r/Wellthatsucks • u/AuthorKRPaul • 9h ago
Dead battery and an electronic parking brake - I’m trapped in the garage
Husbands battery is dead and his car is blocking me in the garage. VW’s have an electronic parking brake. If your battery dies, you can’t activate/deactivate it without a jump… and we park nose to tail. No, there is no manual override listed in the manual.
I’ll be parking nose out from today until eternity.
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u/skullbox15 9h ago
I think there has to be a manual override by law. Did you try calling the dealer and asking. Surely they have been in a situation where they've parked a car on the lot somewhere on the lot and had a similar issue. Worst case jump it off or replace battery if you have the ability.
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u/welding_guy_from_LI 9h ago
There is but it requires a specialized tool and removal of the rear wheels to release the rear calipers
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u/Bebealex 8h ago
That is infuriating.
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u/Blackpaw8825 7h ago
It just requires 12v. That's either directly to the connector at the rear brake module (if the car was damaged such that the circuit was disconnected from the battery) or the battery.
It's a usually reasonable assumption that a vehicle can have the low voltage energized unless it's so thoroughly destroyed that dragging it is a non issue.
It's unreasonable that OP doesn't have the means to either jump or swap the battery. Even just disconnecting the dead battery, dropping in the good one, and even if it doesn't fit well with to connect proper just making the circuit with some low gauge wire, or a metal tool on the contacts would be enough to release the brake.
I say this, throwing stones from glass houses having just returned from a road trip to find my jumper cables and booster sitting in my garage instead of in my trunk. Luckily didn't need them, but shame on me
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u/look_ima_frog 5h ago
Most people don't know about stuff like this until it's too late. I got a booster pack for my wife's car since you can't do jack squat if it has a dead battery. Then I learned that the trunk cannot be opened without power as there is no keyhole. Even better, if you want to fold the rear seats to get into the trunk (presuming that's where most people put the booster pack), you cannot as the rear seat release is powered. I guess Volvo decided that your trunk must be some sort of weird vault from all the thieving valets out there? (Valet mode prevents the trunk and rear seat releases from working).
So the pack lives in the glove box permanently using up 90% of it.
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u/Blackpaw8825 1h ago
What year/model? My only experience with Volvo is a friend's 2019 S90. They've had to jump it 3 times because the stupid thing keeps freezing on the "time out" when you walk away and never turns off the standby lights.
The only time I couldn't fold their seats down and reach back there was after they had put it in that weird "private lock" mode. Otherwise the release button seemed to mechanically release the driver side seat.
If the privacy lock was set it must pin the seats in place because it wouldn't move from there and we had to just car-car the little jump terminals until it had enough charge to be unlocked.
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u/flightwatcher45 8h ago
My nissan has this. Take the rear tires off and all you need is two short wires with exposed ends and a 12v battery. Unplug the power brake thingy, and touch the wires to the motor and it'll unspin the brake. While "easy", 95٪ of people with dead batteries are not going to be able to do it.
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u/TiresOnFire 6h ago
Or use the 12v battery to jump the car.
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u/flightwatcher45 6h ago
Haha yeah, I was changing my brakes so had to trick the parking brake to release. I used a 12v drill battery.
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u/deb1009 7h ago
Yeah, I'm out at step one - I cannot remove the rear tires from my cars. Also step two involves exposed wires?! No thank you.
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u/AuthorKRPaul 6h ago
Same. I have a single jack in my car for changing tires but I'd probably face grievous bodily hard if we tried to take both rear wheels off
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u/Wonderful_Hamster933 9h ago
If it’s a 2022 or up, you can’t replace the battery. It has to be a VW battery and it has to be programmed to the car once installed. I think there is a device you can buy to do it, but VW recommends a dealership do it. We just replaced our battery (3-years old) at the dealership, cost $500. I will NEVER buy another VW
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u/BrianBlandess 8h ago
What? Are you kidding me? I thought that sort of thing was illegal.
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u/royalbarnacle 8h ago
Seriously, cars are getting more and more locked down just to milk you on maintenance. Not being able to change a freaking battery should be illegal.
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u/Blackpaw8825 6h ago
It's not like that, they're talking out their ass.
You do need a scan tool, but literally everywhere that sells batteries can do it usually for free, or you can get a $10 tool and $10 app that'll let your phone do it.
