LOL, mine was fine too. Just needed a quick boost from my basement-stored (with Battery Tender Junior) Costco marine battery and then a couple of battery charger sessions to get it back to normal. Everything looks good with the Princess Auto Autel AL439 tester. I think the car didn't see enough use as we entered the cold. Started up just fine both yesterday and today which were even colder mornings, around -15C or so.
But that first day I did lots of preliminary shopping and thought I would post up the results. First of all, when this 6yr&1mo old battery craps out, I will be getting another OEM one from the dealer.
The old Varta part # 5K0915105D has been superceded by a stronger one with part # 000915105DEDSP. The old one has served me well and the specs are changed (i.e. improved) as follows: 60 Ah to 61 Ah, 280 A DIN to 330 A DIN, and CCA of 480 A to 540 A. Two dealers at $138 and one at $139.38. Since my weaker one is past six years and still going, the new one is what I will eventually buy and stay OEM and hope for even lengthier and superior service....
Just picked up the same Kirkland battery. as my second battery purchased 3 years ago from the dealer had died, I chose this as I found the second battery didn't last as long as the original, didn't know they weren't the same battery just assumed that the dealer sold the original ones. I'll give this a go and hope it lasts longer, it has a better warranty too! oh and i had no problem fitting the insulation back around the Kirkland H6 just put in on before connecting the terminals. Cheers
that's the same battery I bought last month from Costco after my OEM finally gave out. I think i was my fault.. couple days of playing radio while i did maintenance stuff.
Too bad we cannot get the Euro OEM battery.. it lasted 8 years for me. ...doubt the Kirkland will give me the same type of life but.. it fits!
Been following this Post since 2017, when I was thinking of replacing the original battery Nov 2009 Battery. Well its 2019 and the battery is still going.
I'm
not gloating but thinking seriously once again to replace the battery before it leaves us stranded somewhere; as it came close to biting the dust but I was able to recover it with my Canadian Tire Intelligent Charger.
Been doing some research and it's not about getting the original OEM Varta Battery but more about getting the right type of battery. As documented by NotMoneyGuy above, there are two type of Varta Batteries.
I found that during the MK6 model years VW changed over to AGM Batteries from regular Flooded Lead Acid (FLO) type and Alternators with two stage charging. I don't have exact dates but happened some time during/after 2011. AGM Batteries are delicate and fail quickly when over charged, so putting a new AGM Battery into your car with the old style charger without two stage charging,....could result in frequent battery replacements caused by the over charging.
Consumers Report (CR) recently did an article on the rising cost of Automotive Batteries and basically concluded that battery manufactures are producing more AGM batteries hence the increased cost.
Since we have a 2010, I'm now thinking of getting a cheap FLO battery instead of an AGM one. I haven't found one yet tho, but the cheaper battery would most like be a FLO and the expensive ones be AGM, about the same size but higher capacity.
If you have a new model year, AGM battery is for you, go for it.
