mis3

My 2004 CLK320 is 6 years old. The car is running great but I am thinking to change the battery. I was told that a typical car battery lasts about 7 years.

Is it important to get OE battery?
In Toronto, OE battery costs $270 CAN while a non-OE battery costs $100.

quaalude

I would wait until your battery takes a dump first. No need in wasting money when it is not needed.

M-bENZ

Dont fix if it aint broke.

Andy

mis3

I was thinking now that the battery is older, it might be weaker and the other charging components may have to work harder to compensate.

Now, if you have to change the battery, would you go OE or non-OE, considering the vast price difference ($240 vs $200)?

Boulder GT3

I'm not sure I agree. Most new cars are very power thirsty and the batteries when they die can go from on to off as opposed to a slow death.

At 5+ yrs I'd probably ditch it and salute it's years of good service.

I go out of my way to avoid dead batteries.

gary1944

Just replaced mine at 6 years old...went for an aftermarket battery (Sears) and saved over a $100 . Same specs, better warranty. This is a no brainer.

FastDonzi

i was thinking of getting a new one as well. my car is 7 years old now. I'm sure the battery is original. i bought the car CPO @ 26K miles.I'm sure they didn't put a new battery in it.it's not showing any signs of failure, but like someone else said.don't want to get stuck somewhere and then do it.anyone get a price from the dealer?

mis3

Do you happen to know the specs?

I went to local Canadian Tire and the computer recommended this battery: Eliminator ELM 49 850 Prod 104900.0. Unfortunately, I cannot find any info on this battery on the net.

mis3

Discussed this (OE or non-OE) with my MB service adviser, he said MB batteries are a lot better than those 3rd-party ones. He said you get what you pay for.

paul65k

Man that's a surprise......someone getting a commission advising to buy what he is selling vs. an alternative....Now that's objective!

Sorry for the terse reply it is NOT meant to offend but as MB does NOT manufacture batteries and batteries are built to a certain spec eg. CCA's as well as a few others I think the real difference is the warranty you get as well as the reliability of the supplier! Interstate and Die Hard batteries are every bit as good as the OEM and in many cases are manufactured by the same 3rd party suppliers that build for the Auto Builders!

mis3

How about the size? If I go for non-OE, will it fit perfectly? I would not want it to rattle in the engine compartment.

paul65k

As long as you get the PROPER group size and not just one that they say will fit you will be just fine.

In my case I got an interstate replacement over 4 years ago and installed it myself in a 2000 CLK 430. Everything lined up perfectly and it clamped into the same place. I saved about 50% at the time and I got a better warranty. I have had ZERO issues in 4 years.

mis3

I called the local retail store and the Interstate battery (MTP93) costs $190 CAN.

So, this is cheaper than OE by only $80.

paul65k

I think that the cost delta might be a little higher down here in the "Lower 48".....but the warranty and coverage is also something to consider with Interstate or even another like Sears Die-Hard. I seem to remember getting a 72 month pro-rated warranty with the first 3 years at 100%, so even if the cost were the same the value is higher in my opinion based on the coverage.

Not sure how it is in Canada but the dealer also wanted $125 here in CA just to install their battery.....which was crazy to me but then again so is anything that is not covered under factory warranty when the dealer quotes a price.