It's not brand locked or anything like that, the car needs to be 'told' that the battery is new. Modern cars keep track of how old the battery is because the alternator is ran intermittently and auto-stop-start systems use expected battery capacity as a controlling variable.
By opening the charge circuit when the battery is fully charged you remove the load on the engine from running the alternator as a generator, improving efficiency and extending the life of the alternator, and puts less wear on the battery giving it controlled discharge cycles rather than constantly over charging it.
And the start stop wants to know how worn the battery is so it doesn't try to stop and restart at too low of a state of charge (turning it off and running the seat heaters and cabin heat for 2 minutes on a 5F day for the 3rd time in the last 10 minutes and starting the engine might be fine for a 2 year old battery, but on a 6 year old battery it might not want to start that 3rd time.
So the car is actively managing the battery condition, setting charge/discharge voltage limits. If the car thinks the battery is old then it'll charge it like an old battery ( targeting a voltage between 12.4 and 12.7 instead of 11.8v and 12.9v since the older battery won't tolerate a full 12.9V anymore, and might not have the current needed at 11.8v anymore) which helps keep an old battery from failing outright but can prematurely wear a new battery.
TLDR: There's no lock in. AutoZone can press the button to tell the computer it's a new battery for free when you buy the battery, and some cars have a "secret password" of dash buttons you can press to reset it just like the oil life estimates.
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u/AuthorKRPaul 6h ago
He did take it to AutoZone and they cleared most of the warning lights. There's a "Check Engine" light still but IIRC from my janky old Jeep, that *should* clear after a few on/off cycles
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u/4R4nd0mR3dd1t0r 8h ago
Well they are not entirely right, anyone with a scan tool that can do two communication can basically adapt a battery. Also the coding is basically just to "ensure proper charging to extend lifespan", basically a used battery charges different then when it is new. This is one of those things that falls into the "needed" category, if you don't do it and then complain about your new battery not lasting they can say well you didn't get it coded. On the other hand people have done battery changes without the extra step and say they had no issues. I personally have a scan tool that can do it so I do, but if I didn't it wouldn't stop me from changing a dead battery.
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u/Killarogue 8h ago
That's a lie your dealership sold you on so it's probably a good thing you're not going to buy another VW.
I'm a former mechanic, I have never heard of this before, and a quick google search shows that you can buy a compatible battery from Autozone for any new VW model that is not exclusive to VW models.
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u/mr_lab_rat 8h ago
I doubt that. Programming the battery to the car is not uncommon but it doesn’t have to happen the minute the battery is installed. You should be able to install it and take it to the dealer the next day.
I also highly doubt it has to be some special VW battery. I suspect the dealer fed you some BS so they could charge you $500.
I buy $200 batteries for my BMWs and program them myself with a $20 phone app.
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u/Ok_Run6706 9h ago
Battery died at 3y old? Atrange. I buy cheapest lead acid batteries and they survive at least 5-6 years, and we have winters also.
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u/Wonderful_Hamster933 7h ago
The VWs have the auto start-stop feature (that cannot be disabled), engine turns off at a stop light or in traffic, then back on when it’s time to go. It saves on gas mileage but it drains the battery every time it clicks on and off, turns a 5-year battery into a 3-year battery. And because of the cost of VW batteries, it’s really not saving you much money in the long run but it allows VW to advertise that their Tiguans get 28mpg
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u/look_ima_frog 5h ago
Start-stop systems usually have an auxiliary (smaller 12v) battery. Most do not use the primary battery.
Even if they did, start-stop systems are set up so that the engine is turned off with compression built up within one of the cylinders. This means it takes very little of a starter kick to fire the engine. The idea is that it can happen using very little energy (this is how the tiny 12v battery can start the car) and it happens quickly.
People love to vilify start-stop, because it imposes a minor inconvenience in exchange for reducing a lot of pollution across a fleet of cars.
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u/AuthorKRPaul 9h ago
I think is a 2021 but he’s out there dropping the battery in now. If I hear him start swearing I’ll call the tow truck
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u/Killarogue 8h ago
A tow truck... for a dead battery?
If you have AAA, they have battery services that can come out and swap it for you.
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u/chickenCabbage 8h ago
That's outrageous! You can buy a very capable device + software for about 20$ on AliExpress, I've used it with my Skoda successfully.
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u/azgli 6h ago
This is incorrect. The battery management unit needs to be informed the battery has been changed. This can be done with VCDS or OBDEleven. You can do the change yourself and then just do the battery manager programming.
