Battery Question
 

Probably an old question but please give some advice:
I have a 1998 E300D....now 5 years.....original battery which is in good shape....all cells read in the green with a hydrometer.
Should I replace the battery now only because of its age, and not look for a sudden dead battery in the near future? I thought 5 years is on the old side for a battery and probably not much life is left that can be counted on. Any advice please.......and should I ultimately make the replacement the OE Varta or should I go for a Diehard or an Interstate? Thank you.....
Richard

I normally average about 7-8 years on an OEM battery ( with a bit of TLC ).
Not many batteries die a sudden death.
For a replacement I would stick with OEM, but have had very good success with Diehard as well.
Some people around here seem to have had fitment problems with Interstate batteries.;)

No reason you should replace it if it's good. They'll usually give you some warning (and if not, call the MB 800 road-assistance number).

My max on an original battery was 11 years--1987 to 1997. That was a "Sonnenschein" brand.

I have original battery in '94 E500 (42.9k)- - still starts strong.

-fad

My experience tells me the batteries give about one days' notice before leaving you stranded.

I replaced the battery in my 94 E320 this weekend. No warning from the 3.5 year old OEM Varta. Returned from vacation and the car was dead. I installed an Interstate ($95) that fit perfectly. I hope it lasts longer than the OEM battery. I also took this opportunity to replace all the fuses on the advice from the board. Good luck.

ddb