vettdvr

You are correct if the main battery was disconnected the owners manual will give details on what and how to reset.

007_e350

Done! made no difference ... What I didn't uinderstand, last night it gave me Low Battery msg when the battery read 12.7 on the dyno mode screen... It disappeared after 5 mins of driving..

vettdvr

I know this is going to sound hokey but given all what you have done it really sounds like a weak main battery. Given it goes away after 5 minutes and all is working. Consider driving it for a while to cycle the main battery.


From what I understand you have a NEW Gel Cell OEM battery from the dealer. Consider taking the car to autozone and let them do a load test in the car on the main battery. If it states needs recharging and your low bat message is off when you drive in this would still steer me to the main battery not having the reserve capacity necessary for the car.

Remember "new battery" doesn't necessarily mean "Good Battery" every company makes a few defects.

007_e350

Dealer called today when I pushed him to leave the park lights on for 5 mins then turn the car up & "low volt conv featurees unavail" would pop up --- so it did, he said the car's drawing INTERMITTENTLY 3 Amps form the front SAM ---- would be a 1000 bucks to replace it

Diesel Benz

Do you mean the front SAM was consuming 3 Amps, not any device connected to the front SAM? But intermittent 3 Amps would not fire low battery, nor parking lights if only used for 5 minutes, one or the other must be active longer if the battery was good and well charged before this.

I guess the front SAM can be faulty, I've heard of several cases where the rear SAM has failed from a wrong jump-start.

007_e350

But I've never jump started the car... stealer says 3 Amp was a spike lasting abt 2 mins and recurring every 15 - 25 mins..

claudef

I have a 2003 E500 and had that red warning pop up recently. I wanted to share with others what was done and how it was fixed using feedback from thsi forum.

I looked at my auxiliary battery it was manufactured 48 week of 2002. Rear battery is also old (original), however I decided to only change the auxiliary battery.

Best place I found was Walmart. Got the Everstart ES 14-BS AGM for $68.99 (plus $9.00 core charge) (Same size)

Changing out the battery took less than 10 minutes. What took longer is prepping the new battery.

The ES 14-BS AGM need to have electrolyte added (comes with the battery)
Once added, it needs to "rest" for about 1 hour. After 1 hour, the battery can be sealed with the provided plugs.
Then it needs to be slow charged (at 2A) for 3-5 hours.

After that, remove the air conditioning filter cover
Remove the negative connector
Remove the positive connector (make sure to isolate the plug, i did not unplug the main battery, did not want to run the risk in getting any type of error message)
Install the battery by plugging in the positive connector first, then the negative, put the filter cover back in, et voila.

The red warning is gone, no error message popping up and no reprogramming of anything.

Hope this helps others

vettdvr

Claudef expect the main battery to give a slightly different alarm. My main bat started alarming about 6 months after my aux battery did. Carquest has indentical to oem for reasonable price. Caution, don't let someone sell you conventional lead/acid vs AGM and tell you it will fit. It might "fit" but it will be the incorrect battery.

claudef

Thank you very much for your feedback. I got much life out of my current battery. 7 years. I will use your advice once it is time to replace. I am just holding until it is really necessary as I assume, a few things will need to be reset once the power is off and new battery in place

vettdvr

Correct. All the information you need is in your owners manual for changing the battery/reset of the equipment.

MB-KingOfCars

I got the red battery warning message as well, so I had the dealer test the electrical system. They said both main & aux batteries, and the alternator are fine, and that the Battery Control Module is at fault. They quoted me $600 for parts & $300 for labor, which seems quite exorbitant, considering that it doesn't seem like it'd take 2+ hours to replace the BCM.

I've got a few questions questions before I proceed with the replacement:

1. Where can I find instructions on replacing the Battery Control Module? I'm pretty sure it's quick and easy, but I would want to make sure I don't short/fry anything in the process. I ordered the Model 211 Star Service Manual Library on DVD (P-2700-211-07), will that have instructions?
2. The BCM part number has gone through several replacements: 211-540-27-45 (currently in my car) has been replaced by
   211-540-42-45, which was then replaced by
   211-540-69-45, then by
   211-540-38-45, and finally by
   211-540-86-45.
   I'm guessing that all of these are pretty much the same, except for minor tweaks, and ideally I should go for the latest part number (211-540-86-45). I've found new ones for around $370 and used ones for $250. Does anyone have any recommendations on installing used BCM's vs. new?
3. Will I have to pay a visit to the stealership to have them reset the electrical system and such? i.e. Does anything beyond the typical reset procedures in the Owner's Manual (clock, windows & sliding roof resynch, turning wheel all the way left & right) need resetting?

