Advice to get dealer to replace EV battery under warranty

[karen]

Hi All

I hope you are doing well. I am in Canada; I keep reading your posts as I am showing a degrading batter as well; however; when I try to do a comparison; miles to KM I am not sure if I am reading your posts correct.
Can you guys tell me what was the max miles that your new audi A3 e-tron would charge to. I do see alot of 21/22 comments which calculates to 33-35km.
If I understand you max capacity on charging I can determine if my battery is in spec or not. For myself; total charging capacity is 40km or 24.9miles. Currently I only get a charge to a maximum of 32km or 19.9miles. By percentage; my battery only charges to 80% of total capacity; its 6 years old and I am not sure if that is within spec or not.

Hoping to get some insight from my American friends.

 

[danmarycap]

I believe the warranty is 8 years or 100k miles.

My battery was recently replaced under warranty. It no longer charged to full (the last bar was never lit) and range decreased by at least 40%-50%, maybe more. I had screenshots of a charging station’s display after charging an empty battery to “full”. The meter read 3.6 kWh whereas the battery capacity should be 8.8 kWh.

When the degradation became very noticeable a few years ago, I started to complain about it at the dealership during regular services. They always said something like the battery was OK or the range just naturally decreases in cold weather. This time, to my surprise, they said they would keep the car for another day to do more tests and a day later they called back and said they will replace the battery under warranty.

I am sure it helped that I had the last bar not lighting up and I also shared exact information about the maximum charge the battery could take. I also wonder if the dealership was less busy and actually had the time to investigate this thoroughly. I suggest to anyone who has battery issues to persist. Keep complaining and collect evidence.

I have to say I am very pleased Audi did come through in the end. I can use the car again as intended. I am driving short-range errands without using any gas, or go farther using ICE.

I’m jealous. I’m on Oahu (Hawaii). We have one Audi dealership on the whole island. They are rude, terrible people. They refuse to test my battery, never completely fix any problems, fail to even take care of recall service, when that is specifically made the all-day appointment. I like my A3 etron, which I bought from the dealer 4 years ago when it was coming off a 3 years lease. But the terrible service, always treating an A3 driver like I’m not worth their time, has turned me off of ever buying another Audi. I even told the dealership management I would be taking my business to the BMW dealer across the street. They didn’t care.

 

[karen]

The dealer reports that they are changing the battery, under warranty. We're glad for that, we really like the car aside from the degradation, and it range works well for our use case. So we'll start fresh from here!

I don't know whether it was my history of complaining (with tracking evidence even, I brought in a spreadsheet once) or the recent "do not drive" error message that got it done, or the sum of both of those, or an evolved experience of handling the issue by audi.

Are you able to tell me what the maximum amount your battery would charge to initially?

 

[Silentbob]

I'm 2016 A3 owner (bought in 2019, Ontario Canada) and in the summer can get around 40-45km depending on how I drive and conditions. In the winter it's down to 25-35km.. depending.
I was sent the battery recall but I was on the "list" for months!
Eventually I dropped a note to AUDI Canada and sure enough, they booked me in to check my battery.
2 weeks later, brand new battery array !! (since they found corruption)
Total mileage is almost 120 000 km and she runs very well still.

 

[GolfCartDriver]

I'm a 2018 owner bought new in late 2019 in Ontario. Still have less than 17,000 km total, high proportion in EV mode. A full charge shows the battery at 38 to 40 km of capacity, but actual results are 30 to 33 km. Winter (especially if using defogger/cabin heater) reduces to 20km or even less. Annual service in November, dealer said battery just fine. Just biding my time before requesting replacement.

 

[hunter]

Hi All

I hope you are doing well. I am in Canada; I keep reading your posts as I am showing a degrading batter as well; however; when I try to do a comparison; miles to KM I am not sure if I am reading your posts correct.
Can you guys tell me what was the max miles that your new audi A3 e-tron would charge to. I do see alot of 21/22 comments which calculates to 33-35km.
If I understand you max capacity on charging I can determine if my battery is in spec or not. For myself; total charging capacity is 40km or 24.9miles. Currently I only get a charge to a maximum of 32km or 19.9miles. By percentage; my battery only charges to 80% of total capacity; its 6 years old and I am not sure if that is within spec or not.

Hoping to get some insight from my American friends.

