[meggsy]

Here are two extracts from some of the numerous articles I've been reading on the subject. Depending on how much time you want to kill, you can easily find more with some google searches.





If you have sources to share, or if you can otherwise explain why both my current charger and the vehicle's system aren't bringing the battery up closer to its full potential, I'd be all ears!

Hi SaVAGeSoot well I guess one lives and learns however what I have read appears to indicate that the charging profiles do not reflect the charging profiles set by many reputable and leading manufacturers of smart chargers -- However from what I gather the 16+ voltage is to assist with a "reconditioning" process but in doing so I believe that one must monitor the battery temperature closely to ensure that it does not get too hot ( I recollect reading somewhere about 45 Deg C and that if a battery is charged at 14.5V and its in a vehicle in motion then the electrolyte is actually agitated enough to permit it to be charged fully.. It is also interesting to see that some artices suggest that one can "recondition" an calcium battery back to 100% capacity.... I also found this article of interest Introduction to Silver Calcium Battery (batterym.com)

From one source 🔋 How to charge a calcium car battery correctly (a6s.info)
Official instruction
How do manufacturers recommend charging a calcium battery? They usually attach a brief instruction to it, in which, without any clear explanations, they write what to do. One of these official instructions is now on my desk, and we will take the key points from it.
The following is written in it:

1. The calcium battery should be charged with a current equal to 10% of the capacity.
2. When the charge voltage reaches 14.4 V, the current must be halved and charged for 10 hours.
3. Upon completion of the charge, it is necessary to check the density of the electrolyte and, in case of high concentration, correct it by adding water.
4. Each time after adjusting the density, the battery must be charged at a voltage of 16 V, and carried out for 40 minutes.

This guide is really good. But it has several shortcomings at once. The author of this instruction did not say a word about those cases when the density at the end of the charge, on the contrary, is low. He also did not say anything about the fact that 16 V can adversely affect the car's electronics if it occurred to you to charge the battery without disconnecting it from the on-board network. In addition, there is nothing in this manual for those whose chargers can only be adjusted by voltage, or even automatic.
So, let's expand on this guide a bit. Rather, we will rewrite it from scratch, not forgetting about non-standard situations. We will also add to it a few recommendations that will extend the life of the calcium battery.
Calcium battery charging algorithm
If instructions for charging a calcium battery were instructed to write to me, then it would look like this:

1. Estimate the state of charge of the battery by the rest voltage or the indicator on the case.
2. If the rest voltage is below 12.3 V (or the indicator is not green), charge the battery using a charger.
3. Disconnect the battery from the on-board network.
4. If there are blockages, turn it out.
5. Connect the charger, having previously set the charge current to 10% of the real capacity, and not from the one that is written on the case.
6. Charge until the voltage reaches 14.4 V and the charge current drops to 0.1-0.3 A.
7. If you are going to travel in the near future, then simply connect the battery to the car's on-board network.
8. If you are not planning to travel, additionally charge the battery at 16.1 V for 40 minutes.
9. If the density of the electrolyte up to the 8th point is normal, then it is not necessary to charge with a voltage of 16.1 V.
10. The same is true if the indicator on the battery case turns green.

What has changed in the end compared to the official instructions? Firstly, we eliminated the risk of damaging the car's electronics with a voltage of 16.1 V. Secondly, we made it clear that the essence of the charge with a voltage of 16.1 V is to mix the electrolyte. If we are planning a trip, it will stir itself from vibration. If not, we forcibly provoke electrolysis with high voltage, that is, we boil the battery. Thirdly, we made it clear that a calcium battery discharged to 60% (and below) should be charged. Otherwise, sulfation will begin.
In addition, if you carefully read the proposed algorithm for charging a calcium battery, you can understand that it is suitable for almost all types of chargers. Even for do-it-yourselfers.

But that's not all. Even our supplemented instructions cannot be called complete. It does not have answers to many questions that are often asked by owners of calcium batteries. Therefore, let's spend a little more time and analyze 10 questions regarding this type of battery. By the way, many of the answers provided are generic. That is, they will also be useful in cases where the battery is not calcium, but some other - classic, AGM, GEL, and so on.
About car battery desulfation

What charger to charge a calcium battery?
Typical calcium battery charger
If you need without dancing with tambourines, then a special charger for calcium batteries. These include those that have a 16.1 V charging mode. How to use such devices is clearly described in their operating instructions. The basic principle is based on what has already been said above.

f the charger is not special, and it does not provide for voltage adjustment, it will not work to charge a calcium battery stationary up to 100%. However, as real experiments show, this can be achieved by mechanical mixing of the electrolyte instead of boiling with increased voltage. All that is needed for this is to install the battery on the car and drive a few kilometers on not the most flat road. After that, as a rule, the density evens out and the indicator on the case turns green.