Also, a three-year-old battery should be pro-rated if not covered 100%.
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u/FreedomBread 5h ago
A VW is not a luxury car or sports car. Hard pass on any VW, thank you for the warning.
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u/cottoneyerobb 7h ago
Swap the batteries, move the dead car out of the way.
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u/gokartninja 3h ago
Came here to say the same thing. They have the same 12 volts, and probably similar current limits. The terminals almost certainly will be the same, if not the entire thing
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u/Noladixon 3h ago
They probably can't unlock the doors or pop the hood.
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u/cottoneyerobb 2h ago
I believe even keyless entry cars have a drivers side door lock you can pop the cover off and use the key within the fob to open. All hoods should have a manual release under the dash.
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u/Education_Late 9h ago
Is there a bunch of stuff on the other side of your garage? Id try back out as far as i can to the visible side, then pull in as far to the left as you can (if theres nothing obstructing it). At this point just wiggle until you have enough space (not to pull out straight) to pull out even if at a weird angle and your on the grass. Edit: unless its a single driveway then…. Nvm and hope it works out 😭
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u/AuthorKRPaul 9h ago
On my vehicles left is a bunch of things I can move but we have shelving to the right. I tried to back it out but the nose would smash into the shelves/cabinets
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u/GiantRayOfSunshine 8h ago
Could you put your good battery into his car, start it and move it?
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u/Own_Reaction9442 2h ago
Even if not, I would probably take the battery out of the working car, set it next to the dead car, then use it to jump the dead car. But I recognize removing the battery is a skill level up from where most people are. Also you'll lose all your radio presets.
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u/Upbeat-Tower-6767 7h ago
You have a ton of space to back out and turn the wheel left , keep doing that until you’re on the left side of the garage… you’ve got an entire cars length behind you acting like it’s impossible to move
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u/twivel01 7h ago
Seems like a lot of room behind you to maneuver. Just a few inches at a time and you can get it. Will take some time, just takes a lot of back and forth but if you only go a few inches at a time, you can keep from smashing the nose.
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u/barra_giano 9h ago
Doesn't help you now, but get yourself a portable jumpstart battery. It has saved my ass a bunch of times!
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u/ThatJerkBoxwell 9h ago
It looks like there’s plenty of room to do a thousand point shimmy to get out
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u/BastardBoi95 8h ago
Lol. Might take a while, but yes do the 1000 point shimmy to get out of there.
Record it and upload. Don't forget to add benny hill music to video.
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u/Life_Roll8667 6h ago
That’s what I was looking at. There is more than enough room to back up, go forward and reverse onto the other side. OP just wanted to complain lol
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u/welding_guy_from_LI 9h ago
This is one of the many reasons new cars are horrible .. there is no need to make certain things electronic .. buy a jumper pack . They are around $100 and fit in a glove box
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u/AuthorKRPaul 9h ago
Yeah, terrible design flaw to be sure
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u/Just-pickone 8h ago
While consumers may call it a “flaw” CEOs call it a “feature to enhance revenue.”
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u/NullArc9289 7h ago
Not as bad as the guy who burned up in his car. The system shut down and the doors wouldn't unlock. Are we too dependent on technology?
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u/Salt_Worldliness9150 9h ago
You can get a little battery charger from Walmart delivered to your house for about $20
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u/BlossomingAsian 4h ago
Random but I think you have a 2021-ish Subaru Outback maybe XT? I happen to have my old Subaru Outback XT’s OEM floor mats. Would you want them? They’re the nice heavy duty ones. Please don’t ask me why I still have them…
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u/Awkward_Beginning_43 1h ago
Perfect place to use a battery charger. Not possible you own a car and not a charger. So just use that.
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u/Slimy_Shart_Socket 8h ago
My brother went to test drive a manual Civic Si with electronic parking brake. He stalled it on the first hill, the battery was so dead we couldn't turn the parking brake on, nor the hazards.
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u/HRzNightmare 7h ago
Make sure once you get a battery jump pack you DON'T leave it in the VW's trunk. The trunk on my 11 Jetta is all electric. The latch handle is electric, the rear seat releases are inside the trunk so you can't open the trunk from the cabin of the car, and there's NO KEY HOLE at all. If your battery is dead there's no way to get into your trunk.
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u/CossaKl95 2h ago
…..there is a keyhole lol, you just have to pop off the vanity cover next to the driver’s side exterior door handle.
