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Hi - After 6 years of reliable service, my battery looks lHi - After 6 years of reliable service, my battery looks like it is about to give up. So I went to Costco and purchased an Interstate AGM that the Interstate web site matched with my car. See battery photo below.
https://costco.interstatebatteries.com/home/results?key=auto&ZipCode=92532&l=92532&Program=100 500&choice1=2045343&choice2=2046821&choice3=204688 2&choice4=2046883&choice5=2046887&Country=US
Can anyone please comment on if they have used Interstate batteries in their E300 and if this Interstate battery is as good as the OEM? Also, i have been watching a few YouTube DIY videos on changing the E300 battery, but can anyone share any tips learned over the years? Thanks!
Should have gotten it load tested to make sure it was really bad. I still have the original battery in both my W211 and W212 which are about 15 and 12 years old. If it was a little weak, I would have put it on a charger and then have it load tested. The original battery was Varta which was made by JCI/Clarios. Interstate is a battery distributor and it's either a JCI/Clarios or an Exide battery. The JCI/Clarios battery should be fine, the Exide not so much. Hard to tell who actually makes your battery. Because they're distributors, it may vary depending on the location.
I thought a battery is a source of electricity - nothing more nothing less. Am I missing something?
Those are the makers of the batteries. There's basically only 3 major battery makers in the US, JCI which was Johnson Controls Inc who basically sold their battery division to Clarios, East Penn and Exide. Of the 3, East Penn and JCI/Clarios are considered good battery makers, Exide not so much. The worst batteries seem to be those made by Exide.
6 years is for sure past time to replace a battery. 4-5 years is best practice to replace.
I suggest buying from the dealer, their battery prices are almost the same as retail auto parts stores. Looks like that decision was already made in this case.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by chassis
6 years is for sure past time to replace a battery. 4-5 years is best practice to replace.
I suggest buying from the dealer, their battery prices are almost the same as retail auto parts stores. Looks like that decision was already made in this case.
Does anyone know the price difference between buying from a dealer vs. an automotive store?
I see the battery from MB at $261 but on EBay for over $325.
I am at 4 years on E450. I believe the part number is 001-982-81-08
Addendum: It would seem that the part number for the battery on the 2019 E300 and 2019 E450 are the same.
Those are the makers of the batteries. There's basically only 3 major battery makers in the US, JCI which was Johnson Controls Inc who basically sold their battery division to Clarios, East Penn and Exide. Of the 3, East Penn and JCI/Clarios are considered good battery makers, Exide not so much. The worst batteries seem to be those made by Exide.
Here is a photo of the battery.ans the white sticker clearly says "Made in Germany". So this battery was not made in the US and therefore your concerns about quality may be moot.
Here is a photo of the battery.ans the white sticker clearly says "Made in Germany". So this battery was not made in the US and therefore your concerns about quality may be moot.
Duracell makes the batteries for Costco. I bet the batteries for CVS are also made by a major battery maker!
Maybe they used to, but as mentioned by the OP, it's Interstate now and Interstate is just a battery distributor, they don't make their own batteries. Same with Duracell when it comes to batteries. Maybe you're thinking of Sam's club which sells Duracell and those are also JCI/Clarios batteries when it comes to lead acid batteries.
Maybe they used to, but as mentioned by the OP, it's Interstate now and Interstate is just a battery distributor, they don't make their own batteries. Same with Duracell when it comes to batteries. Maybe you're thinking of Sam's club which sells Duracell and those are also JCI/Clarios batteries when it comes to lead acid batteries.
When you mentioned CVS I assume you mean regular batteries not car batteries. Duracell definitely makes Costco branded batteries. The Interstate car batteries are made by Johnson controls.
