GeriatricSQ5Guy

The average car battery is said to be 3-5 years.

I'll take my car in for its final AudiCare service in December, where they'll do some pretty extensive work including changing spark plugs. They'll need to keep the car a couple of days to do everything, but would it be wise to preemptively go ahead and get a new battery? I know the dealer charges much more than AutoZone or other places, or especially if I do the changeout myself, but I don't want to fool with doing it. It would also avoid the inconvenience of a failed battery which would happen sooner or later, likely sooner.

What do you think? I plan to hang on to the car for a few more years - it's essentially brand new with low miles and there's no obvious need to get a new one.

Greg2022q5

Why do you say the battery will likely fail sooner? Are you driving short trips? Is it often hot where you are?

I tend to subscribe to the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mantra and think a battery should last more than 3-5 years. If there are no indicators your battery is failing then I’d push it assuming normal driving conditions.

thetrance

my 2018 is still on original battery, close to 7 years now. you could have them check battery state to see what condition its in

SMac770

You have an AGM battery and an intelligent battery charge manager. "3-5 years" has never been relevant for AGM, even with stop/start vehicles. My factory AGM had 12 years on it when I replaced it, and it turned out it wasn't even the battery at issue (was corroded alternator cable). Now, if you're constantly keeping the battery at sub 12.2 voltage, ....

rhranac

We just replaced the (non-AGM) battery in my wife’s 2018 Subaru Outback. We took delivery of that car in late 2017, and the battery was the original. The original 12-volt battery in my 2020 Q5 is still going strong. Unless your battery has been giving you problems, there is almost certainly no need to replace it.

rennen-affe

You can get one of those cig plug voltage things, but probably not as accurate as checking voltage with a fluke at the terminals or the under hood jump points.

If you DIY, you'll need a VCDS to recode for a new battery. The supposition is this lets the ecu/charging system know it's a new battery which would have a different charging profile. Smac probably has more commentary on this though. I haven't changed a battery in a newer audi/dub yet.

GeriatricSQ5Guy

That's probably the wise choice.

I appreciate all the responses.

Universe93B

My 2018 Q5 is also close to 7 years old now and on the original battery. I asked the dealer to test it and even asked if I need a new one and to my surprise (considering dealers are stealers), said it doesn’t need replacing at this time.

KevinGary

The original batteries in both my 2005 and 2015 lasted over 7 years.

toomanymc

I have a 2018 with a 2017 build date, still on the original battery. An early indicator that the battery is starting to fail can be your start/stop system. If the car is not stopping the engine like it normally would you might have a weak battery.

In my experience Audi/VW factory batteries are very robust, I have typically gotten 8-11 years before replacement