Battery Recomendation??

[mendodiesel]

My sister is in distress,she need a new batery for her 99 ml320,i would like to know what battery is best? any size,price and or negative/positive feedback on any battery fr the ML would be helpful,thanking you in advance
Md

[roberthelfrick]

Call Mercedes Roadside service. They can bring her the proper battery, install it and reset everything necessary. Get a price quote.

[compress ignite]

Almost always, "Roadside" does not charge for the "R+R" (installation) of a New
Battery...You only pay for the cost of the Battery.

(There are, of course, ALWAYS the Blood Sucking Vampiric Stealers who charge
for the air pumped into tires during a service...they will attempt to charge for
the Battery "R+R".)

Two reasons to "Ring" the Dealer Service Director and ask:
1.How much is the Battery?
2.Does your "Roadside" attempt to charge for installation?
(If they answer YES to #2,Find another dealer AND call MBNA and "drop the dime" on the offending dealer)

SO, the procedure is: Call the Dealer and get a price on the Battery(Also ask
if they're gonna charge for install with "Roadside")
Then Call 1-800-222-0100 (Mercedes Benz 24Hour roadside assistance) and
give them your (Her) VIN # and location and the fact that you need a New
Battery...Soon thereafter the New Battery will appear with a MB Technician
who will install it ,Gratis.

[Peter Guenther]

Could not have said it better, MB pays for the service call, and yet some unscrupulus dealers tack on labor. I would not drive the truck in, they immediately charge for labor if it goes thru the door. They also have access to the radio codes and will re-sync the windows.
Road Aid was a true deal, tire fuel, jump

[sunedog]

Originally Posted by mendodiesel

and or negative/positive

Get a battery with both a negative and positive post. (Sorry, couldn't resist on a Friday.)

Sorry -- I have no serious advice to offer. I don't know if there's anything special about a Mercedes battery. I've owned a 99 ML 320 since new and it currently has a 2.5 year old Carquest battery in it. The original battery lasted 7 years and 166K miles so I can't complain.

[lkchris]

Be VERY CERTAIN you get a battery with a drain hose for acid fumes.

[RML]

I have heard good recommendations for Interstate batteries. There in an Autocraft in my 85 and a DieHard in my 84. They look like the same exact battery with a different label. I just bought another Autocraft for the 84. The one in the 85 is 8 years old and seems to be working just fine.

Did you test the the battery to see if the problem is the battery or is there another problem that is draining the battery?

[Ron in SC]

I have heard good recommendations for Interstate batteries.

My recent expenience with Interstate is battery started leaking acid, not sure how old it was I know I replaced it when the orginal failed on my 1999 ML 320. The orginal battery lasted if I'm not mistaken about 5 years.

So on Tuesday I went ahead and got an OEM battery at dealer. I'd also note the OEM battery fits better than the Interstate, the OEM battery is a little taller so that metal strap fits properly.

[Mike's ML]

Originally Posted by roberthelfrick

Call Mercedes Roadside service. They can bring her the proper battery, install it and reset everything necessary. Get a price quote.

Yes, absolutely get a quote. I was burned (financially) when I called Road Side Assistance for a battery in my 98ML. Inskip Mercedes in RI charged me something like $75.00 for replacing battery. I called RSA and was initially told by the customer service person that there was no charge to replace battery but after talking to a Manager I was told that each dealer CAN charge for a RSA call. I called my dealer, Viti Mercedes, in RI and they told me they charge $25 for an ML out of warranty.
Mike

[sunedog]

OK. Looks like my smarta$$ response above earned me some bad carma (karma related to my car).

(Posting merely as a reference point

The Carquest battery in my 99 ML 320 is bad after only 35 months. It had a one year free replacement / plus 5 year pro-rated warranty. I am in year 3 of the warranty and Carquest will only give me a $43 credit against a $117 purchase price. That's a steep pro-ration curve. Wonder what you get in year 6?

My previous Carquest battery only lasted 31 months. No more Carquest batteries for me.

I called Roadside Assistance and the local dealer 15 miles away will deliver and install an OEM battery for $150. That is the cost of the battery plus sales tax. No delivery or labor fee. Good on ya, Dick Dyer Mercedes in Columbia, SC.

But I can get a battery from Autozone for $90 and they will install it for free. Has a two year free replacement / plus 5 year pro-rated warranty. I know the oEM battery is probably better, but my ML 320 has 235,000 miles on it and I'm not sure how long I'll keep it. So I'm going with the Autozone one. It may not outlast the two Carquest batteries, but I'll give it a shot.

[sdanville]

My mercedes ML320 has the origional battery.
The Truck was assembled June 1999
As I type it is August 2009.
That is over TEN YEARS.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[gotglasses]

Originally Posted by sdanville

My mercedes ML320 has the origional battery.
The Truck was assembled June 1999
As I type it is August 2009.
That is over TEN YEARS.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

My 1997 E420 Sport had it's battery replaced on a road call by Rallye Motors in July 2001. The code on the battery is C-0 . I believe that means it was manufactured in March, 2000. That is over TEN YEARS ago with no problem starting in 20 degree NY weather! Good Investment and reason for going with the Road Service option. Check the code on any battery you buy to verify it is new stock.

[punkinfair]

agreed that the dealer batteries are better. i can get generic (probably made by same company as interstate) batteries at wholesale but i buy them from the dealer instead. they last longer. i can't explain why except to say the europeans make them better. the MB dealer batteries are mostly made by VARTA, which is part of johnson controls (who make most american auto batteries) so it doesn't make sense, but it really seems to be true. another reason to install a genuine battery is resale value of the vehicle. it looks better to a buyer to see a dealer battery.

[gotglasses]

I agree, the dealer battery is a definite plus on resale. A no-name battery is a real turn off for buyers. I have had nothing but trouble over the years with batteries bought at service stations, Sears, etc. Sure they generally get replaced on warranty but they still leave you stranded on a cold day, or after a few weeks parked. The Mercedes needs a lot of reserve capacity to power its many gadgets and you need to get the top of the line battery to insure that. A top of the line Sears is probably more expensive than the dealer item which has never failed me. Plus there is the radio code issue - Road Service takes care of that!

[Bill Wood]

I put a Duralast 7-Year battery from AutoZone in my 1998 E430 on Aug 18, 2002.

8 years 5 months later and it's still going strong.

Who knows, it may die any day but, I got my money's worth!