Get Vehicle battery Guide for Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

Vehicle battery

¤ Introduction

In this section you’ll find information about:

Warning light

Checking the vehicle battery electrolyte level

Charging, replacing, disconnecting, and connecting the vehicle

battery

The standard 12 Volt vehicle battery is part of the vehicle electrical

system.

Never do any work on the vehicle electrical system unless you

know exactly how to carry out the job,

have the correct technical information and the proper tools, and

are familiar with the necessary safety precautions ⇒ꢀ

!

If you are uncertain in any way, have the work done by an authorized

Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility. Seri-

ous personal injury may result from improperly performed work.

Location of the vehicle battery

Depending upon the engine type, the 12 Volt vehicle battery is locat-

ed in the engine compartment or behind a cover in the luggage com-

partment. On vehicles with a 3.6 liter engine, the battery is behind a

trim panel in the left rear corner of the luggage compartment.

Vehicles with the battery located in the luggage compartment are

equipped with a battery isolator feature. In a collision, the airbag con-

trol module triggers a small pyrotechnic charge that physically dis-

connects the battery from the engine starter motor and the positive

jump-start terminal in the engine compartment.

Explanation of the warnings on the vehicle battery

Symbol

Meaning

Always wear eye protection!

Symbol

Meaning

Battery acid is highly corrosive. Al-

ways wear protective gloves and eye

protection!

Fire, sparks, open flame, and smoking

are prohibited!

When a battery is charged, it produc-

es hydrogen gas which is highly ex-

plosive!

Always keep children away from bat-

tery acid and vehicle batteries!

More information:

⇒ꢀBooklet Warranty and Maintenance

Working in the engine compartment

Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications

WARNING

Working on the batteries or the electrical system in your vehicle

can cause serious acid burns, fires, explosions, or electrical

shocks. Always read and heed the following WARNINGS and

safety precautions before working on the batteries or the elec-

trical system.

Before working on the electrical system, always switch off

the ignition and all electrical consumers and disconnect the

negative (-) cable from the standard 12 Volt battery.

When you change a light bulb, always switch off the light

first.

Always keep children away from battery acid and vehicle bat-

teries in general.

Always wear eye protection. Never let battery acid or lead

particles come into contact with your eyes, skin, or clothing.

Sulfuric battery acid is very corrosive. It can burn unprotect-

ed skin and cause blindness. Always wear protective gloves

and eye protection. To reduce your risk of injury, never tilt the

batteries, as this could spill acid through the vents and burn

you.

If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immedi-

ately rinse with cold water for several minutes and then get

immediate medical attention. If you swallow any battery acid,

get medical attention immediately.

When disconnecting the batteries from the vehicle electrical

system, always disconnect the negative cable (-) first and then

the positive cable (+).

Always switch off all electrical consumers before reconnect-

ing 12 Volt batteries. Reconnect the plus cable (+) first and then

the negative cable (-). Never reverse the polarity of the connec-

tions. This could cause a fire.

A highly explosive mixture of gases is given off when the bat-

tery is being charged.

Do not smoke and avoid fires, sparks, and open flames when

working. Never create sparks or electrostatic charges when

handling cables and electrical equipment. Never short circuit

the battery terminals. High-energy sparks can cause serious

personal injury.

Never use or attempt to charge a damaged or frozen battery,

or a battery that was frozen but has thawed. Charging a frozen

or thawed battery could cause explosions and chemical burns!

Replace damaged or frozen vehicle batteries immediately. A

dead battery can freeze at temperatures around +32 °F (0 °C).

If the battery has a vent line or tube, make sure that it is

properly connected to the battery.

Always make sure that the vent line is securely attached to a

vehicle battery that is located in the luggage compartment.

WARNING

California Proposition 65 Warning

Battery posts, terminals, and related accessories contain

lead and lead components, chemicals known to the State of

California to cause cancer and reproductive harm. Wash your

hands after handling.

NOTICE

Do not expose the vehicle battery to direct sunlight for an ex-

tended period of time as ultraviolet rays may damage the battery

housing.

If the vehicle is left standing in the cold for a long time, protect

the vehicle battery from freezing. A battery will be permanently

damaged by freezing.

