what brand of battery?

[markovr6]

So I am going to buy a new battery for the '68 280se. I hope this is not a dumb question, but is there any reason to buy a battery from Mercedes rather than a Sears battery? Will the Mercedes battery last longer and provide more "power"??

Thanks for your replies!!

[diametricalbenz]

I use Optima Red Top batteries in my W115 and my W116 and they work great. They cost more $100 but they can sit for a month without any power loss. They're sealed so they're not gassing or leaking acid all over the battery tray which the previous batteries have made swiss cheese of.

[Tomguy]

I have an Exide "Maintinance-Free" batery. The battery size for my 4.5 is a 49, yours looks to be a 48. You can view a spec chart here:

http://www.exideworld.com/products/automotive/exide_60_specs.html

I'd suggest this brand because I've seen an Interstate battery leak all over the place, completely killing the battery tray, and have heard mixed results from Die Hards. I had an EverStart (Wal*Mart brand) in my tractor which held up well, considering how much abuse it took, but only lasted 2 years before it leaked all over.

Edit: And I haven't been driving my 4.5 much either. It still fires up within the first or second turn, even after sitting a month or two, but the battery ALWAYS has more than enough to turn it over as if it were just run yesterday.

[boneheaddoctor]

I run a pair of red top 1,000 CCA Optimas in my truck.......other than those I have had great luck with INterstate batteries....

Avoid Exide at all costs....they suck and their warranty guarantees are near worthless....trust me I could go on and on about them...from personal history.

[Tomguy]

I forgot to mention too, that the battery is rated for more CA's and CCA's than any other battery I could find at that time, too. 1000 CA's and 850 CCA's.

Have you had trouble getting a battery replaced under warranty? Makes me a bit concerned if this does die young...

[boneheaddoctor]

Originally Posted by Tomguy

I forgot to mention too, that the battery is rated for more CA's and CCA's than any other battery I could find at that time, too. 1000 CA's and 850 CCA's.

Have you had trouble getting a battery replaced under warranty? Makes me a bit concerned if this does die young...

I went to 5 different exide dealers to replace a 8 month old battery that wouldn't hold a charge.......and only then did that one replace it becasue I was a previous customer he knew and I shamed him into it......becasue I was mighty ticked off by then.

My next battery will be ANYTHING but exide....

[Padraig]

Originally Posted by diametricalbenz

I use Optima Red Top batteries in my W115 and my W116 and they work great. They cost more $100 but they can sit for a month without any power loss. They're sealed so they're not gassing or leaking acid all over the battery tray which the previous batteries have made swiss cheese of.

I serached the Optima Website for a battery recommendation for my 1984 300sd T/Diesel, but it indicated that there was not a battery for this model, I checked again using your car specs, but couldn't find a 240D model in the drop-down pages. I'm assuming that you bought an Optima based upon the battery box measurements, right?

[JMela]

I got a Douglas battery last Spring, apparently they produce MB's batteries. It's worth hunting one down.

Dealer wanted $180 for the MB brand, the Douglas was about $75. Cosmetically, it looks so much better than the Excide battery it replaced. Size 48/49 fills the 108's battery tray as well, so that looks great. Performance-wise, so far, so good.

[markovr6]

I ended up getting an MB battery from the dealership. It was $180 CAN...probably not the cheapest, but nice to see the three pointed on the battery when I open the hood.

[Padraig]

Originally Posted by markovr6

I ended up getting an MB battery from the dealership. It was $180 CAN...probably not the cheapest, but nice to see the three pointed on the battery when I open the hood.

Yeh, eh? MB prices! Anyway I just replaced my 1984 300SD battery with an Interstate type 49. My question is: there does not appear to be a battery hold-down rig - Does anyone with this model car have a battery tie-down?

[boneheaddoctor]

Avoid Exide like the plauge......getting them to make good on a warranty claim is worse than like getting your HMO to pay for an out of network visit...

[Don Buchanan]

I am on the 6th year of service from an Interstate in my 450-se

[boneheaddoctor]

I had to Buy a new battery for my W123 this past friday....(4 days ago) I bought an Interstate....have had nothing but good luck with them for over 25 years.

[billrei]

I also have had good luck with Interstate. The Interstate that came with my W109 sat for a about a year and a half waiting for me to get it back on the road. I charged it a couple of times during that time but I was uncertain if it would perform OK. So far after 3 months it seems great. Sometimes when I am working on the car I forget to turn off the interior lights. Even after 3 or 4 hours the car still starts right up. When this does die I might check out Douglas Battery.

[300SDog]

Yeah but what are the specs and how are they rated.... amps, amp hours and whats the diff?

Am thinking it always pays off to buy the biggest most overpowered battery you can find. Never heard of one having too much balls for the engine, alternator or electrical system. So whats this nonsense about matching a battery to the car?

Favorite battery story of mine was fitting a Sears automobile battery under the seat of MotoGuzzi motorcycle. And with standard Guzzi/Bosch starter motor rated at 2.5 hp you could literally hump start the bike in 3rd gear and ride away. I had to do this after a clutch cable snapped on a roadtrip. Otherwise MC batteries are notoriously feeble junk.

I've never heard of battery being too powerful, but guess there must be some too low on juice for whatever you're driving.