painguy

car will not start due to bad starter battery can i use an after market one? if so whats the size and cold cranks?

SL4Life

I don't think you'll find one that fits. I've tried.

vtvette

Seems no one has found a starter battery for the R230. Out of curiosity I plugged in a 2004 SL500 into Interstate batteries application locator on their website. They state the following battery fits the R230:

Interstate Part Number: MT5 AGM

Height: 7.50 Inches
Length: 11.00 Inches
Width: 6.94 Inches

They do not state if this is a replacement for the Starter battery or, the Accessory battery. IIRC the starter battery is fairly small compared to a conventional battery so, this may be worth looking into.

SL4Life

For about $125 bucks better to keep it oem. The electrical system is too sensitive to be screwing around with!

vlc7

Both batteries went bad in my 2008 SL550 recently. My local shop could not find an aftermarket battery for the front battery and replaced it with an OEM battery ordered in from a MB dealer. He replaced the rear battery with the Interstate AGM battery they recommended. It failed within weeks (would not pass the load test at the MB dealership). The MB service rep said the Interstate battery had much lower capacity than recommended by MB and replaced it with an OEM battery. So far, no more problems although it has only been a couple of weeks. If you can get batteries for $125 your dealer is much friendlier than mine. Mine were MUCH more than that! Vic

Peanut3

Has anyone called 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES?
They supposedly come to your house, no delivery fee, installation fee, nothing other than the price of the battery . I do not know their pricing for battery.

B-tsai

See my post from before.. might help you get a better price.

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...they-last.html

fxrs1955

I called MB roadside,they were at my car in 15-20 minutes. Replaced the starter battery and checked the trunk battery and charging system. 215.00. I was impressed with the service.

kill_bill

I have a dead front battery and I am stuck 1000 miles from home. I called the nearest dealer, which is 70 miles from me, and they don't even have a battery. They also want 225 dollars for just the battery. Please post the phone # for the roadside assistance. Thanks

pdjv

Been there done that. You're outside the nearest dealer's response zone. All roadside assistance will do is send out a third party responder who will flatbed your car to the dealer. Good luck.

threeMBs

1-800-FOR-MERCEDES (1-800-367-6372). Press 1 for Roadside Assistance

B1LL

Starter battery just died in my 2003 SL500, so I did a quick search and found this recent thread. I'm posting to confirm that the best way to replace this unusual hard-to-find battery seems to be MB Roadside Assistance (if it's available in your area).

I called and they were at my house in 10 minutes with a new OEM battery. He tested both my batteries and only the starter battery was bad (its about 5 years old). No labor charge and the price (with 2-year warranty) was $209 including Florida tax.

I currently have 2 MBs and had 2 before these, but this is the first time I've used Roadside Assistance.

There's no end to complaints about the high cost of MB dealer service, but I highly commend MB for their terrific and very reasonable Roadside Assistance.

dgschroeder

who do you think MB gets there batteries from the battery fairy?????

cadbob

LOL So true! Mercedes doesn't Manufacture Batteries!

But I have a Interstate AGM in Rear and couldn't be happier. The front starter Battery is not AGM as its only purpose is for Starting, the rear takes the beating with the current draw.

F1BHP

I went duel lithium batteries in the trunk and saved about 80lb, not very cost effective but a great performance mod.

lawrence99

do you have the source and part # of the batteries you got?

F1BHP

It was Voltphreaks, I don't have the part numbers to hand, call them and tell them the guy with the sl600 in England sent you and they should be able to help.

If that doesn't work pm me and I will look it up.

bb88

My shop just remove the original battery mount and fit in an universal aftermarket one for less than 100 bucks.....of course you have to put some absorber such as cardboard paper or plastic bubbles around the battery to well secure the battery in place

Bitbytr

Quick line of thanks to you all: car was (badly) misbehaving resulting in the dashboard looking like a manic Christmas tree with all the lights.

First off, the engine started to misfire horribly. Check engine alit -- the whole car shuddering. Stopped and parked it and when re-started she was fine! However, the car was hot and the engine wouldn't hardly turn over when starting. Still, she was running and no lights on the dashboard. Then it happened a couple of days later.

This time she wouldn't start and the electronic door opening failed. Key in the dashboard got her lit up but with lights flashing, clock hosed, warnings about missing third stop light, battery/alternator failures (hint: this was the key). These machines are expensive to repair and I was getting seriously concerned. Then -- THIS blog. I found out several things from you lot!

• Batteries are not meant to last but maybe 3 -- 4 years in Florida heat. Mine was nine years old.
  
• That a battery can be fine one day and die the following. The deterioration is very rapid when it happens.
  
• The front battery is simply for starting the car.
  
• The rear for all the "consumables" (i.e. the entire rest of the electronic system that can and will induce misfiring). This may also induce erratic behaviour when it starts to go south.
  
• It is (very) unwise to use a non-OEM battery. They have different resistances and the electronics will pick that up and misbehave (or, possibly worse in that the systems maybe damaged by an aftermarket battery. Pep-Boys are NOT Mercedes engineers or mechanics).
  
• There is a number to call for ANY MB owner - -whether or not the car is in warranty.
  
