SuperCharge MF66HSS AGM battery for '14 MK7 TDI highline

[retrojit]

Hi Guys,


Looks like my battery is about to die, showed low battery couple of times.
I had a bit of research and found out Supercharge is value for money compared to Varta, Bosch.
How you guys find it? Is it better than Century DIN65LHMF and Exide SSAGM-66EU?
Also, do the BEM code needs to be updated along with battery replacement.
If so can battery stores update the BEM coding or I have to get that done from VW servicing ?


Thanks heaps.


Cheers
Jit

[andrew7]

Any luck with this; I have a similar issue with my 14 TDI and am looking for a replacement battery.

[Valvster]

I had my 2013 MK7 golf serviced in mid December and they reported the battery at 66% efficiency, no rush come back after Xmas,
so I started the research.
I quickly found out that most battery providers have no idea about the difference between lead acid, EFB, AGM batteries and more importantly the coding required for modern vehicles....."ermm, we just put them in and the lights go out in a coupla days so it's OK".
Well it's not OK, my EFB battery is at end of life so the alternator is charging at a higher rate and will continue to do so unless the car is told it has a new battery and instead of an EFB it is an AGM...."ermmm, yes we have had a few AGM's fail in less than a year, and we don't know how to code your car, better take it to VW".
This was what I got from Supercharge, Exide, Century, Kmart Auto, Autobarn etc etc.
I decided to source a battery from Transporter (forum moderator & VW mob. mechanic) but he lives the opposite side of Adelaide and we could not hook up so close to Xmas, so roll the dice and try again in early January.
Bugga...1:30pm Saturday before Xmas dead battery.
Luckily my local Battery World owner (ex auto electrician)was on the ball and supplied me a new Century AGM($380) half hour before closing and arranged for me to visit another branch on Xmas eve(Monday) for coding.
It turns out the Century battery is a re-badged German made Varta but Century will soon be sourcing these from Korea.

[syncro]

What's an EFB?

I cannot understand what difference it would make to the alternator what type of battery and why would it need coding (if this is possible).

[DV52]

What's an EFB?

I cannot understand what difference it would make to the alternator what type of battery and why would it need coding (if this is possible).

syncro:Hi - very good question. Here's what VW says about EFB batteries:

Design characteristics:
Just like wet batteries, but also:
• Thicker negative grid; this results in a higher corrosion resistance, particularly under high current loads.
• Measures for increasing the quality of the positive active material, depending on the manufacturer.
• Addition of carbon to the negative material; this results in better power absorption and therefore better charging characteristics.
• Slight increase in lead use and weight.


Advantages
• Maintenance-free
• Long service life
• Cold start guaranteed down to -25 °C
• Deep-discharge guarantee
• High performance capacity
• Suitable for start/stop systems with petrol engines (beginning from 22/11)
• In terms of charge-discharge frequency, it is between the wet battery and the glass mat battery (AGM)

So - for these reasons, EFB is a mid-price (not as good as AGM) battery for cars with Start-Stop facility. And it does have a different charging profile to normal Lead-Acid batteries for optimum performance. So the generator output is "tuned" differently to get the best out of the battery and to ensure battery longevity.

As for your question regarding coding - the answer is YES! When replacing the battery on a mk7, it's advantageous to tell the car that a new battery is installed (and what type of battery it is). MQB platform vehicles like the mk7 are quite sophisticated - if you want the best performance from your battery investment, the car needs to know about the commercial decision you made (i.e. which battery to buy).

As to whether there is value in buying a cheaper plain lead-acid battery versus EFB, or AGM - I suggest that you read the publicly available material and make an informed decision (remember Start-Stop, if you have it)

Don

[gregozedobe]

As for your question regarding coding - the answer is YES! When replacing the battery on a mk7, it's advantageous to tell the car that a new battery is installed (and what type of battery it is). MQB platform vehicles like the mk7 are quite sophisticated - if you want the best performance from your battery investment, the car needs to know about the commercial decision you made (i.e. which battery to buy).

As to whether there is value in buying a cheaper plain lead-acid battery versus EFB, or AGM - I suggest that you read the publicly available material and make an informed decision (remember Start-Stop, if you have it)

Don

Yet another great reply from a very helpful member of this community. Thanks Don

[syncro]

Thanks Don. It's all getting a bit complex nowadays. I wonder if anyone ever actually recodes them when changing the battery?

[GTI_PAPA]

I have a 2014 Highline. Has been sluggish to start last few days. Today wouldn't start. Called Marshall batteries, came to my house and replaced old EFB with an AGM and did all re-coding within 10 minutes.

[syncro]

The standard VW batteries don't seem to be lasting too long. Must be the stop start.

[Lucas_R]

found out Supercharge MF66HSS AGM battery is value for money compared

I have this Supercharge MF66HSS AGM battery fitted to my Mk7 GTI (fitted by previous owner so im not sure how old it is). Works just fine and fits in the battery tray. My only gripe is that the top of the battery is bright yellow so its quite ugly, so I have purchased a plastic VW battery cover to hide it. I have disabled the start/stop function (I dont like it plus they are battery killers) so im hoping the battery will last until after I sell the car in a few years time. I do hook it up to my CTEK charger once a week or so and give it a good charge up too, which should help maximise its life.

The standard VW batteries don't seem to be lasting too long. Must be the stop start.

Yes stop/start is a battery killer. Every 3-4 years and you will be buying a new expensive battery and negating any tiny fuel savings you might have made using the stop/start system each day. The battery will last much longer if you disable the start/stop function.

[gregozedobe]

I have this Supercharge MF66HSS AGM battery fitted to my Mk7 GTI (fitted by previous owner so im not sure how old it is). Works just fine and fits in the battery tray. My only gripe is that the top of the battery is bright yellow so its quite ugly, so I have purchased a plastic VW battery cover to hide it. I have disabled the start/stop function (I dont like it plus they are battery killers) so im hoping the battery will last until after I sell the car in a few years time. I do hook it up to my CTEK charger once a week or so and give it a good charge up too, which should help maximise its life.

Yes stop/start is a battery killer. Every 3-4 years and you will be buying a new expensive battery and negating any tiny fuel savings you might have made using the stop/start system each day. The battery will last much longer if you disable the start/stop function.

My understanding is that the stop/start system itself isn't the main reason for batteries failing sooner than they used to. The problem is that VW fit a complicated Battery Management System (BMS) that is designed to (most of the time) leave extra capacity for recharging when the car is decelerating. This is supposed to save a tiny amount of fuel and reduce the official consumption and pollution figures.

If you check your battery voltage when driving you will probably notice that the voltage is often around 13.3V which is much lower than the 14.7V that is needed to keep a lead acid battery fully charged.

The end result is that the battery isn't fully charged most of the time, which reduces their life span considerably (lead acid batteries last much longer if maintained fully charged). Of course if many owners need new batteries and fitting more frequently than on previous cars then VW and their dealers are quite happy to help out, and pocketing the extra profits is purely incidental (me cynical, I don't know what you mean ? )

So Lucas is on the right track by ensuring his battery is fully charged every week or so, this will help it last longer ( I do the same with my R, it's EFB battery is 3 1/2 years old and still going strong). AGM batteries tend to last longer than EFB anyway, but keeping it fully charged will help as wll.