A Dead Battery Stops Even the Most Powerful - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Long-Term Road Test
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A Dead Battery Stops Even the Most Powerful - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Long-Term Road Test
We parked our 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG for a few days and suffered a dead battery as a result.
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I'm sorry, I can't think of a single reason why two alternators should make a difference (although obviously it did). The heavy duty alternator in that truck should have had more than enough juice to turn the car over.
It's kind of funny, almost this exact same series of events (well, he went from the airport to work, but close enough) happened to a business associate of mine with his Bentley Continental GT. 12-cylinder engines require a LOT of cranking amps to get going and they destroy batteries if they have slipped slightly out of spec.
Gee, a 9 year old German luxury car out of warranty--what could possibly go wrong?
Should have called Mercedes instead of your tow service...it's free for life for any Mercedes.
We had this problem with our S65. Would leave on holiday and come back to find it dead. We finally figured out what was happening. The DVD rom for the GPS runs continuously regardless of the status of the vehicle (on or off). If you drive it frequently, you don't notice. But leave it sitting a few days and I guarantee it will drain.
@bankerdanny, I can't tell how they hooked everything up, but I suspect the doubled up cables probably helped more than the doubled up alternators.
i'm with you. i've jumped a ton of cars and the only issue i've found is when the cables aren't making a good connection. i never have to wait and let it sit if the connection is good. just being clamped on doesn't mean a good connection is made, sometimes you got to jiggle them a bit. good cables help.
I can't help but chuckle to myself when someone breaks out some cheap 16 gauge jumper cables and wonder why it doesn't work the first time. I use some home made jumper cables made from 1/0 AWG welding wire and I have yet to find a vehicle that I usually can't jump the first time assuming I have good connection.
I don't recommend jump starting (or quick charging the battery when it is installed in the car) modern german cars with complex electrical systems. Or really any modern cars for that matter - either remove the battery and charge it or simply throw a new battery in. 4 years is great, I replace the battery in my 01 740 every two years.
jesus ttopjohn, every 2 years for a battery, my original battery went 6 years in my car