Smart charging(not so smart)

[AlS3BE]

Quick questions for those with the skills.
Currently not doing a huge amount of miles and the battery is hovering around 30-40% charge according to vcds and my mates battery tester. Battery tester says health of battery is 100%.
even after an hour drive it’s not much more than 50%. the other weekend was out for a 2-3 hour drive it didn’t get much more than 60%.
I reckon the smart charging system is keeping this low, maybe too low, for efficiency purposes. Worse thing is if I don’t use the car for a few days or a week it drops to 20-25% charge and occasionally I get a low battery warning on dash. Dashcam only works for a couple of hours after parking and it’s should go on for a couple of days if the battery had more charge.
is there a way to code the module so the car charges the battery to a higher level?

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

Causes of Battery Drain​

There are things in contemporary vehicles that drain the power of your vehicle without knowing. They are called parasitic drains. Vehicles with plenty of gadgets and computers will stay for less than four weeks before the battery dies. This is because they will be getting power from the car battery even when it is off. This is why batteries lose charge even when the car is sitting. The life of a battery is difficult to predict. It will depend on the climate and also the age of the battery.

 

[AlS3BE]

Causes of Battery Drain​

There are things in contemporary vehicles that drain the power of your vehicle without knowing. They are called parasitic drains. Vehicles with plenty of gadgets and computers will stay for less than four weeks before the battery dies. This is because they will be getting power from the car battery even when it is off. This is why batteries lose charge even when the car is sitting. The life of a battery is difficult to predict. It will depend on the climate and also the age of the battery.

I understand/know that.
My question was the smart charging system is not letting the battery go above a certain charge state and I want to increase this. Currently even with a new battery the battery doesn’t ever charge above 60-65%, I know it won’t do 100% cause there needs to be room for things like regenerative braking but I want it to be higher than what it currently is.

 

[Audi-Sport-Driver]

I understand/know that.
My question was the smart charging system is not letting the battery go above a certain charge state and I want to increase this. Currently even with a new battery the battery doesn’t ever charge above 60-65%, I know it won’t do 100% cause there needs to be room for things like regenerative braking but I want it to be higher than what it currently is.

If it isn't in menu probably not possible to do it ... Which car it is ? New 8Y ?
Don't think such new feature is in 8V ?
Best way is the connect your own charger and charge battery ?

 

[AlS3BE]

It’s an 8v

 

[Frizzley]

Questions would be
- how old is the battery /if it’s new was it coded correctly when it was put on the car
- have you checked your alternator- if a setting was causing the issue then it would be a common problem in similar vehicles rather than something specific to your own car
- the drop in charge over the period you describe suggests either a faulty battery or something that is drawing more current than it should. Stater for 10 would be the dash cam but if wired correctly that woukd not drain the battery that quickly.
- have you tried fully chargoing the battery using a char and then seeing how long that lasts.
- is your mates battery tester working correctly?

 

[AlS3BE]

Questions would be
- how old is the battery /if it’s new was it coded correctly when it was put on the car
- have you checked your alternator- if a setting was causing the issue then it would be a common problem in similar vehicles rather than something specific to your own car
- the drop in charge over the period you describe suggests either a faulty battery or something that is drawing more current than it should. Stater for 10 would be the dash cam but if wired correctly that woukd not drain the battery that quickly.
- have you tried fully chargoing the battery using a char and then seeing how long that lasts.
- is your mates battery tester working correctly?

battery is under 2 years old. Was replaced under warranty by Audi so relatively new. Battery tester shows good cranking power so passes battery health test at 100%. State of charge however is always quite low.
not sure what to check for alternator settings as this was my question if there is any alternator coding that can be changed or checked.
I would say drop in charge is normal even with the dashcam as disconnecting it doesn’t make a huge difference. Dashcam is also set to switch off at 12.2v or 2 days whichever comes first.
the problem is when I do drive the car with maybe a long-ish distance drive once a week is the battery doesn’t charge to a high enough percentage, partly I think due to the smart charger for efficiency.
I had my dads(Toyota) car last week and the same battery tester showed that car was showing 40-50% state of charge and after 20minute drive it showed 90%+. Same journey in my car will increase my percentage by about 5-10% on a good day. The battery in the Toyota is a lot bigger than the one in the s3 and similar age.
it’s like it doesnt want to charge pass 60-65% even after a 2 hour drive so was seeing if there was some coding somewhere where it will let the car charge further.
I’ve had Audi check it a few weeks ago when it was serviced and they said the tests all came back fine for alternator and battery. I’ve had the battery on a bench at my mates and trickle charged and it gets to 90%+
It’s just when In the car the car lets it’s drop and maintains a low state of charge.
I don’t own a battery charger or want to connect/disconnect one every time I drive the car as there will be that one time me or the mrs takes the car away while it’s still connected and cause some damage.

