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battery question
with winter coming, i took the car to the local autozone to have the battery checked out.
the machine on wheels said it was a good battery. is that all there is to it? does a 'good' battery have the same potency as a new one? i guess what i am asking is...is it as simple as 'good or bad'? or are there different grades of good? is there a better test? i just don't want to be stranded because of this 'good' battery. thanks in advance.
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Jennifer 90 350sdl |
#2
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Age
is generally the prime killer.
How old is it? If it is over four years, I replace mine. It is a question of cost and risk. I hate walking in winter.
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ASE Master Mechanic asemastermechanic@juno.com Prototype R&D/testing: Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician. Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Dynamometer. Heat exchanger durability. HV-A/C Climate Control. Vehicle build. Fleet Durability Technical Quality Auditor. Automotive Technical Writer 1985 300SD 1983 300D 1984 190D 2003 Volvo V70 2002 Honda Civic https://www.boldegoist.com/ |
#3
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No, it is not that simple. As the battery ages, its ability to be charged and hold that charge diminishes. Plus the older the battery, the more prone it is to a catastrophic failure. In theory, a week-old battery is not as good as a new battery. Is the battery one of the sealed, maintenance free varieties? If not, you can check the specific gravity of each cell with a battery hydrometer. That would give you a bit better indication of the overall health of the battery.
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#4
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I have found batteries have an amazing tendancy to last as long as the warrenty length. I don't mean to be funny but most of my batteries have failed on or about when they reached the 60 months, 72 months etc. The battery test they do is a load test and if it passed and is still 12 months away from "retirement" then I would say it is fine (easy for me to say in Seattle where it rarely gets below 25 degrees (F) even on the cold days). The only thing that will kill a lead acid battery sooner is if it is completely discharged to nearly 0 volts. This doesn't mean you left the lights on one morning. It means the thing sat for 6 months and wasn't charged at all and drained down to nothing. If that never happened and all else is good then I would say it is fine. And to try to answer your actual question, I don't think there is a lot in between "good" and "bad". Batteries that are good do everything well. Once they go over the edge to the "bad" side they are basically walking wounded, they can squeak by but the end is near.
Basically the same as what whunter said. Mike
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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine) 1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow) Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra |
#5
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Though I am far from an authority on this . . . I would guess they load tested the battery. If so, and if they put a high enough load on it, the test should at least give you an indication of how good it is. Given the chance to sell you a new battery I would expect they would have taken the opportunity to convince you that yours was bad (big assumption in thinking they would know). The age factor is very pertinent as are several other factors.
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Steve '87 300TD - 132K - Soon 4-Sale '84 300D Turbo - 122K - Driving '77 VW Type II - 77K - Restored '08 250EX Ninja English Bulldog (Brier) - My best friend. Passed away 12/02/04 while in my arms. |
#6
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For these diesels I would not skimp on batterys. If it appears to lose any starting ability or such I would go out and buy the biggest battery that will fit in the car.
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Adam Lumsden (83) 300D Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section |
#7
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I would avoid EXIDE batteries, if only because of the hell I went through trying to get a warranty replacement on a 10 month old battery that was bought many states away.
Finally got the fifth exide dealer I was at to replace it. But he had to replace an 84 month model with a 60 month modle because they didn't carry the 84 moth variety in the series my 300SD needed. Next one will be an Interstate,
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Proud owner of .... 1971 280SE W108 1979 300SD W116 1983 300D W123 1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper 1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel 1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified) --------------------- Section 609 MVAC Certified --------------------- "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche |
#8
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Interstate
I run only Interstate batteries. I have been running them for over 23 years and have had good service from them and the dealer. As a side note, don't know for sure, but the load test was probrably for a gas engine, not a diesel. A diesel tends to require a bit more umph to get her up and running. Never skimp on a battery, buy the best you can afford.
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1984 300D Turbo Sedan (Hilda) 272,115 miles..... Anthracite Gray/Palamino Leather, I am 3rd owner 2001 Dodge Stratus (Silver) (wifes) 55814 miles... 1982 280TE Wagon Astral Silver Metallic/ Anthracite Velour 260,512 miles (Eva) 1969 230 Sedan Olive Green/Black MBTex 4 Speed Manual 84,213 miles ???? Haus Frau 2004 Boreem Ninja Pocket Bike Highly Modified 49cc (Ling Ling) Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit |
#9
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Quote:
I stand by interstate batteries. Have used them for 26 years. I know what killed my Exide would have killed any other too, (intermittant regulator stone cold flatlined battery 4 times and was overcharging at times once I saw it get to 17.9 volts) my problem was the excuses and dodges I got on the warranty claim by exide people. Never had this trouble with Interstate.
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Proud owner of .... 1971 280SE W108 1979 300SD W116 1983 300D W123 1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper 1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel 1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified) --------------------- Section 609 MVAC Certified --------------------- "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche |
#10
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I think you should consider where you live - in North Carolina I'd be willing to take a chance on a sub-optimal battery - in Detroit it would be another matter entirely. Same deal with glow-plugs...
Whunter needs a great battery/glow plug system to start his car when its -10 outside and he has to do it many times over the course of a winter, it's quite a bit warmer in North Carolina. For some reason I've been having my batteries last much longer than they did in the past. I've not yet replaced the OEM batteries in my Dodge truck since I bought it new in 1997 and the current battery in my 300D is over six years/140K miles old. I also know of a battery in a 1993 BMW that still has the factory installed battery - at last count that car had over 255K miles on it. |
#11
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Stay as far as you can get away from EXIDE batteries. Farther than that even.
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#12
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I have had good luck with AutoZone (AZ) batteries and they have a reasonable price: $65 for a 1000 amp/hour series 49 to fit MB, the last I looked. AZ batteries are made by Johnson Controls, a reputable manufacturer. And you can find an AZ store nationwide.
All you need at AZ for a warranty replacement is your phone number. You don't need the sales papers papers like at Pep Boys and when you can't find the papers, no warranty replacement. You can do a battery load test yourself: Wait for a cold day and remove the GP cable from the GP relay. Then crank the engine with the starter. If the battery cranks the engine for less than 1 min, your battery is getting weak. P E H |
#13
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21 years with Interstate batteries in lots of vehicles and no problems. The dealer is a good egg too. They make other branded batteries too.
DS 87 300D |
#14
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I've been having good luck so far with a Trojan group 93/49 inustrial battery...
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#15
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My oe battery is cranking real well now that it is getting colder. I don't know who makes MB batterys but they are awsome! I pulled one from my parts car that had been stone dead. I have no idea how old it is or how long it had been dead for but it charged right up and holds it! It will run are little Minn Kota trolling motor all day long. Their a little more money but I like the oe batterys.
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1999 SL500 1969 280SE 2023 Ram 1500 2007 Tiara 3200 |
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