1] be sure to note if the EV miles displayed on the dash is different from the actual miles driven [use trip odometer, noting when EV changes over to hybrid]. A degraded battery may estimate close to normal miles, but will actually get much less.
2] best way to measure battery capacity is in kWh. rather than miles or kilometers, since temperature, hills, speed, and HVAC all affect range. Some charging stations show kWh of the charge, but its very hard to get from the dealer. New battery capacity is 8.8kWh.
3] 80% capacity after 6 years is in the normal range. our 2018 etron battery was replaced in 2023 and now gets about 20mi EV, like new. [the display sometimes will show 26mi, but actual is only 20mi]. We never got close to 25mi EV, so if you still get 20mi after 6years, you are doing great.

 

[Levetron]

Hi All

I hope you are doing well. I am in Canada; I keep reading your posts as I am showing a degrading batter as well; however; when I try to do a comparison; miles to KM I am not sure if I am reading your posts correct.
Can you guys tell me what was the max miles that your new audi A3 e-tron would charge to. I do see alot of 21/22 comments which calculates to 33-35km.
If I understand you max capacity on charging I can determine if my battery is in spec or not. For myself; total charging capacity is 40km or 24.9miles. Currently I only get a charge to a maximum of 32km or 19.9miles. By percentage; my battery only charges to 80% of total capacity; its 6 years old and I am not sure if that is within spec or not.

Hoping to get some insight from my American friends.

I believe the displayed range is calculated based on the driving conditions during the immediately preceding period, i.e. the amount of energy used per mile. If you drive slowly with no AC, or the last section of your drive is mostly going downhill, the estimated range will be more. Using the heating going at highway speeds? The range will be less. The estimated range my car displays for a full charge changes between 16-24 miles. I think 32 km/19.9 miles is pretty good, especially if you use heating. (Tip: if you just run a short errand, try not to use the heating. Wear a coat and use the seat heater for a couple minutes instead.)
The most miles I could actually drive on a full battery was just under 24. I did not use heating and drove super conservatively on mostly flat roads. With normal driving, we used to just get something close to the EPA estimated 16 miles when the car was new.

 

[bros225]

Hi All

I hope you are doing well. I am in Canada; I keep reading your posts as I am showing a degrading batter as well; however; when I try to do a comparison; miles to KM I am not sure if I am reading your posts correct.
Can you guys tell me what was the max miles that your new audi A3 e-tron would charge to. I do see alot of 21/22 comments which calculates to 33-35km.
If I understand you max capacity on charging I can determine if my battery is in spec or not. For myself; total charging capacity is 40km or 24.9miles. Currently I only get a charge to a maximum of 32km or 19.9miles. By percentage; my battery only charges to 80% of total capacity; its 6 years old and I am not sure if that is within spec or not.

Hoping to get some insight from my American friends.

All these posts are confusing to me too because of all the inconsistencies. I have a 2018 e-tron that is 5 years, 3 months old. From day one the range has been a consistent 15 miles (mostly freeway driving, 16-18 max if the the driving situation was optimal). I think the dash gauge would read as 24 miles on full charge, which I understand is nearly always bogus on EV cars. The new-car charge level was around 6.8 kWh. Now it will charge only to around 5.9 kWh and my range has been reduced about 1 mile.

 

[karen]

The dealer reports that they are changing the battery, under warranty. We're glad for that, we really like the car aside from the degradation, and it range works well for our use case. So we'll start fresh from here!

I don't know whether it was my history of complaining (with tracking evidence even, I brought in a spreadsheet once) or the recent "do not drive" error message that got it done, or the sum of both of those, or an evolved experience of handling the issue by audi.

Are you able to tell me what the maximum amount your battery would charge to initially?

I'm 2016 A3 owner (bought in 2019, Ontario Canada) and in the summer can get around 40-45km depending on how I drive and conditions. In the winter it's down to 25-35km.. depending.
I was sent the battery recall but I was on the "list" for months!
Eventually I dropped a note to AUDI Canada and sure enough, they booked me in to check my battery.
2 weeks later, brand new battery array !! (since they found corruption)
Total mileage is almost 120 000 km and she runs very well still.

Hi SilentBob
I am in Ontario as well; Toronto. I am a bit unclear, my A3 only ever charged up to 40km. What is your full charge amount? In the winter for distance I always get less km. Right now my battery only charges to a maximum of 33-34 kms; dealership (midtown Audi) at 401/404 says its normal to have some degrading of the battery. I am trying to determine what is considered in spec. Was the battery recall only related to 2016? Mine is a 2018; I haven't received any information about a battery recall.

