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I bought an SL 350 from 2012.
it will be delivered in 2 weeks and it will be put into storage for 3 months.
my question is how long will the car’s battery keep up just standing still so I can still unclock and start the car?
Is it better to keep the car unlocked so the alarm does not empty the battery even sooner?
there is no electricity in the garage for a charger. I will also leave the window a bit open to I can open the door even with a depleated battery.
IMO storage for 3 months is too long to expect the main battery to hold a decent charge. If there is absolutely no way to use a battery maintainer in your storage location I would remove the main battery and put it in a location that will allow the use of a battery maintainer like a CTEK. Others may chime in with a different opinion.
Thanks Rendall. That seems to be a good idea.
would it be ok to just disconnect them?
I believe the car has 2 batteries. Should both of them be removed or disconnected?
the car will be in a private garagebox in an appartment building, temperature in there is very mild so cold is no issue.
Thanks Rendall. That seems to be a good idea.
would it be ok to just disconnect them?
I believe the car has 2 batteries. Should both of them be removed or disconnected?
the car will be in a private garagebox in an appartment building, temperature in there is very mild so cold is no issue.
jan
The second battery, usually referred to as the auxiliary battery, is a small one located behind the passenger seat. There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not it is necessary to put a maintainer on this battery. Some say it will be maintained if the charging points under the hood are used and other say that the maintainer should be connected directly to the main battery in the trunk and a third opinion is to connect the maintainer directly to the auxiliary battery. The third option would require a second maintainer. Supposedly there is very little to no draw on the auxiliary battery when the car is parked.
Disconnecting the main battery would prevent any draw during storage so this might be an option if it is inconvenient to remove the battery so it could be placed on a maintainer. I have no first hand experience letting a battery sit for 3 months without being on a maintainer but others may chime in with their experience. Storage in an environment that is between 50 and 80 degrees F would be preferable to one that is colder or hotter.
I read a post bout batteries where you were very active in from 2020.
it was quite a long thread but so far I learned the little one should be ok, the main one in the trunk is the key player.
I think the car will start and drive even with the little one dead.
I have a Delorean now from 1981 and is also a V6, but with a battery switch. Every time I but the car away I disconnect it.
from october to,march I will only take it out once for an hour drive to charge the battery and add some fresh gas, but they battery never needed a recharge.
the garage is indeed a nice 70 to 80F year round as it is 2 stories deep, but very dry.
So I will diconnect the battery, but I believe these cars “do not like that” I did that before on an SLK and it went fine.
If I can remove the battery I will and keep it charged for when I go pick up the car later on.
maybe I will see if the battery is still ok as the car sat for the last 3 years(but runs fine)
If your storing the car for 3mo, besides the batttery, I would definitely highly recommend you over-inflate the tires each by a few psi to avoid flat spots. I ruined two sets of tires on a different car due to flat spotting, it’s a real problem with these heavy cars.
I personally wouldn't recommend disconnecting the battery. If you can't connect a trickle charger (best solution) I would simply start the car every 3 weeks or so. We used to store our SL's for 5 months a year without trickle charger in the past and just started it regularly and ran it for a few minutes...
The SL will use some battery power while standing but nothing like later models
My advice is if you do not drive t least weekly and for a good hour straight put it on a trickle charger
Trust me as during this cold snap last week I lost 2 older batteries - Lawn mower and my E400.
Sitting and cold weather will kill a battery... all it take is one cell to go weak and she is done for and then you need $250 or so bucks to get a new one from local autopoarts store or probably $500 from MB.
Tickle charger range from $20 to $100 depending on model features etc. I have one on my truck and now I need 3 more which is on my shopping list.
I currently drive a Delorean which I will be selling in a month. I do not want to get new plates so it has to wait for the Delorean to be sold, but that can go quickly as there are not many around and they are increasing in price.
so it it not road legal until the the plates are available. ( In Belgium plates stay with the owner, not the car)
it is in a big garage in which I can drive for a few minutes to avoid flatspots (good remark about theflatspots, the Delorean I would push a bit to avoid flatspots, no can do with an automatic)
I think I will work something out with the neighbor box who has power. That must be the only solution.
thank you all for your advice, I think I know what to do.
should I drive a charger fromMB or judt anywhere? (Which output?)
It is a very low kilometer car.
its previous owner passed away and the car has hardly moved in the last 4 years.
So I do keep in mind the battery should be replaced.
this is also an option to just buy a new battery, charge it fully at home and install after storage.
Is some kind of reset necessary after installing or activating a (new) battery?
I currently drive a Delorean which I will be selling in a month. I do not want to get new plates so it has to wait for the Delorean to be sold, but that can go quickly as there are not many around and they are increasing in price.
so it it not road legal until the the plates are available. ( In Belgium plates stay with the owner, not the car)
it is in a big garage in which I can drive for a few minutes to avoid flatspots (good remark about theflatspots, the Delorean I would push a bit to avoid flatspots, no can do with an automatic)
I think I will work something out with the neighbor box who has power. That must be the only solution.
thank you all for your advice, I think I know what to do.
should I drive a charger fromMB or judt anywhere? (Which output?)
thanks,
jan
Do NOT buy your maintainer from a dealer. Order a CTEK from Amazon. I have 2 CTEKs and they have different modes for AGM batteries and cold environments. I also have a Deltran(Battery Tender brand) that I use on my lawn tractor. They are sold at Walmart and lots of other stores at very cheap prices.
I park my SL from December to April every year, outdoors and covered on a gravel driveway in Massachusetts. It starts right up in April and I haven't noticed any flat spots on tires.
Yes, the newer CTEK models have settings for both sealed lead acid batteries and AGM types. I put a pigtail on the main battery in the trunk as the CTEK comes with one. Using the battery terminals requires lifting up the trunk liner. Another option that many use and recommend is the charging points under the hood. I am assuming your SL has these. They are located on the passenger side of the engine compartment. The positive pole is covered with a red plastic cover that pushes down to reveal the metal pole. The negative pole is located close by and is not covered. There is still disagreement about whether or not the small auxiliary battery is maintained by connecting a maintainer to the underhood connections or the main battery in the trunk. The previous owner of my SL installed a CTEK pigtail on the auxiliary battery so I sometimes use 2 units, one in the trunk and one of the auxiliary battery. That said, I have also used the underhood connections and have never had an issue with my auxiliary battery since installing a new one last year. The orginal unit lasted almost 8 years. I don't know if my main battery is the original but I doubt that it is.
My current arrangement has one charger pigtail for each battery, that terminate in the same area of the trunk. Good for charging and testing voltages of each battery.
Hello everyone.
the was delivered last weekend and awaiting my pick up in 3 weeks.
The question I have: suppose the battery would be dead (but I doubt that) how much time does it need to charge enough to start the car?
I am very much looking forward to go and get the car and for the 2 hour drive home.
Hello everyone.
the was delivered last weekend and awaiting my pick up in 3 weeks.
The question I have: suppose the battery would be dead (but I doubt that) how much time does it need to charge enough to start the car?
I am very much looking forward to go and get the car and for the 2 hour drive home.
That is a 3.8 Ah charger so relatively slow. The battery will be around 95Ah capacity. Say that it is has half that capacity remaining, 47.5 Ah. 47.5/3.8 = 12 to 13 hours or probably longer as the charger also analizes and conditions the battery and will not push in full capacity for the full duration. However you could start the car before that. Hard to say without knowing the voltage.
Last edited by rorywquin; Jan 20, 2023 at 10:49 AM.
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