 

[JohnM100]

I suspect your battery is on its way out - recall you had one replaced under warranty when the car was about a year old? Did they put another Moll EFB in it?

Have you looked into what the car thinks the usable capacity and internal resistance are? It will adapt charging accordingly. When mine went, the car measured usable capacity as 8Ah so it would only charge to about 6Ah, and that goes to zero fast, compared with a new 70Ah battery. From memory, measuring blocks 18-20 in 19 CAN gateway.

Might be worth just changing the battery serial number in VCDS so it re-learns the battery charging behaviour, but if the battery is really on its way out, that might overcharge it.

AGM batteries cope with being left partially charged much better then EFB+

Edit: saw your previous reply - I was typing this post at the same time

 

[AlS3BE]

I suspect your battery is on its way out - recall you had one replaced under warranty when the car was about a year old? Did they put another Moll EFB in it?

Have you looked into what the car thinks the usable capacity and internal resistance are? It will adapt charging accordingly. When mine went, the car measured usable capacity as 8Ah so it would only charge to about 6Ah, and that goes to zero fast, compared with a new 70Ah battery. From memory, measuring blocks 18-20 in 19 CAN gateway.

Might be worth just changing the battery serial number in VCDS so it re-learns the battery charging behaviour, but if the battery is really on its way out, that might overcharge it.

AGM batteries cope with being left partially charged much better then EFB+

Edit: saw your previous reply - I was typing this post at the same time

will have a look later at the usable capacity. Can only assume an Audi dealer will fit and code a new battery properly. If I decide to keep the car I will probably replace with an AGM as they are meant to be far superior to the efb type batteries.

 

[alpesh26]

Quick questions for those with the skills.
Currently not doing a huge amount of miles and the battery is hovering around 30-40% charge according to vcds and my mates battery tester. Battery tester says health of battery is 100%.
even after an hour drive it’s not much more than 50%. the other weekend was out for a 2-3 hour drive it didn’t get much more than 60%.
I reckon the smart charging system is keeping this low, maybe too low, for efficiency purposes. Worse thing is if I don’t use the car for a few days or a week it drops to 20-25% charge and occasionally I get a low battery warning on dash. Dashcam only works for a couple of hours after parking and it’s should go on for a couple of days if the battery had more charge.
is there a way to code the module so the car charges the battery to a higher level?

Sounds similar to the issues I've been having with mine - especially with the dashcam. I go into the office twice a week which is a 40 mile round trip but this isn't enough to maintain a decent amount of charge so I'm getting weird problems like my cruise control deactivating itself and the alarm going off without anything obvious triggering it.

For mine, the battery itself is OK, the car just isn't getting enough use so I've been putting it on charge with my CTEK charger to keep it happy, this could be an option for you. If you haven't got a charger, I'd recommend a CTEK. It has a battery restoration function so you could try that also.

 

[AlS3BE]

Sounds similar to the issues I've been having with mine - especially with the dashcam. I go into the office twice a week which is a 40 mile round trip but this isn't enough to maintain a decent amount of charge so I'm getting weird problems like my cruise control deactivating itself and the alarm going off without anything obvious triggering it.

For mine, the battery itself is OK, the car just isn't getting enough use so I've been putting it on charge with my CTEK charger to keep it happy, this could be an option for you. If you haven't got a charger, I'd recommend a CTEK. It has a battery restoration function so you could try that also.

Was trying to avoid getting a charger and maybe get the car to charge itself to a higher level. It’s probably more in the morning if the weather is bad and I drive the kids to school instead of walking I will end up driving it away with the charger still plugged in and end up breaking something.
Ctek is meant to be the best out there. That’s the one I used to test on a bench. Mate runs a garage and he swears by them.

 

[alpesh26]

The CTEK MXS 5.0 comes on offer on Amazon quite often. I went with the MXS 7.0 for future proofing but not sure how useful it will be in the future with cars going electric

 

[Harvey]

For a decent no fuss great price battery charger/maintainer (can be left connected) I'd recommend the Maypole MP7423, cheap from Amazon click me

 

[AlS3BE]

What do you guys do when you got the charger plugged in?
Do you arm the car alarm or just lock the doors. Would have thought the fancy electronics would think something is up if the voltage/current changes in the car while it’s armed.

 

[alpesh26]

What do you guys do when you got the charger plugged in?
Do you arm the car alarm or just lock the doors. Would have thought the fancy electronics would think something is up if the voltage/current changes in the car while it’s armed.

I've had no issues with it plugged into the charger and locked.

Personally, I wouldn't leave it unlocked as this is likely to cause problems with an insurance claim if the car gets stolen/something happens...don't want to give them the excuse to not pay out

 

[JohnM100]

Charge in situ with -ve clamped to earthing point and +ve to the battery terminal so the car can monitor how much is going into the battery.

I lock the car and the cable is thin enough to come out between the headlight and bonnet without being crimped.