What voltage to charge a calcium battery?
For a full charge, a voltage of at least 14.4 V is required. If the battery is charged stationary, then at the end it is necessary to forcefully mix the electrolyte by electrolysis. You already know how much tension to provoke him. Under the hood, under normal conditions, there is no such problem, since everything is perfectly mixed from vibrations. It is very useful to turn to logic and common sense here. If manufacturers know that the voltage of the on-board network on cars is 14.4-14.8 V, then they would make batteries that cannot do without 16 V.

On the Internet, there are smart people who put forward the bad idea that calcium batteries should not be bought for a car at all. Like, there is no voltage sufficient for a 100 percent charge under the hood, which means that the battery will quickly die from sulfation. This is nonsense caused by misunderstanding. Real experience confirms this. If there are no generator malfunctions in your car, the calcium

How much current to charge a calcium battery?
Probably everyone knows that the charging current should be no more than 10% of the battery capacity. This is the golden rule. But it's a trick. The fact is that the capacity of the batteries is constantly decreasing during operation. And most motorists continue to charge them 10% of what is written on the case. This leads to the fact that the battery is not fully charged, and its service life is ultimately greatly reduced.
Therefore, you need to understand what kind of capacity to take 10%. While the calcium battery is new, there is every chance that it has as many ampere-hours as it is written on the case. But a year later, this figure is noticeably reduced. Even if you take care of the battery, avoiding modes that are harmful to it. The actual capacitance can be measured with special devices. If there is no desire to buy them, then simply after each year of battery service, discard 10-15 ampere-hours from the original capacity on the case. Already from this figure, take 10%, and charge.

I wonder how the VW electronics manages the smart alternator operation --- PFM ( Pure Flaming Magic) I guess.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Hey Ian,
This is why I'm "chasing" the correct information\procedure\specs.....
I'm not necessarily saying that the mentioned 16v+ is the correct way.... but I am clearly seeing that my battery with a fairly new\recent\modern smart charger has not brought up to anywhere near its 100% values.
I can't explain this phenomenon unless I go ahead and believe the 16v+ requirement..... OR unless I assume that my new battery has already aged and it has lost 23% capacity while in transit\sitting on vw's parts shelf, etc.

As such, I'm leaning towards the 16v+ charging\reconditioning requirement.......

Maybe it's just me........ would you be OK with your new $400 battery only having 77% rated capacity?

 

[meggsy]

Hey Ian,
This is why I'm "chasing" the correct information\procedure\specs.....
I'm not necessarily saying that the mentioned 16v+ is the correct way.... but I am clearly seeing that my battery with a fairly new\recent\modern smart charger has not brought up to anywhere near its 100% values.
I can't explain this phenomenon unless I go ahead and believe the 16v+ requirement..... OR unless I assume that my new battery has already aged and it has lost 23% capacity while in transit\sitting on vw's parts shelf, etc.

As such, I'm leaning towards the 16v+ charging\reconditioning requirement.......

Maybe it's just me........ would you be OK with your new $400 battery only having 77% rated capacity?