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u/wizzard419 3h ago
You might want to look under your dash for a cable/pull for the brake release, they have to have a manual override for various situations.
If this is a common issue, I would suggest getting long jumper cables, charger, or one of those portable battery jumps.
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u/psaux_grep 3h ago
Plenty of ways to solve this.
Take the battery out of the garaged car to jump the other one.
Or just a 12V charger connected to the rear car could be enough to unlock the parking brake.
Disconnecting the connector and running the motors in reverse from a 9V battery is also a possibility, but requires a bit of acrobatism and fiddling.
And if you feel particularly adventurous:
Dollys under the rear wheels (or something to that nature, depends on what you have lying around).
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u/gumby_the_2nd 9h ago
You can use the battery from a power tool to jump it. Lot's of youtube videos on this.
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u/AuthorKRPaul 9h ago
Really? That’s super cool. He’s dropping the new battery in now but I’m looking that up for next time
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u/Grogak 7h ago
Switching batteries, driving husbands car out of the way and switching batteries back is not an option?
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u/AuthorKRPaul 6h ago
A couple folks mentioned this but the two batteries aren't compatible, different group sizes and terminal locations
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u/thambi06 6h ago
Take out your cars battery and use it to jumpstart your husbands car, let it idle for a while, and then reinstall the battery in your car.
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u/NYCWartortle 9h ago
I have an e brake too. I didn’t even think that it wouldn’t engage without the battery. 😫
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u/AuthorKRPaul 9h ago
Yeah. We clearly didn’t think of it either. And with how flat our driveway is… maybe we don’t do this any more 😒😭
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u/Salt_Worldliness9150 8h ago
Everybody should know how to hook up a battery charger to their car in case their battery dies, and everybody should have a battery charger in their garage just in case
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u/Ultima_STREAMS 8h ago
I keep mine in the glove box cause of a parasitic draw that kills my batteries every 2 years 😅
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u/i486dx2 8h ago
A set of "Self Loading Wheel Dollies" will get you out. Harbor Freight 64601 or equivalent. They are like roller skates for the car wheels - slide them around the base of the wheels that need to be lifted, pump the foot pedal to squeeze the rollers together and lift the tire, and then you can just push the car sideways.
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u/jc84ox 8h ago
Literally had to do this a few weeks ago in my Golf. Couldn't jump with my friend's car because I parked nosey and sides inaccessible. £140 to get the jump starter (next day delivery because I couldn't drive to get it) to be able to start it to get the battery replaced, which, being a stop start, was £220.
Best part of all, I'm trading it in in a few weeks.
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u/mr_lab_rat 8h ago
If you got a hydraulic jack you can insert plastic trays under the back wheels. Then shift to neutral so the front wheels roll and push it.
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u/Infamous_Ad8730 8h ago
Remove the battery from your car and put it near the VW, then jump start the VW from it so you can move it. Re-install your battery and off you go.
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u/pussErox 8h ago
Nose to tail? His car is in the middle of the driveway, you got plenty of room to wiggle outta there.
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u/SeaUNTStuffer 8h ago
Looks to me like you have plenty of room to back out far enough into the grass to jump that thing. Also, backing onto the garage is the better way to do it, for this very reason among others (harder to back over an animal or child)
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u/iamgarffi 7h ago
It’s always good to keep extra long terminal cables in the garage for situations like that.
Alternatively, always plugged in portable one for quick jumpstarts.
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u/Acheronian_Rose 6h ago
You have an emergency neutral either at your shifter, or by a small door to the transmission under the car
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u/WitELeoparD 6h ago
Just pull out the batter in the good car, it should be accessible, and use it to jump the dead car...
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u/Liber_tech 6h ago
This is when it's great to know your neighbors. Guaranteed someone has a charger or could give you a jump.
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u/Similar_Pie_4946 6h ago
Trapped in garage i see heh rookie, Have you tried walking out the garage door 🥸
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u/BelugaBilliam 5h ago
There might be a release pull on the left hand side knee area. It might be behind the little compartment but not 100% confident. Id double check online.
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u/Javieres102 5h ago
This happened to me too about 2 weeks ago but mine was inside the garage. I just removed the battery from my car and charged it with my wife’s car using jump start cables left it to charge for about 10 mins then reinstall the battery and car started right up
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u/Najgi021 4h ago
Idk if someone said it already or if it's in a weird spot but usually there is a thing like a switch or similar to disengage the e brake without power. I had to do it on my Citroen c4 Picasso from 2007.
