Golf starter motor issue or battery ?

[Duke]

Hi, i'm driving a Golf 2005 Trendline (Petrol). Bought from a dealer last year and had her major servicing as well. I was advised to changed the battery since it is 7 years old from VARTA. Where do you usually get your battery from ? How much i'm looking at ?

Also, i had to jump start the other day but the funny thing is i had to rev a bit to get the car engine running while it was connected to another battery using a jump lead....Same thing happend last night. Car wouldnt want to start in the beginning ( started for a while, shaking and eventually stopped) but when i started reving it eventually picked up and everything seems normal since then. Do you think it is still a battery problem? Last night i did not use any external battery,

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[mk5fsi]

I'm my opinion I think it might not be the battery, because if the car is hard to start even when your jumping starting it then, then it could be a faulty MAF Sensor or O2 sensor. Does the car run fine after it has started ?, and also while you are starting it does it seen like it cranks slow ?

[Duke]

I'm my opinion I think it might not be the battery, because if the car is hard to start even when your jumping starting it then, then it could be a faulty MAF Sensor or O2 sensor. Does the car run fine after it has started ?, and also while you are starting it does it seen like it cranks slow ?

Yes, its running fine since then. Not sure what do you mean by crank slow though.

[mk5fsi]

what I mean by cranks slow, is when you proceed to start the car, the starter motor engages and the motor starts, normally if the battery has a good charge the starter motor will engage normally. However when you have a flat battery that doesn't have enough charge, the starter motor doesn't engage normally and it engage slowly like there isn't enough power for the starter motor to turn the engine over.

[JustCruisn]

The battery is dying. It may have enough power to keep the car running, that's easy it's the hard stuff it can't handle.
The battery does not have enough stored power to deliver the required Cold Cranking Amps to get the starter to kick the engine fast enough.
At 7 years it is hardly surprising, you will notice it starts sometimes and not others. It will fail at the most in opportune time. Got buy another battery. Pay the extra cash for another Varta, others will brands last about 3 years only.

[Blitzen]

Definitely the battery.... These can be bought at any auto store...

[grtuned]

Battery!!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using my fingers.

[Transporter]

Yes, should have replace that battery, don't wait till you get stranded somewhere. It's usually more expensive then.

But, if you want to test you battery, it's quite easy and simple; just turn the interior light on and see if it dims a lot while you're starting. You could also turn the headlights ON before you start cranking the engine. The battery that is in a poor condition will straggle and will need much longer cranking time to start the engine.

Many places that sell batteries will happilly test your battery for free. But, the picture says that your battery is almost dead.

Vartas are good as well as Bosch, Century/Yuasa and Exide.

[stormshark]

Think i'm done at 109k,3 yo - just got quoted $180 for replacement from RACV. Any idea what the good batteries Transporters quoted would be around?

[brad]

price a VARTA replacement from the dealers, they are surprisingly reasonably priced.

otherwise, batteryWorld or try the yellow pages under batteries.

i like Varta, Panasonic, Yuasa & Bosch - none of these will be the cheapest.

duke: that battery looks stuffed. i assume all the white stuff on the RHS is dried acid from boiling?

When they fit the new battery, get the terminals shined up & get some terminal spray or vasso put on them.

[Duke]

what I mean by cranks slow, is when you proceed to start the car, the starter motor engages and the motor starts, normally if the battery has a good charge the starter motor will engage normally. However when you have a flat battery that doesn't have enough charge, the starter motor doesn't engage normally and it engage slowly like there isn't enough power for the starter motor to turn the engine over.

Yah, i feel that as well. I had my major servicing few months ago and i was advised to change the battery though.

[Duke]

price a VARTA replacement from the dealers, they are surprisingly reasonably priced.

otherwise, batteryWorld or try the yellow pages under batteries.

i like Varta, Panasonic, Yuasa & Bosch - none of these will be the cheapest.

duke: that battery looks stuffed. i assume all the white stuff on the RHS is dried acid from boiling?

When they fit the new battery, get the terminals shined up & get some terminal spray or vasso put on them.

RACV's price is 220$ including installation of a premium battery( i did not ask the brand) and 3 years warranty. VW service centre's price is almost double, 400$+.

[mk5fsi]

Yah, i feel that as well. I had my major servicing few months ago and i was advised to change the battery though.

If you feel that its happening, then it's definitely the battery, at first i thought t maybe wasn't the battery since it will start perfectly one day and the next you would need to jump start it. you should get a premium battery. I bought a cheap battery not too long ago, and it really preformed very poorly, i then forked out $200 for a Bosch battery and now its great.

[ml16]

My sisters 1.6 comfortline had this same problem. I thought it was the battery as it wouldn't crank like normal. However after a mobile mechanic checked it and a VW specialise checked it, it was the starter motor in our case. The VW specialist said it is common for the starter motor on the DSG version to fail around the 5-7 year mark, however he hadn't seen it happen on the manual version.

[Transporter]

Think i'm done at 109k,3 yo - just got quoted $180 for replacement from RACV. Any idea what the good batteries Transporters quoted would be around?

Bosch or Century/Yuasa would be around that price. I think that you will pay over $200 for Varta from the dealer. Check the production date if you get Varta or other less commonly used battery, since they don't have to be the fast moving stock and could age on the shelves before someone buys them.

As Brad mentione;d clean the battery terminals before you fit the new battery. I use baking soda disolved in hot water to neutralise the battery accid, not just on the terminals but also around the battery. Make sure you do it somewhere safe and catch the run off, since the accid contaminated water will ruin your floor if not neutral enough (use lots of baking soda).