• That a battery replacement from the roving Merc technician for Roadside service is CHEAPER than at the MB store.
  
• Despite all the electronic systems going askew, the only thing that didn't sort itself out was the dashboard clock. And I've never been able to successfully sync that with the head unit anyway. PITA

I paid $210.34 inclusive for a new battery for the 2007 SL550, installed, tax and old cell recycling.

Boom! *drops mike*

Thanks again to everyone that contributed to this and my ultimate successful day!

Cheers.

Tommyboy928

For starting batteri, can use basicly whats fit there.. on my older SL55 i put small Opel batteri with even lower start power, and worked perfect. this is 6 years ago,, and the owner now ,still use. this front batteri is only for start.

sgort2

Tommyboy928 - do you have the part number of the Opel battery that you installed?

wmmorrell

sgort2,

I used this one from O'Reilly Auto Parts and have had no issues. Super Start Extreme Group SIze V4 Part # V4EXTJ Line: SSB

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b...nz/sl500?pos=1

Bhopkins

This is the same battery the prior owner put in my SL550 only a few months before I bought it. Almost 9 months now and no issues. I can't speak what the MB OEM battery looks like under the hood, but this one looks like it belongs.

brianashe

Short version: MB Roadside Assistance = free, professional installation of an OEM battery in my driveway, and all I had to do was pay for the battery itself, which was cheaper than the MB parts guy told me it would be in the first place.

Long version: About the car: I just got a 2003 SL500 (my first MB) about 6 months ago. 40k miles, dealer serviced for most of its life (~25k miles) under the original owner, but under the second owner (2016-2018, ~15k miles), it had no service recorded. So it's mostly good but I figured I'd be in for some surprises. Happily, I've had very few problems with it. Carfax for the car says "battery replaced" at the dealer (MB Palm Beach) in 2016 but I don't know if that was the starter battery or service battery. The battery under the hood is an MB part, the one in the trunk isn't. I assume the one in the trunk is from the second owner.

I've had no problems starting it since I bought it. I went on vacation for 3 weeks in June/July, came home, and it started right up. We've had lots of rain here (Florida) all summer and the trunk seal leaks, so I'm only driving it about once a week. I drove it one Saturday and it was fine. I went to drive it a week later (1 week ago now) and it wouldn't start. When I turned the key I'd get a click but nothing else. I tried to jump it and it would chug weakly once but not enough to start it. So I started researching my options and along the way I found this page. Here's what I found and what I did:

• Dealer quote (MB South Orlando, about 20 minutes away): battery was about $250 (after core return, plus tax) and $185 for 1 hour of labor to install. Total, about $435. (And it took a few phone calls and transfers to figure that out. Hard to reach a service advisor there.)
• Indie shop about 45 minutes away that a friend recommended: $220 or $250 (I forget which) for (I assume) a 3rd-party battery, installed.

For either of those, I would have had to try jumping it again, or call AAA for a jump, and then as soon as it was running, go to the shop, and then wait and hope for the best. Dealer is expensive but open until 9; indie is cheaper but far away and only open until 5.

I had already read this thread once so after the other calls, I called MB Roadside Assistance, and wow, am I glad I did. I have no idea how this works because I bought this car used 6 months ago and I have not signed up or paid for roadside assistance but somehow I was eligible. 2 hours later (around 6pm) a guy from the dealer was in my driveway, testing both batteries, and he replaced the one under the hood. (He said he's worked at MB for 7 years but he thought the battery under the hood was the service battery and the one in the trunk was the starter battery, but I've heard the opposite, so.....? ) Anyway, I forget the details, but he used his meter to check both batteries, put jump packs onto both, and it started, but after driving around the block for 3 minutes and parking, it wouldn't start up again. So I told him yes, I'd be willing to pay for a new battery (which I had been expecting to do all along) and long story short (too late) my SL has a new battery under the hood for $222, AND the installation was free, AND I didn't have to drive an hour or more in the heat and traffic and sit in the shop. I called at around 4pm, the guy got here around 6, and everything -- the tests, the charging, the test drive, the replacement, and another test start/stop/start -- was done in about an hour.

This all happened yesterday, and I've only driven it once (immediately after the installation) so I'll post here again if I have any problems, but for now I'm as happy as can be. I sound like a commercial but it's true: I saved money and time and hassle, and I couldn't be happier. (And I still don't even know how it happened. According to this, I'd be eligible, but only if I was the original owner: http://www.mercedesroadside.com/road...-coverage.html )

Rudeney

Roadside Assist is only "free for life" to the original purchaser. Subsequent owners can qualify for 12 months of free Roadside Assist as long as they take the car in for service at an authorized dealer. So, if you have your car serviced by the dealer at least once a year - and that's any service - repair, maintenance, oil change - then you'll have free Roadside Assist. Also, if you subscribe to TeleAid/mBrace, then you get it as will (that would not apply to you as your car is too old and support for its analog cellular system was sunset years ago).

Having said that, some dealers, at their discretion, will provide free Roadside Assist for battery replacement only. As long as you buy a battery from the tech, then there are no other charges for labor or dispatch. If your dealer does that, then it's probably the best way to get a battery.