
ries.
·
Always use maintenance-free and leak-
proof 12-volt vehicle batteries that have
the same properties, specifications and
322
Checking and refilling