1995 A6 Needed a new battery

[AQUATTRO4U@aol.com]

I had to replace the battery on my girlfriends parents '95 A6 Quattro Sedan
with 77k on the clock. 6 weeks ago the car wouldn't start so I checked out the
battery and it had a service sticker on the battery. It hadn't been checked
since 12/94 when the car was made as there were no notations on the sticker
and you have to remove the sticker to service the battery. We had bought this
car used and it was supposedly serviced by an Audi dealership as it was a
lease return. So I added distilled water in the battery as all the cells were
low, The battery lasted 6 weeks and then died after being parked for only 5
days.
In my experience when you check the water in the battery at least once a year
and fill it, the batteries tend to last for a long time. When I bought my '88
5000 TQ 3 years ago it had a used battery that had gone dead on the lot. They
charged it and I have stayed on top of the water level in the battery and it
still works great. I have gone to Hawaii for 12 days left the car alarm on
with the blinking light going and it started with no problem when I got back.
So my suggestion is for you to service your battery yourself and don't rely on
the dealer to take out your seat and check it for you. 
If your anal like me, you would check the water levels every 6 months. 

Hope this helps!

Howard Dinits 	AQUATTRO4U@aol.com

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Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 02:14:38 -0500

From: Osman Parvez <oparvez1@nycap.rr.com>

Subject: Re: Battery replacement: 1995 A6



David,

      Worth looking into. The battery in my mother's 1996 A6q decided to

crap out somehow which required a full flatbed tow approximately 70

miles to the nearest dealership, and replacement under warranty. This

was after only 36K miles. Luckily it was covered under the Audi

Advantage (if it hadn't been, we would have just bought a replacement

locally and installed it). 



- -Osman



P.S. It seems to me that Audi failures are almost *always* systematic

and not isolated "random chance" events. In other words..if one battery

on an A6q fails..others are sure to fail too. 











David Kroth wrote:

> 

> The A6 is new to me and I'm considering replacing the 3.5

> year old battery as insurance before the cold weather really

> hits.  In reviewing the Bentely manual there is a warning

> on page W 27-1 (Volume 3, I think) that says:

> 

>    For automatic transmission vehicles, the transmission

>    control module (TCM) "basic setting" must be reestablished

>    using the VAG 1551 scan tool (ST), whenever the battery

>    has been disconnected or replaced during repair.

> 

> What's up with that?  Do I really have to find someone with

> a VAG 1551 every time I disconnect the battery?  Is there

> some other way to "reestablish the basic setting" of the

> TCM without the 1551?

> 

> This could be a real thorn in the foot.

> 

> --

> David Kroth

> davidk@lpa.com



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