Yuasa battery

[AMGeed]

Yesterday morning I got in the S204 to go to Southampton West Quays shopping centre to find the battery totally dead, reading 7.8v after using it a couple of days previously to do a 70 mile round trip. I had noticed the start up wasn't as brisk as expected and did think the battery was suspect. So it let me down as expected.

Being short on time, I needed a replacement quickly and couldn't source a Varta or Bosch immediately. This left me with a Yuasa 5000 battery 85Ah, 800 Amp with 5yrs guarantee for £120 from Halfords. Not my usual venue for a battery but needs must. They offered to fit it for £18 and to be honest I just wanted it done and be on my way. (I boosted the dead battery to start the car to get there)

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The parts guy checked the battery against my reg # and told me I needed an AGM which I queried, (current Varta is lead acid and no stop start) but he showed me the details on the Yuasa website. A Halfords branded (but made by Yuasa) was the one he recommended (at £186) so I gave the go ahead.
A spotty lad who looked about 12 years old wheeled the battery out in a shopping trolley as it was too heavy for him to carry and he was the chosen one to fit it.
I didn't think this was going to go well, and it didn't.
First he couldn't remove the positive lead, then struggled to get the bolt out of the holding plate in the tray. Lifting out the old battery nearly gave him a hernia.
Then the fun started.
After struggling for 10 minutes he managed to get the battery in the tray without trapping either lead, then spent literally 40 minutes trying to get the bolt in the tray to secure the battery. I tried to help him when a beefy girl with tattoos told him off for letting a customer use Halfords tools. She was chief fitter for batteries, bulbs alarms she informed me. She's get the job done.
No chance, after another 15 minutes, the guy who sold me the battery came out, wondering what was taking so long. (They promise a 15 minute battery fitting service). He had a go but nope, the bolt would not line up with the hole. I suggested the battery was a fraction too long and it was agreed he would try a different battery, the one I had selected before being told I needed another.
Battery dropped straight in and secured in minutes, terminals reattached and asked to start it up.
Totally dead, not even ignition lights and its a new battery.

Much head scratching and the MOT tester comes out and seems to know what he is talking about. Remember the battery isolator that had been fitted in one of my photos? He found it was drawing over 50amps on his multimeter with the new battery connected.
So off came the isolator, on came the ignition lights and up she fired. It had taken almost 2 hrs to change a battery.
No pics today, but I'm happy with my choice of battery, don't entirely blame Halfords for wrong info as it was taken from the Yuasa website and they all tried to help.

I then went to West Quays, parked up and "lost" my car but that's for another day.
There are two car parks and I was looking for an hour in the wrong car park!!!!

 

[A.J.]

I then went to West Quays, parked up and "lost" my car but that's for another day.
There are two car parks and I was looking for an hour in the wrong car park!!!!

I think we have all done that, Me ? Many years ago I went to London and was able to park just outseid Petticoat Lane. We went into the market but came out a different exit. It took a long time to find it.

My Dad always maintained that he went into Petticoat Lane wearing a Trilby hat, when he came out the other side he hadn't got the hat

How often have we looked for our car in a Multi Storey Car Park, if you are anything like me that would be many times

 

[markjay]

So potentially the faulty isolator was darining the old battery....?

 

[DSM10000]

Yesterday morning I got in the S204 to go to Southampton West Quays shopping centre.

The primary mistake was deciding to go to Southampton!

 

[Ted]

50 amps drain???
Where was that draining to??

And you are correct. If it doesn’t have stop start then it doesn’t need an AGM battery - even if one was fitted originally.

 

[AMGeed]

So potentially the faulty isolator was darining the old battery....?

It appears so Mark.

 

[AMGeed]

50 amps drain???
Where was that draining to??

And you are correct. If it doesn’t have stop start then it doesn’t need an AGM battery - even if one was fitted originally.

No idea Ted. The Halfords guy commented when testing it was drawing 50 amps. It sparked like crazy when he undid a connection on the brass jump start point.

 

[Chrishazle]

You're not alone in having problems with Halfords and an S204 - a year or so back they supplied and fitted a replacement to my C220 S204 and connected a slave 12V battery to the OBD port while changing out the main battery - I qureied it at the time and was told it was standard procedure to avoid loosing settings. Long story short, although the car would start I could not move the gearshift, ended up using the emergency release and getting the car to my local specialist, OBD port was dead so it took him a couple of hours of old fashioned checking to hind the blown fuse and fix it, cost me a couple of days of hassle and Halfords £174 for the specialist to fix the damage they'd done, resulted in a company wide instruction to all Halfirds branches!

