MomsBenz

My car only has 1300 miles on it! What the heck could cause the battery to die? I drove it last night to my sons little league practice and it was fine! No warnings, no low lights, nothing! This morning COMPLETELY dead. No lights, chimes, driver info center dark. We tested the battery and it was at 4.83. We jumped it and now it is at 13.56. We checked, no lights left on and all door closed tight! Any ideas???

StevethePilot

Wonky battery? It does happen, ya know. And it's a frightening proposition that you might be caught out without your transport. I would take it straight to the dealership service drive, ASAP, if I were you.

MomsBenz

Thanks Steve, I pray it is a bad battery. I have an appointment tomorrow morning. Dealer is 2 hours away and I need to be back by 2 to pick up kids from school. Just isn't doable today.

ima55r2

I had a battery on my ML go dead in 14 months. Just a bad battery. Called roadside assistance, he checked it out, and replaced it. If the voltage drops again, save the drive and have them show up in your driveway.

MomsBenz

Good idea. My car is only 2 months old "IF" it happens again, I will definitely call road side assistance. So they carry new batteries with them?

ima55r2

They carry batteries and all kinds of stuff for easy roadside repairs. If they can't fix it, they will call for the flatbed.

One time the ML wouldn't start and everything tested out okay. It was flatbedded to the dealer where it started up right away. Since their roadside guy couldn't get it going, they had to keep it and find out what was wrong instead of being sent home and waiting for the problem to show up again.

MomsBenz

That's cool. I will keep that in mind for next time. The battery did test bad this morning. Hopefully they will replace it tomorrow. Was yours fine one day and then completely dead the next? Seems so wierd.

ima55r2

With all the electronics needing power, if the battery is weak, the car gives no warning like dim lights or hard starting...it just won't start.

MomsBenz

Sounds like my problem them. Praying for an easy fix

StevethePilot

Roadside assist is a good call but also, doesn't your dealership give loaners? When that latest turbo hose issue crept up on me, if I didn't have a loaner I'd have been stranded for two days!

MomsBenz

Yes they actually give really nice loaners (all MB). Waiting for a call back now to see if the cross bars are in so I can kill two birds with one stone tomorrow. I can't be stranded. My husband is a firefighter and gone days at a time. I have 3 kids that need carting around, LOL!

JDT1

My battery went dead a few months ago after only 600 miles. Roadside assistance came out to my house and changed it out and said it was a defective battery. No problems since.

cablvr

Any idea who the battery manufacturer is for MBUSA Vance ops - US destination vehicles?

MomsBenz

FOUND THE CULPRIT!! The DVD system will NOT turn off. The monitors won't power on and the DVD drive has a hum coming from it. It won't power off or eject the DVD. Back to the dealer tomorrow.....................

HoustonRider

yeah right... the last MB loaner I got was a friggin Kia. nothing like dropping off a $70k car and getting a Kia POS to haul-*** in. I bought the $14/day insurance and tried like hell to wreck that baby.

Roadside service? depends on where YOU are and WHO they call. chances are, MB will contact a third party and they may not have parts to give you on the side of the road. You might get a jump and they will 'advise" you to go to the dealer.

I did sign up for tele-aid and roadside on my E550, I didn't have it on my GL, and didn't know I didn't have it until I pressed the little wrench and nothing happened. lol.

MomsBenz

Nothing like finding out you don't have road side until you really need it. I made sure my was active. I hate being stranded. Thankfully the dealership I use only gives MB as loaners. They have ML, R and C class to choose from. I would be spitting nails if I left there in a Kia!

HoustonRider

yep, Kia.... and I've spent $140,000 with them in the last 8 months. lol

MomsBenz

Unbelievable! Sounds like your dealer needs to reassess their loaners Because if you wanted to drive a KIA you would of bought one

StevethePilot

It does happen, even at the Scottsdale dealership, that they run out of loaners but the company that runs the loaners is also a rental company (Alamo? I've never paid attention.)

On a funnier note; when renting a van in Ireland, I was required (as are all Americans at this company, apparantly) to get full coverage insurance. Meaning I could've driven the thing into the sea and it wouldn't have cost me anything. Considering what we got - some kind of 3 cylinder VW transit van, we called it the IRA Van - I should've.

STP

MomsBenz

That thing would of been fish bait!

Hmmm, I wonder what I would get if my dealer ran out of loaners? I don't want to find out. Thankfully they reserve one for you when you schedule your appointment ahead of time.

MomsBenz

Car has to spend a few days at the dealership. Even after the unplugged the defective DVD unit, it still registered a 3.8 volt draw on the battery with nothing running. So they need time to investigate. I did get a nice loaner. 2007 C230. Nice ride, great gas mileage

BeanCounter

Hey MomsBenz,

If I remember right you have had this problem, your front main seal replaced, and they lost the keys to your roof cross bars. I think your dealer or MB owes you a little something.................

MomsBenz

Ya know what your right! What should I ask for??? Hmmmm.............. Any suggestions??

BeanCounter

A couple years of free maintenance might be a good start..........

MomsBenz

That does sound like a nice compensation.