Avoid Flat Battery whilst at Airport (W211)

[bluephilg]

Sorry if a FAQ...

I'll soon be leaving my 2003 W211 E320CDI at Gatwick for 2 weeks in the long term. And again later in the year for just one week.

What are the chances of it being able to start when I get back from hols at 3am?

Should I disconnect the battery in the boot, or just remove things like DVD in SatNav and Front discs in teh magazine/Command-APS ?


Or indeed, will a recall have solved any problems with flat batteries? And if so, how would I know?

Should have said "Sorry if these are FAQs"

 

[Brian WH]

You should be fine for at least three weeks. Even then you could get a warning that "auxiliaries have been disconnected" when you switch on. But it will still start and after 10 miles it will be fine again.

Just make sure nothing is left on like interior lights.

 

[Dieselman]

What are the chances of it being able to start when I get back from hols at 3am?

Park it with one of the Valet parking services and it will be fine..........




Due to having been used as a Chauffer hire car for the duration..

 

[DansSlk]

Park it with one of the Valet parking services and it will be fine..........




Due to having been used as a Chauffer hire car for the duration..

haha, Very true.


With the 2 battery's the worst case will be you get the consumers off msg but it's very unlikely to give you starting problems.

 

[Dragon]

If it won't start call Merc 24/7.

 

[BlackC55]

It will be fine if the battery is in good nick.

 

[BTB 500]

The battery could be 5 years old ... if so, getting on a bit. But starting is easier in summer so should be OK if well charged to start off with.

 

[DieselE]

Should I disconnect the battery in the boot, or just remove things like DVD in SatNav and Front discs in teh magazine/Command-APS ?

If you disconnect the battery in the boot then you will have endless problems with resetting all the cars parameters. Disconnecting the battery should be avoided at all costs.

I've left mine for nearly four weeks at Heathrow and returned to find the car covered in ice. It started first time. You should have no problem after two weeks.

 

[DansSlk]

If you disconnect the battery in the boot then you will have endless problems with resetting all the cars parameters. Disconnecting the battery should be avoided at all costs.

Thats not strictly true, the battery disconnect issue has been blown out of proportion a fair bit by many people on many site's.

All of the car's vital data is stored in EEPROM and will survive for many years without battery power, disconnecting the battery will not put you in a tow to dealer situation and is at most an inconvenience.

That been said it is pointless in this situation, one good battery will do the job fine so 2 alright battery's won't have any issue, we have had car's of this vintage on the lot's for month's and they fire right up.

Probably the only good thing to come from an otherwise stupid redundant battery system

 

[Steveatki]

I have looked for 2 batteries in my 2007 W211 220cdi but I can only find one on the boot.
Is there another and if so where is it?

 

[television]

I have looked for 2 batteries in my 2007 W211 220cdi but I can only find one on the boot.
Is there another and if so where is it?

You only have one sir, this is an update

 

[television]

If you disconnect the battery in the boot then you will have endless problems with resetting all the cars parameters. Disconnecting the battery should be avoided at all costs.

.

I came across what you said in WIS, there it said that if the car is left for 6 months with no batteries, there is the danger that this could happen.. The main reason would be electrolytic caps going open circuit and loosing their ESR, that renderes the ECU U/S

Electronics is a funny subject, 95% fail from start up, more TVs go wrong when the owners come back off a 2-4 week holiday, this is becoming better with low consumption devices. Every camcorder from 10 years ago had a short life span, and only the caps leaking

 

[DansSlk]

I came across what you said in WIS, there it said that if the car is left for 6 months with no batteries, there is the danger that this could happen.. The main reason would be electrolytic caps going open circuit and loosing their ESR, that renderes the ECU U/S

Electronics is a funny subject, 95% fail from start up, more TVs go wrong when the owners come back off a 2-4 week holiday, this is becoming better with low consumption devices. Every camcorder from 10 years ago had a short life span, and only the caps leaking

What doc was that mate?

I've not left any customer car's that long mostly because you get them in and get them sorted ASAP but when i was working on the SLK it was without power for longer than that and she's fine.

Most i've left a customer car without power was about a month.

 

[television]

What doc was that mate?

I've not left any customer car's that long mostly because you get them in and get them sorted ASAP but when i was working on the SLK it was without power for longer than that and she's fine.

Most I've left a customer car without power was about a month.

I have only seen it the once, I do not have STAR so I do not read things associated with it. I will do my best to find it When I find the ball that disappeared from the mouse. I think it was I was learning about my SL.

It would not sound good "I have had this customers car for 6 months and it always starts"

My SL will maybe go 3 weeks, but that is a different set up

 

[DansSlk]

I have only seen it the once, I do not have STAR so I do not read things associated with it. I will do my best to find it When I find the ball that disappeared from the mouse. I think it was I was learning about my SL.

It would not sound good "I have had this customers car for 6 months and it always starts"

My SL will maybe go 3 weeks, but that is a different set up

Thanks mate.

It would sound really bad, in fact i would probably be out of a job if it took me that long to fix a car without a really good reason.

The SLK's my own car so i have an excuse for that.

 

[bluephilg]

Thanks

Excellent - thanks everyone. Thats certainly helped me rid any fears I had.
Perhaps I should go on holiday for longer

Brilliant forum!

 

[television]

bluephilg[/left];548751]Excellent - thanks everyone.

Thats​

certainly helped me rid any fears I had.
Perhaps I should go on holiday for longer

Brilliant forum!

Welcome to the forum, I have just seen that you have just joined , please excuse us going on a bit, but we use the threads to gain experience as we go

​

 

[DieselE]

Thats not strictly true, the battery disconnect issue has been blown out of proportion a fair bit by many people on many site's.

All of the car's vital data is stored in EEPROM and will survive for many years without battery power, disconnecting the battery will not put you in a tow to dealer situation and is at most an inconvenience.

That been said it is pointless in this situation, one good battery will do the job fine so 2 alright battery's won't have any issue, we have had car's of this vintage on the lot's for month's and they fire right up.

Probably the only good thing to come from an otherwise stupid redundant battery system

I only know that a good friend of mine had an early W211 with a flat battery. The guy from Mobilo spent more than fifteen minutes resetting various items on the car.

BTW, in my post I didn't claim that the car wouldn't start.

 

[DansSlk]

I only know that a good friend of mine had an early W211 with a flat battery. The guy from Mobilo spent more than fifteen minutes resetting various items on the car.

Then he doesn't know what he is doing

BTW, in my post I didn't claim that the car wouldn't start.

I appreciate that and i wasn't aiming my post at you, i was just saying that it's a popular myth on all the forum's that disconnecting the battery is a really bad thing to do so i was just pointing out it's just exactly that - a myth.

Wasn't meant to be a personal attack at all.

 

[television]

Then he doesn't know what he is doing



I appreciate that and i was wasn't aiming my post at you, i was just saying that it's a popular myth on all the forum's that disconnecting the battery is a really bad thing to do so i was just pointing out it's just exactly that - a myth.

Wasn't meant to be a personal attack at all.

Excuse me jumping in here and endorsing Dans answer.

Just look at the gearbox post where the car was worked on live, had the battery been disconnected nothing would have gone wrong. I could blow up any TV set just by unplugging or plugging boards when it is live or in st by
It takes 2 Min's to re set the few things.

There is not one electrical item in WIS where you do not first get the warning page "disconnect battery" before you commence work