Alternator?Battery Issue Experience? S430
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Newbie
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 5
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From: MidWest
2005 S430, Previous 2003 S430 Miracle Whip
Alternator?Battery Issue Experience? S430
Newbie to MBWorld but owner of a '03 S430 for 5 years previously & searched the forum often in the past, finding posts useful, & most importantly saved me time & $ in repairs.
Just purchased another '05 S430 (W220) two weeks ago. Car smooth as can be for over 1K miles from Houston to my home RT. Very excited. No problems or error messages whatsover. My Love affair with S-Class started all over again.... Then last night, after sending it thru a car detail service, I get the "Battery Charge" and "ABS" message. Slowly drained power after a couple of miles, pulled into a gas station immediately for fear of it completely dying. Battery did die when parked.
Did research b4 having MB Roadside assist come out, & saw where it could be a couple of known errors (like a faulty tire sensor, wet circuit board,) that can occur after brushless car wash. MB Assist comes out, charge battery, no luck and left with no choice but tow to Dealer.
Fast Forward, Dealer states it's the Alternator and needs to be replaced @ $1300. When I inquired about other possible issues I was met with an attitude of "no way dude, our Techs are the best, blah blah...."
Now, to be fair, maybe it is the alternator since I know history with the W220 Benz. The SA claimed voltage readout was 10v with old alternator, and now is showing 14v when trying a new alternator
All sounds legit - however, manner they claim to have evaluated other potential issue/resolution steps makes me uneasy. They dismissed the potential of the issue being anything else.
Any advice? I read on another thread where Alternator issues could potentially be resolved by replacing the Voltage Regulator. Thanks!
Just purchased another '05 S430 (W220) two weeks ago. Car smooth as can be for over 1K miles from Houston to my home RT. Very excited. No problems or error messages whatsover. My Love affair with S-Class started all over again.... Then last night, after sending it thru a car detail service, I get the "Battery Charge" and "ABS" message. Slowly drained power after a couple of miles, pulled into a gas station immediately for fear of it completely dying. Battery did die when parked.
Did research b4 having MB Roadside assist come out, & saw where it could be a couple of known errors (like a faulty tire sensor, wet circuit board,) that can occur after brushless car wash. MB Assist comes out, charge battery, no luck and left with no choice but tow to Dealer.
Fast Forward, Dealer states it's the Alternator and needs to be replaced @ $1300. When I inquired about other possible issues I was met with an attitude of "no way dude, our Techs are the best, blah blah...."
Now, to be fair, maybe it is the alternator since I know history with the W220 Benz. The SA claimed voltage readout was 10v with old alternator, and now is showing 14v when trying a new alternator
All sounds legit - however, manner they claim to have evaluated other potential issue/resolution steps makes me uneasy. They dismissed the potential of the issue being anything else.
Any advice? I read on another thread where Alternator issues could potentially be resolved by replacing the Voltage Regulator. Thanks!
Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 181
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S600
I know that on older model cars, not just MB, the voltage regulator was separate from the alternator. It was mounted on the firewall or the back of the fender well in the engine bay. However, I was under the impression that voltage regulators for the past 25+ years were part of the alternator and were inside the alternator itself. Is it even possible to replace the voltage regulator without replacing the alternator?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,473
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From: Ball Ground, GA (N of Atlanta)
2003 S500 2007 GL450
I have not investigated the Bosch alternator on the Mercedes, but on my Porsche 928 with a Bosch alternator, the Bosch regulator built into the rear of the alternator is a $47 part that takes fifteen minutes to replace...
Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 213
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From: Indiana
2002 S430
parts.com sells a voltage regulator separately for $57. By the blown up parts diagram the regulator is built in the back of the alternator but can be changed on it. The alternator is much cheaper at autohausaz.com, price range between $130-$360
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Joined: Jan 2011
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2003s55amg
hope this helps ,my experience with first mb alt ,bat issue,1998 c43 amg,bat lite on dash came on,removed bat and alt numerous times both tested numerous times at 2 different part stores after six tests only one time did alt fail test,bat test ok,took a chance purchased alt for $3oo.oo took less than an hour to change alt,that was april 2012,lite off charging system thus far working properly
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