Failing Battery

[del320]

Knocking Kwik-Fit can be a popular pastime here.

This weekend the engine showed some reluctance to turn over and start, indicating the battery is perhaps on the way out.

I see that I spent the princely sum of £59 at Kwik-Fit on 4th March 2003 for a 4 year guaranteed battery.

Albeit that I've done less than 29k over the past 6 years and 2 months, is there any reason why I should not return to KF for a replacement?

 

[Howard]

Yes ....

Because it is guaranteed until the 4th March 2007 , not 10th April 2009 ...

Doing no miles can kill off a battery , if it isn't fully charged because of small drains on it ( alarm etc ) and not driving the car much , when the cold weather comes , it's goodnight Irene .

Do you mean try and blag a free one , or actually buy one ?

 

[wemorgan]

6 years is a good life for a battery, so if you're happy with KF go back there for the same again.

 

[Will]

I'm guessing he means to buy another one from there?

Could do, or you could get one from MB or anywhere really.

I've not really come across many batteries that die within the 2/3/4 year warranty anyway. Normally 6-8ish years for most cars I've known.

Will

 

[del320]

Sorry Howard, you misunderstand me. I'm not complaing at all. I thought over six years for 59 squid was good value.

Although the mileage is low, it's all regular medium to long runs and the car is always tucked up in a cosy garage.

 

[robert.saunders]

£59 is pretty sweet; served you well it has

How much are they now?

 

[del320]

I'm guessing he means to buy another one from there?

Could do, or you could get one from MB or anywhere really.

I've not really come across many batteries that die within the 2/3/4 year warranty anyway. Normally 6-8ish years for most cars I've known.

Will

Yup, my thoughts. I mean, for all the stick KF gets, is it worth scratching around anywhere else?

 

[Howard]

Oh , i see

Yes , i agree then , go back to KF .... a tenner for each years use seems very good !

 

[Will]

It's up to you really, Halfords/Kwik-fit/MB/local motor factors etc, anywhere that stocks a quality battery at a decent price.

My W201 battery was something like £50/60 from MB just before Xmas, although with your 124 being a 320 I imagine it'll be a bigger beast, possibly 100Ah or the like (62Ah on mine).

Will

 

[recycled]

my battery has never lasted that long.

 

[del320]

Rant!

Knocking Kwik-Fit can be a popular pastime here...
... is there any reason why I should not return to KF for a replacement?

So... perhaps there is. I always speak as I find and, to date, I've had no reason to be critical of KF for tyres and batteries although I would never consider them for exhausts.

Car didn't start today but after 10 minutes on the charger, she fired up so I high-tailed down to KF in Morningside, a couple of miles away.

Being a man of some importance and gravitas, I expect to deal with the organ-grinder - but on arrival, I was greeted by a spotty youth with the intelligence of a mentally defective nematode. After failing to attach and operate his battery testing device, he called for assistance and his mate eventually advised me that my battery was donald.

The pair of them consulted their charts for the replacement model and after scouring a shelf containing a couple of dozen, advised me they did not have one in stock. No matter, they would whistle up one from the factors and have me on my way in under an hour. The cost would be £84.20.

It was a grand day and after confirming that the operation would indeed take less than an hour, I was happy to wander off for a walk.

Returning a full 70 minutes later it was evident no battery had been delivered, far less fitted - although the terminals had been loosened and a spanner left jauntily in the channel at the base of the windscreen (metal on metal)

Little annoys me more than being given a timescale which is not met. (apart from spanners being placed on my paintwork). If it's an hour, a day or a week, I don't mind. Just don't lie to me! After a further 20 minutes, the battery arrived. "Your battery has arrived" cried the youth. "I hope not" said I, surveying a considerably smaller device to the one presently in the car. My 65AHr was being replaced by a 60AHr one.

