Main system battery on the proper car had stopped taking a charge. Alternator happily throwing out 14.3v but key off and out and it drops below 10v before you can say ouch.
It was a Bosch S3 013 purchased about 18 months ago. Took it back to the place I got it from and had them test it...
At the point of test it was showing 11.4v but only 163 CCA, rated at 700 iirc and suggested good but requires charging. I've been driving it since the gearbox was replaced so it's had some decent runs to top it up.
Anyhoo, they replaced it 'as a goodwill gesture' free of charge with an Bosch S4 013. The only catch being that the warranty only lasts until the end of the original 3 year one.
Credit to the Mercedes engineers, the starter battery literally does nothing but start the car, so once I have managed to get in, it always fires on the first turn of the key, and once it's running everything comes back to life. That was a common occurrence when it sat for a week or two at a time, but I had hoped that using it regularly would solve the issue
Hoping the slightly beefier battery and regular use will solve the problem, as it's a nuisance having to clear low voltage codes from 45 modules.
Author
Topic: So what have you done to your car today? (Read 4399649 times)