IngenereAMG

It needs a battery(s), and/or an alternator. At least that was what was wrong with mine.

SLcharger

Hey scruffy, you got humor. Well done.

I will get you next time.

Scruffyone

I will be getting a Scruffy charger for mine for next winter, maybe sooner.

blueSL

The problem with connecting the charger to the trunk battery is that you have to take all the stuff out, the floor mat and the rest. I've installed a bayonnet connector in my trunk and a recoiling lead from the roof. When I leave the car, I just hook it up. I use a small (5A) 3 stage charger from www.mascot.com, I'm sure there are equivalents for the US.

You need to use a high quality charger if you are going to leave the battery connected. If you are using a cheap/crude battery charger, it could easily damage the car's electronics. If you're spending less than, say $80, you're probably not spending enough.

Television

Just a couple of points regerding charging the consumer battery now that winter is comming.
This battery is a Glass Mat type and very different from a conventional battery.
The only type of charger that can be used is a fixed low 2 amp max trickle charger. There are special chargers made for them with fixed charging cycles

If you use an automatic charger it will destroy the battery, the current drawn will slowly increase and destroy it.
The battery starts out in life with a nominal voltage of 12.5 volt, as these batteries age, the Engine running voltage of 13.8 volts drops to around 12.2 volts,a condition that makes engine charging very long. (also bear in mind that alternators are not designed to charge flat batteries). when parked over night this voltage drops to around 11.8volt and will keep on dropping to Zero.
Batteries should never be left in a dischaged state, The VRLA AGM batteries should only be charged for a fixed time.
Those who lay the car up for the Winter should disconnect it. You only have to normallize the ESP and the windows, sorry if this is a borring subject.
The Varta code is E39(short code) or 570 901 076


Malcolm

idrive

or leave the park lights on

Chris-W

Hey guys you all seem to know your stuff so I just want some advice.

I bought a 2002 SL55 AMG (yes 2002 they were released in the UK) and ever since I bought it I get the consumers off line message almost every time I get in the car.

My first thought was to take it MB and get them to plug in the electrical device that searches for whats using all the power? Should I do this before I purschase a new battery.

The car is 5 years old and its only got 30K on the clock so its not been used much and I have a feeling the battery in the back is shot..

Also I get ABC error more and more often after the battery is flat.. Nver once Ive been on a long drive.. Im guessing the two are connected.

Is replacing the battery in the back something I can do myself? Im pretty handy but not sure about Merc Electrics / alarms if I disconnect the battery myself.

Any help is appreciated.

sprins

If you still have the original batteries from 2002 have them (both) replaced. The one in the front and the one in the back.

I have a (late) 2002 too. It takes about 7 to 10 days before the "electric consumers offline" message appears. It goes away after a couple of minutes drive (less than 10).

ABC problems may be caused by this, but are usually a problem of their own. My car had all 4 ABC struts replaced over time due to leaking, malfuntions and random error messages.

55-BEAR

I had the same problem with my '04 SL55. Battery would last for only 3 days. After countless trips to the dealer regarding this problem I traded the '04 for an '05. I have never had the same problem with the '05, even letting it sit for over a month while out of the country. I thought maybe the problem existed with only the earlier '02, '03, and '04 cars. In my opinion it's a Mercedes design flaw. None of my other cars ever had this type of problem either. Just my 3 cents!

Best,

Bear

sprins

I agree it is a design flaw if it happens so fast. However, the electronic consumers offline message itself is not a flaw or an error, just a notification that part of the electronics were shut off to prevent full battery drain. Perhaps an unelegant bugfix, but 'normal behaviour' nonetheless.

I don't know how Mercedes dealt with this in newer years, one expects it to be improfed as 55-Bear describes.

Chris-W

Ok,

been to merc and they said the battery is so bad that the ABC pumps even go offline. Hence my ABC error..

I needed a new battery and they quoted £130! $260 for a battery!

Ive loked on Euro Car parts who are known for supplying factory stuff and they have these options.

- LION BATTERY TYPE 017 88Ah 400/680 353Lx175Wx190H 0/1 B13
LION - 017/019

- LION BATTERY TYPE 017 88Ah 400/680 353Lx175Wx190H 0/1 B13
LION - 017/019

- BOSCH BATTERY TYPE 019 100Ah 480/800 353Lx175Wx190H 0/1B13
BOSCH - 017/019

which one should I get? or am I looking at the wrong parts?