Cupra battery question

[Zx7R]

Hi,

The battery in Seat Leon cupra - how long does it long, or supposed at least?
I know there's no exact science regarding the battery life, it depends on short/long rides, heat, etc'.

Daily rides of 50 km in the city conditions, with almost constant hot weather - 3.5 years - is it considered good? Bad?
Anyway - one morning I wanted to start the engine and it felt like dead battery - the lights in the dashboard were dimming but the car started. I felt that the last months the start in the morning was not "full of energy", it was sort of delay if a bit before the car was starting.
Replaced the battery - didn't take a chance.

 

[Legojon]

Do you have auto stop start? Eg is it an AGM battery? You could have tested it with a multimeter to see how much charge it's holding.

 

[Zx7R]

Do you have auto stop start? Eg is it an AGM battery? You could have tested it with a multimeter to see how much charge it's holding.

There's default stop start behavior - when the car starts it is set on stop start, but I disable it always, every ride.
AGM? What's that? It's some VAG battery, original one. Sorry for it being dirty - it's rains season here.

The last time I did service maintenance, the guy have measured the battery and it was OK.
Also I've asked him if there's a chance the battery can die "at once" - the answer was "No".

 

[TheSwede]

You have an EFB battery. It could last rather long time. In the family there is a Golf 7 R which is exactly 6 years old (my sons car). No Start Stopp funktion active. We have never changed battery (EFB), I know since I had first when the car was new. If you are unlucky it will just last 3-4 years.

/Peter

 

[BigJase88]

Should last 10 years a car battery (minimum)

 

[Zx7R]

You have an EFB battery. It could last rather long time. In the family there is a Golf 7 R which is exactly 6 years old (my sons car). No Start Stopp funktion active. We have never changed battery (EFB), I know since I had first when the car was new. If you are unlucky it will just last 3-4 years.

/Peter

Thanks for the input.

 

[Zx7R]

Should last 10 years a car battery (minimum)

10 years? I know that the material inside is degrading because of short rides and hot weather. Can that be my case?

 

[BigJase88]

10 years? I know that the material inside is degrading because of short rides and hot weather. Can that be my case?

I have no experience in hot countries but batteries do not like the heat.

you get good batteries and bad batteries though. Maybe just got unlucky

 

[Zx7R]

I have no experience in hot countries but batteries do not like the heat.

you get good batteries and bad batteries though. Maybe just got unlucky

Ok, again, thank you for answers.

 

[RUM4MO]

Should last 10 years a car battery (minimum)

I think that that theory is way out of date, EFB seem to have been restricted in aftermarket sales a bit by the big premium players as they are not living well up to the end of their warranty.

I find it weird with that "fact", that even my daughter's new Leon Cupra came with an EFB battery, currently I'm considering replacing my wife's 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS's EFB battery which is 027 frame size, with a 096 frame size AGM - that is the TDI engine size/rating of battery. To do that I'll need to replace or modify the battery tray in the Polo though.

Replacing a failed EFB with an AGM battery bought at a sensible price seems what many people are doing, though some re-coding is need in the CAN Gatway BDM module to reflect the change of battery technology, amp hour rating and serial number - that last part is so that the BDM system knows that the battery has been replaced.

 

[BigJase88]

I think that that theory is way out of date, EFB seem to have been restricted in aftermarket sales a bit by the big premium players as they are not living well up to the end of their warranty.

I find it weird with that "fact", that even my daughter's new Leon Cupra came with an EFB battery, currently I'm considering replacing my wife's 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS's EFB battery which is 027 frame size, with a 096 frame size AGM - that is the TDI engine size/rating of battery. To do that I'll need to replace or modify the battery tray in the Polo though.

Replacing a failed EFB with an AGM battery bought at a sensible price seems what many people are doing, though some re-coding is need in the CAN Gatway BDM module to reflect the change of battery technology, amp hour rating and serial number - that last part is so that the BDM system knows that the battery has been replaced.

No idea on battery tech

All I know is my mothers BMW is on its original battery and its 12 years old with 102k miles bought from new

 

[Seastormer]

My Cupra battery on my 2014 280 is still ok and always starts easy, but now a green/amber result on the Optimate charger, when it was full green when checked at up to 3 years old. Green/amber = may need replaced soon, so may be time to change soon. I also do lots of stop start driving on short journeys, and the stop/start has always been left on.