I use the CTEK optional extra wiring loops so it’s installed permanently and just tuck the fly lead behind the battery when not charging.

The MSX 5.0 is the charger everybody raves about but I went for the Time To Go 5 as it’s AGM mode does not have the high voltage desulphation spike that is still done by the MSX 5.0 even in AGM mode. AGMs don’t like or need that spike.

 

[Harvey]

What do you guys do when you got the charger plugged in?

Just carry on as you do without a charger plugged in and lock and arm your vehicle. I use an Accumate which have been out years, no fancy digital display and just does what it says on the tin and maintains the vehicle battery in a healthy and charged condition. Used it on all sorted of battery variants/amps and just works.

 

[AlS3BE]

does this look right?
This means at 100% it’s only got about 58ah.
this was after a 2-3 hour drive.

 

[JohnM100]

~58Ah Yep.

What is the adapted battery capacity value just below the bottom of the pic?

Curious it also states current at -21 amps…..

Resting voltage isn’t great (am assuming engine wasn’t running which also comes back to Q about -21 amps)…

 

[AlS3BE]

~58Ah Yep.

What is the adapted battery capacity value just below the bottom of the pic?

Curious it also states current at -21 amps…..

Resting voltage isn’t great (am assuming engine wasn’t running which also comes back to Q about -21 amps)…

Adapted capacity is 70ah.
car was on stop start that’s why weird voltage/current

 

[Mazman]

Another vote for the Ctek battery maintainer. I've used one for many years on a little used second car, and given the A3 a boost sometimes over the last couple of years. I've fitted a 'comfort connector' to the battery so connection is a matter of simply plugging in the Ctek,. There's plenty of space to run the cable out under the hood. The Ctek is designed for permanent use, so just lock the car and that's it. If you're worried about forgetting the charger then this, readily available from a 'well known auction site' solves the problem:

 

[Gazwould]

I'm not pro Ctek as it lacks some good information by not having a display screen in favour of some pretty lights and costs 3x the price of my chosen Smart Charger .

A display tells me the starting and resulting voltages , my old battery starts at around 11.9V but only gets to 12.2V my newer batteries 12.3V to 13.6V , nice to know .


Possible hack to the Smart Charging if applicable .

There might be a connector on the negative lead near the terminal this is Stop Strain and Smart Charging related and a simple disconnection , but it all depends on what dash warning messages appear .

 

[AlS3BE]

Quick update
Ran the recond mode on a ctek charger and battery seems to hold 50-60%+ overnight now instead of the usual 20-30%. Useable charge holding around 30-40ah.
I’ve done maybe 20 miles in the last week so loads of short journeys. Stop starts seems to have started working again.
Whatever the recond did seems to have helped.
Could be coincidence that weather is warmer and battery works better when warm or the fact I disconnected the battery and all electronics have reset. Will see how it goes over the next few weeks.
Still considering an agm battery. Tayna has them for around £100-130 so not too bad.
Any recommendations? Also is it possible to fit one that’s bigger than 70ah?

 

[JohnM100]

Good you have managed to coax it back to life.

I haven’t seen larger than 70 or 71 Ah in 096 size. I can’t recall if the battery tray had a screw hole for the battery clamp to allow for a longer battery than 096 but even that one is pretty close to the air box.

 

[AlS3BE]

Good you have managed to coax it back to life.

I haven’t seen larger than 70 or 71 Ah in 096 size. I can’t recall if the battery tray had a screw hole for the battery clamp to allow for a longer battery than 096 but even that one is pretty close to the air box.

There’s about an inch to the air box. You think they could make a bigger capacity battery in the same size. Just needs higher energy density.

 

[JohnM100]

Until they make Li-Ion equivalents to EFB/AGM in 096 form factor I suspect you are out of luck. Happy to be proved wrong.

Very happy I changed from Moll EFB+ to Bosch/Varta AGM - not had a problem since, even through subsequent lockdowns as AGM so much better able to cope with fast charging ‘recuperation’ and living with partial state of charge for long periods.

 

[AlS3BE]

Until they make Li-Ion equivalents to EFB/AGM in 096 form factor I suspect you are out of luck. Happy to be proved wrong.

Very happy I changed from Moll EFB+ to Bosch/Varta AGM - not had a problem since, even through subsequent lockdowns as AGM so much better able to cope with fast charging ‘recuperation’ and living with partial state of charge for long periods.

Bosch is the one I’m looking at. Has 5 year warranty.

S5 A08 Bosch AGM Car Battery 12V 70Ah Type 096 S5A08

S5 A08 Bosch Car S5 Battery - AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) Bosch Group are one of the leading battery manufacturer companies in the world and have been delivering quality German engineering in the automotive industry for more than 100 years! Bosch is a world renown company name that have and still...

www.tayna.co.uk

Will get one next time i get a battery warning.