Battery replacement costs?

RichyJ91

RichyJ91

Member
T6 Pro
Hello,

I have a 2019 T6 which I bought in May, which I’m pretty sure needs a new starter battery. It’s required jump starting on one occasion and I find that these days it almost doesn’t turn over if it’s sat for a few days. Even on the days when I have it can struggle to get going sometimes. My neighbour checked it with his battery testing kit and commented on the voltage being low/dropping quickly once the engine goes off. It has nothing electric running on it as I unplug my dashcam when not in use and the internal cab lights are deactivated.

I’ve been quoted £260 by RAC to come and replace it at home, but I’ve not done this before so have no context for whats a good deal or price. Any ideas? Open to doing it myself, but not sure if things need recoding etc after?

Cheers,
Richard
 
RichyJ91 said:
Hello,

I have a 2019 T6 which I bought in May, which I’m pretty sure needs a new starter battery. It’s required jump starting on one occasion and I find that these days it almost doesn’t turn over if it’s sat for a few days. Even on the days when I have it can struggle to get going sometimes. My neighbour checked it with his battery testing kit and commented on the voltage being low/dropping quickly once the engine goes off. It has nothing electric running on it as I unplug my dashcam when not in use and the internal cab lights are deactivated.

I’ve been quoted £260 by RAC to come and replace it at home, but I’ve not done this before so have no context for whats a good deal or price. Any ideas? Open to doing it myself, but not sure if things need recoding etc after?

Cheers,
Richard
Click to expand...
Your battery is probably about 6 years old, if it's the original, which is likely, so it's done its share.
You could change your battery for a lot less than the RAC quote, I think mine was about half that, ordered online and a quick ten minute DIY job.
I didn't code mine and it was fine, some say you should.
 
Search for a battery specialist in your area if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Varta is a good brand to fit.
 
DaveD said:
Your battery is probably about 6 years old, if it's the original, which is likely, so it's done its share.
You could change your battery for a lot less than the RAC quote, I think mine was about half that, ordered online and a quick ten minute DIY job.
I didn't code mine and it was fine, some say you should.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm assuming its the original. Ok, thanks, will look into that. I'm assuming the start/stop tech is the reason why the battery itself is expensive?
 
RichyJ91 said:
Yeah, I'm assuming its the original. Ok, thanks, will look into that. I'm assuming the start/stop tech is the reason why the battery itself is expensive?
Click to expand...
A 70Ah start stop Varta (they make Bosch) is £129.00 inc VAT from Tanya batteries.
The RAC quote much higher because they are coming to fit it and they will mark up the price of the battery.
 
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RichyJ91 said:
Yeah, I'm assuming its the original. Ok, thanks, will look into that. I'm assuming the start/stop tech is the reason why the battery itself is expensive?
Click to expand...
A car equipped with stop/start needs a more capable battery, so yes, but to be fair I don't think they are that expensive in real terms if you fit it yourself. I was paying north of a hundred quid years ago for a decent battery.
 
You can fit a bigger capacity battery than the OEM but it will cost more.
 
You might be able to fit a 90amp battery in but by all accounts it is a bit of a squeeze. If that comes in at around £150, then
paying someone to disconnect,
take the old one out,
put the new one in, all 20+KG of it.
connect it all back up,
code it in,
dispose of the old battery,
take responsibility for anything that might go wrong (pay their own insurance) - most don't go wrong but the odd occasional one might (duff battery, duff coding, damage to vehicle, trapping fingers, etc etc).
How much would you charge for that if you were doing it?
 
Last edited:
I joined the Halfords Premium Club.

You pay £54 - this includes an MOT and £10 voucher, but also one free battery fitting (including at home) and 5% discount amongst other deals.

I used the local National Tyres (also part of Halfords) and paid less due to their price promise.

Certainly cheaper than your quote.
 
TrevorK said:
I joined the Halfords Premium Club.

You pay £54 - this includes an MOT and £10 voucher, but also one free battery fitting (including at home) and 5% discount amongst other deals.

I used the local National Tyres (also part of Halfords) and paid less due to their price promise.

Certainly cheaper than your quote.
Click to expand...

Well this definitely sounds worth looking into, thanks mate.

Thanks all, very helpful replies. I'm not inclined to grumble about paying for the service, just wanted to know rough ballpark figures, so thanks.
 
You can fit the 95Ah version in there, it’s tight but I did mine with no prior experience. £164 with delivery.

www.tayna.co.uk

S5 A13 Bosch AGM Car Battery 12V 95Ah Type 019 AGM S5A13

S5 A13 Bosch Car S5 Battery - AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) Bosch Group are one of the leading battery manufacturer companies in the world and have been delivering quality German engineering in the automotive industry for more than 100 years! Bosch is a world renown company name that have and still...
www.tayna.co.uk www.tayna.co.uk
 
Anakin said:
You can fit the 95Ah version in there, it’s tight but I did mine with no prior experience. £164 with delivery.

www.tayna.co.uk

S5 A13 Bosch AGM Car Battery 12V 95Ah Type 019 AGM S5A13

S5 A13 Bosch Car S5 Battery - AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) Bosch Group are one of the leading battery manufacturer companies in the world and have been delivering quality German engineering in the automotive industry for more than 100 years! Bosch is a world renown company name that have and still...
www.tayna.co.uk www.tayna.co.uk
Click to expand...

Excuse my ignorance, what are the tangible benefits of a larger capacity battery?

Also, mine seems to be an EFB not an AGM battery. Id read you have to replace them with like for like? As in, EFB for EFB and AGM for AGM?
 
RichyJ91 said:
Excuse my ignorance, what are the tangible benefits of a larger capacity battery?

Also, mine seems to be an EFB not an AGM battery. Id read you have to replace them with like for like? As in, EFB for EFB and AGM for AGM?
Click to expand...
The larger capacity is just to give you more reserve. The vans wake up each time you open a door, so if you are on a campsite and don’t have a way of keeping the starter battery topped up, it is quite easy to flatten the battery.
 
RichyJ91 said:
Excuse my ignorance, what are the tangible benefits of a larger capacity battery?
Click to expand...
You can use the extra capacity to charge devices, keep van lights on longer (hazard lights in a breakdown situation) and as the battery deteriorates you’ll get a longer cranking life before it needs replacement.
 
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