WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 14, 2022 17:33:09 GMT
Had an appointment in another town and a couple of errands to run this morning, enough to give the CLS its weekly leg-stretch. I gently cleared the windows and lights of frost, got myself comfortable, turned the key and…
…click.
Bugger. First time either MB has ever failed to start. I jumped in the i3 and got on with my morning, but presumably the usual suspect is the obvious one: lightly-used car, near-ten-year-old original battery, chilled through after several successive sub-zero nights … not enough left to turn over a big, cold engine.
This might be consistent with the car being less and less willing to even enable stop-start, let alone activate it. I think I’d been driving for 30 miles last week before the light turned from yellow to green. With luck the imminent new battery will improve that too.
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Post by Humph on Dec 14, 2022 20:05:40 GMT
That’s annoying at best. Are you planning on fitting the new battery yourself or getting a man to do it?
In theory that should be straightforward enough but I hear rumours that it might require some sorcery.
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Post by dixinormus on Dec 15, 2022 0:33:07 GMT
Battery has done well to last almost 10 years to be fair. Particularly if parked outside on a diet of infrequent cold damp starts!
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 15, 2022 8:20:39 GMT
Thanks for the sympathy, chaps. No intention of fitting it myself, so I’ll see if I can get someone to replace it on the drive. Might need some warmer weather first — coming on Sunday, apparently — before anyone fancies working on it. And once it thaws, the car might start and get me to my MoT garage’s nice, warm workshop. Nowhere urgent to go till then, so I’ll consider my options.
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Post by Humph on Dec 15, 2022 9:10:58 GMT
We had to put a new battery in the Aygo a few weeks back. Bought one from Halfords fairly cheaply. Easy 5 minute diy swop on that car of course.
Did notice though at the time of ordering that “stop start” batteries are rather more expensive.
I’ve also heard that more complex cars might need stuff recoding and so on.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2022 9:12:30 GMT
I replaced the main battery in my E, twice. And the auxiliary one, once. When my first "new" main one died after 2 winters, I realised I'd installed the wrong type - although it was "big" enough, it wasn't an AGM type, which was required for the car. Didn't cause me any problems other than having a short life and therefore having been a bit of a waste of money.
There wasn't anything difficult about the physical changing of it myself.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 15, 2022 11:28:25 GMT
... “stop start” batteries are rather more expensive. I’ve also heard that more complex cars might need stuff recoding and so on. All that. And that it's probably the last car battery I'll ever need to change, so it's not a skill I need to acquire, however (apparently) simple. |
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Post by Humph on Dec 15, 2022 11:36:08 GMT
I’ll be interested to know what it ends up costing. My Merc is still on its original battery, albeit a bit younger than yours but with considerably more miles I’d imagine.
I was thinking of changing the battery just as a bit of a precaution against future faffery and inconvenience.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 15, 2022 11:53:01 GMT
No problem, Humph. I suspect now that the reluctance to activate stop-start was the warning sign that the battery was losing capacity, so that would be something to look for in yours. The number of long daytime runs yours gets probably means that the battery never really gets a chance to dip. I never use mine for very short trips but I imagine it trickles charge away while it's standing on the drive for days on end, then never quite recovers it except on the occasional very long run - and it's not had one of them for a while. |
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Post by Humph on Dec 15, 2022 11:55:33 GMT
I’ve always turned the stop start off in truth. That’s just for hippies isn’t it?
😉
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Post by EspadaIII on Dec 15, 2022 13:09:57 GMT
My old E350 was on the original battery at ten years old when I sold it exactly 12 months ago. But every weekday it got at least a short run up a motorway and we never had -11C during the six years I owned it. So, a bit of a bugger Dubya, but at least it won't let you down again for a while. Any thoughts on a battery tender or a jump pack. The latest jump packs look like beefy power banks and you can charge from the car socket.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 15, 2022 13:10:36 GMT
Well, if I put my details into the AA site, I get this...  ...which seems, erm, a bit more than I was expecting. And that's for an AA member (which I am); another £35 if you're not. But it has the AGM thing that Vić's didn't, so that's got to be good, right? I wonder if yours might manage with something smaller, having only the four pistons to move. A look at Halfords shows a confusing variety of own-brand options, not all the same physical size or with AGM. Cheaper, but not vastly cheaper, and I suspect if I look at the original one it will look like the Bosch in the AA picture. |
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Post by Humph on Dec 15, 2022 13:16:11 GMT
Ouch!
That plus a man…
😬
Oh wait, that includes a man I see.
Still
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Dec 15, 2022 13:17:19 GMT
No, that includes the man and the fitting on the drive.
Now I have the Bosch model number, I find it's an expensive item anywhere. Vić's favourites, Euro Car Parts, want £320 for the battery and another £50-80 to get it fitted. I think I'll go with the AA.
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Post by Humph on Dec 15, 2022 13:24:53 GMT
Fair enough, but a bit emasculating though really I’d think, getting a someone to do it for you. Maybe you’re cool with that of course. 21st century and all that I suppose…
😉
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