starbrite

Even cheaper to do it yourself.....takes all of 5 min. Less than $200 at most auto parts stores.

kajtek1

There is legal trick with MB road side assistance.
When you qualify - it is free and they will come to whenever you are.
If you take the car to stealer- they don't do service for free ,but I heard stories that FRIENDLY SA called roadside assistance on dealer lot and they did it for free.
Than even MB batteries are top-quality, they come with only 2 years warranty, while cheaper batteries from PepBoys have 90 months warranty.

Jason B

Here you go. Looks like you want AGM, since that's what the factory is:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/duracel...prod3590267.ip
$119


Specifications
Battery Electrolyte Composition:Acid
Battery End Type:Top Post
Battery Purpose:Starting Lighting Instrumentation
BCI Group Size:49
CA at 32 degrees F:1105
CCA at 0 degrees F:900
DIN code:H8/L5
Freight Class:65
Polarity:Right Positive
Reserve Capacity:185
Terminal TypeIN/SAE
Volts:12

OR
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/auto-gr...uestid=4375412
$169


Specifications
20 amp hour rate:92
Battery Electrolyte Composition:Glass Mat
Battery End Type:Top Post
Battery Purpose:Starting Lighting Instrumentation
BCI Group Size:49
CA at 32 degrees F:975
CCA at 0 degrees F:850
DIN code:H8/L5
Freight Class:65
Polarity:Right Positive
Reserve Capacity:170
Terminal TypeIN
Volts:12

Critter

Second one AGM as long as the CCA is high enough, I prefer 800+CCA. If your getting rid of the car soon, anything that starts it 650CCA. Not sure about all benz, but ours are power hogs. FYI I run a 1000CCA in the winter car- Tiburon, Optima red top, -45C fires right up. Benz is sleeping long before that. Interstate AGM in both.(pricey)

wjcandee

There have been a million posts on batteries.

You want a Group 49 or H8 or L5 (they are the same size) battery.

You don't need AGM, but it's safer and handles deep-discharge better, so get it.

Advance Auto Parts has an H8 Platinum AGM battery that is affordable if you take all the online discounts and pick it up at the store. They will install it for free. BE SURE to check for coupons and discount codes on the web site, also at retailmenot.com, because you can often cut $50 off the price of the battery just by entering codes and buying online then going to the store to pick it up or have it installed. http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/a...searchTerm=h8#

Pep Boys has a Bosch AGM battery that is also affordable if you order online and take all the coupons and discounts. https://www.pepboys.com/product/deta...05.0L%2520SOHC

Amazon has an AC/Delco Professional Series Group 49 that used to be a best-buy, but fluctuates in price a lot. Right now it's $156.
Rural King had a top of the line Exide Edge under their own brand name for like $139, which was probably the greatest deal ever, but which now seems to have disappeared from their web site. If they have it, it's a good deal. They sell the Exide-label Edge for $219, which is what everyone else gets.

Sears Die-Hard Advanced Gold is also a good AGM battery. http://www.sears.com/diehard-advance...=xsite_DieHard

Any of these will work perfectly in your car. Anything persnickety that anyone says about one over the other is just silly. Charge it fully regardless of what the store says about it being "fully charged". It almost always isn't. Top it off with an occasional full charge a couple of times a year, and that will do more than anything to maintain its life.

N_Jay

All good advice, but no need to "top up" unless the car sits for long periods.

Jason B

I like going to Sam's club for batteries because they offer 3 year free replacement also.

cetialpha5

They pretty much all do that. Only difference is that Advance Auto's AGM battery works out to a little bit less once you use their coupon code. Plus they will also install for free.