Thanks in advance for your response.

konigstiger

If within VIN range A014562-A418838 have dealer check VMI to see if your vehicle is included in Service Campaign 2005060008 in which case the repair is free even out of warranty. If not, up to VIN A910647 and X199558 BCM may simply need software flash after which current module becomes part 2115408645. PM email address and I will forward SC & DTB.

ginoc

Same issues here with the battery light on cluster and WOW, first post for me and already I have saved so much revenue. I did however paid $267.50 (1 hour charge for checking main and aux battery for the battery service indicator) for an oil change and diagnostics and have I read this post prior to my wife nagging me it would be just $101 for the oil change.

I tell you, this is the first time I spent any money on a stealership coz my wife was pestering me to do it asap and I am a shop owner hahahahahaLMAO. Never again.

The stealership then quoted $5,000 plus for additional recommended service needed. Yeah right(*&%!>M<?:{#@#@# 's

Thank you so much for sharing. I am going to get an AUX battery now to swap the bad one with. My fix was to yank out the AUX from my CLS and swapped it with my wifes 4matic wagn.hehehe.. I will deal with mine later.

Now my wife is a happy camper.

PN-

Hi,

Thanks for the instructions. I own a R230 SL500, and I checked that the AUX battery is 12v 35aH. Best battery down in my country is only made by Varta. Could anyone recommend me which is the exact fitment for my car ?

Thanks.

Diesel Benz

You did not seem to explain why you would be changing the battery from the engine compartment? If you are getting a red alert but your car starts OK, it likely isn't the front battery. Did you check the battery condition, front and rear?

The point is that this is a W211 thread and the R230 dual battery system is a bit different from the W211. The R230 has a starter battery at the front while the W211 does not use the front battery at all when the car is started. The front battery still serves as a reserve power source for SBC brakes.

PN-

Hi DB,

Thank you for replying and I apologize for the short post. I just changed the rear battery about 2 months ago and now I am having the red battery alert, visit workshop. I thought that it would just be a simillar case.

I will have the tech re-check the front and rear battery, I dont mind paying $200+ for a front battery, but down here for an OEM from battery they want $600+.

Should I assume that voltage wise they should be around 12.6v as per this thread for the R230 ?

Thank you.

Diesel Benz

Do you have a multimeter? I would measure the battery voltage (both batteries) while the engine is running and after the car has been parked over night before ignition is switched on).

I did not check if the R230 front battery is charged similarly as the pre-facelift W211 or if it is similar to the W211 which is using a simple relay, it could be this relay too but I assume the car is more like the W221.

vettdvr

Not on my home computer and don't have my records, but if I remember Varta is an Italian company that actually makes the MB OEM aux battery. They make many others with different brand labels.

PN-

IIRC when I did my research 3 months ago for the rear battery it is Varta that makes the MB OEM battery. When I replaced the rear, every warnings went away until yesterday. The car starts fine, no ESP, ABS, reduced brake etc etc. Just that red battery/visit workshop sign.

I opened up the bonnet, on the front battery it actually says "starter battery" on one of the plastic cover. The Varta tech will be back tomorrow with the meter to check on both batteries before replacing or doing any work.

Any insights ?

Cheers.

Diesel Benz

Was the new rear battery an AGM (VRLA) battery?

PN-

I believe it is. Its one of the highest from the Varta range. By not using AGM, do you think that its causing the battery warning ?

Thanks.

Diesel Benz

AGM batteries are charged a bit differently from traditional batteries. A normal battery might have failed early but in this case the battery warning should only come when the engine is off. If it comes when the engine is running, it sounds more like an alternator (regulator) issue. It could be the front battery charging control unit too but I still did not check how the front battery is charged on an SL.

PN-

When the rear failed, it gave all that ESP, consumeables disabled etc. I hope its not the alternator or battery control unit issue, they cost like a ton over here. DB, if you have any suggestions on finding out the problem, please do post. I need to instruct the Varta tech on what to check and look out for.

Greatly appreciated

Thank you.

JustPete

Just got this message on my CLS which is only 4 years old and 38000 miles on the clock ...

I have an extended warranty until 2014.

Has anyone verified that battery replacement is covered?

the3kid

My error was acting up for the past 4 days in the morning and not in the afternoon...replaced the aux battery and now everything is fine.

Car would work normally before, just give me the msg...so it must have been getting low enough to throw an error, but not enough to affect anything else.
I was a little confused at first, but the mechanic said he checked everything and it seemed that was the problem.

Hope that helps a little