Wrong battery from factory?

[sashpe]

My battery died two times this week which is more or less normal for a 5-year-old everyday-use car. Lately I have been driving on very short distances so I figured I had it coming. Started looking for a new one and was a bit surprised when a number of websites and stores quoted batteries much larger than my factory fitted one.

From new Ive had the car with an Exide 61ah 330A Din 540A wet battery, whereas others are recommending me a 74ah battery with starter current of at least 650A. Did some reading and it would seem the 61ah battery is OK for the 1.4 TSI but it is too small for the 2.0 TDI I have. I can't find any info in the user manual or the forum to confirm this though.

What batteries do other diesel owners have? Have I driven for 5 years with the wrong battery? If yes, that's weird in both good and bad way.

[Cuprabob]

Not actually checked my battery but surprised yours came from the factory with an Exide battery, which I believe to be an American company. Would have expected either a Bosch or a Varta battery to be fitted.
With regards to the replacement, I would buy a Bosch S3/S4/S5 from Euro Car Parts or Costco.

[chelspeed]

If it's started a 2.0 litre diseasal for 5 years then not much wrong with it. I'd expect VW to be more likely to be right than an aftermarket battery seller. I'd also expect the production line to rob batteries off somewhere else if they temporarily ran out of 74Ah ones during construction. Don't worry about it there's nothing you can do after 5 years after all.

[sashpe]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I guess if it lasted for 5 years, there was nothing wrong with it. Ended up buying a 74ah Bosch S5 007 for its firepower in the cold.

[v4nisher]

My battery died down this morning too!! I also have a sub in the boot however, would the Bosch S5 007 74ah, still be sufficient, mine is 4 years old.....?

[xjay1337]

Bosch S5 007 is a good battery... used on my Golf which had 2 400cc compressers and amp/sub. Never gave me any issues.