Do settings get lost after a battery change?

Disconnecting the battery cuts power to all the car’s electronics. As a result, some settings and memory may reset. It’s not dangerous, but it’s worth knowing what to expect.

What most often resets

• The clock and date
• Radio settings and the station list
• Window and sunroof adaptations (auto-close)
• On-board computer settings and some statistics
• Sometimes radio codes in older cars

What is NOT lost

Key data, such as the key coding or stored engine adaptations, is usually saved permanently and doesn’t disappear after disconnection. The biggest “hassle” is usually resetting the clock and radio.

How to keep your settings

To avoid a reset, a memory saver is used during the change — an additional power source connected while the old battery is disconnected. That way the electronics don’t lose power even for a moment.

A battery change doesn’t “break” the car — at most you have to reset the clock. And with a memory saver even that goes away.

Two things worth doing after the change

After connecting the new battery, set the clock and radio, and in some cars perform a window adaptation (holding the switch at the end positions). In start-stop cars there’s also registering the new battery.

When replacing the battery with call-out we use a memory saver, so the car’s settings and memory stay untouched.