BEST REPLACEMENT BATTERY??

[grober]

the cold weather is taking its toll! After sitting out in the cold for 5 days at approx -10c yes its cold in Scotland at this time of year! my battery sounded decidedly old. My present battery is probably the original factory fitted one -74Ah 400A Hoppecke. I could for a straight replacement or go for a Bosch SILVER or a VARTA Blue dynamic which both appear to use lead-calium-technology. On my last 190e I had a Varta 62Ah battery designed for the diesel 190 which never let me down. No consumer/motoring organisation seems to have done a performance/durability comparison between the various manufacturers and in this era of higher electrical loads and ECU controlled systems battery performance is crucial to reliability. I would appreciate any comments on a suitable replacement battery.[/b]

 

[sunil sood]

i personally would go for a bosch silver-they come with a 3 yr waranty and are maintenance free.

cheaper alternatives include hoppecke,and gsf's own brand

i find batteries from german,swedish and french car parts are good and competitively priced,also eurocarparts are another good source for merc batteries of good quality and fair price.

there should be a branch of either gsf carparts or eurocarparts near you.

 

[salvatori]

Hi,

Varta are good too. I have always used Varta and it too has nevr let me down.

From what I had heard it was Varta who used to supply Mercedes Benz batteries factory fitted for some of the older models W126 etc.. but the factory fitted models had Mercedes Benz printed on them. I may be wrong though.

Regards,

Sal

 

[Andy]

Hi

I have to admit. VARTA are my favourite. Original manufacturer. Never had one let me down. But MB have quite favourable priced batteries as well these days.

Regards

Andy @ www.mercedesservicing.com

"Choices Choices"

 

[BIGC'S C-CLASS]

Battery - Bosch

Hi,

Just replaced the battery on my C200 Sport. 100Ah.

Fitted a Bosch Silver battery - best price was from a company called Andrew Page. They are a motor factor and deal mainly in Bosch products.

Costs £72 inc Vat. Cost at dealer £110 + vat.

 

[kid-jensen]

Battery (Non) Recommendation

Guys,

Don't go near a Unipart Samson "Lifetime Guarentee" battery.

They always give you the hard time whenever you have to return them, which in my case (30 year old Jensen--7 litre engine) is pretty often.

It was a cynical Marketing ploy to give the Lifetime Guarentee on them, because most owners only keep their cars for 2 years.............

When some awkward bastard like me comes in with a duff battery he has had for nearly 16 years, they hide under the counter

 

[grober]

lifetime warranty battery!

Hi,
look CAREFULLY at the small print on these"lifetime guarrantee" batteries. Quite often they will "replace" your battery less its years of use, so you have to pay for the expired years and this locks you back into buying another of their crap batteries. e.g. Supposing your" 5year "guarrantee battery fails at 3years old they will replace it with another "5 year " battery less the 3 years of use you have had. YOU PAY THE DIFFERENCE !!! i.e. 3/5 of the price of a new"5 year" battery for the replacement. Better to buy a good quality battery from the start.

 

[mbzslk230k]

Go for VARTA Blue - I have that fitted to my Estate and it is a real strong battery

BTW - VARTA makes the MB batteries ... but difference in price is marginal ..

 

[simon]

I have used Varta batteries for decades, quality & longevity excellent,currently fitted,since new on my 6 year old car with every confidence of lasting for another 5 years.
I permanently(Overnight) use a CSI Airflow battery management conditioner which trickle charges(Without overcharging) keeping the battery in optimum condition.
Other Mercedes owners have achieved similar battery life with assiduous daily connections.
Ernest Sidesman.

 

[NormanB]

Hi Ernest
I am intrigued can you tell me more about the battery conditioning marlarkey?
NormanB

 

[simon]

Hi Norman, Nothing magical about the Airflow conditioner.It is an electronic trickle charger,that switches off when battery fully charged & switches on again when battery voltage drops,effectively preventing overcharging & maintaining battery in optimal condition.
It is Swiss made,can be left on for prolonged periods(I use it on lawnmower battery during winter daytime & the car at night) it draws 12 watts.
There are also LEDs for checking battery voltage.
It has a QD connector, such that it can be plugged in without accessing battery every time & the car can be locked normally.
It is not designed for outdoor use & is for 12V batteries only.It will not
recharge a completely flat battery.
There are other similar items available but this one has stood the test of time for me & others. It currently costs 40 pounds sterling.
Details on www.racecar.co.uk/airflow/

Ernest Sidesman

 

[NormanB]

Ernest

Thank you so much for the info.

I have followed up and will be purchasing a couple!