Leaking Battery W210 estate - smell & corr

[jgannon]

Due to the recent cold weather my battery gave up and I had to replace it. When I pulled it out from under the rear seat I found that it had leaked acid (thick layer of white powder) and corroded the floor panel that the battery sits on. When I looked closer I found that the sealed battery had an exhaust/overflow pipe that passed through the floor to the outside - this had come loose.

While this is a mess that I now need to deal with, it solved a longstanding issue of an exhaust-like smell in the car that has driven me bonkers for months. The leak from the battery was causing the smell all the time and it never crossed my mind to check it. I was convinced it was coming in through the boot.

Anyway, I need help on how to deal with the acid corrosion - it has eaten through the paint and rusted the metal surface. It's a difficult place to get to with sandpaper so is there a product that I should use to get the panel ready for paint.

 

[ucr]

Battery acid can be a real issue - It can cause major rust issues - Start first by washing with warm water (add a bit of washing up fluid)

Not too much water

Dry this out and then rubber down any surface rust - Then repaint

 

[grober]

Any mild alkali solution - a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 of water - should neutralise any remaining acid. Should help with the smell also. Use gloves and protective clothing to do this and try to confine any debris / waste / mess to the area and not spread it to the rest of the car interior! Make sure the area gets dried out with ahairdrier or paint stripper [carefull!] then apply a paint that will go on to a corroded surface like Hammerite. Hammerite UK - Metal Paint: Direct To Rust Metal Paint

 

[Ted]

As above, but use HOT water, especially where the verdegris forms.

 

[jgannon]

Thanks everybody - great advice

 

[mbzclk]

If you have not got a new battery yet, I would suggest Euro Car Parts or GSF for a Bosch one... much cheaper then Mercedes...

 

[bigbear]

Or Here Car Batteries, Cheap Car Batteries, Replacement Car Batteries, Next Day Delivery from Perfomancebatteries.co.uk
I got one one of these AMG batteries for £106 next day delivery for my 2004 211

 

[markjay]

Or Here Car Batteries, Cheap Car Batteries, Replacement Car Batteries, Next Day Delivery from Perfomancebatteries.co.uk
I got one one of these AMG batteries for £106 next day delivery for my 2004 211

Surely you mean AGM?

 

[bigbear]

Exactly