Battery Recharging

[Bluegrass]

HI,

I've had to replace my E320Cdi (2000) battery today because the electrolyte in the old one was less than half and as a result wouldn't start the car.

Is it worth topping it up and charging it to keep as a spare?

It is Mercedes branded and might have been the original one.

Thanks.

 

[television]

If it is the original from 2000 then it has not done bad

All the old batteries that I ever saved got thrown away in the end as I forgot all about them

 

[maddog]

nahh its probably knackered

 

[Aussie Nick]

As Maddog . Would suggest you take to recyclers you may even get a small reward. Not worth keeping this battery. I agree with Malcolm also that you have done very well. Most others would be on their third one,at least, by now.

 

[Bluegrass]

Thanks for the advise.

I'll take it to the recyclers.

 

[television]

Thanks for the advise.

I'll take it to the recyclers.

The average site will take 6 a year, and its free

 

[maddog]

you'll get £4 from a scrappy apparently

 

[Aussie Nick]

Maddog we are going to recycle your cricket team real soon. I will send you some splinters as a momento. XXXXX

 

[Aussie Nick]

Ok phil I asked for it now just keep it coming

 

[philharve]

Non MB-branded batteries just as good.

My indie replaced my car's battery (dead cell) when it failed during the last cold spell. The battery that was replaced was the original, was Mercedes-branded, over 5 year old and had covered almost 90,000 miles. The replacement was branded too, but not Mercedes, and cost me GBP50.00, fitted. My indie recommended it. An MB-branded battery, purchased from a dealership, would have cost me three times as much. Because the replacement has the same warranty as the original I am expecting similar performance and life from it. Two years on and so far, so good.

I later learned that MB don't make their own batteries, they rebrand makes from quality battery suppliers. My replacement, a name unknown to me, was made by one of the top three battery manufacturers. In all probability similar batteries from the same manufacturer would end up rebranded as Mercedes.

I suppose the moral of this tale is that quality does not have to cost and one should not be deterred from making a purchase just because the brand name is unfamiliar.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[Xtractorfan]

I had my now 7yr old battery tested by halfords £500 quids worth of testing equipment a short circuit in one cell and reading 9.5 volts. its scrap u need a new one so enquired about a replacement but no one had a 100amphr battery nearest was an 88 amphr.. so i thot MB didnt fit a 100amphr if it only needed an 88amphr. so next logical step was top it up with distilled water and trickle charge it . got it tested next day at a local motor factors.. same machine as halfords reading 11.5 volts and no dodgy cell that was two months ago and its still doing the bizz .. but I do carry my power pack just in case... Oh and when i pumped my vin no into the russian website it did say my car did have a high output battery fitted.

 

[Xtractorfan]

Oh and just as a matter of interest I remember many years ago watching an old guy rebuilding a battery, aparently in olden days everything was fixed or repaired, but he did tell me that the secret to long battery life was to discharge the battery fully about 2 or 3 times a year and trickle charge it back to full again. His idea was to drain it by connecting a headlamp bulb to it and letting it drain.

 

[philharve]

Oh and just as a matter of interest I remember many years ago watching an old guy rebuilding a battery, aparently in olden days everything was fixed or repaired, but he did tell me that the secret to long battery life was to discharge the battery fully about 2 or 3 times a year and trickle charge it back to full again. His idea was to drain it by connecting a headlamp bulb to it and letting it drain.

Hi Xtractorfan

I doubt very much that with modern technology, few vehicle batteries are put through the deep charge-discharge cycling process you describe. We do it with Nicads to preserve their life but vehicle batteries are a far 'larger' problem.

I recall this charge-discharge procedure - I've used it myself - but a 100AHr battery would still take a long time to discharge using a single headlamp bulb. Two bulbs would be better, or even better still would be to employ a specially designed resistive load to speed up the process. I've made such a load in the past using 18-SWG resistive wire but you need a safety cage to put it in because the wire gets quite hot.

I suppose if you had two batteries, one undergoing cycling and another, fully charged, in the vehicle, it would avoid the embarrassment of wanting to use the vehicle only to find it at the bottom of the discharge part of the cycle and you have to wait for it to recharge before the vehicle can be used.

But how many owners can afford to cycle their batteries in this way ... or run two batteries? It's the thought of switching batteries that would put me off. I guess it's laziness on my part, I don't like to get my hands too dirty these days. Thirty years ago it wouldn't have mattered.

REGARDS

Phil

 

[Xtractorfan]

Hi Phil just caught ur musings today. yea totally agree, tho i do have to say, I run a bodyshop and believe me the number of flat batterys we get when we go to start up a car that has been sitting in the shop for a couple of days is alarming and for some reason oven baked ones seem to be the biggest culprit. Modern day batteries are good, but i sometimes get the feeling that they dont have the staying power, feed them constantly and they will work, load them and they let u down.

 

[television]

Hi Phil just caught ur musings today. yea totally agree, tho i do have to say, I run a bodyshop and believe me the number of flat batterys we get when we go to start up a car that has been sitting in the shop for a couple of days is alarming and for some reason oven baked ones seem to be the biggest culprit. Modern day batteries are good, but i sometimes get the feeling that they dont have the staying power, feed them constantly and they will work, load them and they let u down.

From what I can see, all of the cars that have a wake up system and get ready to drive flatten the batteries in a few days, my SL will go 10 days provided it was fully charged to start with

 

[FIBAMAN]

Phil you could get your name on if you bought enough

 

[Janice321]

Do original MB batteries ever need they distilled water topping up? (and can you get access to do it if needed? )

 

[television]

Do original MB batteries ever need they distilled water topping up? (and can you get access to do it if needed? )

MB use a variety of batteries, if you have removable plugs then the level can be checked.

 

[Janice321]

Thanks Malcolm! (quick on the draw as usual!)