Jason B

Good information, thanks. Sam's will also install for free.

a100steaksauce

i replaced mine with the AC/DELCO 49AGM

PERFECT

wjcandee

For those members that like Sam's Club, this battery will be the right size AGM battery to replace the AUX battery: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/energiz....ip?navAction=

I am still incredibly fond of this Yuasa AGM battery which is available at a good price at Amazon for replacing the AUX. Yuasa batteries are top-of-the-line (If you buy it, buy ONLY the one that is sold and shipped by amazon.com, not a marketplace seller, to avoid counterfeits and fakes.)

wjcandee

Excellent choice!

yikes

my main battery has finally stopped holding a charge. I read the threads and I'm a bit confuse about agm vs conventional batteries.

I was under the impression that agm didn't require any venting whereas conventional does. now every ad I see I amazon that is an agm type battery still says.....BATTERY IS VENTED OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE

it seems both type of battery require venting to the outside

can someone that understand this explain it to me......

thanks

Jason B

You want AGM for this car. Also, AGM is what Mercedes puts in it from the factory due to the robust difference vs a standard flooded battery. Get the AGM.


AGM technology became popular in the early 1980s as a sealed lead acid battery for military aircraft, vehicles and UPS to reduce weight and improve reliability. The sulfuric acid is absorbed by a very fine fiberglass mat, making the battery spill-proof. This enables shipment without hazardous material restrictions. The plates can be made flat to resemble a standard flooded lead acid pack in a rectangular case; they can also be wound into a cylindrical cell.

AGM has very low internal resistance, is capable to deliver high currents on demand and offers a relatively long service life, even when deep cycled. AGM is maintenance free, provides good electrical reliability and is lighter than the flooded lead acid type. While regular lead acid batteries need a topping charge every six months to prevent the buildup of sulfation, AGM batteries are less prone to sulfation and can sit in storage for longer before a charge becomes necessary. The battery stands up well to low temperatures and has a low self-discharge.

The leading advantages of AGM are a charge that is up to five times faster than the flooded version, and the ability to deep cycle. AGM offers a depth-of-discharge of 80 percent; the flooded, on the other hand, is specified at 50 percent DoD to attain the same cycle life. The negatives are slightly lower specific energy and higher manufacturing costs than the flooded.

Most AGM batteries are mid-sized and range from 30 to 100Ah. They are commonly built to size and are found in high-end vehicles to run power-hungry accessories such as heated seats, steering wheels, mirrors and windshields. NASCAR and other auto racing leagues choose AGM products because they are vibration resistant.

AGM is the preferred battery for upscale motorcycles. Being sealed, AGM reduces acid spilling in an accident, lowers the weight for the same performance and allows installation at odd angles. Because of good performance at cold temperatures, AGM batteries are also used for marine, motor home and robotic applications.

AGM is making inroads into the start-stop function of cars. The classic flooded type is simply not robust enough and repeated cycling causes a sharp capacity fade after only two years of use.

yikes

thanks for the reply.....

about the venting...is the oem battery vented already?

since it seems all the agm batteries require some venting.....is there anything I need to do when I replace the battery or is it a straight swap out?

thanks again

Jason B

AGM's are sealed. No worries. Swap.

wjcandee

I have done it on one car and had it done professionally on the other, so I know. The OEM battery installed in the car had/has a hose attached to it to vent it overboard.

My understanding is that earlier versions of this car that had the battery in the trunk did NOT use an AGM battery, so all the voodoo on the site about AGM vs sealed-non-AGM is basically BS. However, the AGM will be marginally-safer because it recycles the hydrogen, and it is much better at recovering after a deep discharge. It's a better technology and there are great deals out there on AGM batteries, so that's what I would get. Right now, I have been running a DieHard Gold in the trunk, non-AGM, and it has done great for 3 years so far. But when I replace it, it will be with an AGM.