 

[karen]

1] be sure to note if the EV miles displayed on the dash is different from the actual miles driven [use trip odometer, noting when EV changes over to hybrid]. A degraded battery may estimate close to normal miles, but will actually get much less.
2] best way to measure battery capacity is in kWh. rather than miles or kilometers, since temperature, hills, speed, and HVAC all affect range. Some charging stations show kWh of the charge, but its very hard to get from the dealer. New battery capacity is 8.8kWh.
3] 80% capacity after 6 years is in the normal range. our 2018 etron battery was replaced in 2023 and now gets about 20mi EV, like new. [the display sometimes will show 26mi, but actual is only 20mi]. We never got close to 25mi EV, so if you still get 20mi after 6years, you are doing great.

How do you measure kWh?

 

[Silentbob]

Are you able to tell me what the maximum amount your battery would charge to initially?

Hi SilentBob
I am in Ontario as well; Toronto. I am a bit unclear, my A3 only ever charged up to 40km. What is your full charge amount? In the winter for distance I always get less km. Right now my battery only charges to a maximum of 33-34 kms; dealership (midtown Audi) at 401/404 says its normal to have some degrading of the battery. I am trying to determine what is considered in spec. Was the battery recall only related to 2016? Mine is a 2018; I haven't received any information about a battery recall.

I may have been exaggerating a little, sorry!
Initially I believe around 42km (summer) but it would actually drive less depending on what I was doing. (stop/start or hills, etc)
Right now, after replacement, winter is giving me 35KM after full charge. I expect I'll be around 45 in the summer.

I heard the battery issue hits a lot of vehicles, even QUATTROS.

 

[bros225]

How do you measure kWh?

Public charging stations, such as Chargepoint, are associated with a phone app which provides you a history of your charging activity, which includes the kWh used. I believe they also display it on the station when you end the session. Home chargers provide similar information. The kWh's used will vary based on how much stored power you have, even if you've depleted the stored power and have been driving in battery-hold mode. E.g. a good downhill with breaking might store up a mile or two's worth of power. What I'm saying here is that I believe it is telling you the kWh's consumed to charge your battery, not at which capacity it was charged to. I have an Emporia EV charger that works great - I quit using the e-tron charger because the scheduler in the car never worked right, and even if it did it's very limited in functionality.

 

[Spot]

Our gave us 21-22 miles (measured by trip odometer, not by "estimated range") in summer when new. The correct answer would be expressed in kWh, as another user wrote above, but since we only ever charged at home by wall outlet, I wouldn't know.

I've read about different versions of the car in different countries having 28-mile, or different, batteries.

Our battery was indeed replaced under warranty, at 145k miles. The tech said something about an enhanced/extended warranty. Must have been!

 

[dlinkA3]

Our gave us 21-22 miles (measured by trip odometer, not by "estimated range") in summer when new. The correct answer would be expressed in kWh, as another user wrote above, but since we only ever charged at home by wall outlet, I wouldn't know.

I've read about different versions of the car in different countries having 28-mile, or different, batteries.

Our battery was indeed replaced under warranty, at 145k miles. The tech said something about an enhanced/extended warranty. Must have been!

We have a separate meter which measures nearly all charging sessions for our 2017 A3 Sportback e-tron. We also have Chargepoint records, though a few stations are not networked. Plus our Audi Connect app has not worked for over 3 years (stupid Audi cost cutting with 3G connectivity which no longer works), so we are not able to record 100% of kWh gained.
We were also 21-22 miles actual odometer records, but are now down to 15 or lower, while the screen still says 20-21 miles range available. The Audi Guess-o-meter was 22-24 generally when new, and a few times showed 25 miles, almost as bad as early Nissan Leafs claimed. The unsettling part is that we are under 22K miles. Our range should NOT have dropped this low!

 

[cmc]

I have a 2018 with almost 30K miles... Indicated range is between 22 and 27 depending on ambient temperature.. Actual is 18-20... So I think one big variable when discussing battery life in these cars is what is your percentage of ICE use vs. battery. For me it is around 70-75% battery and I got the car 3 years ago with no signs of degradation. It is conceivable for a car to go 150K running on 99% ICE and also show no degradation...

 

[dlinkA3]

I have a 2018 with almost 30K miles... Indicated range is between 22 and 27 depending on ambient temperature.. Actual is 18-20... So I think one big variable when discussing battery life in these cars is what is your percentage of ICE use vs. battery. For me it is around 70-75% battery and I got the car 3 years ago with no signs of degradation. It is conceivable for a car to go 150K running on 99% ICE and also show no degradation...

