A couple days ago when I went to start the '82 300D Turbo the battery light didn't turn off as soon as the engine started. It turned off after a few seconds. Later on in the day when I started the car and it didn't turn off at all. Next time I went to start the car I got the classic dead battery sound. Since the battery is only a year old I went to the store it was bought and they tested it. It failed the test so they gave me a free replacement because it was under 18 months old. I put in the new battery and now the battery light doesn't come on instantly but slowly gets brighter and stays on after you turn on the car. Also brake pad and park brake lights don't turn on with the key in the second position like they should. I thought maybe the battery was a little low on power from sitting on the store self so I drove the car around for 20 minutes hoping to recharge it a little. They battery light stayed on the whole time. So I don't know was the battery dying just a coincidence? I'm thinking the alternator is going south or maybe there's a short somewhere. So what do the diesel experts think?