Duracell has different line of batteries. Some are better quality than others. The Kirkland batteries are from Duracell’s lower line of batteries. The housing of the 2 brands of battery are different where as the Duracell brand is less prone to leakage. That is not a good thing when you are buying a hundred of these Kirkland batteries at a time. For some purposes, when you are powering low-drain devices such as a clock or remote control, the differences does not really manifest itself, but with high-drain devices like a camera, game controller, or anything with a lamp, screen, or motor, you could see huge differences in lifespan and reliability between Duracell and Kirkland Alkaline batteries.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by The G Man
Duracell has different line of batteries. Some are better quality than others. The Kirkland batteries are from Duracell’s lower line of batteries. The housing of the 2 brands of battery are different where as the Duracell brand is less prone to leakage. That is not a good thing when you are buying a hundred of these Kirkland batteries at a time. For some purposes, when you are powering low-drain devices such as a clock or remote control, the differences does not really manifest itself, but with high-drain devices like a camera, game controller, or anything with a lamp, screen, or motor, you could see huge differences in lifespan and reliability between Duracell and Kirkland Alkaline batteries.
Duracell two lines: a cheaper line for Costco: Not according to consumer reports
Is.anyone able to answer my original question below?
Can anyone please comment on if they have used Interstate batteries in their E300 and if this Interstate battery is as good as the OEM? It does not help me to read about Duracell batteries or supply chain of the Costco batteries. I am just asking.if anyone has used these batteries in their E300/E350 before and what was the experience like. Thanks.
Is.anyone able to answer my original question below?
Can anyone please comment on if they have used Interstate batteries in their E300 and if this Interstate battery is as good as the OEM? It does not help me to read about Duracell batteries or supply chain of the Costco batteries. I am just asking.if anyone has used these batteries in their E300/E350 before and what was the experience like. Thanks.
I apologize for getting caught up in some of the nonsense. I used to buy interstate batteries until I moved up to optima. Interstate are run of the mill batteries but if you are looking to save $200 to $300, interstate will be more affordable. Even if the interstate less one or 2 years less than OEM, it is still worth the money. For my money, in my E class, its OEM battery only. For my son’s Acura, autozone or Costco batteries will do. By the way, just because it is made in Germany, it does not mean its a quality battery, VW puts in plenty of cheap German Batteries.
I apologize for getting caught up in some of the nonsense. I used to buy interstate batteries until I moved up to optima. Interstate are run of the mill batteries but if you are looking to save $200 to $300, interstate will be more affordable. Even if the interstate less one or 2 years less than OEM, it is still worth the money. For my money, in my E class, its OEM battery only. For my son’s Acura, autozone or Costco batteries will do. By the way, just because it is made in Germany, it does not mean its a quality battery, VW puts in plenty of cheap German Batteries.
Thanks for the insightful response. In that case, I think I will go with the OEM battery as I don't want to have to change battery in another few years. But I will get the battery load tested first, as my milage is very low. Maybe I just need to drive the car more because I only drive for 20-30 mins on most days. I have been working remotely since 2010.
Thanks for the insightful response. In that case, I think I will go with the OEM battery as I don't want to have to change battery in another few years. But I will get the battery load tested first, as my milage is very low. Maybe I just need to drive the car more because I only drive for 20-30 mins on most days. I have been working remotely since 2010.
The InterState Battery should last you at least 4 years. testing your OEM battery is a good idea, you might be able to get a couple of more years out of it if you put a battery maintainer on it once every few weeks. I have the same issue as you, work remotely 50% of the time and my commute is only 15 minute. I find that if I hook up a battery maintainer once every couple of weeks, I could prolong the life of my battery.
The InterState Battery should last you at least 4 years. testing your OEM battery is a good idea, you might be able to get a couple of more years out of it if you put a battery maintainer on it once every few weeks. I have the same issue as you, work remotely 50% of the time and my commute is only 15 minute. I find that if I hook up a battery maintainer once every couple of weeks, I could prolong the life of my battery.
Thanks for the insightful response. In that case, I think I will go with the OEM battery as I don't want to have to change battery in another few years. But I will get the battery load tested first, as my milage is very low. Maybe I just need to drive the car more because I only drive for 20-30 mins on most days. I have been working remotely since 2010.
