Got my car back from the independent shop. He charged me $298 for the battery, $1.50 Florida fee, and $15 for shop supplies. He decided not to charge for labor - my lucky day.
Cheers!

 

Did they register your new battery?

 

Yes, they registered the battery.

 

That extra $229 buys you a new Interstate H8 battery with some changes.

 

What do you mean? Thought the OEM batteries are made by Varta, not Interstate?

 

Sure but $700 to swap out a battery... you're right is not "absurd" it's absolutely insane. And no I'm not driving a Sentra neither am I throwing money to a dealer for that kind of profit margin. But if they're going to do the external mirror oil change and service...

siberian

 

The OEM is Varta but there are few places that carry them and the price is exorbitant. Best bet is Costco for Interstate.

siberian

 

Agreed, but my point was $475 for a new Interstate battery including labor (and registration) at a dealer is not absurd for those not interested in DIY. OK, it's high, but to me beyond high is the $700-$1000 quotes others have mentioned.

 

A religious debate. I'll just add that my Launch has already more than paid for itself

siberian

 

It seems they are being imported now (for absurd prices) when compared to Interstate which have been the go to brand for VW/Audi etc. for years.

Just to clarify there's nothing "runner up" when comparing Interstate to Varta (or IIRC Bosch which I had in my old 356). They've been used in the US as replacement for years, so just because they've finally decided to import Vartas doesn't mean we need to dump Interstate because it's not OEM. One will work as well as the other for a lot cheaper.

siberian

 

I have had personally great luck with Varta. They've been used in all of my Mercedes, sometimes lasting 8 years or more. My Macan is a February 2014 build and is on the original (state of health 69%). But I would only purchase them if they were cost competitive and they never are. So when it is time to change Varta batteries on my cars, I always go aftermarket.

 

Has anyone registered an Interstate battery with a scanner other than Autel MD808? This thing is currently priced at $279. It's still much lower than going to dealer but paying over $300 (with tax) for the scanner.. seems high.

 

Has anyone registered an Interstate battery with a scanner other than Autel MD808? This thing is currently priced at $279.

No need to pay $279. Ordered mine (MD 808 Pro) a few minutes ago from Direct Tool Source for $225 (free shipping, no sales tax). Although I do wonder if there would be a problem if I ever had a warranty claim as I'm not sure they are an authorized Autel distributor. I decided to go ahead as I expect the chances of a warranty claim are low, and as far as I can tell from Autel's website I will still be able to get the free software updates.

 

Online retailers are selling the Autel MD808 Pro for around $230, the lowest I can find. Google those retailers for reviews and some even have a storefront on amazon. They look legit.

I am tempted to get one myself as the service alert msg on my Macan from last oil change has been annoying me for the past half year. LOL

Just googled. Amazon has it now at $249.

$225.21· Direct Tool Source
Free shipping
AUTEL MaxiDiag MD808 Professional Scan and Diagnostic Tool, USA Version AUMD808P

$229.99· JBTools.com
Free shipping
AUTEL MaxiDiag MD808 Professional Scan and Diagnostic Tool, USA Version AUMD808P

$295.00· FCP Euro
Free shipping
MAXIDIAG MD808 Professional OBDII Scanner - Autel MD808P

$264.10· ToolTopia.com
Free shipping
Autel (AULMD808PRO) MaxiDiag MD808 Pro Scan/Service Tool

$226.80· 1 Source Tool
Free shipping
Autel MaxiDiag MD808P - Professional Scan and Diagnostic Tool

 

After some more research, I would stick to reputable online stores, such as Amazon and FCP Euro.

 

Do you know for a fact Direct Tool Source is not reputable? Or is it that you just aren’t familiar with them?

 

Thanks you for information you guys shared.
So, no one ever tried icarsoft scanner to register the battery?

 

Looks like the latest icarsoft scanner with software update can do battery registration for Macan, but not sure for which years. You'd better contact icarsoft directly to confirm.

 

I contacted them and they said it can register battery for Macans.
However, I just wanted to make sure by hearing from others who actually have done this.

