dc5itr888

Just turned on my car and saw the center Cluster was in red meaning theres a message and I went to it and it showed a icon/picture of a car battery with positive and negative on it.

What does this mean? Do I need to change the battery out already? I dont have my manual and just got to work and tried searching.

How long do these batteries typically last? I have 34,200 or so miles on the clock. It is pretty cold today. About 39 degrees Fahrenheit Thanks

Valvestud

Have a Dealer check it out. If bad, it's replaced under warranty. My 2010 ML63 had 25K miles and the roadside guy came to my house and swapped it out, no questions asked.

Joe

dc5itr888

I have a third party warranty. Hope that covers it.

Weird thing is at lunch I just jumped back into the car to drive 2 miles to a restaurant and that message did not pop up.

CoolBDPhenom03

If it doesn't come back, don't worry about it. Is few shops where I have good relations would check out any codes for me, but it sounds like a glitch off hand.

dc5itr888

Ill def keep an eye for it after work when I go start it up and take a picture if it comes back. I park in a parking garage that isnt heated so it should be quite similar to how cold it was this morning.

Thanks

JimmyR

This warning light comes on if there is not enough charge in the system and is not specific for the battery. I would think this is more likely to be alternator related rather than a dying battery. (If the battery is nearing the end of its life it would not have had sufficient charge to turn the motor over to start it). However it might well be just the voltage regulator or something simple having a bad day so I would not worry about it unless this keeps happening.

Steiner

Had the battery CEL yesterday too. Car is a '13 w/about 30K miles. No trouble turning over or really any other signs you'd expect from a failing battery going on 5 years. I'm still ordering a back-up just in case though.

Crya

iTrader: (1)

skullbox15

Had similar issues with my C32. Dash said check battery/alternator. It was hit or miss when I started the car. Sometimes I saw it, other times not. Eventually the car died when my battery was completely drained. Then I ended up needing a new battery AND alternator. I would have that checked if I were you.

m a x i m u s

Alternator. Just had mine replaced after I got the dash warning.

kimeran

Pretty easy to check if the alternator is working, is it not?
Get a voltmeter and check the voltage on the battery, start the car and check again. It should be between 13.5-14V when idling.
I think that works?

BiturboSF

Had that message on my previous C63, it ended up being the alternator & voltage regulator. At the time of failure it was only 4 years old with 35k miles

Steiner

I'm getting the red battery CEL more frequently now. I realize my 5 year old battery might not necessarily be the cause but I've already got a spare so I just replaced the OEM battery today. Fingers crossed. Even though the car's under warranty for a few more years I still prefer to avoid visits to the dealership unless it's for parts.

Steiner

My car is at the dealership right now for a few warranty things but the tech coudn't find anything indicating a battery problem. Ah the frustration of intermittent automotive gremlins. It's been about a week since the last time I got that dreaded red CEL as the car bucks wildly at idle liked a cammed '68 Road Runner. Is there a TSB or recall the tech is missing?