Model Year 23/24 Battery Management System reset.

[Delanor]

Can anyone shed any light on my battery problem my Formentor battery doesn`t appear to be holding a charge very well, its two and a half years old even after a 90 mile trip followed 2 days later by another 20 mile trip and then 2 days later it was down to 11.5 volts the alternator output is OK @ 14.3 volts but unless I drive the car everyday a decent mileage I have to keep putting the battery on charge, now its going in to the Cupra dealer to have it checked as the battery is guaranteed for 3 years but I suspect they will tell me its still serviceable (wear and tear) altough I have just had a warning about low voltage along with reports that the rear traffic alert was not available,. I put it on charge and then it was all OK.

Now if the dealer insists the battery is OK I will change the battery myself, now I have a Launch Creader professional diagnostic scanner just updated to battery match, I also have a VAG group (Volkswagon, Audi, Seat, Skoda) scanner that is also capable to battery match as well as an OBD11 scanner that I can use various apps with.

My problem is that none of them appears to let me access the battery management system when I try and I seem to recall reading somewhere that although its a VAG car made by Seat its a Cupra and it maybe locked out so you need a dealer to access it is that correct?

I just realised that Stop Start had stopped working quite a while ago and that is a sign of a poor battery capacity!

What a pain just for a duff battery!

 

[East Yorkshire Retrofits]

Most good diagnostic tools can work with SFD1 at this point. Have the battery tested after a good drive so it's properly charged

 

[Delanor]

Well so much for hopeless Cupra dealers help yet again, after nearly 2 weeks to get the battery checked as it is under warranty I took my Formentor in today and after an hour as I waited they informed me that they need to put the battery on charge for 2 - 4 hrs but they didn`t have a charger available to do it to see if the battery is charging so a Cupra dealer with all their "Technicians" and equipment they couldn`t do a load test to assess the state of the battery when I have done it myself to confirm the battery is faulty!
My life is too short to sit around in a car dealers whilst they play games so now I am going to replace the battery myself but I need a Scanner that can bypass the VW security to change the battery registration I had already tried my 2 x Launch Creader scanners with updated battery match they wouldn`t allow me to do it (waiting an answer back from them why) and neither would the dedicated VW Audi, Skoda, Seat group scanner that I have just bought that does include battery match but that doesn`t work either.

So can anyone recommend a diagnostic scanner that will do it that doesn`t cost a small fortune as I can`t keep increasing my collection of scanners as I have 3 now!

 

[East Yorkshire Retrofits]

Battery adaptation is only protected with SFD1, something as simple as OBDeleven can do it. Make sure the bonnet is open & the engine is off

 

[Delanor]

OK my experience with changing the battery in my Formentor, after checking out all the available information on this I spoke to a local respected VW independent their top technician is an ex VW dealership guy and he assured me that there is no need to change the battery registration when changing the battery in his words "its all 8ollox," change the battery you may get a few flashing warnings when you disconnect the battery but it will sort itself out to suit the new battery.
On this basis I decided to replace the battery but to connect a spare 12 volt battery to the battery leads to retain the 12 volt supply then remove them from the original battery and then fit them to the new battery, then guess what happened - nothing the Formentor is exactly as it was and after 2 weeks the new battery is charging up fully when driven it is maintaining the charge and everything is working as it should.
I have got an OBD port 12 volt battery supply which should also maintain the 12 volt supply but somewhere I read reckoned that on certain European cars it can blow a fuse/fuses and I didn`t fancy using that hence the replacement 12 volt supply to the battery leads.

I will say that physically changing the battery was a 2 man job each battery lead has 2 thick cables with literally no slack so trying to get them clear whilst also connected to the spare battery with jump leads to swap it wasn`t easy so hence my brother provided that service.

Anyway swapping a Formentor battery is a lot easier than it is made out to be, I could still change the battery registration but at the moment I have chosen the path of "if it ain`t broke don`t fix it!"

 

[East Yorkshire Retrofits]

being an ex VW dealership guy isn’t a brag, it’s far from it

Who do you trust to build/design their cars? The multi billion pound manufacturer?

Or Steve that did oil changes on their behalf?


If you’re spending hundreds of pounds on a battery, you want the best lifespan and performance don’t you? So ensure the adaptations for the battery information are correct

It’s 3 adaptations and takes a matter of minutes

Battery technology - leave it alone if you’ve bought a battery of the same type
Battery capacity - many third party batteries vary slightly despite saying it’s a like for like replacement
Battery serial number - just change it by one digit so the car knows it has been replaced
Done

 

[James_R]

Their "top technician" sounds like someone who didn't like following the manufacturer's instructions, probably why he no longer works for a dealer.

Unfortunately cutting corners in a dealership often means you don't get paid.

You've had poor previous service from your dealer, granted, but taking on advice from an independent that is blatant bullshit really doesn't make sense at all.