 

Make sure it covers your specific vehicle year

siberian

 

I just received a reply from Autel that said the MD808 Pro and MD806Pro can not work on vehicles after 2015. Waiting to hear what ones they suggest.

 

The MD808 Pro only works on MY 2015 Macans?

 

Here is the response from Autel:

I also called the Autel support number and they said the same. When I told them about the Autelonline response he said that he would recommend only buying
from the vendors that are listed on their website to make sure you get a valid unit. Looking up two of those vendors I see they have it listed at full MSRP which is
around $100 more then Amazon. He also told me the updates are free for the lifetime of the tool when I asked him. We may get a % off depending on the authorized site.

So the question is for the ones who purchased from Amazon, did you have any problem registering and getting that first update?

 

I got mine on Amazon and it says sold by Amazon so it’s probably not a third party item. It was $177. I use camel camel camel to track items like this for a good price.

Mine worked right out of the box and when I tried to update it, I found that it was already on the most current version.

Also fun, it works on the X1. I’ve only used it to read errors and change the battery, but it seems to do most everything I need.

 

I got mine on Amazon and it says sold by Amazon so it’s probably not a third party item. It was $177. I use camel camel camel to track items like this for a good price.

I use Camel Camel Camel also, but it’s been a long time since Amazon’s price was this low.

I would also point out that amazon.com sells plenty of items for which they are not manufacturer authorized distributors. And there are plenty of manufacturers who will not honor a warranty if the item was not purchased from an authorized distributor. They do this to protect their distributors. Not saying Autel will not honor the warranty, but just have your eyes wide open.

 

I found this web site to check online sellers.

www.scamadviser.com

 

I wonder if buying from an authorized dealer gives you the free lifetime updates and buying from others only gives you 3 years free as others have said in various posts?

 

Who said they bought an MD808 Pro and said they received only 3 years of upgrades? Don’t recall even one instance here with someone reporting that.

 

This is from Autel MD808 Pro Review 2020[MaxiDiag OBDII Scanner]

 

This is from Autel MD808 Pro Review 2020[MaxiDiag OBDII Scanner]

View attachment 237424

Not sure who wrote this so-called “review”, but see this Diagnostic World video where they compare the MD808 Pro to the more expensive MK808. One of the advantages of the MD808 Pro that it comes with lifetime updates, whereas the more expensive unit does not. The MD808 Pro is really geared towards a DIY’er:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-0dE94e8iw

 

I just ordered mine from AutoZone who is an authorized reseller. They have a 20% off offer now so their price $339.99 less $68(20%) = $271.99. Amazon's price is $237.99 I do not fret over the extra $34 as it gives me piece of mind. I also read that allegedly you are supposed to go through who you purchased it from for any issues, not Autel. I did a lot of research on this product so I don't remember which site that was from.

 

To each his own, but to me you needlessly paid a lot more for yours than necessary.

When direct tool source is selling the same exact item for $225 with no shipping or sales tax, no way can I justify an upcharge of more than 20%, plus whatever you were forced to pay in sales tax.

And if you have a warranty claim with Autel, you ship the unit back to their offices on Long Island. If you think the staff in a typical AutoZone store would be able to repair this for you, you will be sorely disappointed.

And AutoZone does not stock these. They probably have them drop shipped from one of the same wholesalers direct tool source does.

 

No, I don't expect AutoZone to repair anything. Some manufacturers know where you bought items from the serial number of the item.
Price savings from DTS = maybe $60
My piece of mind = Priceless

 

No need to pay almost $300! Yikes!

As I posted above mine came from obd2tool.com $208 delivered.

While Autel recomends purchase from an authorized reseller, it’s definitely not a requirement for warranty service. Just need it to register it and have the purchase receipt. They maintain strict control with the serial numbers and passwords.

 

The MD808 Pro (for all systems) on obd2tool.com is $249 now. The $208 one is MD808 professional (only for 4 systems). Amazon has the MD808 Pro at $236 today, a better deal than that on obd2tool.com.

I am tempted. Having been monitoring it on Amazon for a while, it was always $249 before. One question: does the MD808 Pro shows the Macan's transmission fluid temp during the PDK fluid change? The description says it does but need to confirm.

 

Yes, it does.