OEM Battery Alternatives?

[Holiday]

Hello Gents,

Just returned yesterday from a 14-month deployment in beautiful Baghdad, Iraq to a lonely RS6 with a dead battery. Regretfully, I didn't have the opportunity to disconnect it before I left and needless to say, it didn't survive.
That said, I'm spending my Easter Sunday tracking down a replacement, but previous posts have indicated that this endeavour may be more involved than a trip to my local Pep Boys.

My search shows the OEM battery to be: 000-915-105-AK-DSP. Short of my dealer, anyone know where I might be able to get my hands on one without having to first grab my ankles?

Also, is there a superior battery out there for daily use that is easier to obtain?

Many thanks, and Happy Easter to you...

Ross

[V8weight]

I know when I have to replace my battery I'll be going with one of these.
http://www.purems.com/products/product.php/II=1788
I don't remember off the top of my head, but I think it saves about 30lbs over stock.

[ben916]

HOLIDAY!!!

Welcome back to the states and shakey California!!!
I seem to remember that SOMEONE graciously offered to take delicate care of said RS6....

I remember also that there is/was a thread about a lightweight replacement to the battery and also another thread about a spare tire wheel well battery replacement...

[hahnmgh63]

As mentioned before this has been brought up a few times before, and I am one of those using the Odyssey PC925T battery which saves almost 40# over stock. If your car sits over a week or two at a time you will definitely need to use a "Battery Tender" with the Odyssey as it doesn't have the deep cycle of the much bigger stock battery. To me the weight reduction is worth it as an overall weight savings plan.

[Holiday]

Thanks for the "shakey" welcome Ben! I'll admit that's the last thing I expected to come back to- an earthquake! I know you don't owe me any sympathy on the battery issue after you offered to help out, but I do appreciate the info! We need to link up now that your an "owner"; I'll give you a ring within the next few days.

Hahn/V8- thanks for the guidance on alternatives. After taking out the battery today and looking at the specs, I'm convinced that an OEM unit is the safer/more reliable option based on the car's electrical draw. Weight savings would be great to have, but for me, reliability and low maintenance are priorities above the 40lb's of static weight lost.
REALLY appreciate the ideas though...

Anyone know where I could get my hands on a factory battery today? (besides the dealer)


HOLIDAY!!!

Welcome back to the states and shakey California!!!
I seem to remember that SOMEONE graciously offered to take delicate care of said RS6....

I remember also that there is/was a thread about a lightweight replacement to the battery and also another thread about a spare tire wheel well battery replacement...

[JRS-RS6]

I am not sure of the difference but my service history shows PN 000-915-105-DL-DSP.

[PatriotRSX]

I always applaud attempts at weight reduction, but in the case of the massively powerful RS6, I almost think it's better having that heavy OEM battery in the back to keep that 59.6%/40.4% forward bias from getting any more extreme.

[Benman]

I always applaud attempts at weight reduction, but in the case of the massively powerful RS6, I almost think it's better having that heavy OEM battery in the back to keep that 59.6%/40.4% forward bias from getting any more extreme.

True, but any reduction, even if it does produce a worse "statistical" weight distribution is still a positive when it comes to performance (albeit only 1% of the car's total weight).

I third the Odyssey. :thumb:

Best,

Ben

[V8weight]

I always applaud attempts at weight reduction, but in the case of the massively powerful RS6, I almost think it's better having that heavy OEM battery in the back to keep that 59.6%/40.4% forward bias from getting any more extreme.
To those of us running coilover suspension, the effects of a 40# weight reduction could easily be be compensated for by adjusting a bit more bias to the rear though. I just had a corner balance done a few weeks ago and the numbers came out at:
Front: 2661# 59.25%
Rear: 1830# 40.75%
Going with those numbers, a 40# reduction of weight in the rear would yield:
Front: 2661# 59.77%
Rear: 1791# 40.23%
I'm not sure the half of a percent in weight distribution would make a difference in cornering.

[Benman]

^^^ Exactly ^^^, hence my use of the word "statistical". :thumb:

[ttboost]

I have been running this 11lb Deka battery for over a year now as part of my light weight mods on my 996tt. Saved 38lbs over stock. I do keep it on a Porsche cigarette lighter charger and it has NEVER left me stranded. I have lost over 250 lbs on this car.