Hi again SaVAGeSoot - its just me.... Can I ask you when you got your battery from the VW dealer did you get a battery maintenance card with it -- although I have not sourced a battery for my 2013 model yet.. I am reliably told that the VW parts distributor should maintain them as they do when one gets a new vehicle - they also have a battery maintenance card that logs that it has been "cared for" properly during storage. so my next question does the battery have a date of manufacture on it ???? It could well be old stock... and that may well explain the problem.
One of these things may well help you out for your 16 volts power source -- this is a 10 amp one however they are also available in 20 amp etc models DC Power Supply - 30V 10A/6A Precision Variable Digital Lab Adjustable+Cable AU | eBay I have a 10 amp one and use it for so many little things the beauty of it is one can limit the current and voltage -- I would tend to try the 16 volt point limited to 6 amps for 40 minutes method.. I realise that VW recommend charging the battery with one of their VAG tools so I wonder just what that tool does. I remember back when I was working we had to maintain battery packs for the emergency lighting system on our aircraft after a number of failures we re-engineered them and fitted larger Nicad batteries and introduced a more frequent remove and maintain program. We bought a machine that did the discharge/recharge function and ran a capacity check before recharging then -- even 20 odd years ago the tool gave us a print out of battery capacity. if the battery failed the test set at 90% it tried a couple of attempts to recondition them before rejecting them. So I guess thier tool may do the same.. Have you tried a battery shop with a proper battery capacity tester it may be worth a try ... good luck please keep me posted I am interested. Thanks for all the info at least its brought me a little more current on my battery theory. Cheers Ian

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

I didn't get a maintenance card from the clown dealers on this side of the pond, so no clue on their charging.

You can see in my pics that the battery is from last year..... Stamped on the post.
18th week of 2021

https://www.clubtouareg.com/attachments/screen-shot-2022-04-09-at-5-10-28-pm-png.249956/

So it was potentially sitting around for 1 year without being maintained

 

[meggsy]

I didn't get a maintenance card from the clown dealers on this side of the pond, so no clue on their charging.

You can see in my pics that the battery is from last year..... Stamped on the post.

Sorry I didn't see that as the date -- in the past I have been used to seeing date stamped on cases. -- looks like your diagnosis is correct not properly maintained before you got it.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

I will contact the dealer to see what they have to say, but I'm quite certain they will tell me to go pound salt....
Realistically, there's no real issue at the moment, and there's a good chance that it won't even come into play until 5 years from now if it actually becomes a thing, but they should do better, especially when charging these kinds of dollars for "premium" tech.

 

[meggsy]

I will contact the dealer to see what they have to say, but I'm quite certain they will tell me to go pound salt....
Realistically, there's no real issue at the moment, and there's a good chance that it won't even come into play until 5 years from now if it actually becomes a thing, but they should do better, especially when charging these kinds of dollars for "premium" tech.

I guess that the least they could do for you is check it om their tool -- good luck

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

I'm not going to sweat it right now.... I just looked up the warranty policy, and it appears that I have 12mo\20k to monitor and see if I feel I'm good with it..... I probably won't be OK with it, simply because I'm anal, so I'll head back towards the end of the year and ask them to test it which will lead to a free replacement after some arguments. I will keep all my scans and periodic logs as ammo when it gets to that point, but I'm fairly confident that I will end up with a replacement at no cost to me based on this document.

4.2 Aftermarket Vehicle Battery
4.2.1 Coverage
Volkswagen factory aftermarket replacement batteries (batteries purchased after the NVLW period has expired, manufactured by
Exide or Interstate Battery Systems of America) sold after June 1, 1998:
• Are warranted to be free of defects in material and workmanship for 12 months or 20,000 km, whichever occurs first.
• After 12 months or 20,000 km of battery service, Volkswagen will absorb a prorated percentage of the battery
replacement cost, the remainder of the cost to be paid by the customer (including labour). This proration policy applies
until the battery has been in service for 60 months (5 years), after which time the customer must bear the entire cost for a
new battery.
Labour is not reimbursable in the following situations:
• On prorated batteries.
• On wholesale purchases or installation by an independent repair facility.
• On over-the-counter purchases.
The battery is to be replaced with a new replacement battery of comparable capacity.
Refer to Vehicle Battery Testing for Midtronics battery tester requirements for all warranty claims for batteries.
Battery policy guidelines
• Full 100% reimbursement for parts and labour up to 12 months or 20,000 km.
• No labour reimbursement for battery replacement after 12 months or 20,000 km.
• This warranty does not apply to batteries that were placed in commercial or marine use.
• Customer charge is based on Volkswagen suggested retail parts prices.

 

[meggsy]

Sounds like a good plan -- I read the info on the Midtronics battery tester and chargers -- I note their max charging voltage is 14.7 however they appear not to differentiate the Flooded L A, AGM or calcium battery charge profile. Strange ! Take care stay safe -- catch up at the end of the year with a followup.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

The search for answers and knowledge continues....
Charging Technical Bulletin
Dealer level tester\charger manual
Midtronics inCHARGE940