The appropriate AGM battery and appropriate sealed non-AGM battery are installed basically the same (and look similar). On both, you connect the vent hose in the trunk (which you will find attached to your old battery) to the little hole on one side of the battery, and plug up the other with either the plug they give you or the plug from the old battery. Something like the DieHard Gold or the WalMart Everstart Maxx, which are non-AGM sealed batteries, technically might vent a bit, but generally will only exhale anything when/if they really blow, and that's what the hose is for. Same with the AGM. The AGM generally recycles absolutely-all of the hydrogen produced back into water within the casing, but you attach the hose just the same because it still has a pressure relief valve inside that will exhale into the hose if it blows. Very unlikely in both cases, but that notation in the Amazon thing is correct.

It's an absolute straight swap. Very easy. Hardest things (and they are not that hard) are undoing the strap on the old battery and, for folks who aren't too strong, hefting the old one out and putting the new one in. Easy enough for me, but my elderly parents wouldn't be able to do it.

The AC/Delco AGM one on Amazon is a good deal. So is the new WalMart Platinum AGM one, which is about $10 cheaper, but may be in short supply. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Platinum-E...ttery/40647529 The WalMart web site is screwy about inventory of these, so I would call the store and check. Size H8 is what you want. Group 49 is the other name for that size, and is how you find the one on Amazon.
The Advance Auto Parts platinum AGM one is price-competitive IF (and only if) you order online for pickup at the store before going to the store, using every coupon you can find (check retailmenot and/or the Advance Web Site for codes you can enter to massively reduce the price of their stuff), and it is an excellent AGM battery. That's what I have in our ML350. Advance in most cases will put it in for free. So will WalMart.

WalMart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Platinum-E...ttery/40647529

Advance: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/a...erm=h8+battery

Amazon:
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

cetialpha5

There's no question that AGM is the way to go. I like to save a few dollars here and there, but the difference between lead acid and AGM is that the terminals on the AGM won't corrode like a flooded battery will because the flooded battery will vent hydrogen gas. The 8+ year old agm battery in my car still has terminals that look brand new. The terminals in my other car with a regular flooded battery ends up getting corrosion after a year or so. Not that big a deal as that one is in the front and it just goes out the bottom, but with the Mercedes battery in the trunk, that would be a bit of a mess to clean out. AGM is also supposed to last longer so the extra cost would be made up from not having to replace it as often, but I guess that all depends on how long you intend to keep the car.

N_Jay

9+ years and going strong on the original AGM MB battery in my 12-06 (originally sold) '07 E350.

kajtek1

You should get vented battery for those cars, with hose that will vent the gas outside.
If you fit wrong battery, than you are in troubles.
Read what AMG batteries were made for. The car application does not warrant using them and sadly with much higher prices they seem to last shorter than flooded battery.
We had MB flooded battery lasting 13 years in Mclass. There is member with 17 years old W210 and factory battery in it.
The 9 years old AMG is the longest living I heard about.

Long Islander

Just before my warranty ran out in 2012, the MB dealer replaced the original battery with a new one which was AGM. And yes, it was vented to the outside just like the original.

kajtek1

So your AGM lasted only 3-4 years?
Definitely not something I would like to experience.

bnam

My original Aug '07 battery is still running in my E280CDI -- more than 8.5 years so far. Am expecting to need to replace it in another 6-12mos and am budgeting for that. But, I am impressed with the long life.

Heatwave

My wife's '07 E350 has the original Varta battery that was installed at the factory. I check the voltage occasionally; it shows about 12.3-12.4 V and 806 CCA (should be 850). I'm going to replace this battery the first of next month. While it seems to work OK right now, I don't want wife to get stranded somewhere because of a 10-year old battery. I'll have the dealership install a new MB battery. I could save money doing it myself, but ... hey ... the dealership throws in nice pastries, Keurig coffee, and a free carwash.

cetialpha5

How much will it be at the dealership? Advance Auto sells an AGM with 900 CCA for $196 now and will install for free. With the code TRT30 which takes off $50, it'd be $146. I'm going to guess the dealership is around $300 or so. My dealership now does free breakfast/lunch. But I still think I'm going to take it to Advance Auto when it needs it.