esaldanha

Here is the 7th image:

wjcandee

Well, for you Canadian folks who don't want to pay the ripoff prices at the Stealer...

Paying $149 for the Fiamm is a ripoff. Canadian Tire has an AGM battery in size 14-BS called the Motomaster Eliminator, which is AGM, comes with a 1-year warranty, and would work great. It's $89. Model 27-1029-6.

As to the main battery, That Canadian Tire main battery looks fine. It's the MotoMaster Eliminator Ultra Flat Plate AGM Automotive Battery
Product #10-4920-2. It's AGM, and it's reasonably-enough priced at $209. There is so much voodoo and hocus-pocus propagated about all this, even on these forums. Fact is, all the car needs is a maintenance-free, sealed, Group 49 battery with the proper vent. It can be AGM or not. It's better if it's AGM, but my Sears Die-Hard Gold group 49 works fine. For $30 more, if I had to do it again, I would buy the Die Hard Gold Advanced, which IS AGM. But whichever Sears Die Hard Gold Group 49 battery you get, it will work, it will charge, and you'll be fine. Similarly, that AGM Canadian Tire Group 49 will work great. $100 to put it in seems like a ripoff; Sears in the US charges $30, and only because they have to do it in the trunk. (In the US, the Group 49 Die Hard Gold is $149, the Advanced is $179).

esaldanha

Thanks for your quick reply, wjcandee.
I had checked on the Canadian Tire site for the aux. battery and saw Model 27-1029-6 but passed it as it is not openly listed as being AGM.
I'm sure your information will help Canadians for the future.
I am attaching 2 images of the main battery that the wagon came with, and 2 more of the replacement Motomaster Ultra AGM from Canadian Tire.


Images 8 and 9 are of the old Interstate non-AGM. The month and date of manufacture sticker was not processed to show date of manufacture or installation. The CAA technician measured 11v before jump starting. Alternator checked fine at 14+ v.
Images 10 and 11 show the new AGM battery.
(BTW, I now have to sort out the issue with the display of a White wagon body outline with an upward pointing arrow in the centre of the wagon body. A reply I received mentions that it is an Airmatic preliminary caution which could later on show in red.)

esaldanha

Canadian Tire sources their AGM batteries from Exide. Here are 2 more images (from elsewhere on this or another forum), showing the Exide main battery. Thanks.

wjcandee

IF that turns into a red, DO NOT buy the parts at the dealer. I just went through that and it costs an absolute fortune. If it's the front, get the rebuilt Arnott ones at half the price. The front ones are easy and cheap to put in. In the rear, get the Arnott new-design bag. You have to take the freaking car apart to get the old Mercedes part out due to terrible design. Once you replace it with the Arnott design after you put the car back together, it will be an easy and cheap repair in the future. The Arnott bags don't cost much, but taking the car apart to remove the defective Mercedes parts cost a fortune. So to recap: front air struts cost a fortune but not hard to replace, so buy Arnott for about $500 each. Rear parts not expensive, labor insane. https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...18_pid133.html

Here's the arnott installation video for the rear bags. Note that once you get the Merc part out, it's super-easy to install the Arnott part. If you were replacing the Merc part, you would do it right there once you have taken the car apart, but if you ever need to do it again, you have to do the whole process over. If you ever have to replace Arnott, it's not much more involved than jacking up the car and removing the wheel. I had to replace the front struts at about $1200 each plus $1000+ in labor at the Stealer. I didn't have to do the rear bags yet, but may have to do so soon. You can be sure an independent shop will be doing that with the Arnott bags.

Oh, you said you have the Wagon. Double-check which are the Arnott parts for it, but the above will give you the idea. https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...ENZ_yid18.html

On that little AGM Canada Tire Auxiliary Battery, you're right, you have to look at "features" to see where it says "Sealed, non-spillable AGM technology". Look, you did good. You got the part right away and installed it yourself. And you did it without the benefit of anyone telling you where to look in Canada. I was just trying to help folks in the future. In the US, you just get the Yuasa YBX-14BS on Amazon with free shipping and you're done. It's always hard to find that size locally anywhere in the US, even though many stores allegedly carry it.

