Hi again.
Ok..My battery Died. For those that don't know me, at the end of Dec 2000, About 6 weeks ago, I bought a 95 280c from the Westchester NY mercedes dealer with a 3 year starmark.
Today, after parking at my house, I set the alarm off by accident, so, I put the key in the door lock to turn it off (never had it go off before) and did went my way.
A few hours later, I went out to start my car and the battery was dead. I jump started the car after figuring out that the battery was in the trunk ;) and ran the car for 15 mins to let the car charge up. I turned it off, and the battery was still dead.
The question is, should the mercedes dealer replace this battery, or am I going to have to foot the bill. Remember, this car is starmarked 6 weeks out of the dealer.
Any comments???

Is the battery charged now? Have you been able to start the car again? I'm not sure of the detail of a Starmark warranty and what exactly it covers, but it sounds like you either have a battery that won't hold a charge or there might be something wrong with the charging system. I would think that MB should remedy this problem for you.

The battery will not hold the charge. I doubt that it is the charging system, but if it was, I would expect them to pay to have that fixed. The question is :
If they sold me the car with a battery that went dead within 6 weeks, will/should they replace it?

Well..I just got through to roadside assistance. The operator would not answer my question, only said that he could send someone out who would have a battery with him. He did tell me wheather I would have to pay for the battery, just that he would have one with him.

Well..What do you all think..

I would have taken the car back to the dealer and demand to have a new battery replacement for free and have them check the car thoroughly. My dealer replaced all four tires of my car after I had it for two months because I told them I did not like the ones that came with the car. Guess each dealer is different. Good luck with your dealer.

95 R129
98 W163

I had a Starmark car and about a year after buying it, the battery was dying (signified by the onset of slow cranking in cold weather) I took the car to the dealer. They said the battery had it’s own warranty (it was a MB battery), and that they’d pro-rate the new battery for the remainder of the old battery’s warranty period. They said the battery was a normal maintenance item with a finite service life – akin to brakes and bulbs (which also aren’t covered). Anyway, I think I paid about $30 or so for a new battery and they installed it and did a test of the charging system for no additional fee. This all took place in about a half hour after I stopped by with no appointment. Given your car is 6 weeks out, and stranded, I'll all but bet they'll do it n/c.

Second, you might want to have them look at the charging system. It is virtually all covered by warranty. The tale you tell could be the battery but perhaps the alternator is putting out minimal charging? Anyway, in my case the dealer was prompt and the cost, was trivial.

I found the Starmark warranty to be easily the best automobile warranty on the planet. I could go on for volumes about my experiences. In summary, the dealer will probably be happy to help you.


…Tracy



[Edited by Lebenz on 02-11-2001 at 12:37 AM]

I placed the call for the tech to come out today. He should be here in 2 hours. I will make sure he does a test of the charging system.
If he wants me to pay (remember, roadside assistane) for the battery, I'll have a conversation with the dealer so they can pay me back.
Keep you informed..and thanks for the support.!

Dave

Well..we can close this out, and say that I am impressed.
The Technician got here about 45 mins after he said he would however, he called to tell me he would be late.

I told him the battery was dead, and wouldn't hold a charge, and he pulled a battery from his ML 430 and quickly replaced it. After that, he did a quick check on the charging system, then filled out his paperwork. Then he reset the radio for me (something I forgot had to be done) and went on his way.

The battery he replaced was 5.5 years old, which would explain why it died. I'm suprised that this was not checked before they sold it to me..this is my only issue. I'm going to write a note to the dealer to tell him this.

Thanks for all your help though......