 

[AMGeed]

^ I remember reading that and would have stopped them immediately from plugging anything into the OBD to save settings.
As it is I lost the time and date in the cluster and the radio that was easily remedied. Windows still have the one touch function.

 

[fabes]

Apart from that hic-cup, how's life with the 'new' car going Roger?
Hit 40mpg on the run across the Forest?

 

[Skd884]

Hello R hope all is well mate charge the old battery and refit if it works return the new one slim.

 

[AndrewOl]

50 amps drain???
Where was that draining to??

And you are correct. If it doesn’t have stop start then it doesn’t need an AGM battery - even if one was fitted originally.

Interestingly both my non stop start Mercedes have had VRLA type oem batteries fitted from the factory. Possibly this is why the refit market is recommending AGM as replacements. I thought the X164 had this because it fitted within the passenger cell but the A207 has the battery in the engine compartment and that was a VRLA too.

 

[190]

Interestingly both my non stop start Mercedes have had VRLA type oem batteries fitted from the factory. Possibly this is why the refit market is recommending AGM as replacements.

Battery technology has become complicated. We all know that AGM batteries are something special because of the absorbed mat construction and the VRLA sealed for life nature.

It's the standard wet cells that have become confusing and where we have to be careful with terminology, because the standard wet cell as we used to know it, no longer really exists at least at the quality end of the market. A quality standard battery has improved considerably with different plate chemistry and in the case of an MB original battery or the equivalent Varta replacement they, like an AGM are also VRLA batteries meaning they are sealed with a safety valve to enable recombination of normal gassing. They will only vent when abused through excessive overcharging which makes them "maintenance free".

My C180K didn't have an AGM from new, the original MB battery was a VRLA wet cell so I replaced it with the equivalent Varta battery which is also a VRLA battery but not an AGM.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I thought the X164 had this because it fitted within the passenger cell

That’s what Mercedes told me about the 164 too.

 

[AMGeed]

Apart from that hic-cup, how's life with the 'new' car going Roger?
Hit 40mpg on the run across the Forest?

It's boring Jon. I can get used to the better mpg (still not seen anything above 35mpg) and the low road tax but its so pedestrian after the E class.
Not sure if I can last another two years before the missus retires to get another E63. They are that good.

 

[fabes]

Two years....?
Blimey!

We tell everyone else that's a blink of an eye, but if every day your shoulders drop as you grab the keys, then that's going to feel a ruddy long time...

How about a second fun car , something cheap, throwable with a decent bit of go and probably with two seats.
A small convertible would make the grandson happy as well (wicked /sic etc etc), whilst the C class mundanely does the mundane jobs without fuss?
Have you had one and got it off the list?
Just a thought....

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Or one from a Jap company.
You don't have to be a hairdresser
And would probably get much of your money back if the missus didn't want to keep it

 

[AMGeed]

Hello R hope all is well mate charge the old battery and refit if it works return the new one slim.

That's gone to the recycle depot now S.
It was totally knackered anyway. I'd already charged it fully before it let me down.

Two years....?
Blimey!

We tell everyone else that's a blink of an eye, but if every day your shoulders drop as you grab the keys, then that's going to feel a ruddy long time...

How about a second fun car , something cheap, throwable with a decent bit of go and probably with two seats.
A small convertible would make the grandson happy as well (wicked /sic etc etc), whilst the C class mundanely does the mundane jobs without fuss?
Have you had one and got it off the list?
Just a thought....

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!

www.autotrader.co.uk

Or one from a Jap company.
You don't have to be a hairdresser
And would probably get much of your money back if the missus didn't want to keep it

A third car in the family is not really on the cards. No room for another on the driveway and the reason for selling the E63 was its lack of use. That won't change whatever car I have until we are both not working and have the time to get away on a regular basis.
Maybe the man maths could see her retire early. I'm looking into it without telling her.

It sounds like I'm putting down the S204, but in reality its a capable car that drives well, is comfortable, quiet, economical (compared to the 63) with low running costs. But when you ask it to pick up its feet, there's nothing there. I'll get used to it but 9 + years of AMG ownership has spoilt me for performance over running costs.