Good Morning,

I have a 2008 A6 Avant with 70,000 miles on it. About 8,000 miles ago my service tech told me that my battery should be replaced in the not so distant future. He told me that it would cost $600-$800 through them because there is a big "load balancing procedure that only they could do" so I told them I would wait until a further service (i.e., ask you guys whether I really need them to do it). BTW, it has lasted through a NH winter with no problems at all, so it couldn't be too bad......

So what's the deal? Can I buy one off the rack at Autozone and install it myself? Can I order one online and install it myself, or do I need to have a certified tech do it.

Thank you very much,
Heath

 

The load balancing comment is bulls..t. But the car is supposed to have the battery coded into the power management module so that it knows how to properly manage the battery load and charging. Many people here have swapped them at AutoZone with no problem. I suspect that if you keep power to the systems in the car (which AutoZone will do) then there will be no major problems. Once the battery has been changed you can probably get one of the local guys on this forum with a VAG-COM to recode module.

By the way, some of the guys on this and other Audi forums have claimed that they have purchased batteries at the dealer for about $160 which is reasonable for a battery of this size. If they put in an OEM battery and keep power to the car during the swap they should not have to recode anything. It sounds like your dealer is trying to make a few extra $$$'s.