Battery and Electrical Systems Maintenance

Today’s vehicles are more complicated than ever, equipped with new electronics and technology. We perform car battery checks and replacements when your battery is nearing the end of its life.

Your standard lead acid battery will naturally drain even sitting on a shelf. If you are actively using your battery, there are other things that could cause a drain that you may not have considered:

• Leaving your car key in your car overnight or even on a hook near the car is not recommended because it can continue to communicate with it, which could drain the battery.
• Parasitic battery drain is something that constantly drains your battery. This could be a headlight/dome-light switch, alternator, or any other electrical gremlins that were accidentally left on.
• Even while your car is off, your battery provides power to things like the clock and the alarm system, although these things shouldn’t have a major impact on your battery. Newer vehicles may also run network communication to the manufacturer servers via the TCU (Telematics control unit) to receive over-the-air updates that are sent out on a regular basis. The ability to remotely turn on lights, heater, etc, sent from your phone via an app, can also go through this network.
• A battery can lose as much as 35% in performance when temperatures hit freezing, and up to 50% if temperatures sink below that.

Diagnostics on your electrical system, including the drive system for your electrified vehicle (EV) are quickly checked out in our service lane. If the issue is not your battery, we can quickly find out if it is an alternator or spark plug that is the culprit in the issues you are seeing. Even if you are not experiencing issues with your battery, our diagnostics can tell you how much life remains in your battery and give you an idea of when you may need to consider replacing it.

SPARK PLUGS

Spark plugs will degrade over time, so various engine issues will arise if they are not replaced. When the spark plugs do not generate the adequate spark, the combustion of the air/fuel mixture becomes incomplete, leading to loss of engine power, and in the worst-case scenario, the engine will not run. In other words, driving with bad spark plugs could lead to poor performance, poor fuel economy, misfires, or your car might not even start. Continuing to use faulty spark plugs will increase your risk of more costly repairs, such as a catalytic converter failure. The most common signs of bad spark plugs include start-up trouble, rough idling, sluggish acceleration, declining fuel economy, engine misfiring, and engine knocking. Whenever you change spark plugs, it is a good idea to replace the ignition wires and vice versa. This will keep your vehicle running at peak performance and prevent you from wasting money on unburned gasoline. Always make sure that you replace any parts in your vehicle with Volkswagen Certified Parts. You can expect Volkswagen OEM-authorized spark plugs to last for 100,000 to 150,000 miles of usage.