esaldanha

Thanks you so much for the wealth of information you shared with me, and watching the video with number of parts to be removed just to get at the rear shocks is . . . . shocking.
True, future rear shocks replacement will be really quick after the first Arnott replacements. I need to find an indie who will do the diagnosis and replacements. Or should I get just the diagnosis done by MB?
I have the Premium Used Car Extended Warranty (4years / 80,000km) which mentions that the suspension is covered. I am wondering as to how to go about having the repair done - should I take the car to Ford, or take it to MB and present Ford with the diagnosis? When you have the time, could you please check whether the airmatic is indeed covered? Here's the Ford Canada link to the brochure. Also, how do I convince them to have the Arnotts installed, although they are less expensive? http://www.ford.ca/resources/ford/ge...Brochure_E.pdf
Thanks a million, I still have to get over it.

esaldanha

. . . forgot to mention that as I bought the car at a Ford dealership, the previous owner bought 4 years of Fore Premium Extended warranty, which expires in 2016 and transferred to me when I bought the car. I thought that was a good incentive to buy the car . . .but that was then. Thanks

Gersh320

Are extended warranties transferable from a dealership in Canada? Here, once the car is traded in, it no longer has the extended warranty. The previous owner gets a partial refund.

esaldanha

Sure, Gersh320, as in point # 10 under TOP 10 REASSONS TO GET FORD ESP, at: http://www.ford.ca/service/extendedServicePlans/

wjcandee

What I would do is take it to the Ford Dealership and show them the light you have now. (I had that light for about two weeks before all hell broke loose.) Explain that you bought it there and it's covered by the warranty. I would let them start down the path of doing whatever they have to do pursuant to the terms of the warranty. Funny thing bringing a Mercedes to a Ford dealer, but the reality is that most dealers have good working relationships with each other across brands. Just like my local mechanic has a buddy out at the Mercedes dealer that he calls about parts and certain things, I'm assuming that someone at your Ford dealer has the same kind of (formal or informal) relationship. "Hey, I bought it from you. I have a service contract with you. So I will leave it to you to start the process of getting it fixed." Frankly, if all it is is a leaky compressor or something, they may be able to get it fixed before the situation worsens. Let us know how it works out. (On the one hand, the brochure says it covers suspensions; on the other hand it says it doesn't cover "shocks". I don't think the "bags" are "shocks", but that where be where they try to weasel if they do. Again, let us know how it works out.)

esaldanha

Yes, looks like the best start would be returning to the Ford dealer for the issue to be resolved under the Premium Extended Warranty. I'll book an appointment for the weekend and keep you posted.

By the way, I am guilty of having started this "Suspension" -related stream as an adjunct in the Red Battery forum.
Can someone please move the suspension postings from here to the relevant section? Sorry, but I do not know how . . .Thanks!

marvin9679

the red battery visit workshop indicator first came on during the cold months of winter and would only stay on for a couple minutes. Couple weeks ago it came back on along with a bunch of other indicators including SRS and the radio would no longer function. I replaced the front battery then replaced the rear batteryand still within a few days came back on and started getting noise from the alternator. The dealership replace the alternator. Then this morning all the lights are back on again, radios no longer functioning again power steering is gone even the window won't roll back up.now the car is back at the dealership for the weekend. Anybody have any clue on this Thanks

coned

I replace the axilary back up battery. The low battery light is still on and will not go out. I also check the positive wire and I'm not getting no reading. what can it be?

doug brewer

I just replaced the auxiliary battery under the hood in my 2005 with a GTX-14BS and its back working fine. Got the battery from Auto-zone for1/2 of what Mercedes stealers want. Red warning now gone, make sure you disconnect the main battery negative in the trunk first then the neg on aux battery and reverse the procedure putting it back. aux hooked up then the main battery.

Gersh320

I replaced my aux battery about 3 years ago. I went with the aftermarket battery instead of the dealer one for price reasons. My original battery lasted 8 years!!! The replacement battery is already showing signs of leaking and oxidation on the contacts. It still works but the fumes go directly into the filter and into the cabin. Assuming you aren't using charcoal filters and an aftermarket battery, you may be getting battery fumes in the cabin.
I will replace my aux battery by year's end with an original.
The main battery lasted 10 years!!! I did replace it last year with an original Mercedes battery.

vettdvr

Did you have a AGM replacement or a wet cell replacement. Both are in the same size for the MB. If what you bought DID NOT SAY AGM ON IT, it isn't agm and you can have the issues you are seeing.

carlsbadbill

Update as of September 2014.....the Red battery picture (visit workshop)..... In my 2005 e320 cdi the problem was indeed the aux battery under the hood (passenger side under the cabin filter where the sticker says "battery in trunk"). Current price at WalMart for this exact size was $75. BatteriesPlus had one with higher CCA for exactly the same price less 10% if you print off their coupon. The key to my battery size is 14-bs.