Undeployed battery isolator modules are classified as Perchlo-

rate Material. Special handling may apply – see

http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. Obey all appli-

cable legal requirements regarding handling and disposal of the vehi-

cle or parts of its restraint system, including airbag modules and safe-

ty belts with pretensioners. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and au-

thorized Volkswagen Service Facilities are familiar with the require-

ments, and we recommend that you have them perform this service

for you.

Emergency starting and starting the engine with a very weak ve-

hicle battery or after the vehicle battery has been replaced may

change or delete system settings (including time, date, personal con-

venience settings, and programming). Check the settings and correct

as necessary once the vehicle battery has built up a sufficient charge.

Warning light

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Lights

up

Possible cause

Proper response

See an authorized

Volkswagen dealer or an au-

thorized Volkswagen Service

Facility. Have the electrical

system checked.

F

Alternator malfunction.

Switch off unnecessary electri-

cal loads. The vehicle battery

will not be charged by the al-

ternator as you drive.

When the ignition is switched on, several warning and indicator lights

come on briefly for a function check. They go out after a few seconds.

WARNING

Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text mes-

sages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result

in a collision and serious personal injury.

Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.

Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.

NOTICE

Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in

vehicle damage.

Checking the vehicle battery electrolyte level

Fig. 170 In the engine compartment: On vehicles with a 2.0 liter en-

gine, the vehicle battery is in the engine compartment.

Fig. 171 In the luggage compartment: On vehicles with a 3.6 liter en-

gine, the vehicle battery is on the left side of the luggage compart-

ment.

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Check the electrolyte level of the battery regularly if the vehicle has

high mileage (km), in places with a warm climate, and if the vehicle

has an old battery. Otherwise the vehicle battery does not require

maintenance.

Preparations

Prepare the vehicle for work in the engine compartment ⇒ꢀ Working

in the engine compartment

Vehicles with 2.0 liter engines: Open the engine hood ⇒ꢀ

Vehicles with 3.6 liter engines: Open the luggage compartment lid

⇒ꢀ Luggage compartment lid.

Opening the battery cover

Depending on the engine type, there are different kinds of battery

covers:

Vehicles with 2.0 liter engines: Press on the clip in direction of the

arrow ⇒ꢀfig. 170 (1) and remove the cover upward.

Vehicles with 3.6 liter engines: Remove the trim panel to access

the vehicle battery ⇒ꢀfig. 171.

Checking the vehicle battery acid level

If the lighting conditions are poor, use a flashlight so that you can

clearly see the battery acid level indicator and tell what color it is.

Never use an open flame or an unprotected light source.

The round battery window (“acid level indicator”) on the top of the

battery changes color, depending on the battery's electrolyte level.

Color

Action

Light yellow Battery electrolyte level is too low.

or colorless The vehicle battery may need to be

replaced. Have it checked by an

authorized Volkswagen dealer or an

authorized Volkswagen Service Fa-

cility.

Black

Battery electrolyte level is satisfacto-

ry.

WARNING

Working on the batteries can cause serious acid burns, explo-

sion, or electrical shock.

Always wear eye protection and protective gloves.

Sulfuric battery acid is very corrosive. It can burn unprotect-

ed skin and cause blindness. Always wear protective gloves

and eye protection.

Never tilt the vehicle battery. Acid could spill out of the bat-

tery vents and burn you.

Never open a vehicle battery.

If you get battery acid in your eyes or on your skin, immedi-

ately rinse with cold water for several minutes and then get

immediate medical attention.

If you swallow any battery acid, get medical attention imme-

diately.

Charging, replacing, disconnecting, and connecting the vehicle

battery

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Charging the vehicle battery

Vehicle batteries should be charged by an authorized Volkswagen

dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility because the fac-

tory-installed battery requires a charger with overload protection ⇒ꢀ

.

Replacing the vehicle battery

The battery in your vehicle is specially developed for its location, with

special dimensions and safety features. Before buying a new battery,

ask an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Ser-

vice Facility what batteries are suitable with regard to electro-

magnetic compatibility, dimensions, required maintenance, perfor-

mance, and safety specifications. Have the battery replaced by an

authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service

Facility.

Only use maintenance-free vehicle batteries meeting standards

TL 825 06 and VW 7 50 73. These standards must date from Au-

gust 2008 or later.

