Replacing Auxiliary Start Stop Battery in Volvo S60

First, a little disclaimer... I'm not a mechanic. I just like to work on my own cars and save as much money as I can. Like a lot of you, I don't have a lot to go around so I have to make the best use of it I can. In this video, I'll be replacing the Auxiliary battery for the first time in my 2015 Volvo S60 2.0 Drive E. The Auxiliary battery runs all the systems in the car while it's at a stop and the engine is off. It helps take the strain off the starter battery. Not sure why Volvo decided this was needed. A lot of other cars out there made do with just one battery and never have any troubles, so this just in my opinion ads complexity to a system that doesn't need it. It is what it is though, and like any battery, they go bad over time. I ended up using an almost identically spec battery by Mighty Max, available here www.amazon.com... for $30, vs the Volvo branded one for $100. Initial thoughts are that it looks like it'll work just like the original, but only time will tell. I'll test it on my car so you don't have to, and if I do have issues, I can guarantee you'll hear all about it.

[@SuperMrBentley]

These Volvo s60 tutorials in yt have saved me hundred of dollars really. Thank you Floyd !

[@bruceschwartz7192]

Always reconnect the positive cable to the replacement battery's positive terminal first. If the negative (Ground) cable is connected first and you accidently drop a tool that contacts the positive battery terminal and the metal of the car, you will cause a dangerous short circuit across the battery. When you were reconnecting the positive battery cable using a ratcheting socket wrench, you were swinging the handle of the tool dangerously close to the negative battery terminal and a possible short circuit across the battery. I recommend covering the opposite battery terminal with cardboard when reconnecting the cables to the battery to avoid short-circuiting the battery with a metal wrench.

[@skippychris10]

Happened to me once. Here's exactly what happens: Once the wrench connects to both poles, it will heat up very very quickly and depending on the quality of the wrench, it'll melt and eventually stop the circuit. Do not use your hands to get it off, grab a piece of wood, a thick towel (not another wrench), etc. The car will hopefully start afterwards, at least everything worked fine afterwards.

[@mommaoinnh2674]

I’m here searching for this! Thanks for the knowledge! Volvo wants over $400 to replace this Auxiliary battery. I’m doing it for the $120 cost of the battery. Yay! Done!

What a coincidence, I did the same procedure in my V60 T5 2016 (left hand drive too) yesterday. Start-stop works like a charm after change. Nice video, it will help a lot of people. Continue posting please! Para os brasileiros: usei uma Moura ma10e.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Thanks! I hope to not have to fix anything on this car to have content for it, but if I do, I'll be sure to share

[@mateuscabrera]

Fala! Quanto tempo durou? Seria melhor vc comprar no Mercado livre a Bateria Auxiliar Volvo BOSCH BTX11-BS R$329

[@RichardJambo]

Having this issue also.

[@federicoolivari1211]

pi Joao Vitor tudo bem , olha so troquei minha bateria auxiliar mas o start stop nao funciona de jeito nenhum, tem algum procedimento de programaçao para fazer depois da troca???...as duas baterias sao novas novas, mas nada de start stop, desde ja muito obrigado obrigado ( o meu tambem e um T5 2016)

@@mateuscabreravendi o carro meses e muitos km depois e o start stop funcionava perfeitamente. No momento da compra optei pela moura no mercado livre, a principio as baterias sao equivalentes, mas obrigado pela dica!

[@fliptrontube]

Hi Floyd. Thanks for a great guided tour of the Start/Stop battery ( I call the feature "Auto Stall", because the first time it happened, it was a total surprise, having never seen this function). My car that is having some issues with start stop is a 2017 V60 , and it took a while to figure out there was a hidden battery. Thanks for the research to finding a non Volvo alternative to the battery and showing how to install it. For the following: a little disclaimer... I'm not a mechanic. At 1:30 you describe what you believe the function of the Start/Stop battery is, but my reading of the manuals and other research lead me to a different conclusion. I think the only function of the start/stop battery is to restart the engine if it has been stopped by the start/stop function. In this situation, the engine is hot, oil has been well distributed, and the effort to restart the engine is minimal. If this battery is low, the start/stop function is disabled, as you have seen, since the system can't rely on this battery to do the restart. Obviously the main battery could do a restart (if it is ok), but the designers decided that the extra load (extra engine starts) on the main battery was not worth the risk of auto stop leading to an unusable car. Hence the extra battery. Supporting evidence: (1) With the start/stop battery low, accessories and normal engine start work fine (where as if the situation was as you describe at 1:30, a low start/stop battery would cause the accessories to not operate correctly) (2) With start/stop battery low, only the start/stop function is disabled (3) If the start/stop battery was for only accessories, it wouldn't need a CCA rating (although, in fairness, this comes along for the ride given the battery chemistry and other normal uses) Although I haven't experienced this, I'm guessing that if restart with the start/stop battery fails after an auto stop, the restart will be done with the main battery, and the start/stop will be disabled until it is reset.