In case I wasn't clear, JCI/Clarios IS the OEM maker of the car battery. They're OEM for many other car battery brands. The various car battery brands like Interstate are just distributors. Car battery brands like Duracell, Champion, Die Hard, etc are supplied by JCI/Clarios, you just need to search for the particular brand to see who actually makes the car battery for them as there are only a few major suppliers out there. There are many more brands of car batteries than there are actual car battery makers. Optima is also made by JCI/Clarios. I only caution against Exide and Interstate is one of those brands where the particular battery could be JCI/Clarious or Exide, same with Walmart. Car batteries are heavy so it kinda depends where you are in the country and how close you are to a particular battery plant so they will slap a particular label on the battery when it leaves the plant. Certain battery brands only use JCI/Clarios as their supplier so you're safer with those brands although Costco is good about honoring their warranty.
As for charging the battery, you don't really need a maintainer, you just need a battery charger and you just throw the charger on the battery for a few hours or until it's fully charged. I don't like maintainers, when they go bad, they end up frying your battery by overcharging it.
In case I wasn't clear, JCI/Clarios IS the OEM maker of the car battery. They're OEM for many other car battery brands. The various car battery brands like Interstate are just distributors. Car battery brands like Duracell, Champion, Die Hard, etc are supplied by JCI/Clarios, you just need to search for the particular brand to see who actually makes the car battery for them as there are only a few major suppliers out there. There are many more brands of car batteries than there are actual car battery makers. Optima is also made by JCI/Clarios. I only caution against Exide and Interstate is one of those brands where the particular battery could be JCI/Clarious or Exide, same with Walmart. Car batteries are heavy so it kinda depends where you are in the country and how close you are to a particular battery plant so they will slap a particular label on the battery when it leaves the plant. Certain battery brands only use JCI/Clarios as their supplier so you're safer with those brands although Costco is good about honoring their warranty.
As for charging the battery, you don't really need a maintainer, you just need a battery charger and you just throw the charger on the battery for a few hours or until it's fully charged. I don't like maintainers, when they go bad, they end up frying your battery by overcharging it.
Charger and Maintainer seem to be one of the same difference and the distinction is purely a matter of application. I will get the following Charger and Maintainer from Costco.
Charger and Maintainer seem to be one of the same difference and the distinction is purely a matter of application. I will get the following Charger and Maintainer from Costco.
Chargers are different than maintainers, most chargers does not have a maintenance mode. I use maintenancer like a charger, I hook it up once every two weeks or so for a few hours and disconnect it. Schumacher, Battery Tender or NOCO are pretty good brands.
Like PM cetialpha5 said, there are only a few car batteries manufacturers around. You just need to figure out who distributes whose batteries, that in itself is a hit or miss.
Charger and Maintainer seem to be one of the same difference and the distinction is purely a matter of application. I will get the following Charger and Maintainer from Costco.
There are many chargers out there but not all of them are maintainers. Basically ones that say they're maintainers are typically lower current like that 5 amp charger. The Schumacher listed below is 8 amps so it's a faster so it will take less time to charge up. You normally don't want to charge faster than 10 amps so 8 amps is fine. A maintainer like the Costco one keeps a float voltage of 1 amp on the battery. Til the charger goes bad and ends up putting too much current on the battery even when it's fully charged and then ends up frying the battery. Which is why it's just better to throw the charger on it for a few hours every few weeks/months and let it fully charge rather than leave a maintainer on the battery for weeks. Like all batteries, you can only have so many charge and discharge cycles til a battery is no good.
This is the battery maintenancer / charger i have been using, its 15A, so charges up in a few hours and it automatically stops after the battery fully charged. It will also slow down charging current when it gets close to being fully charge for additional safety and shows you the percentage of the battery while charging. Like all maintenancers, the sensing circuit does go bad, so you need to keep an eye on it while charging. I never leave a maintenancer on the car forever, its simply not the best practice even though that what the device is designed to do.
10-29-2022, 02:59 AM
