Battery Bosch or ODYSSEY
The Odyssey PC680 is probably the best battery out there, if you can make it fit. I'd stay away from lithiums, you buy those when you are looking to save weight. For reliable low temperature operation, stick with a lead acid thats had decades of development.
I used straps like the first link when I had an Odyssey battery a few years back. Eventually went back to an OEM one but the straps were an easy solution
I have a half-sized lightweight battery from odyssey. I wouldn't have chosen it, but its never given me any problems and I've been using it for years at this point.
FYI I went with the Bosch 96R. It weights about 34 lbs and fits no problem although I did need to add a small wedge on top of the bottom lip to lock it down with the stock mount. It has a 3 year free replacement warranty and cost me just about $87 OTD @ PepBoys after turning in my $15 core. It's been more than a year and the battery has been rock solid with very little use.
The last two batteries I bought for my GTi, were specified for a Mk4 Golf/Jetta. Both of them were Bosch and they are both different sizes. Both of them ran me about $150 I went with the Mk4 batteries because Pepboys didnt carry for a Mk3. But both of them are fine
Lead acid batteries work great and have a reputation for going the distance.
just replaced 4 year old battery in my 2010 Wagon. It was not really a rocket science but it was nice to have a write up nonetheless. The biggest issue for me was to figure out group size for my battery: supposedly both 47 and 48 work but I wanted to get an exact model. After some online research and hard measurements it was clear my current battery was group size 48. Went with Bosch from Pep Boys for 108 (with tax and after 30% coupon). Despite the car being without the battery for 8+ hours, I had no issues with codes, errors, etc. The only thing I needed to adjust was the time.
If you have a PepBoys nearby, they have a Bosch that fits.
Some BOSCH batteries used on VW cars last around 2 years or a bit more but cost appropriately.
Aside from getting a defective Bosch battery that was replaced for fre I've never had a problem with either.
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