Disconnecting the vehicle battery

If the battery must be disconnected from the vehicle's electrical sys-

tem, note the following:

Switch off all electrical systems and devices and the ignition.

Unlock the vehicle before disconnecting the battery; otherwise the

alarm system will go off.

First disconnect the negative cable (-) and then the positive cable

(+) ⇒ꢀ

.

Connecting the vehicle battery

Prior to reconnecting the battery, switch off all electrical systems

and devices and the ignition.

Connect the positive cable (+) first and then the negative cable (-)

⇒ꢀ

.

After the battery is connected and the ignition is switched on, different

indicator lights may come on. They should go out after you drive a

short distance at 10–12 mph (15–20 km/h). If the indicator lights do

not go out, contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized

Volkswagen Service Facility and have the vehicle checked.

If the battery was disconnected for a long time, the next scheduled

service may not be correctly calculated and displayed ⇒ꢀpage 12,

Instrument cluster. The maximum permissible service and mainte-

nance intervals are shown in the ⇒ꢀBooklet Warranty and Mainte-

nance.

Vehicles with Keyless Access

If the ignition will not start after reconnecting the vehicle battery, lock

the vehicle from the outside and unlock it again ⇒ꢀ Unlocking or lock-

ing the vehicle with Keyless Access, ⇒ꢀ Unlocking or locking the vehi-

cle with Keyless Access. Then try to start the ignition again. If the

ignition cannot be switched on, contact an authorized Volkswagen

dealer, an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility, or another quali-

fied workshop for assistance.

Automatic electrical load deactivation

If the vehicle battery drain is high, the intelligent onboard electrical

system management automatically takes steps to help prevent bat-

tery drain.

The idle speed is increased so that the alternator provides more

power.

The power to devices that consume a lot of electricity is cut back or

switched off completely.

When the engine is started, the power supply to the 12 Volt sockets

is temporarily interrupted.

The onboard electrical system management cannot always keep the

battery from being drained. For example, the battery will drain if the

engine is not running, but the ignition is switched on or the parking

lights are left on for a long time when parked.

Battery disconnection in an accident with airbag deployment

In vehicles with a battery in the luggage compartment, the electrical

connection to the battery is disconnected automatically in a collision

with airbag deployment. This helps to prevent a short-circuit.

What drains the vehicle battery?

Long periods when the engine is not running, especially when the

ignition is on.

Using electrical systems or devices when the engine is switched

off.

Leaving the vehicle unlocked for several days when not in use.

The selector lever is left for a long period of time in any position

other than P when the ignition is switched off ⇒ꢀ Automatic transmis-

sion: Selector lever.

WARNING

Failure to use the proper battery with proper mounting and

connections may cause short circuits, fires, and serious per-

sonal injuries.

Always use only maintenance-free or cycle-free, leak-proof

batteries with the same specifications and dimensions as the

original equipment battery. Specifications are listed on the bat-

tery housing.

WARNING

When the vehicle battery is charged, it produces highly explo-

sive hydrogen gas.

Charge vehicle batteries only in well-ventilated areas.

Never charge a frozen or thawed battery. A dead battery can

freeze at temperatures around +32 °F (0 °C).

You must replace the vehicle battery if it was frozen.

Incorrectly connected cables can cause a short-circuit. First

connect the positive cable (+) and then the negative cable (-).

NOTICE

Never disconnect the vehicle battery or connect 2 vehicle bat-

teries to each other when the ignition is switched on or the en-

gine is running. Doing this may damage the electrical system or

electronic components.

Never use a vehicle battery that does not meet the specifica-

tions for the vehicle battery for your vehicle. Using the wrong

battery can damage the electrical system or electronic compo-

nents and cause electrical malfunctions.

Never connect power generating equipment, such as a solar

panel or battery charger, to the 12 Volt socket in order to charge

the vehicle battery. This can damage the vehicle's electrical sys-

tem.

Dispose of the vehicle battery according to regulations. Vehicle

batteries contain poisonous substances such as sulfuric acid and

lead.

Battery acid can pollute the environment. Catch leaking operating

fluids and dispose of them properly.

Vehicle battery for Your Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

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