The F21 is marketed as an Engine/Starter Battery whilst the LA80 version is marketed as a Leisure Battery. I don't know exactly how similar they are but was told by Tanya that the Warranty would be void if used for the wrong purpose. Make of that as you will.
Well I have now installed 3 of the F21's and although technically the LA80's are like you say marketed as more of a Leisure battery the F21's flagged up on searching as direct replacements for my previous batteries.
The previous 3 batteries were all identical installed by VW eg. Dual purpose . They have served me well and performed perfectly. They are not dead yet either I took them out a bit early so I can use their remaining life on a solar project.
Your good self
@WelshGas gave me the the confidence to do most of the install myself along with some of
@Loz pictures and install instructions.
I was really worried about getting the coding right. Dealership quoted me almost £1000 for all three batteries including install and coding. Ridiculous price along with leaving the vehicle with them for most of the day.
I called a local battery supplier bought all three batteries for £455 including free install of the starter battery and watched him do the install and coding less than 10 mins. The gadget he used to code he stated merely tells the vehicle there is a new battery installed and the vehicle then resets the parameters for charging. He tested my alternator at the same time and he said it was charging slightly less than it should but he said that was probably because the vehicle has an intelligent charging system and adjusts accordingly.
The 2 other F21's I took home and installed them myself it took me about an hour and a half as I did it really slowly and carefully and my toolkit is not that good. Its quite a simple procedure really.
After finishing all the install I was expecting maybe some errors to flag up.
There were 3 things that happened.
1. The clock on the overhead display needed resetting. (1min to manually reset)
2. The Cab windows lost their one touch up and down function. ( This came back automatically after driving back home and stopping for a cuppa along the way)
3. The heater on the overhead display was flashing in the display. ( I turned off the overhead display and turned it back on and it cleared)
I have been all around the vehicle checking if anything else has changed all is normal. Even though the starter battery was disconnected for a few minutes the radio did not lose its settings.
So I think the F21' s will be fine as they look like direct replacements to the same 3 I took out. Only 80ah now as opposed to 75ah. Its an upgrade
PS. I found a moldy peanut under the passenger seat and 50p so technically its cost me £454.50
www.theholliesfarmshop.co.uk