We are at well over 80% electric since we purchased new in February 2017, but 98-100% for the past 3 years, taking no long trips where ICE will be used. Our Audi has still turned on the ICE once approximately every 6 months for 3-4 miles, which might be the car making certain that the ICE is properly internally lubricated. It is also possible that the ICE coming on, when battery reserves are well above exhausted, is simply another indication of poor Audi software management. All this is especially upsetting when we are still below 22K miles total!

 

[Nuje]

I've often wondered about that spontaneous ICE-firing-up thing in our 2016 e-tron, too.
I assumed, too, that it was most likely about making sure that the IC engine parts got some action on a regular basis - but then I've had it come on a day or two after one of our (very rare) longer drives of 200-400km or so.
So - your theory about this being due to crap-tastic software from Audi (combined with some other "huh?!" software functionality) has me moving away from that initial hypothesis.

 

[Fcwdmdpedo]

Hi All

I hope you are doing well. I am in Canada; I keep reading your posts as I am showing a degrading batter as well; however; when I try to do a comparison; miles to KM I am not sure if I am reading your posts correct.
Can you guys tell me what was the max miles that your new audi A3 e-tron would charge to. I do see alot of 21/22 comments which calculates to 33-35km.
If I understand you max capacity on charging I can determine if my battery is in spec or not. For myself; total charging capacity is 40km or 24.9miles. Currently I only get a charge to a maximum of 32km or 19.9miles. By percentage; my battery only charges to 80% of total capacity; its 6 years old and I am not sure if that is within spec or not.

Hoping to get some insight from my American friends.

I have a 2016 A3 etron with 46000 miles. I would originally get 21 to 22 mile range displayed when fully charged. Now I get 15 displayed when fully charged. I just had my dealership in Chattanooga test my battery and it showed no defects. Consequently they will not replace my battery. They say that it is normal degradation and that the battery wears out over time just as an engine does. My biggest pet peeve is the ICE kicking in when going up a hill with anywhere from 8-10 miles of range left on display. Then I have to wait for it to let me choose EV driving again and it takes a while. I love the car, but the battery range is way too short. I don’t think the new Q5 hybrid is much better. Makes me want to look at a Tesla for the money, except I love that German car feel!!

 

[karen]

I have a 2016 A3 etron with 46000 miles. I would originally get 21 to 22 mile range displayed when fully charged. Now I get 15 displayed when fully charged. I just had my dealership in Chattanooga test my battery and it showed no defects. Consequently they will not replace my battery. They say that it is normal degradation and that the battery wears out over time just as an engine does. My biggest pet peeve is the ICE kicking in when going up a hill with anywhere from 8-10 miles of range left on display. Then I have to wait for it to let me choose EV driving again and it takes a while. I love the car, but the battery range is way too short. I don’t think the new Q5 hybrid is much better. Makes me want to look at a Tesla for the money, except I love that German car feel!!

So that is a 32% decrease in your battery holding capacity. I wonder if anyone on here knows what is considered acceptable by Audi. Is there anyone who has any sort of documentation from the company that shows what is normal?

 

[GolfCartDriver]

We are at well over 80% electric since we purchased new in February 2017, but 98-100% for the past 3 years, taking no long trips where ICE will be used. Our Audi has still turned on the ICE once approximately every 6 months for 3-4 miles, which might be the car making certain that the ICE is properly internally lubricated. It is also possible that the ICE coming on, when battery reserves are well above exhausted, is simply another indication of poor Audi software management. All this is especially upsetting when we are still below 22K miles total!

Have also experienced forced ICE start several times, no clear pattern when. Be careful about not using ICE regularly. 1. Dealer can tell and may void any remaining ICE related warranties or repair obligations. I had a warning from dealer after my first year when less than 400 km ICE on total of 4,000 km. 2. Gasoline goes stale. You need to use a stabilizer if you don't use it within 3-6 months. That can extend it to 24 months. 3. The weird Audi software that governs charging of the 12 volt battery is also in play. The dealer suggested that you need to use ICE to charge the 12 volt battery, which is not technically true since it is supposed to be charged by the high voltage battery, but there is definitely some correlation between ICE use and proper maintenance of the 12 volt. I'll leave that point for more technically savvy folks to explain. I use a trickle charger for the 12 volt just to be safe when not using ICE for a while, already had one dead 12 volt.