Repacement Battery for W210 E430
 

Is there any reason to stay with the large, oem type battery, or can I substitute an appropriate a.h. smaller (cheaper) battery that will clamp properly in place?

Thanks,
Art

It's not a good idea to use a battery of less amp-hour capacity than the OEM. The battery capacity is sized to handle whatever array of accessories you have. Though a lower amp hour battery will work, it will be taxing over the life of the battery. Also, if the battery you choose is smaller in size, then you may not be able to tie it down with the battery clamp, which means that the battery will move around in the battery tray, or in worse case turn over since it is not held in place with anything other than gravity.

Interestingly, I continue to find that the Mercedes OEM battery is the same or lower price than aftermarket batteries (such as Sears Die Hards). The battery for my E320 is about $80 at the dealer.............and Die Hards in the size and capacity of the OEM are consistently more expensive! Go figure! Just my two cents.

It's been reported that one should use the largest battery that'll fit in the battery tray, regardless of what the car originally came with, assuming it meets the minimum performance requirements. A bigger battery will outlast a smaller one.

Going cheap on batteries is false economy, IMHO.

When stranded by a cheesy battery, will you be saying "well, at least I saved $30, so it was worth it..."

I suggest Optima spiral cell batteries, particularly for interior mounted ones. Exide also makes a spiral cell now which is supposed to be very good, and a bit less money.
They cannot leak acid, and can even be mounted upside down!

I had terrible luck with cheap batteries. Bought several from Autozone; out of three I never had one last a year. That extrea fifty bucks for a good battery is well spent unless you value your time at zero...

- JimY

stick with interstate..
 

suggest you try to find an interstate model MT-93A offers 850
cold cranking amps and a 72month warranty.. they run about 100 bux but well worth it ..

Optima orange top! No need to look anywhere else.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3035299848&category=1498

That's what I did.

I considered this, but was concerned about the lack of a vent tube connection. The battery in the W210 is located in a closed compartment under the rear seat. There's also a huge fuse block right next to it. So hydrogen buildup is definitely a concern. Optima says their battery will not vent hydrogen under normal conditions, but they admit it is possible. Does anyone else worry about this?

Looks like this thread has drifted a little from the original poster. Just to keep everything in perspective, the location of the battery in an E320 is in the engine bay where it is not confined to a closed area; therefore, there is no need for a battery vent tube. And, I think you will be surprised if you shop aftermarket batteries against the MB OEM battery. In my case, the OEM battery is consistently lower cost than a Sears Die Hard!

Really,
I thought the thread was about a W210 E430 - silly me.