Battery options
 

I need to get a new battery for my '89 300CE. It currently has an OEM battery but I'm wondering what I should replace it with. Is it better to go OEM or is there a good aftermarket option?

Our 300E has an autolite in it thats too small....and it works fine....even when cranking extended periods. :eek:

I really like my OEM battery. If I had to get a new battery I would probably get another unless the cost was crazy. Lat time I quoted one they were 109.00 which I would pay. And you might even get free delivery with that but you better check the price first.

They're up to about $140-145ish when I bought mine 1.7 years ago.....

I would probably check out Interstate if that is what the dealer quoted for the OEM. If you go to the actual Interstate location they have pretty good prices.

Autozone sells the interstate for under $90, so does Advance Auto, with a good warranty (IIRC 3year replacement / 7year pro-rated). I like the OE battery, but not worth twice as much with less warranty.

The dealer wants $220 CDN for the battery, which compared to the prices others have listed is ridiculous. I'm going to go with the Interstate battery but I'm wondering about preserving the OEM look. Are they all black now or can I still get a white one to match the original? I know, I'm fussy.:rolleyes: Out of curiosity, I'm wondering if anyone in Canada has tried the Canadian Tire branded batteries, namely the Motomaster Eliminator series.

I've had very good luck with MB batteries. They last at least as long as aftermarket brands, and the fitment is perfect. They may cost more, but spread over several years, it works out to be like $20 bucks more a year. Plus, they keep the car original looking :-)

Another vote for OEM battery
 

The latest battery for my 1988 W124 from MBz was about $90, bought 2 months ago. I've also gotten good service from an Interstate battery, but the last one of those I bought was about $120 five years ago.

Each dealer has a different price, but as of this week, our parts department's price for the large white batteries is $185. The black one is a gel battery and much more expensive and not really needed for the older cars.

Well I am not sure we are all talking about the same battery but the one I am referring to is the big white 100A one in my car. I was quoted 109.95 4 years ago and I just called the same dealer to see what they are now and he quoted me 159.95. He said he has seen them last 10 years or more and he said they do have a sale once in a while on batteries, around 20% off so that would be pretty fair I think for that battery. But I don't know if that is the one for your car.

Batteries are batteries - only a handful of companies that make them. WalMart just started stocking group 49 batteries - $62. It will many, many years, if ever, that anyone would be able to tell the difference between this and what the dealer sells.

You would only have to look at them to see the difference. There are differences in battery construction both internally and externally. Externally the dealer battery has fully sealed fill holes and a fitting for a vent tube. I have never seen this feature on any other battery. Internally there COULD be differences in plate thickness. I don't know for sure but "batteries are not batteries". They can be made with thicker plates or they can be made with thinner plates. Mine is 6 years old and still looks and works like new. No corrosion. I have never heard of any store battery lasting 10 years.

Appearance isn't all that important to a battery, if indeed there is any difference in appearance. I've got 8 years and counting on a non-OEM battery. But obviously everybody has a right to buy OE if it makes you feel good.

My latest AZ battery is giving up. Actually, symptoms were first noticed about a month ago, but it was already just past the 24 month free replacement age. Now it's just past 25 months out of 72 for the pro-rated warranty. That means that I would have to pay about 35% of the price for a new one. I'll probably do it this time, but that's pretty terrible performance.