Battery, at last

Well, that was rather unsatisfactory. The AA man arrived at 16.15, to say that he wasn’t carrying the battery for my car but that he’d test mine and see if a new one was needed. His tester reported my battery good but merely in need of a charge, whereupon he started the car from his jumper pack and told me to leave it running for an hour.

An hour! In cold, still weather when the exhaust fumes would go nowhere but my neighbours’ houses. So I had to take it somewhere, not so far from home that I couldn’t get back. And of course the screen had now frosted over, so I had no choice but to wait in the idling car till it cleared. I trundled it round a three-mile loop and gave up. Once I’d parked it back on the drive, I tried it again and it started easily.

So I’m no further on. I have a car that won’t start on a frosty morning and the AA won’t sell me a new battery even for ready money because their tester says no. I know my use habits are part of this but the car doesn’t do short runs (until today) and it’s got through five previous winters with me happily enough.

Maybe it needs the attention of a Mercedes specialist, whose battery tester might be more attuned to the car and less inclined to say, “That’s fine.” And who can fit an MB-spec Varta (I now know) battery to replace this old one.

Bit cross. Feels like a lot of wasted time.

I should have added that you're probably like me and now don't trust this battery and the £200 or thereabouts to buy a replacement is worth it.

I know! But no doubt due to them being too busy they fobbed you off until it doesn't start next time. For the correct battery and fitting at home it seemed a good price.

When I last swapped the Seicento battery EuroCarParts was a lot cheaper than Halfords. And I mentioned problems starting it earlier this year.... touch wood it's been fine since. Famous last words. But it started first time today for example and it was very cold overnight here again.

The link Al have seemed good value. Can't be difficult to swap on a MB?? The Seicento is a bit of a pain because there are metal bits bolting the battery in place that need removing.

Yes: nearside of the engine compartment, near the bulkhead. Not where I was looking, as the diagram in the manual suggests it's somewhere behind the nearside headlamp.

Don't be tempted to buy online, if it's faulty it's a bit of a RPIA to return. You're not supposed to send batteries by post but battery companies are allowed.
Secondly, familiarise yourself with the cars battery monitoring sensor. Volvo and Ford both require this to be reset if a new battery is fitted. Replacement for the Volvo I had done by my friendly Volvo service outlet for just under GBP120. No stop/start gubbins.
The Ford battery died last summer, I charged it and reset the sensor myself. Three presses on the start button and five presses of the brake pedal within a few seconds* and see the little battery light on the dash light up for a few seconds then go out.
* That's what I think I did, I know it wasn't something you'd do by accident. All felt a bit contrived really. If the car can monitor the battery state surely it can be clever enough to realise a new battery has been fitted with extra oomph.

Yes, dixi, all progress, from the point at which you became an adult, is uniformly a bad thing. Let's reset everything to about 1965.

Anyway, I'm surprised at the location change on the big Mercs for the battery.  my 211's main battery was in the boot, and easily accessible.  The auxiliary battery (which was a motorcycle battery) was in the engine bay, and again easily accessible.  Can't remember now Dubya, what year is your CLS?  2016?  I saw a white one in town the other day, rare beasts aren't they, especially in white.  I still miss my E in many ways (not reliability and running costs), but not sure I'd be tempted into a Merc again after that experience, especially an ageing one.