Volkswagen experts: replacing a Jetta battery?

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arcas

Platinum Member
Apr 10, 2001
2,155
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Hi. Friend of mine has a late '90s Jetta (97 I think) and the battery died yesterday. Her fiance was going to install a generic battery (the OEM battery apparently has some sort of bolt through the housing that he'd probably have to cut) but her dealer said that the VW's throttle may need to be reset after a battery replacement. The dealer wants to charge $91 for the new battery and $21 to install.

I don't know anything about VW. Is the dealer feeding them a load of BS about the throttle adjustment?

 
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Antisocial Virge

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 1999
6,578
0
0
I know some cars have probs after taking out the battery but I always thought that they reset themselves after a while. Wifes 95 golf had no prob with a new battery. Put alot bigger one in it also to help with winter starting and it is fine.
 
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CraigRT

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
31,440
5
0
well i don't know veedub. but that sounds like BS to me.

just put in a new battery and drive the car.
everything will be fine.
 
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Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
Gawd! Perhaps you can jumper the cables to a good battery while you perform the swap. Keep voltage to the car at all times. I don't know how cramped the bay is, but it's worth a shot to save $50.00 or so.
 
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SnapIT

Banned
Jul 8, 2002
4,355
1
0
Originally posted by: arcas
Hi. Friend of mine has a late '90s Jetta (97 I think) and the battery died yesterday. Her fiance was going to install a generic battery (the OEM battery apparently has some sort of bolt through the housing that he'd probably have to cut) but her dealer said that the VW's throttle may need to be reset after a battery replacement. The dealer wants to charge $91 for the new battery and $21 to install.

I don't know anything about VW. Is the dealer feeding them a load of BS about the throttle adjustment?
Click to expand...

$91 for a battery that needs to be modded to fit? I can buy one from misan here in sweden for $50... i really doubt it is more expensive in the US as 25% of those $50 are added taxes...

and the throttle needs to be reset? it's a scam....
 
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KokomoGST

Diamond Member
Nov 13, 2001
3,758
0
0
Reset throttle????? SCAM ALERT!

Heck, reset ECU is a scam even if they said that... ECUs reset themselves if they aren't connected to a battery long enough. Heck, you can change the battery yourself if you have a wrench, screwdriver, or a pair or pliers the right size to get the connectors off and the holddown out of the way.
 
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iwearnosox

Lifer
Oct 26, 2000
16,018
5
0
My 99 1/2 Jetta burns a quart of oil every 1,000 miles or so. Apparently they all do that and it's an undocumented "feature" they don't tell you about when you buy your car.

Blah.
 
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ChefJoe

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2002
2,506
0
0
As someone that's got a 97 Jetta GLS and a sears battery in it, I think they're trying to scam you. I've been installing a subwoofer too, so it appears that the number of times I've disconnected my battery has reset everything in the car 10 times over.... not.

Your clock and trip counter will reset, the radio will be fine for abotu 20 minutes, then it may go into safe mode (you need to have the unlock code). If you can take out and reconnect in under approx 20 minutes, you won't have to hassle with the radio.

Also, an undocumented feature: after the battery's been disconnected, it'll honk its horn at you when you reconnect it.

Make a post or search in VWVortex.com forums if you feel apprehensive.
 
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