Now, the Dereks and the other Scottish members who've met me would surely agree I'm a most genial buffoon, but I was now getting quite ratty. "Nah, I'll take it to the dealers"

The organ-grinder appeared and soothingly assured me this was definitely the correct item for a 320 E-class then gave me some technobabble guff about new batteries, different suppliers, blah blah... (was Exide, now Unipart)

"So - for 25 extra quids, I'm getting a smaller battery with only 3 years' guarantee? I hope you'll do better than £84.20"

Silence... shifty look... sucking of teeth.

"I'll do it for £70."

"Fit it"

 

[BlackC55]

60AH. Surely thats not right

 

[Will]

Hmm, I agree - 60Ah seems tiny for a 3.2 six-cylinder car with no doubt a few electrical consuming items (electric/heated seats etc?)

Would've expected more than the 65Ah that was fitted already to be honest.

Will

 

[grober]

To be fair to Mr KF most of the major battery manufacturers have "rationalised" their battery lineups producing far fewer batteries. The result is that for older models they can now only recommend the "nearest fit" which may mean a slightly down-rated battery from the original. For that reason its always best to ask for the "heavy duty" version of battery for your particular model to make sure you get the nearest adequate equivalent. I would not go lower than a 74Ah battery to be honest altho the 320 coupe brochure of the time states 62Ah go figure!

ps altho most people are familiar with the Ampere hour battery rating the other important figure is the Cold cranking current CCA. This is a good indicator of the battery's ability to start the car on a cold morning. Modern batteries have better CCA's than older ones due to improved materials so altho your new battery has a slightly lower Ah capacity it may perform better due to a better CCA.

 

[Will]

Some good points there Grober. I guess that the service from the supplier used by Del320 didn't sound that good this time around, and coupled with the fact that they've supplied a lower-spec battery it doesn't sound like a great outcome.

For comparison, I paid £54+vat for a genuine MB battery (62Ah) in December. Fair enough that was for the part only, but it was on the shelf and took less than 5 minutes to swap.

Will

 

[del320]

I'm not going to sleep tonight .

I've just been googling away at innumerable sites and found recommended sizes for 320 engines from 55AHr to 90AHr

To be fair, the guy did ramble on about cold cranking current - went over my head. I don't know - it's all a bit like the old days and oil viscosities when nothing less than glue would do.

Any other comments welcomed - clearly I can go back and get a more powerful one.

 

[Will]

To be perfectly honest Del, it's unlikely to make very much real-world difference.

IMHO, it's a tad undersized for my liking (and I'd possibly have not accepted the Kwik-Fit battery), and if it concerns you, I guess you could ask to have it replaced. My comment was mainly because it surprised me that even the original battery was of quite a small capacity for the type of car that you have.

I guess I'm a bit fussy with things like this though so unless you're experiencing problems then I wouldn't worry too much. Don't lose sleep over a Kwik-fit battery though

Will

 

[Dieselman]

As others have said, I wouldn't be too bothered, but a larger battery will have a greater reserve for Winter use, which is just when you will need it most. Also a larger battery will tend to last longer as it isn't being depleted as much on a regular basis.

Through choice I'd go as big as will fit in the battery tray.

 

[del320]

FWIW, I wandered down to Kwik-Fit's Chesser branch and, acting the daft laddie - something I'm rather good at, enquired about the price and specification of a battery suitable for an E320.

The manager, although somewhat surly, clearly knew his stuff and whilst I looked over his shoulder, confirmed that what had been fitted - in fact the better and more expensive of a choice of two - was quite correct.

He looked up the spec sheet which showed a Cold Cranking Amperage value of 550 - apparently twice that required for a 6/3.2 engine.

With the engine not running, the only call on the battery of a simple car like the C124 is the alarm, radio memory and the clock. There have been past references on the forum about modern MBs dying if they are not used for a couple of weeks. Little wonder, in view of modern complex electronics, some now come with a supplementary battery.

So, I'll leave it at that and try to get over it!

 

[vijilants]

Cosco do Bosch batteries at a very good price if you know someone with a Costco card.