koojo

The other day the car wouldn't start in the morning. It tried to turn over a couple times for about half a second, and then it stopped. All the lights and radio worked. I jumped started it right away and then drove it home. The next morning it started, but hesitated just a bit, so I knew something was up. I drove to work and after about 8 hours, it wouldn't start again. Had to get it jumped for a second time. I called the dealership to pick the car up from my house tomorrow and fix it. What a PITA.

iewoals

Is the battery dead? I ask because you said you had to jump start it.

koojo

Is seems to me that the battery isn't keeping charge. I just started the car and it started after some hesitation.

iewoals

Maybe your alternator is dead? Might explain the lack of charging. But that shouldn't go so early. Did you drive far to work?

MBRedux

Battery is going....

NYCGLK

I take very short trips, 4 miles at a time, which prolly doesn't allow battery to fully charge. However, haven't had to jump start the car yet. Last time I took my car for 20K service my dealer told me that they had to charge the battery.

Let us know how it goes.

koojo

I got a call from the MB service shop today and they said it's not the battery. They put a new one in and it still did the same thing. They said the mechanic thinks it might be the alternator (which really doesn't make much sense anyway, since it wouldnt start with a new battery). He said they had a bunch of codes that showed up and they're working through them. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more answers.

MKenM

With today's modern technology you would think the computers would not only give you a code but it would tell you what the code meant and what the remedy action should be. So much for technology.

bop11

Please list the year and millage of your GLK.
Many things cause "no start conditions"
Replacement of the battery should rule the battery out and also the alternator charge as the new battery should have many "starts" in it.
The alternator could have a bad diode, and thus discharge the battery when it is not working. Should be an easy diagnose. Put an amp meter on the main and secondary positive leads and check for current flow with systems off.
If older car with many starts, the starter motor would be next suspect.
Turn on the headlights and try to start. If the headlights dim but engine doesn't crank, the starter could be shorted. If lights don't dim but still no start, starter could be open. Starters usually fail with intermittent starts. This should not throw a lot of codes unless it is shorted. If the battery is pulled low by a shorted starter, all sorts of miscellaneous codes will be thrown. Especially, for some reason, a low battery throws a transmission fault.
Neutral/park switch is next "no start" failure. Usually will not throw codes. Wiggle gear shift while trying to start.
Next is the key fob battery. If this is an older truck, a low battery in the key will cause the security not to be recognized. However, again this does not usually throw a lot of codes, unless you have not serviced the car regularly and the codes are from something else.
Same with ignition switch, start relay.
Dealer should be able to tell with signal tracing, why starter is not getting energize signal
Bad sun-roof drains or hood cowl drains can also cause a condition of "no start" due to accumulation of water around the computer connections. This thing has several computers and corrosion on the connectors will screw the system.

koojo

They called back and said it was ready. They said it was the battery ..

MBRedux

Called it... But so typical to call and say it isn't, then say it is.... These service writers can be more fun than a barrel of monkeys at times!

koojo

Yeah the paperwork says the battery wouldn't hold charge. So far it starts fine, so we'll see over the next few days.

topofminehill

My GLK350 battery went dead at 469 miles. Cells not holding a charge. MB replaced the battery. I would not put much faith in thier batteries and may upgrade to a good and more powerfull american built unit. It is bad enough that there is a constant drain from the electronics at all times.
I have anouther MB (pictured below) which I do not drive constantly and must keep a battery maintainer on it through the fall/winter months. Nothing worse than getting locked out of your own vehicle.

koojo

I'm going to suck everything out of that warranty until it expires.

venchka

Take it out this weekend and drive it. A lot. My 12 & 8 year old cars from the maker up north of the GLK factory are routinely driven on 250 mile days. Exercise is good for cars. I should do the same for my "mechanical systems."

MKenM

Your dead battery is just a fluke that happens rarely. Don't loose faith. Unless there is a problem with the charging system you should not see that happen anytime soon. And , if you had a charging problem your car would throw codes that would be apparent to the MB mechanic.

As far as rarely driven vehicles this is very typical you will always have to keep a trickle charger on the car to maintain the battery. If you look at my friends on the Corvette blog you will see that is the normal not the exception. Your MB must be a garage Queen. Nothing wrong with that.

Enjoy your GLK.

VladiBuddy

My glk350 purchased 2010 , in 2012 would not start , dealer replaced batterie under warrantee, dealer convinced me it was a faulty battery , 2 years later in 2014 , my GLK 350 would not start again , took it to same dealer , same story - "faulty battery" , well I got very pissed with the dealer "fletcher jones of Newport Beach " . My question is how many faulty batteries do I have to try out before getting a good one from MB ? I had 7 cars in my life BMW 525 , and 740 , Saab , Jeep , MB c240 , etc, etc, battery in all cases lasted 5-7 years . Fletcher Jones is using same phrase - "the battery could last one year or up to 4 " . I have taken my car to batteries plus , they specialize in all kinds of batteries . The test on the batterie showed it was at 37% , the voltage on engine off was 12.3 V rather low , but when we ran diognostics for alternator , diodes , everything looked ok, 32-33 amps output from alternator . But one time the measurement showed low output from alternator . Also the voltage was flactuaring from 14.1 - 13 in the beginning before it stabilized at 13.6 - 13.7v .
But according to battery specialist ( who could sell me this battery) there is nothing wrong with it. MB wants to charge me 350$ ( no warranty on my vehicle ) to replace 2nd faulty battery within 4 years , but my perception is that it's not my fault that I'm always getting faulty batteries . So what's my options here ?

bugelrex

$350 for battery? A large chunk of that is installation right?

Someone mentioned the cheapest way to get a battery replaced is to call roadside assistance and they install the new battery for free, you just pay for the battery?

keith9681

My car has been sitting in the garage for a few months and will not start. It will crank and the battery seems to be charged. It is my wife car but i bought her a new car so this one has been sitting. We drove it a few months ago and when it started it had a hesitation.

mjhawkins2346

A battery that's been sitting a few minutes with no draw should be around 12.6 volts or a little bit North of that. 12.3 volts is around a half charge.
The GLK, and most Mercedes use an AGM battery which is sealed and has a low amount of acid in a mat wrapped around the plates. They usually last a long time. My '10 GLK has the original battery still in it and I get it checked at an Interstate store with a load test and it still comes up good. BTW, they charge around $180 or so for one of these and they take less than 15 minutes to change. Interstate does it for free.