DaCeptak0n

So I just came back from my trip to India for three weddings including my brother's in one month I come home to 15 inches of snow, great! That isnt the bad part though. I go to turn the car on as advised by my father and the inner dial states Check Engine, Check Oil, Windshield Wiper Fluid Low. I was like what!? So I turned it off and let it rest for a few more minutes, and then the dial lights up stating RESET as soon as I put the ignition on.

I then let it warm up and everything disappeared and all is fine. Why did it do that?

Brav

This happened to me a while ago when I first got the car.. centrail "Brain" malfunction. Although it was not after any long break. Maybe a backup battery that went bad (I think there are 2?) Take it in, there may be a SB on that. One of those W211 bugs..

benzboy

The car misses you. Don't stay away so long next time!

Silver_Lana

That happened because the main battery drained out. Whenever you leave your car for such a long time, you should use a trickle charger.
Your auxilliary battery had enough juice to get you started and that will get your alternator going in order to replenish the main battery.
The problem is most prominent in the R230 SL and there are several posts about it in the SL and SL55/65 forums since it consumes a substantial ammount of electrical power.

SAguirre

Well, I leave my car for weeks at a time without starting and I have never had any problems. However, I have a battery maintainer that I use religiously. My second garage does not have heat and it does tend to get very cold.

Steve

adam3

Thanks for the advise, going to that part of the world in 3 weeks and will allow someone i trust to start it once in a while......No i don't trust them that much...to DRIVE it....... will be away for 3 weeks so its long enough for Batt to drain. Hope weather improves over there....its 10-15C just like over here in UK......where's the Sun, sea and sand........i ask..I;m told March is a lot nicer in Southeast Asia.

SAguirre

It is not good to just start your car every once in a while to charge the battery. It will cause excess water to accumulate in the oild and exaust system. Get a battery maintainer and don't worry about starting the car.

Steve

DaCeptak0n

Now that I've let it rest for another day or so, I've started it and oil is leaking...what to do what to do with this!!

adam3

Not sure what one is.....and how it works....ie battery maintainer......
would it not be safe to leave car for 3 weeks.....i've often not driven for 2 weeks......no probs....

SAguirre

A battery maintainer is not a regular battery charger because it charges at only 1.5 amps and the lowest setting of a typical charger is usually no lower than 2 amps. The maintainer will know how long it can charge the battery for and then it will stop the 1.5 amp charge and monitor the battery's voltage until it drops. This means that the maintainer in only going to deliver a small charge when the battery needs it. Therefore it is totally fine to leave it hooked up for long periods of time, since it will not overcharge the battery.

If you leave a charger on a battery that cannot stop on its own, that WILL damage the battery by overcharging it. I have chargers that will stop charging, but they will not start charging on their own. As a result, I have 3 battery chargers and two battery maintainers. I just bought a maintainer that is permanently mounted in my W211. My W211 also tends to sit for weeks at a time.

I have had sailboats in Florida that needed maintainers. I also have small batteries from either jet skies or snowmobiles that I am constantly monitoring and keeping up to par.


Steve

adam3

What is the make of charger/maintainer you use? There are lots out there, don't want to risk overcharge/damage of batt on this car.

SAguirre

Here is the Info on the maintainer I use. So far it has only been used for about 3 weeks and it has worked very well. I decided to buy an "ON BOARD" maintainer since the W211's access to the battery in the trunk is bad (at best). Bellow are the pictures. I have not decided yet if I want to use Velcro to stick the maintainer to the side carpet, but I will make up my mind later. You can see how I hooked it up for now on the battery (the loop is like that on the ground so you could see it).

As per the Hydrogen fumes, this battery is a bottom venting battery. The tube shows that. Also, the maintainer would have a hard time making a battery this size heat up that much. However, if a cell in the battery were to go bad when it gats old, it could cause a problem. In the last 10 years+ I have never had a problem and I have gotten great life out of my batteries. About 6 years, or the car is sold before the batteries went bad.


I got it from The Battery Store

On-Board Battery Charger ob1 1 34.95
Automatic 1.5 Amp 12V
Maintainer

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/battstore/onbachau.html

Hope this helps,

Steve

adam3

Thanks for the advice and photos...

Not sure if i could get that make over here in UK. Anyway spoke to my helpful dealership...not many about...they said they had a MBz make of battery trickle charger...which they use for SL and E. about 45 sterling plus vat. However they did advise me that leaving for 3 weeks shouldn't be a problem and it went dead the warranty would cover it...mobolife would restart the battery for me FOC.
So is it worth me spending my dough......not sure.

SAguirre

Yes, they are correct. The battery should withstand 3 weeks of no use. However. This is my reason for using the maintainer: The more cycles a battery goes through the more it wears out (this is more applicable for deep cycle batteries). This means that in the 3 weeks of sitting the battery will have lost at least 10% of its full charge. This means that once it starts the engine the alternator will charge the battery at a very high rate. The faster you charge a battery, the more flakes of lead accumulates on the bottom of the battery. These flakes can accumulate and bridge two or more cells. Also, each time the cells loose mass, the battery looses capacity.

The key to have a battery last a long time (a cranking battery) is to avoid quick charges. Loosing the charge over three weeks is not a problem; the problem is the quick charge afterwards. If you trickle charged it, it would not be a problem. But who has time for that? I have heard that using a good maintainer can add years to your battery (if you are one of those who lets the car sit for long periods of time).

That is why I do it. Also, you see that it might be a good thing to have if Mercedes sells such an accessory. The charger that I saw here in the US was $150+ and it looked as if it did not have a solid-state maintainer switch (but I am not sure about that). The cost was the ridiculous part.

You are most welcome,

Steve

adam3

Thanks Steve for your informative comments. You got me thinking......of my next option....a maintainer might be cost effective afterall.