Coding new battery?

[davidorama]

Like my last BMW, German manufacturers seemed to have formed a cartel to end home maintenance and ensure every punter but the most determined (like us?) give up and go to the factory dealer. It’s part of the franchise system. Sell our cars with low margins and we will keep sending customers back to you... I don’t remember a matched battery lasting any longer on a car than on an old Toyota.

[DV52]

@davidorama: I understand your point entirely and I most definitely am NOT an apologist for any of VAG's practices - but on this issue, there is a degree of justification for the procedure - I think.

The good-old-days of the Toyota were much simpler because likely there was largely only one choice of battery type (i.e. the bog-standard, flooded-cell type). These days however, battery technology has become much more complex and there are now many more manufacturing types - like Sealed, VRLA, AGM, EFB, GEL and probably more that I have missed.

So, car manufactures have wider choice these days and car owners are able to mix-and-match replacement batteries depending on their budgets and/or their preferences (and/or their prejudices, more likely).

That said, I've no doubt that the fact that the new procedure also means greater revenue for Dealers is not an unintended consequence for the car maker

Don

[salrom]

I just had my battery replace under warranty because it stopped holding a charge after just 26 months