 

[RUM4MO]

No idea on battery tech

All I know is my mothers BMW is on its original battery and its 12 years old with 102k miles bought from new

Oh I've had a 2000 VW Passat 4Motion which only needed a new battery at 10 years old, probably prompted by me having a lot of trouble priming the petrol line after changing the petrol filter. My wife's 2002 VW Polo was sold on at 13 years old with its original battery still in it.

Sadly with EFB batteries, smart charging and emissions reduction aims, these days have long gone.

 

[RUM4MO]

My Cupra battery on my 2014 280 is still ok and always starts easy, but now a green/amber result on the Optimate charger, when it was full green when checked at up to 3 years old. Green/amber = may need replaced soon, so may be time to change soon. I also do lots of stop start driving on short journeys, and the stop/start has always been left on.

That change of "when what colour" threw me a bit, in the past a yellow/great "light" (indicator on the battery) meant that the acid level was okay, when it went dark was when it meant trouble. Now it seems that dark is good, getting that colour warning means its time is running out.

My older daughter's 2019 SEAT Leon Cupra, was probably a bargain buy, pre-reg'd 30thApril to improve sales figures, sold in August with 12 miles on the clock, so probably had already suffered from 1 or 2 completely drained battery events, though as long as she accepts that and moves to a new AGM in time, she will still have made good savings but might need to spend £140 on a quality AGM battery, that will be one of my jobs maybe in the summer if I can't freshen up that battery!

Edit:- when I carried out a cranking test on the original Exide normal battery on my older daughter's late 2009 SEAT Ibiza SC, using a CTEK charger/tester, the options were good, okay or poor - ie GREEN AMBER RED, the result I got there was - nothing, the cranking voltage was too low to keep the CTEK charger/tester powered up - which was at least a result, but I'd have preferred if that CTEK charger/tester was able to stay operating down to a lower voltage and hand out a RED fail! Using it the next day on my wife's brand new Polo 1.2TSI 110PS which had been used on long journeys from new resulted in an AMBER result, and that car was a factory order so should have never suffered any battery draining in storage - maybe I should have given that result a bit more thought at the time - but I just blamed that tester for that low performance result!

 

[Walone]

There's default stop start behavior - when the car starts it is set on stop start, but I disable it always, every ride.
AGM? What's that? It's some VAG battery, original one. Sorry for it being dirty - it's rains season here.

The last time I did service maintenance, the guy have measured the battery and it was OK.
Also I've asked him if there's a chance the battery can die "at once" - the answer was "No".

That's exactly the same battery as in my December 2015 LEON 1.4 ACT FR.
I do charge it occasionally as I don't use the car often, only done 18500 miles.

 

[Zx7R]

That's exactly the same battery as in my December 2015 LEON 1.4 ACT FR.
I do charge it occasionally as I don't use the car often, only done 18500 miles.

I did never charge it or something. Maybe a charge could do the change, but anyway it was replaced - wouldn't like to get stuck in nowhere.

 

[BigJase88]

Oh I've had a 2000 VW Passat 4Motion which only needed a new battery at 10 years old, probably prompted by me having a lot of trouble priming the petrol line after changing the petrol filter. My wife's 2002 VW Polo was sold on at 13 years old with its original battery still in it.

Sadly with EFB batteries, smart charging and emissions reduction aims, these days have long gone.

Not exactly great is it?

and the government believe battery powered vehicles are the way forward?

i think not

 

[RUM4MO]

The cynic in me (who, me??) thinks that this duffed up pretending to be progression society is happily selling ideas to make "progress" while just leaving a different but worse mess behind for someone else to tidy up, intellect is not too high in UK right now, mugs can be fooled easily as can duff government!

No bottle for big infrastructure investments that would improve life in general, so quick short term fixes to fool mugs while stripping money out of the economy?

Wait a minute, I might have answered some big questions there, enough of that!

 

[cupra14]

Not exactly great is it?

and the government believe battery powered vehicles are the way forward?

i think not

Different kind of battery technology entirely. It's a bit like saying after you've seen a windmill that petrol cars will never work. It would make no sense.