Noob2Merc

First post, I apologize for noob mistakes beforehand. Thanks ahead for replies.

Recently bought a 2007 GL500

Car wouldn't start as if battery was dead. Tried to jump started and didn't work. Couldn't move the passenger seat to take a closer look at the battery. After some blind fidgeting with the negative cable head, we managed to turn it on. But the car turned off again few minutes later.

Upon closer inspection, battery seems to be fine. No corrosion on battery heads. Battery looks charged. But the positive cable is corroded, overheated and melted the casing.

Cleaned it with some wd-40, and simple tools, wrapped electrical tape around the exposed copper. Until a trip to rep shop.

I love the car and I really want to make it "mine". Basically, I want to bring my car back to almost new condition by my own hands.

What are my options?

Where can I buy a replacement cable or cable head?

Is it possible to replace the cable by myself or its a mandatory dealership trip? (Local benz distributor is not very consumer friendly place nor is it wallet friendly )

Is there step by step guide somewhere? if yes, please share video or other material.

Please share good place to order OEM parts for international shipping. Need a lot of things, among them: suspension, struts, compressor, sensors, wheel well liner, auto window switch/control parts and more...

alx

Noob2Merc

What causes this type of overheating/melting damage? Connector was extremely hot on touch. Can i replace with other than benz connectors? Thanks.

DennisG01

Anything that causes higher resistance in the wire will cause heat. Resistance = heat. A couple common causes of increased resistance in cables that I can think of off the top of my head...

-- Corrosion
-- A wire/cable that is too small for the amount of amps being pulled through it. Generally, as long as the vehicle is stock, this (alone) won't be the issue. But when you add it on to other issues...
-- Bends in the wire/cable. The tighter the bend, the higher the resistance. Electricity flows like water - if you make a tighter bend, it can't pass through as quickly. In the case of electricity it will cause heat.

As long as you use a good quality connector, you're fine. MB will be "safe", but that's not to say that other brands won't/couldn't be better.

alx