.9628

[Holiday]

Thanks for all of the info. I ended up going with the OEM replacement. I don't track, race, or even drive the RS6 aggressively (see signature for 3 reasons why) and as my daily driver, reliability is the primary concern. Wasn't cheap though- that's for sure. $205 for the OEM battery from Hoehn Audi in Carlsbad (CA) plus $150 of labor (1.5) for install. The service manager claimed that in addition to all of the regular power reset items (clock, RSN-E, etc), the car's ECU would need to be reset after the brief power disconnect required to swap old/new batteries.
I started to throw a BS flag down on the play, but complacency overwhelmed me after not having a car for two days... Anyone know anything about this? Or did I just get punk'ed for $150?

[uncfrk]

My battery was dis-connected for 2 months this Winter. After re-connecting & setting the clock, everything works fine.

[hahnmgh63]

I've disconnected mine a few times before I got the Battery Tender and as mentioned, the clock is the only thing that needs to be reset. I've heard that the one touch up & down on the windows can go but that is an easy reset too. The ECU will forget some things after a long disconnect but it re-learns after drivning, and sometimes that is a good thing as far as which maps to use for your driving style.

[Holiday]

I've disconnected mine a few times before I got the Battery Tender and as mentioned, the clock is the only thing that needs to be reset. I've heard that the one touch up & down on the windows can go but that is an easy reset too. The ECU will forget some things after a long disconnect but it re-learns after drivning, and sometimes that is a good thing as far as which maps to use for your driving style.

Got punk'ed...got it- thanks.

[ben916]

Got punk'ed...got it- thanks.

I would be pissed off at that crap!

[rle55]

my car won't start today, and have to jump start it...anyway, before i go to the dealership- i've looked at the odyssey website but the part # pc1700MJT. so what's the difference between the PC925MJT ? replies will be appreciated.

thanks!


<!-- Mark's code below --> <!--------------------------> <!-- All 4 Boxes Selected --> <!--------------------------> <table class="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="desc">
</td><td>1132</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Year</td><td>2003</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Make</td><td>Audi</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Model</td><td>RS6</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Engine</td><td>4.2 Liters 4172 CC V8</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">BCI Group Size</td><td>49</td></tr><tr><td class="descred">ODYSSEY MODEL</td><td class="descred">PC1700MJT</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Pulse (5-second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA)</td><td>1700</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)</td><td>875</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">20Hr Nominal Capacity (Ah)</td><td>68</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Reserve Capacity Minutes</td><td>142</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Dimensions
L x W X H - Inches</td><td>13.02 x 6.62 x 6.93</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Metric Dimensions
L x W X H - mm</td><td>330.7 x 168.2 x 176.0</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Weight (lbs)</td><td>60.90</td></tr><tr><td class="desc">Weight (kg)</td><td>27.60</td></tr></tbody></table>

[V8weight]

It would appear to be just a difference in hot cranking amps. The pc1700 must be a new battery, don't remember ever coming across that number while searching for odyssey batteries in the past couple of years. I would say buy that one if that's what they recommend. It looks like it would fit the tray a lot better than the pc925.

[V8weight]

Edit: Ooh, way too heavy though. PC1700 = 61lbs. PC925 = 26lbs. At that weight you may as well just install an oem battery.

[JSRS6]

Welcome back Ross! I figured you would be back before now, lol. Sorry to hear about the extra fee :-(. Didn't you fly back with the rest of us? Did you take leave upon arrival?

[mbagge01]

I just installed some aftermarket amps in my rs6 and I think that it killed the battery. The car was initially running fine but will now not start but can be jumped and will run but as soon as it is turned off, the car will not start again. My battery was last replaced in december of 2009 so I imagine that it is past its prime. It is typical for increase load on the battery to lead to sudden failure. I am not looking for replacements and want to stick with a large battery due to the extra load from the amps. Does anyone have the OEM part number for the RS6 battery because the one I find listed in ETKA 000915105DL is coming back as NLA when I do a search. In regards to aftermarket alternatives, I was considering odyssey or duralast that seem to be close to OEM size. Are OEM batteries typically considered better or worse than aftermarket when it comes to audi's.