[@WriterandPhotographer]

Thanks for your video.........just did this today, although my dealer charged me $129, inclusive of tax, for the OEM battery. My S60 Inscription is a 2016, with the original battery and it has sat in the Arizona heat for years, so it was due for replacement. Went next door to my Volvo dealer, to the MB dealer to see what the first service would cost on my other car....just over $1,000. Even for those who want to maintain a "dealer service history," it is becoming more difficult when the techs get $195/hour, my local rate at the dealer. DIY is the only option.

[@paulschneir1551]

Really helpful video. Worked like a charm and spending $30 was far better than the $375 that the dealership wanted to charge!!

[@toddknaster9731]

Great video! I will say that it was even easier than it looked in your video. Took me about 10 minutes from start to finish including checking the battery with a volt meter. Dealer was going to charge $100 for labor so thanks for saving me $$$.

[@estevebolita]

Thanks for the tutorial and linked battery. Worked like a charm. I'd been receiving "Power Steering Assist is Reduced" warnings with occasional loss of the feature. Volvo dealer rep said it was the backup battery. It tested at 11.7V.

[@willjayne2658]

Hi Floyd, you just saved me about £200 on my V50 so thank you very much for this video!

[@alg7096]

Thx for the video. The dealership quoted $270. He said 'thats not that expensive considering the main cost is the battery. And you have to be careful you might arch it and crash the whole system where if we do it if that happens its on us.' Just classic dealership scare tactics. I plan on doing it myself just like I did the brakes, and the oil, and whatever else I can do without them.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Agreed, common dealer scare tactics. I tend to stay away from places like that because a statement like that says they are only there for the money. Wrap the positive battery terminal in a rag as you remove it if you're worried about any possibility of touching the wrong thing, and only unwrap it when everything is ready and in position, and all you have left is to connect the terminal to the battery.

[@calypsoa]

Thank you for your work and sharing it with us. Gonna follow your procecure step by step..

[@barrysiler1443]

Very helpful! didn't know I had a second battery. Only suggestion is that you should have made the positive connection first and then made the mediative connection; if your wench had slipped and made contact with the negative of the body you could end up with a short to ground thru the socket/wrench.

[@mommaoinnh2674]

If you ever get a LOW battery warning, yet your main battery tests out fine, this is why! It’s your Auxiliary battery.

[@ericwes7351]

Excellent video. Appreciate the Amazon link. Thank you. PS. Glad you found that socket. I still have a 10mm rolling around under the hood on my Ford Explorer!

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

So far, the battery is still working great too!

[@TheRobkwill]

Thank you SO MUCH for this video. My start/stop does not work. It will work if I go on a 4 hour drive so I know it is a battery issue. My main battery tests out okay but Volvo dealership told me I should replace it. I didn't go for it. I think it is the aux battery that needs replacement so I will replace that one first now that I know how. Well done and much thanks!

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Any time. Mine was almost the same. If I hadn't driven it for 3 or 4 days especially, it would take a good 3 or 4 hours of driving to bring it back to life. Since replacing it with the less expensive alternative battery, it's been perfect though.

[@CharleyMarion]

Great video! Thanks! I don't use the "start/stop" much... actually I wish I could stop the car from start it automatically so I wouldn't have to turn it off every time I start the car! But I'm replacing the little battery just to make sure it's ok. Thanks for the video!

[@howardw294]

Thanks for the great video Floyd. Replaced mine today. Would point out that the Mighty Max Battery YTX12-BS 12V 10AH Gel has been redesigned so the bracket holding the battery down will not exactly fit the Mighty Max battery top contour. No big deal imo. I just tightened as much as necessary to hold battery firmly in place. On the bright side, I didn't need to use a piece of paper to get the nuts picked up by the pole screw/bolt.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

It's good to know they changed the design a bit. So far, that battery has been perfect too. I've had no troubles even with the cold winter temps. Just like the factory, in the cold, it takes a while for things to warm up before the start/stop will kick in, but that's normal. I've been really happy with that battery and it's worked beautifully.

