E320 CDI Bad Battery

[mb_e320]

I have a 2005 E320 - Diesel
The car is just under three years old, but due to 56K miles is just out of warranty. During the warranty period the battery died three times. One time the car was towed to the nearest dealership. The other times I took it to my dealership.

I called my dealership and asked if this would be covered as it is a problem that has been occurring and started when the vehicle was still under warranty. Both the service advisor and service manager responded that they wanted me to agree to pay for the diagnostics and then they would check to see if what was found to be wrong would still be covered. To say the least I am very disappointed with my dealership for not covering something that is reoccurring. I hate to say it but my Ford dealership treats me far better.

The last time this happened they replaced the battery and said they could not find a problem. This is the third battery to go bad on this car.

Are MB batteries so bad that they die so fast? I have had a diesel VW and it never went through batteries so fast. (Same with all my other vehicles).

Have any of you other readers & technicians experienced similar problems? Is it typical for the battery to go bad on these cars every year?

This past time when I opened my car door no lights came on. I put a volt meter on the battery - it registered 3.x volts. I charged it up and checked it with the car going -13.x volts - so the alternator is working. I put an am-meter on it and it registered around 0.02a so there is not a draw on the battery. (At least right now) The car was parked only about 2.5 days before this problem occurred.

Another possibility comes to mind. An hour after getting home the last time I drove it I got something out of the trunk. I closed the trunk after getting the item out. Perhaps the switch to turn off the trunk light did not activate. Is there an automatic timer on the trunk light to turn off the light if the trunk is left open or the switch fails? (I am grasping at straws here, but you never know)

I am considering buying a new battery as the fix for this problem and discontinuing the use of my dealership for all future transactions.

 

[panason1c]

To be on your 3rd battery in 3 years is is not bad luck and it's not bad batteries either imo.......something on your car is dragging the battery down....probably an intermittent fault.

Car batteries dont like being repeatedly heavily discharged and then charged....this dramatically shortens their life. (That's why caravanners use 'leisure' batteries, these are of a design that cope with discharge/charge cycles over long periods of time with little adverse damage)

Do you have Comand?....i seem to remember something about faulty units remaining powered up and draining batteries overnight......


ps.......I have just renewed the battery on my ML after 6 years and one month on the original.

 

[panason1c]

"The car is just under three years old, but due to 56K miles is just out of warranty"


Are you sure the MB warranty is mileage related?................i had warranty work carried out on my ML when it was 2 and a half years old with 80k on the clock.

 

[television]

Do you have Comand?....i seem to remember something about faulty units remaining powered up and draining batteries overnight......


ps.......I have just renewed the battery on my ML after 6 years and one month on the original.

You are correct, mine does not go to sleep, so I did my own mod

 

[mb_e320]

Yes it has navigation (command)

Yes it is out of warrenty - I got socked for new glow plugs at 52K miles

Is it difficult to add the shut down modification?

 

[panason1c]

Yes it has navigation (command)

Is it difficult to add the shut down modification?

Cue Television............

 

[panason1c]

Interesting read.............(Mercedes specific)



http://www.babcox.com/editorial/ic/ic030538.htm

......"The third general category, and maybe the most allusive, is the gradual battery drain and dead batteries due to the CAN B not going to sleep. As long as any controller continues sending communication, the whole body CAN stays active and the control units stay switched on. This can result in current drains near 1,000 ma. The EIS not only is the gateway between networks, but is also in control of activation and deactivation of the CAN B. The CAN B network has numerous systems that are operable without the key being on and as such requires such communications without the ignition key turned on, leaving the possibility of extensive current drain."............

 

[television]

Cue Television............

Sorry I was resting, if the command or components in the ring are active, you will hear the fan start up inside the command then stop and start again.

I added a timer that shuts off the supply after the car has been parked up for ½ hour

 

[mb_e320]

Malcolm:
Adding a shut off timer sounds a bit complicated for me to attempt. I can handle the basic mechanical things, but I am a bit clueless on electirical items. Is this something that dealerships can do if to complicated for me?
I am not sure what the "ring" refeers to.
When the key is first turned I do hear what could be a fan or motor, but it sounds as if it is coming from the seat & not the navigation or dash.
Thanks again for your help, I am signing off for the day, and will check in tomorrow.

 

[jberks]

We have a similar problem. E220cdi (no Command) 2003. Ran perfectly Saturday night. Come Sunday morning, didn't want to know. Put it down to a failed battery and popped in a new one on Sunday afternoon. Last night we get the consumer features off warnings, so it seems something is dragging it down.
IS this something a decent auto electrician or indie can track down (well beyond me!) or is a dealer only job. Is there anything on the star diag that can monitor components shutting down (or not)?

 

[television]

We have a similar problem. E220cdi (no Command) 2003. Ran perfectly Saturday night. Come Sunday morning, didn't want to know. Put it down to a failed battery and popped in a new one on Sunday afternoon. Last night we get the consumer features off warnings, so it seems something is dragging it down.
IS this something a decent auto electrician or indie can track down (well beyond me!) or is a dealer only job. Is there anything on the star diag that can monitor components shutting down (or not)?

An amp meter in series is the only way to do it, normally pulling the fuses one by one until you find the circuit that is causing the problem.

there is nothing on Star for this, its just basic testing

I would have thought that a Bosch service center was better equipped to do it or an Indie that is good at electrics.

Also a good idea to check the running voltage to be sure that it is 13.8 volt, if the consumers off came on when you were driving I think it is more of a charge problem. there is one or two things on a 211 and I will look late afternoon as I am out for the day

 

[mb_e320]

Last night when thinking about this problem I recalled something that I read from the past about shutting down power.

After parking the car - If I lock the door does this shut down any extra electrical power to the computers. (I typically do not lock the doors in the garage) Would it possibly prevent a drain?

Malcomb: would this process do the same thing as you described yesterday with your shut off to the command after 30 seconds?

Thanks all,
M