Battery choices for 115 300D
 

Any recommendations for a good battery for the diesel?
I've always used these interstate batteries but I find them to be leaky and the current one is assaulting my new battery tray.

I've been happy with the battery I bought from the M-B dealer. Cost was $150 before tax. I believe this battery is VRLA/AGM, and as such will not leak out.

Thanks gmog.

I picked up a Duracell Ultra SLI49AGM battery today for more than you paid at the dealer. I put in a parts request at my nearest MB dealer but never heard back. Shocking.

The battery is AGM
850 CCA
975 CA
48 month replacement
made in the USA
fits right into the battery tray with no modification needed.

I'll report back if it doesn't perform to expectations but I don't think I have to worry about the battery tray anymore.

Sounds good, made in USA even! The M-B battery I got was made in Mexico. I also bought a Bosch AGM battery for the '96 E300 and have been happy with it too, but I bought that one before I even thought about asking the dealer, and if I were doing it again I'd go with the dealer battery. The Bosch was $220 before taxes from a local parts store.

Interesting that you got blown off by the dealer. The battery for our oldies is still used in new models and I bet they have it in stock.

Not sure why but if I go looking for my high mileage badges, I may ask them.

I got a Sears Diehard battery for my diesel Benz in 2013. It replaced an Exide that was 12 years old. So far there have been no issues with the replacement battery's performance. According to my receipts, it costed me $142, including a 6 per cent sales tax. The battery is a group 49 and weighs 57 pounds, according to its documentation. It is rated for 900 cold cranking amps.

I have been pleased with the Sears batteries (made by Johnson Controls) in the past. The best one I had was an old Diehard battery from August 1998 in a garden tractor, and it gave up just this past spring (after more than 18 years of service!).

Also, if your battery is leaking, you should do a thorough check-up on your charging system before determining it to be the culprit.

Batteries are one of those things that aren't made like they used to be. Most manufacturers are cheaping out as much as possible. A battery that looks identical to one you had from 10 years ago likely has less plates, or thinner plates, or other internal changes to save cost that will result in a much shorter life.

For this reason I buy the cheapest I can find, such as a blemish for $35 or a WalMart value brand for $50, or the top of the line I can find that's made in the US. Anything else - such as a $150 Advance or Autozone gold - is made by the same maker as the $35 blemish and will last just as long. There is no true "Mid range" battery anymore.

May sound like a rant, but trying to help educate here. The AGM Duracell and Bosch and MB batteries are probably top of the line and made by the same manufacturer that makes most OEM batteries. Many auto makers, like MB, Ford, and Chrysler source top-tier batteries for their cars. Some others source bottom-tier batteries (Conjecture here but I hear stories of GM batteries lasting only 2-3 years).

East Penn (ex: Deka, Duracell), Exide (ex: Interstate), and Johnson Controls (ex: Optima, Energizer) make most of the batteries in the US market. Autozone, Advance, WalMart, Sam's, Sears, and nearly every brand / store you can think of get their supplies from one of these three.

Think my charging system is good, last I checked it was around 14V.

I think the intermittent use killed the Interstate. Can't drive it in the winters so I often use a trickle charger. Was also deployed this summer so it saw even less use.
From what I read, AGM's should stand up better to irregular routines.