[@camand2769]

Just ordered mine from Amazon too... thanks for the video!

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Hopefully you have the same good experience. So far mine has been perfect

[@mrfriz4091]

Great post, thanks. Everything you need to know to do the job

[@karlchristiansen6409]

I think that you are making amazing Volvo videos, you have helped me before. I have experienced randomly that the auto stop/start disables it self, and then the next day it could be working again. Also I am getting "low battery charge Power save mode" at standstill, could it be this small battery that causes that alarm in my speedometer centre display?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Thank you. If your start/stop isn't working, it could be either battery, but if you are getting the low battery message, that may be the primary battery too. Both will tend to wear at similar times, so it's possible they may both be getting to that point they need to be replaced.

[@karlchristiansen6409]

@@FloydNashFixItDad I will try and follow your start stop video tomorrow, and see if it works. At least I don't get the low battery alarm after replacing the small battery today. I live in town so I don't drive more than 10-15 minutes at a time, maybe I should take it for a spin, despite the fuel prizes, thanks for the good work :)

[@karlchristiansen6409]

@@FloydNashFixItDad I need to replace the big battery too, still start/stop is not working, and I get a message when playing radio with motor switched off. On the other side, car is 7 years so probably time to replace the main battery :)

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

@@karlchristiansen6409 They both tend to degrade at similar rates so it's not uncommon at all to have to replace both at or near the same time. I had to replace both mine as well. I replaced the big battery first and my warnings about low battery went away, but the start/stop still wouldn't work properly.

Thank you for this video. Didn't know there was a battery under that cover. Do you know if the very same battery serve the Volvo On Call function?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

I don't think a specific battery serves functions like that. It just uses whatever voltage is provided to it. In the US, 3G cell service was discontinued, and these cars had 3G cellular modems running the Volvo On Call. If you are in the US and didn't get a notice about that, then you would have to upgrade the modem in the car, which I think is at least $200.

[@costimax55]

Hi Floyd, did you do a battery reset as you did after you replaced your main battery? Probably isn’t required since you have already done it.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

I didn't have to do the reset for this battery. It worked just fine without it. I've read that it's not necessary when replacing this battery. I don't know exactly how true that is, but so far, that seems to be accurate.

[@bodazaphfa]

You saved me a lot of money. Thank you!

[@smajster8367]

Is it a gel or regular battery? Good video!!!

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

It's a sealed lead acid battery. So far it's been great. Zero problems. Resting voltage is perfect

[@billsolomon1]

Mine needs replaced, called Volvo. $166.00 plus tax! Thanks for the video!

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

That's probably cheap compared to some places. So far this off brand battery has been working great too, but it hasn't been in very long so only time will tell if if continues to work well.

[@billsolomon1]

@@FloydNashFixItDad Thanks for the speedy update reply! I have to go battery shop next week.

[@cjramosm]

Thanks!

[@mommaoinnh2674]

A hammer end works well to pull out the pins.

[@walterrojas3]

Hello friend, after the installation of the battery you had any warning of error on the screen?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

No warnings or issues at all. I took the car out the next morning before it got hot and the start/stop works perfectly also. So far so good at least!

[@walterrojas3]

@@FloydNashFixItDad Thank you for your information, greetings from Chile

[@jroozenburg]

Thanks from holland good video

[@____________________________.x]

Add some dielectric grease to the terminals before refitting a battery

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Good idea. Old school trick - simple Vaseline will also work. It just needs to seal the surface so it doesn't oxidize.

[@ismailadiputra7551]

thank you for the video! is it possible to recharge it with a car battery charger instead of replacing it?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Your car's own charging system can do that. The ability of the battery to hold an adequate charge degrades over time and charging can't fix that though.

[@guidojones100]

Thank you!

[@dlw303]

Does it not been vented matter I’ve just done the same and noticed there’s no hole for vent and come to your video

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Not all batteries are vented so if yours isn't then you won't have to connect the vent tube.

[@DavidMos385]

What devices work from an auxiliary accumulator? If you don't use the Stop-Start function, then maybe you don't need it at all?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

From what I understand, the big battery runs the starter, and the small battery allows power to continue to all other devices during the starting sequence. That would include lighting, heat/AC motors, radio and infotainment, etc. If you notice, in a car without start/stop, when you start the car, everything "turns off", including the radio, lights, etc because it doesn't have that 2nd battery helping. Anyway, this is what I believe to be true based on the information I was able to gather.

