Originally Posted by
Bruce Wrenn
Some VW products, if battery is disconnected for more than a few minutes, require a $200+ trip to dealer (tow truck not included) for brains to be reprogramed.
This seemed to be a consistent feature for many european cars for a few years. BMW terms it "Registering the Battery".
There are aftermarket interface devices and programs that can access the system coding and do this for you, to keep you out of the dealership. Some are run off an App loaded on a smartphone and require only the correct OBDII port interface adapter cable, and you could do it anywhere.
If you own a newer model import, you really should have access to the coding anyway. There are times that you may need to "register" a newly installed component so that he car will see it and use it.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)