g4benz

I had my battery tested yesterday by an autozone type store. They measured my battery at 500 CCA. My battery in my e550 is rated at 800 CCA. The guy who tested the battery recommended I replace the battery.

I do notice (at times) slight hesitation when my car starts. It takes more than it should to "turn", but this is by no means a "dead" battery situation, and this only happens once in a while.

I believe the battery in the car is the original which means it hasn't been changed out in 5-6 years.

What do you think? Do it before its too late or go with the flow?

KEY08

Batteries will usually have a date on them, especially if it's a MB battery. Look on the top to see if you see a date sticker. If you take a lot of short trips the batteries in these cars will not build a good charge and you will experience the slow start syndrome. That goes away when the battery is at or near full charge. You can put it on a trickle charger to bring it out of its funk as well.

g4benz

It's funny there is no date on mine and it is an MB battery confirmed by Mercedes Roadside Assistance. I drive about 20 miles daily. Other than, a couple of short trips on the weekends.

KEY08

If you have a trickle charger it may be worth it to see if you can bring the battery back up to a full charge. Sounds like you are driving enough, so the battery may indeed by on its last leg.

El Cid

Mine lasted exactly four years and one week. If had died two weeks earler, would have gotten a new one free. However, had to pay $300 for a new MB battery.
NOTE: MB replacement batteries are only warranted for TWO years, even those from dealerships and installed by dealerships. I confirmed this with MBUSA.

g4benz

I don't own a trickle charger, but thanks for the input. I'll try to call the Dealer where the prior owner had my car serviced at to see if the battery was ever changed (if they tell me that is..everything is confidential with these guys sometimes)..

belarus27

changed mine about 2 months ago in my 550, couldn't be happier.. if u got money get a new one

g4benz

Do you know how old your battery was before you changed it out? There is no date sticker on mine. Also, were there any symptoms you were experience that made you decide for a new battery? What differences do you notice now, since you said you are happy lol..

g4benz

That sucks on the 2 week difference. 2 years? What kind of warranty is that? I'm getting charged anywhere between $375-$450 for getting a battery installed at the dealership. Now I know whey people call it stealership.

I found an independent mechanic that can do it. I can even do it myself.

belarus27

well before I couldnt even leave my door open for a few mins or any lights on , and ive noticed that my garage door opener would reset itself pretty often , and music.... if I play music for lets say 5 min I would need a jump.. now I don't care for how long I leave any lights on or play music for 30 min it still starts with no problem... thats why im happy...
oh p.s. it starts way faster too )
mine didnt have any dates on it too , but it wasnt original oem battery it was an Interstate one.
now all good and im sure that I can start it at any time

g4benz

So you definitely had low battery symptoms! Mine is just a slow start up at times and the fact that it was tested at 500CCA. I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks!

fleuger99

As other's have suggested, get yourself a battery tender. I use one on my motorcycle and it preserves your battery and ensure you have no issues. A decent one only runs about $70. Much cheaper than a new battery.

audiophilitis

The warm weather helps a bit with the battery -- easier/quicker to charge and the charge holds longer. Depending on your location, you may be able to get by until late fall -- or even longer if you're in the south. If you're in the NE, probably best to replace it before winter sets in.

thefisch

If your battery doesn't have a date it might be the original which is possible given the age of the car. The good news is your battery still starts the car and you haven't had to jump it yet. Some have posted here that the alternator does not fully charge the battery to save fuel - so if you use the electronics after the car is off (like belarus27 mentioned) with an older battery, you might need a jump. It's happened to me.

After my experiences documented here, I try to remember to charge my battery every 6 weeks or so. In fact I just hooked it up for the night since it seemed to take a moment longer to start a few times this week. Got it tested the other day and they said it had 525cca out of 800cca. Now I am not certain my battery is rated for 800cca since it's OEM so I don't know if their reading on 525cca is accurate (one time they entered 700cca in their tester and it gave some crazy high result).

g4benz

NY here so rough winters! I think I will get by, but I've made the decision to go ahead and just replace the darn thing, so I don't need to worry about it.

g4benz

It's funny the mercedes rep told me that the original one has a date and any other subsequent ones don't. However, I did some more research and there should be a code stamped on the battery that tells you the date.

For example, A2 would be January 2002 and B4 would be Februrary 2004. I'll check out the battery again over the weekend.

g4benz

Yes, maybe in the near future with the next battery. I think I am just going to replace it and get it out of the way.

belarus27

better than look for someone to jump you when you in hurry.. u know what im saying lol
cuz with that you just taking your chances..

thefisch

Well they may be right, but they often are wrong about the details. Here is a photo of my OEM battery in my car which has been in service 4.5 years. Looking for a letter and number code that could represent month and year, I only noticed two things - Q03 printed vertical on sticker with barcode and a sequence of letters and numbers ending with 0412 which is etched in the black plastic (and therefore not visible in the photo) above the danger/poison sticker on the right. There are no markings or stamps on the sides. Q03 doesn't make sense to me for date purposes (what month is Q) and 0412 is after my car was in service. Maybe I am missing it.

Most of the dates I've seen have been on replacement batteries to make the date identifiable for stocking purposes.

You're probably making the right decision by replacing it so you don't have to worry about it. My little battery life support experiment continues. Let us know the details of your replacement.

g4benz

Funny, I was just posting mine, it's the same exact thing as yours. Therefore, I think we cannot find out the date from this:

pamiboy

With all the new technology and lithium ion batteries, I wonder why they don't offer Tesla type lithium ion batteries (instead of the regular) for all MB cars? That way we wouldn't have to keep changing batteries every four years in these cars.... just saying.

Arrie

I had my battery replaced by my dealer 5 weeks ago. I had no major issues at all. I did experience a little longer cranks a few times but the car always started even after sitting at an airport for two weeks. I have had my car sitting three weeks several times and always it started without any problems at all.

But 5 weeks ago at oil change service my SA came to me saying that the tech noticed a slight hesitation at start and as the battery is six years old it would be good to replace it for about $300 cost at the dealer. I first told him NO but after some thinking went back to him and told him I changed my mind and let them change it.

Thinking behind this is that I would probably save about $100 doing it myself as I had planned but letting my dealer do it I don't have to worry about losing power from the car during change (very mixed info about this in t h e net) and it helps keeping good relationship with the dealer. That $100 can go a long way.

Anyway, a good battery is a must on these cars and if you live in the hot area an old battery can fail without any prior symptom.

Live Oak

Considering the deep surge current draw required to start an engine, I seriously doubt that lithium ion would be a rational choice for a car battery --- not to mention the horrific cost for one that size if it would work.

The 150 year-old lead acid battery has been a great workhorse for the auto application. I suspect that with the current technology in cars we will need to readjust our expectations of battery life --- and suspect that auto mfgrs need to find a way to have a reliable internal test of battery condition and probably a better charge strategy.

CarolinaBluetec

What's wrong with a battery only lasting 5 years? I am on my 5th MB and have never had a battery fail in less than 5 years. The only time i changed batteries more often than that was when my car sat outside in the Chicago winters.

Live Oak

IMO. the issue is not so much the life but the abrupt failure without warning --- dead car --- even if the expensive MB service test is run.