The new terminals have small nuts that have the same thread as the original cable ends so it was fairly easy.....I did have to shim them up with a toothpick just to get the threads to engage, then remove the shims. I used the old red plastic cover over the Positive terminal. I did not remove the main battery ground cable before doing the job; I used a leather work glove to protect the Positive cable so as not to short it to ground. When I started the car the Red battery light was gone and no resets were necessary since I had not disconnected the main battery ground. If you do it this way, make sure you do not ground (short) the Positive cable!

My original battery was Fiamm and it lasted exactly 10 years because I picked my American car up at the factory in Germany in September 2004.

NCBenzUser

My father has an '05 E320 CDI with the same red battery message. The main battery in the trunk was replaced last year and the auxiliary battery was replaced about 2 year ago.

This message only appears after the car has been driven and then parked for a short while. The message appears and the engine does not turn over. The problem is caused by something getting warm and then not allowing for the engine to start. Once cooled, after several hours, it starts fine.

Does anyone have an idea of where the problem could be? I did suggest that he take it to someone that can read the codes... but that's not been done yet.

Thanks in advance, Marc.

konigstiger

The message appears, if the battery control module is defective, the alternator, the additional battery relay or the additional battery are defective - pull fault code(s).

NCBenzUser

I wholeheartedly agree, need the codes. If he doesn't get them before Christmas, I will find someone that can get them after I arrive for a visit on the 26th.

Anyone know of a good shop in the Ft. Lauderdale area?

Thanks.

wjcandee

There is no reason to do that, unless you want to keep the dealership nice and shiny.

A great value on a high-quality AGM AUX battery for the W211 is the Yuasa, which you can get from Amazon for $70 and free prime shipping.
Be sure you get it FROM Amazon and not just AT Amazon, because you maximize your chances of getting a nice fresh authentic Yuasa battery. The install instructions for the W211 are set forth in a review about 4 down in the reviews when ordered by helpfulness.

A great value on a high-quality MAIN battery, AGM, is also available on Amazon, the AC/Delco Group 49 Professional AGM Battery with a 3-year full-replacement warranty for $145 with free prime shipping.
It's such a good deal that Amazon has trouble keeping them in stock, but they get new ones at least once a week. It will say "1-2 months" or "more on the way" for a couple of days, and then they will be back in stock.

If you want someone to install the main battery for free, go to Advance Auto Parts and get this one: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/a...?searchTerm=h8

You can alwys find a coupon for 10-15 percent or more off on their web site, so that battery, installed, is also a good deal. They will test your existing battery free with a Midtronics tester, which is the one Mercedes recommends.

Gersh320

Shoot, I think it's a wet cell! I started getting the battery message again a few months ago. I can, and will get the original Fiamm battery. I can get it for under $100. I'll let you know if the message goes away.

wjcandee

I totally disagree that you need an AGM battery in there or it's going to set off the workshop light. Thousands and thousands of w 211 drivers have non AGM replacements with no issues. All you need is a 14-bs battery in there.

Now, that said, there are a lot of reasons why the AGM battery is worth the extra couple of bucks. One of these is its resistance to vibration and the fact that it can be turned all sorts of ways without spilling or messing up, and perhaps better performance in adverse conditions. Also, it doesn't emit hydrogen because it's a VRLA battery, and it won't leak anything unless it's about to explode. You can see terminal corrosion on an AGM battery just like on a regular battery. Using a corrosion inhibitor on installation will fix that.

Having said that the AGM battery is worth it, the Stealer one isn't. You do nothing but waste money by buying the original equipment Fiamm battery. The Yuasa is available on Amazon ytx14-bs, which, if you buy it from Amazon and not a marketplace vendor, is the best battery in that size. I myself bought the Yuasa and am completely satisfied, and installed it myself following the instructions here and in the Amazon reviews.

But before you spend any money at all, pull that battery that you have in there out, clean it and the contacts with a good corrosion-remover spray (CRC is one), let it dry, and throw it on the 2 amp setting on an automatic charger and charge it fully. Then put some corrosion inhibitor on it before reinstalling. Most people don't properly charge the battery before installing it, and the car doesn't put a lot of juice on it during normal service. Charge it completely, put it back in, and that may solve your problem. Good luck!

vettdvr

Your can won't know the difference in a electron out of a AGM or wet cell if it has the correct amount of volts and amps. However some battery cases are more likely to vent gasses or leak. This does make a difference. A sealed AGM is less likely to leak or off gas for problems.

Electrically both can work.

wjcandee

Exactly.

Well and succinctly said.