[@bruceschwartz7192]

Word of caution. I had a 2015 Volvo V60 Platinum. I blacked-out and had a head-on collision with a tree at 25 MPH. The seat belt tensioners failed even after recall service was performed in January, 2022 and the low-speed collision avoidance system failed. My passenger's head hit and broke the windshield resulting in permanent, serious injuries. If you search the Internet, you will find lots of information about the failures of these systems in the 60 series Volvos from 2015 up to 2020. The acquisition of Volvo by Chinese refrigerator manufacturer, Geely, was a big mistake!

[@aidenrooney1785]

Did any of the batteries affect the Srs airbag warning light service urgent when they went low on charge?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

No, I never had any messages like that

[@chrisbrandt2282]

I did this repair last week with the same motorcycle battery on my 2017 V60 and it seems to not have worked. I still get the Low Voltage or Cold Battery status and start/stop is unavailable. I have been driving short city trips only since, could this be a cause? Thanks.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Most likely your primary battery also needs replacing.

[@chrisbrandt2282]

@@FloydNashFixItDad Thanks for replying! I did the main battery about 9 months ago based on my radio shutting down about a minute into usage without the engine running and it also being 6 years old. What I didn’t do was the battery reset procedure you mentioned in the video. I plan an watching that and seeing if maybe it helps.

[@deathbastardable]

Can I ask, I have a Volvo S60 with start/stop as well (2014) and I think the batteries need replacing - Do I have to install a stop/start battery as my main battery since there's a support battery too?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

I'm not sure what you're asking about do you need to install a start/stop battery. If the batteries need replacing then you would replace them with one the equivalent for whatever is currently there. Most all these will have AGM (Advanced Glass Mat) as a primary battery, and you do have to replace with the same thing (I have a video on replacing that one also). The auxiliary battery will probably be standard lead-acid. The "off brand" one I found and installed is still working perfectly too, so no real need to pay the close to $100 for a Volvo branded one when you can get an identical replacement with a different brand name for $30 or so.

[@deathbastardable]

@@FloydNashFixItDad Thanks. I was wondering about the primary battery as I see ones that are sold as stop/start batteries as opposed to standard batteries so I was confused as to whether or not I needed a start/stop one along with the support battery.

[@feliciamorris2903]

I’m wondering the same thing for my 2014 S60 do I need 1 battery or 2 my battery needs replaced

[@luismiguel50204]

Boas amigo o sistema ficou a funcionar com a bateria dá mota? abraço. Pois preciso de fazer o mesmo.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Yes, the new battery works beautifully. I've had no problems at all after replacing it.

[@RoJack-mp7cf]

Floyd, can you charge this battery with a trickle charger?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

It's a battery so I'm sure you probably can but that doesn't change the overall health of the battery.

[@Neida225]

Thank you!!!!!!!❤

[@elrevanchista1179]

Mean, the same instalation for 2017?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

I believe so. The manual shows the same locations as the 2015. If you have right hand drive car, it's behind the primary battery, and left hand drive car is like mine in the video. Manual link is www.volvocars.com/uk/support/car/s60/16w46/article/ff809619edf78d3ac0a801e800f7b632

[@elrevanchista1179]

@@FloydNashFixItDad thanks for all míster

[@deosantinomd4093]

kind Sir, would their be a chance that my Auxiliary fan is now working properly because of the Auxiliary battery? I have been having a Low Battery sign on for months and i had episodes of overheating. Someone took a look at my car and said my 2013 s60 needs to have Auxiliary Fan Motor replaced and it was causing overheating. the Fan Motor costs $1000 from where im from 😭

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

I don't think the fan would stop working while the car was running because of a low battery. The alternator would be able to provide more than enough power to run all the accessories. I believe that fan only has 2 wires, a positive and a negative. One thing you could do is find someone that could test it by unplugging the connection, and connecting a couple of leads to a battery to see if it will run when you connect it directly. If not, then the fan is indeed bad. Are you able to use FCPEuro from where you are? You may be able to get the part for half of what you could locally.

[@neilpatel3880]

My local Volvo dealership quoted me $500 to replace the V12 battery; $800 for the primary battery.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

How do you think the dealerships afford those mega fancy dealership buildings with fancy, expensive finishes and furniture and things? Overcharging for basic components is certainly one way.

