Battery recommendation for B7 2.0 TDI?

[jangles]

I'm planning to get a new battery for my 2006 A4 SLine. The current one has been in the car since I bought it 5 years and 75K miles ago. I suspect it's been there quite a bit longer, maybe even since the car came out of the factory. It's made by Moll of Germany, and it looks like they are/were an OEM supplier of such parts to Audi if not others in VAG.

I'm wondering what's the best replacement. The specs of the Moll battery in the car are 380A, 72Ah if I'm reading the worn-out label on the top left of the battery correctly. Here's a photo:

Moll-battery-AudiA4-B7.jpg

I think I ought to replace it with one that delivers greater power for things like sat nav, dash cam and mobile devices that get plugged in to the car's power socket every day. Plus in the cold weather, there's a lot more use of defroster, heating, lights, etc. The battery seems okay although I think it's age at least tells me it's running on borrowed time now (which, if it is 10 years old, is great testament to a bit of kit that has done very well). Better to replace it when I don't have to rather than conk out at an inopportune moment and have to call the AA.

I've looked at two candidates so far:

• Yuasa HSB096 Silver 5000, 760amps 80ah, £105 at Halfords.
  
• Bosch S5 096, 780amps, 77aH, £102 at Eurocarparts.
  

Would either of these be worth buying? Or is there another brand/type you think is better? And maybe cheaper?

All recommendations gratefully received, thanks.

[jangles]

I just came across a discussion that was in reply to a similar question I asked about battery in February!
Question How to resolve momentary clicking noise and all lighting going dim

THat gives me a good recommendation for the Bosch battery so that is what I'm going for. But I'd still love to hear other suggestions, if any. Thanks.

[rowdy-999]

Just so you are aware a car battery is basically only needed to start the car. After that the alternator takes over, so any increase in 'electric power' requires an up-rated alternator.
On some cars you can completely remove the battery once the car is running without a problem.

[quattrokid]

I usually stick to German batteries, Varta or Bosch. I have a Moll in the garage that came from my Wife's old A3, we thought it was on the way out so we changed it for a Varta. I flattened and charged it a few times and it holds good charge on the garage floor now, best jump start battery I have ever had. It came from a 07 car and I have been using it for about 2 years now. Another idea is to find someone with a Halfords trade card or even better a staff card, I am sure they do Bosch and their own batteries aren't too bad, calcium ones come with a 4 year warranty and they do stand by it without any problems, unless you can get discount though it's not worth it, Halfords retail prices are an bit on the high side to say the least.

[jangles]

On some cars you can completely remove the battery once the car is running without a problem.

Really? I didn't know this.

[jangles]

In the end, I bought an Exide EA770 battery from Eurocarparts. 77Ah, 760 amps. At a very good price (Christmas offer).

Over the weekend, I started work on swapping out the old one and fitting the new one. I got as far as disconnecting the terminals, peeling away the rubber seal in the engine compartment and taking off the plenum cover until I hit the obstacle of undoing the bolt that clamps the battery to its seating. This bolt is located at the base of the battery, at the front, between the battery and the engine compartment wall. The gap is about a finger's width but there's cables etc in the way. The bolt is a hex bolt that requires an Allen key. I have a few of those and, from what I was able to do, it looks like a #6 key fits the bolt. But there's really no way to gain any leverage to actually undo the bolt with the tools that I have. In essence, the tool I need, I don't have - either an extension of about 10 inches; or better still, a long Allen key that's at least that length.

The simplest thing now would be for me to take the car along to the Audi specialist in Wokingham and ask them to do it. But this isn't rocket science! I can do it with the right tool. Well, I've looked everywhere online and cannot find a long Allen key of the type I'm looking for. Can anyone suggest where I might find such a tool? If the cost is more than £10-£15, I may as well just take the car along to the workshop instead. Thanks.

And btw, after all this, I came across a really helpful video on YouTube from a bloke who did exactly what I want to do - how to remove audi a4 b7 battery - YouTube. Posted there just last week!

One final thing. When you disconnect the battery, it supposedly means you need to enter the radio security code in order to get the radio working again. That didn't happen with me. The battery was wholly disconnected for about an hour; when I reconnected it and turned on the ignition, the radio fired up as normal. Audi Concert radio, original equipment.

One thing that did require reconfiguration was the remote key fob - it didn't work at all. But page 61 in the handbook talks about resynchronizing the remote, a simple procedure:

1. Open car door, get in, close door.
2. Press the 'open' button on the fob.
3. Then, insert key in ignition, turn on ignition.
4. Turn off ignition, remove key.
5. Press the 'open' button on the fob again.

That worked - all functionality returned.

[mckee25]

What you would be better either borrowing or buying is a bit set......

Using ideally a 1/2" ratchet with a long reach extension bar on it will give you lots of leverage to undo the allen bolt securing the bottom of the battery......

[jangles]

That's a very neat suggestion, @mckee25, thanks! Now to find where to borrow one from...

[quattrokid]

Glad to hear you got it fixed, you will now know what I mean that it's not a job you would want to be doing often. You will find bit sets a bit smaller than that one and not very expensive. To be honest though you can' beat the bigger sets and reasonable quality is always useful, nothing worse than having the right tool, right size that breaks first time you use it. I had to do my window regulator on my A3 and the bit set I had was struggling to cope with the torque required to get some of the screws out, result the were twisting like olde skoole candy sticks and about as much use. Just go for something you've heard of before, Draper's a fairly safe bet, I have Kamasa stuff I have had for years and a few Rolson bits (get them in Maplins and some of the Bargain shops) that are not to bad, I would say I am not a mechanic though so not using them every day, sounds like you are maybe the same.

[jangles]

Thanks @quattrokid. In the end, I had it done by the indie Audi specialist nearby. The hassle in finding the right tool to do it myself was just too much. Plus I expect this to be a one-time event. You're right, I'm not a mechanic nor have huge interest in tinkering with car mechanics. I do have a workshop manual (a Haynes one, pretty good) but that's more for better understanding things about my car that enables me to have a reasonably sensible conversation with mechanics who know a lot more than I do!