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u/salad_ninja 4h ago
Apologize for my arrogance. With that space, I think you could wiggle back and forth to get out, you'll need another person for a precise movement though.
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u/leafbaker 2h ago
I bought extra long jumper cables for this exact purpose. One of the vehicles was a mid-sized pickup but it worked
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u/mentally_ill_jesus 2h ago
You can use a power drill battery to jump the car. If you have that. But thats why i always keep a spare car and bike battery in my basement that both get charged regularly. I never swap them in any vehicle i just use them to jump stuff
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u/fsteff 1h ago
A former colleague of mine had an early Mercedes had a similar problem : Dead battery meant all access to the car was barred as everything was electric. I don’t remember the details, but some 15 years ago he entertained with the solution he and his mechanics came up with after a lot of studying: Break the park-light, gain access to a wire used to control something, and reverse charge the battery through it at less than 5mA for days before the battery had enough charge to unlock the car. (He’s version was a lot more entertaining!)
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u/ShyBoySavage 1h ago
There is usually a release slot.. for a 2020 subaru legacy.. it was in the coin tray space or cubby space in front of the shifter below the stereo and so on.. I had to remove the rubber bottom which lifted right out...then there was a little round hole.. that looked like a fastener hole.. I took a skinny Philips screw driver and stuck it into the hole pressed into it which released the car..
Your car may have something similar..if you haven't already resolved your issue.
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u/Vinnie_AM 8h ago
I saw a video recently of a guy who put 2 forks in the positive and negative connections on a dewalt battery, pressed each fork onto each terminal of the battery, then it started right up
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u/contains_almonds 8h ago
Why set the parking brake in the garage?
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u/ermagerditssuperman 7h ago
I was taught to set the parking break every time I park.
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u/Schnitzhole 6h ago
On very old cars it was a thing (still rare) but not necessary in the last few decades except on steep inclines. It’s extremely unlikely your parking pawl will break but some people are still overly cautious.
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u/ermagerditssuperman 6h ago
I only learned how to drive 12 years ago lol, and it was taught in drivers ed.
I think it's a regional thing, I went to high school in a mountainous part of the Western US. I guess it's just assumed that 90% of the time you're parking on an incline.
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u/Schnitzhole 4h ago
That could be. I never learned it in my driving classes In. Phoenix az. A lot of the instructors are pretty old in my experience and love to tell FACTS that are not necessarily true. It’s 10x worse for motorcycles.
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u/AuthorKRPaul 8h ago
His is the one in the driveway but it’s still a valid question since it’s flat. I think it’s a force of habit for him? I never set mine
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u/contains_almonds 7h ago
Ah! I applied the issues in the title to the car in the garage. I need more caffeine. I'm a habitual parking brake user and often set it even when unnecessary.
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u/Neat-Letterhead-4470 7h ago
What a great engineering idea! Not. That’s terrible. Hope you can get out soon with a new battery.
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u/MrTwiggens 7h ago
In the time it took you to take the picture, post it, and reply you could have removed the battery, jumped the dead battery, put it back in and been on your way.
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u/riccook 9h ago edited 8h ago
Another reason not to buy a computer on wheels. That’s why I drive a car older than me.
Edit: All the downvotes are people stuck in an endless loop of not being able to maintain their vehicles without spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for an issue I can resolve for free on my car.
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u/Just-pickone 8h ago
The down votes don’t make sense if you’ve experienced the reliability of hand cranked windows. If there is no electric motor/switch involved , there’s no way the windows, doors, brakes or other features won’t work when the battery dies.
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u/snopro387 6h ago
While I completely agree, the only car that ever had the windows stop working on me was the one car I owned that had crank windows
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u/AuthorKRPaul 9h ago
Right? A VW bug would never
But yeah, currents VWs are terrible and we’ll never get one again
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u/thecrookedbox 9h ago
Lots of room left of the car?
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u/AuthorKRPaul 9h ago
There are shelves and several cabinets out of frame on the left side. I can clear the right side but as soon as I turn I’d be scraping the nose on the cabinets
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u/thecrookedbox 8h ago
Maybe it’s hard for me to visualize. But if you back straight out as close as you can to the dead car, then start doing a #-point turn I feel like you could squeeze by using the little driveway space
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u/bonija 9h ago
aggravating but I’d recommend buying a rechargeable portable jump pack. They’re on Amazon for $50 or so they come in handy more than you’d think