battr, pass II

[rdh@sli.com (Robert D. Houk)]

   Recently there was some mention of under-the-seat batteries for the
   5000/100 series Audis;  I skimmed over the postings and then deleted
   them. Well, mea culpa, this morning when I turned my ignition key, all
   I got was a "chattering" from the starter.  Methinks that my battery
   ('89 100Q) is retiring after 5 years of service.  I managed to jump-start
   the vehicle (there's SOME advantage to having a house on a hill!),  but
   am concerned about impending COLD weather.  Can anyone point me to a
   non-Audi (non-dealer) OEM-style battery with the built-in vent?  Or
   will I have to bite the bullet and get the obscenely-priced battery
   from the dealer?

Two comments I realize I forgot to say:

One -- make sure the battery posts and cable clamps are shiny clean and
firmly affixed. I've seen "perfect looking, near new" batteries fail
completely, until the clamp was removed, cleaned, and reinstalled and
firmly tightened down; battery went on to give years of good service.
I've come to rather mistrust all that magic glop sold to "protect and
serve" your auto battery needs...kinda like crimp connections...but
that's a different thread.

Two -- Five years is good life from a battery, and time to replace it
anyways.

					-RDH