After spending last week in the shop, the 2001 Passat 1.8T was driven home( 50 minutes) and parked in the garage. On Sunday, the car just would not start- no click , nothing. AAA came by and said the battery was dead. The starter and alternator checked out fine. They installed a battery that was on their list as a replacement for the car;however, it is not a vented battery. The battery they took out was. Is this going to cause a problem down the road for us?
Thank You.
Is your battery fully enclosed in its own compartment?
The compartment is encased in a plastic cover and runs the length of the windshield. There are vent spaces in the cover but not directly above the battery. The battery has a cover that can be easily removed.
Thoughts?
I doubt vented/unvented makes any difference in that situation.
Vented batteries are sometimes contained in tight boxes but then require venting through a hose outside the car. That’s for safety, as fumes are not good for you. You wouldn’t want those fumes floating around in your cabin.
To put an unvented battery in one of those boxes could pose a risk in the unlikely event that something goes wrong with the charging system and it starts over charging. A battery tightly contained could become explosive in that rare situation.
But, the way you describe it, your battery is not really considered ‘contained’. While it would ruin your day should it happen, whatever expands has places to go.
If that were my car, I wouldn’t worry about - unless someone here has some other compelling reason to worry about it, that is…
Thanks - Your reply makes me feel a bit more comfortable with the situation. The car has ruined my day a few times in the last few months but I don’t want to give it a good reason to have any more troubles.