BlownV8

Trust me, the carpet on my X166 GL63 did not need to be cut. The install was a bit more difficult getting the ventilation tubing plate back in but, again, did not require cutting. The hole is of ample enough size for me to get the old battery out and new battery back in place.

threeMBs

I did say "I do not know about X166/X164". This is W166 forum and this is an other reason why W166 board should not be combined with X166 (a separate and not related topic).
I know dealers when changing/servicing battery in W166 ML/GLE "cut" carpet (cutting is very easy and makes a difficult without cutting job easier). There's someone in W166 ML forum who changed the battery without cutting carpet.
If anyone is interested, this is the link:
https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w...t-cutting.html

BlownV8

Will check my GLE this weekend. Do not see the battery compartment under the seat as being any different than my X166 GL but can't tell with certainty until I check. However, the rear battery in my X166 GL63 is in a slightly different location than the X166 GLE. Very close but is different.

sams_6

Some people say they've replaced a W166 battery without cutting the carpet. In my recent experience I found the carpet to be baggy and I might've been able to 'tent it' taut with a slat and worked the battery out without cutting the carpet, especially if I was not maintaining power and worried about the positive terminal touching anything.

But I was maintaining power (the crux of this entire thread in the first place) so I decided to make the carpet cuts. The cuts only needed to be about 3" long and there is already a crease where you need to cut. It was easy to do with a sharp knife (I used a utility knife).