[Vwdiesel] Alternator - Battery - jumpstart questions

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

 Pretty much ditto on what Nate said with just a couple notes.
  I've never, or rarely seen a VW that will put out 14.8 volts.  They usually
are in the 13+, maybe low 14's but that's still well above the 12.5 you're
seeing.  It should be higher than that after a few minutes of running.
  It's of course, recommended to disconnect the battery when doing
anything from charging the battery to changing a tire nearly.  I never do
and it shouldn't be a problem.  Just leave everything off while charging
and you won't have to worry.
  The only problem with jumping from the other battery is if you have
heavy enough jumper cables.  Every day cables usually aren't heavy
enough to start a dead diesel.  You usually have to charge the battery
a bit from the other vehicle first.
  I've had batteries fail from one day to the next.  Even ones that were
less than a year old!  I'd do like Nate suggested and go to a Schucks,
Pep Boys, Sears, etc., and have them test the battery.  Most of them
will check the charging output at the same time as well.  :)
     Loren