Battery information please

Omega

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I have a Varta H3 - 100Ah, that has started to fail (it's resting at 12v at present) Yep, the alternator is putting out 13.9-14.4v.
1/ Is Varta a Mercedes recommended ?
2/ I only do about 6 miles per day, so unless I think about it, it doesn't get a great charge. Would a bigger Ah be any advantage ?
3/ Halfords recommend a Yuasa. Are they better or worse than Varta ?
4/ Can I top up the water in the H3 ?
5/ Does the computer need resetting if I disconnect the battery to replace ?
6/ If so, do Halfords, Kwik fit etc carry this out.
7/ Where is the cheapest place to get a good battery ?

any other help or advice appreciated.
Omega
 

mioba

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W124/E200, W220/S320CDI, W205/C200, W251/R350CDI 4Matic
1 - MB batteries made by Varta,
2 - Might be worth putting your battery on charge overnight
3 - Yuasa is recommended by Halfords probabaly because are licenced distibutor, cheaper isnt better - MB batteries are VERY good. Mine last about 13 years.
4 - see if you can take the covers off and see the max and min lines, any top up will need a night on the charger
5 - not sure
6 - re 5 then i would guess they put a battery on to keep your settings
7 - as mentioned cheap isnt the best, but try ECP they often have good deals on Bosch
 

Tony Dyson

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2014 C 220 CDI W204 OM 651
Please find herewith response to your query

I have a Varta H3 - 100Ah, that has started to fail (it's resting at 12v at present) Yep, the alternator is putting out 13.9-14.4v.

1/ Is Varta a Mercedes recommended ? Varta is MB OEM of choice

2/ I only do about 6 miles per day, so unless I think about it, it doesn't get a great charge. Would a bigger Ah be any advantage ? Yes but it’s a short term fix

3/ Halfords recommend a Yuasa. Are they better or worse than Varta ? Yuasa are a proprietary battery manufacturers, it’s a matter of personal choice, do your research.

4/ Can I top up the water in the H3 ? H3 is designated as a wet cell and can be charge tested with a hydrometer and topped up with Distilled/De-ionised water https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteries/varta/h3/

5/ Does the computer need resetting if I disconnect the battery to replace ? Dependant upon the model of your car you may need to manually reset some of your standalone control modules such as windows, mirrors etc

6/ If so, do Halfords, Kwik fit etc carry this out. I personally wouldn’t trust Halfords et-al to change my socks let alone let them loose on a most sensiive MB!

7/ Where is the cheapest place to get a good battery ? Tayna is often recommended on the forum, see link above.

any other help or advice appreciated.

The charging voltages you mentioned in your opening statement indicate this is for a standard flooded cell (Wet) battery, don’t let anyone persuade you to replace it with any other technology battery such as Gel or AGM, they will not perform as well because the charging profile in your car is configured for a flooded cell battery, you could however talk to Tayna about an alternative Extended Flooded Cell battery, this would work well and provide more benefit than a marginally bigger Ah battery that would fit in the same location as your original.
 

RhodieBill

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2001 W208 CLK320 182U ALMANDINE-BLACK METALLIC
Looks like most answers have been covered so here is a couple of my own personal tips, ie things I tend to do as I only use the car mostly for short journeys, rarely more than a few miles.

1) Turn off the Auto Function on the Headlights and Wipers - use them when YOU think they are needed.
2) Make it a habit to turn off Headlights and Wipers BEFORE you switch off the Engine - this goes for the Climate Control (Blower Fan) aswell.
3) if sitting in, for instance, in a queue at a Drive-Thru, turn off your Headlights and just leave the Sidelights on. (This is also nice for the person in the car in front of you). Same goes for sitting with the Brakes on blinding the car behind. Use your handbrake.

These are the things I have got into the habit of doing to save the Battery. Works for me.
 

rifiki

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Worksop
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CLK W209 W121190B
Have same problem, buy a standard battery and a Ctek charger and charge the battery overnight once a week or when required.
 

RhodieBill

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2001 W208 CLK320 182U ALMANDINE-BLACK METALLIC
Just a bit of a follow-up, I bought a new Battery last week at last!

£99.10 from Amazon!

Made in and delivered directly from Germany.

mjHesOO.jpg


Ciao.
 


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Tel: 01707 395999www.welwynmerx.uk
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