[@NotARealChef]

Any updates on the battery longevity or performance?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Yes, actually, I have a video posted about it. No troubles at all so far. Everything still works perfectly

[@justincisson4702]

Anyone have any experience with 2015 V60. I replaced the aux battery. But it still shows unavailable ((but no longer service start stop system )). Was told by a friend id have to have the dealer or someone with a VIDA system program the new battery to the car or vice versa???

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

The reset procedure should be the same as for the S60. I have a video on that reset, or there is a short video here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6acq2ijbJ2GsNk) that also explains it. You may want to try this.

[@fldyi6570]

My 2017 xc60 won't start. AAA came today and said the large battery is fine. I'm not getting any error messages. When I go to start it, the dash says press and hold button until engine starts. It doesn't start. Any ideas? I didn't think to have them check the small battery. I've never replaced the small battery.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

There are many reasons other than a battery that would keep a car from starting. If it's not registering that you are pushing the button, it could be the button, or just a bad battery in your key FOB. Usually you can put the key in it's special "port" to allow the car to start anyway. If it won't turn over, it could be a bad starter. If it turns over and won't start, it could be a blown fuse for the coils or fuel pump, or even a bad fuel pump. There are other reasons too. If you find out, post here so we can all find out what the problem was in the end.

[@fldyi6570]

@@FloydNashFixItDad I brought my tools out to the car to check for continuity on the starter, check the fuse on the positive red cable that attaches to the battery (that leads to the starter) , ready to tap the starter with a wrench to unstick the starter bristles, yesterday afternoon I tightened the gas cap a little more, thinking the gas pressure might be light due to an untight gas cap..... This morning before I did anything, the car started right up like nothing happened!!! Turned it off and on again. No problems. No check engine light

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

@@fldyi6570 wow, I would be really tempted to take it to someone with a VIDA scanner to see if there are any stored codes. That's an odd one.

[@fldyi6570]

@@FloydNashFixItDad I'll try that. I have the icarsoft computer to read the Volvo codes. I had no messages.

[@Stavrdim]

@@fldyi6570 Hi friend, did you ever figure out what did this? i had an eerily similar experience in a 2016 model. Has been running fine for some time now, without a repeat performance.

[@fhill2895]

The other thing that the start/stop feature does apparently is to turn off the engine when you stop at a stop light (to save gas), and then start it up again when you press the gas when the light turns green. Been awhile since I read up on this and the battery hasn't worked in my S60 since I bought it anyways (supposedly with 13 miles on it - yeah right).. So I can't confirm one way or another. My S60 was a lemon since the day I got it so I won't know until/if I ever get this fixed! But there you go. Like you say, if you don't run the battery for awhile then it goes bad. Like you say, you need to keep running the car regularly otherwise your secondary batter will be hosed and you'll have to replace it to get the feature back. What a piece of junk this thing is! I truly regret buying the Volvo!!!!!

[@krzysztofcybura5499]

This is from USA ?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Pretty sure it's not. USA doesn't make much of anything any more.

[@krzysztofcybura5499]

@@FloydNashFixItDad so You have Eu version, i have dead aux battery but in V70 my 2013 Diesel. My battery is yuasa ytx12-bs

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

@@krzysztofcybura5499 The car itself is the american spec version. The battery probably isn't though. Mine uses the same battery though.

[@TheRobkwill]

Was the original support battery a lead/acid or AGM battery?

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

It was lead acid. The new less expensive one I got as a replacement is still working great too

[@JHuntHuntTribeFilms]

Just found out this secret when our battery died. Who knew

[@Khaled.3y]

You can just open the windows, and switch of the AC. the car will think you dont care about staying cold in the car and will save fuel when you stop.

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Why would anyone want to do that any time they have to make a stop? It's the car's job to perform as it's supposed to, not my job to compensate for it.

[@elrevanchista1179]

Y es la misma chingadera para el 2017

[@FloydNashFixItDad]

Yep, and unfortunately, a LOT of cars are doing this lately. That would be fine but they make the systems way more complicated than they need to be.

[@elrevanchista1179]

@@FloydNashFixItDad muchas muchas muchas gracias

[@elrevanchista1179]

But its the same?

[@danielperales476]

Thanks!

[@danielperales476]

thanks for the video. I changed the battery with my son and the stalling has stopped. save time by not dropping the screws down the engine :>