Say, for example, you park your car overnight, and come the following morning, it won’t start. You have a flat battery. Well, such cases are common. When it comes to dealing with high-end car such as Mercedes, a flat battery can be a hell of trouble.
So, how can you charge a flat cell in your luxury Mercedes Benz? First, you can jump the battery and have the battery charge while driving via the alternator. You can as well use a battery charger.
Jumpstarting is the most common solution when faced with a flat battery. Unfortunately, it’s not advisable when the battery is completely flat. You should invest in a battery charger to deal with such instances whenever they happen.
How Long Does a Battery Charger Take to Fill a Mercedes Benz Battery?
Currently, battery chargers come equipped with advanced features. That is, you can get to choose between various charging modes. Therefore, when topping up your battery, you can expect the cell to be filled within 12 hours. However, it would be best if you opted for a slow charging process as this ensures an efficient charging process.
Using the Alternator to Charge Your Mercedes Battery
As said earlier, jumping your vehicle is the perfect solution if you want to get the car back on the road right away. With the needed tools and a running vehicle, you should be able to get your Mercedes roaring within less than ten minutes. The process isn’t complicated as you only need to connect the two batteries to give the dead one a boost.
Once the dead Mercedes started, it’s advisable to drive the car for not less than 15 minutes. Why the 15 minutes, you may ask? Well, the fifteen minutes allows the alternator to charge your battery. In other words, you won’t have to jumpstart the car again once it’s off. One shortcoming is that the 15minutes can never be enough to charge the battery efficiently. Therefore, you may end up experiencing a flat battery every morning.
If you have electronics attached to the car, they may end up draining all the charges added by the alternator. It’s for this reason that you are advised to use a charger instead when you encounter a flat battery.
5 Steps to Charge Your Mercedes Battery Using a Trickle Charger
The use of a trickle charger is also another simple task that doesn’t ask for any professionalism. You only need to know the basics, and you are set to go. Here is a guide on how to go about with the charging.
1. Find the Battery
Like most cars, Mercedes usually has its battery in the engine bay. Therefore, your first step should be to pop open the hood and find the battery compartment. That shouldn’t be a problem if you are used to your car.
2. Remove the Battery
Although you can charge the battery while it’s still in its holder, it would be best if considered removing it outside. (Here is how to change the battery in your Mercedes). You never know, accidents do happen, and you may end, causing a slight shot while connecting or disconnecting the charger. Removing the battery from its tray shouldn’t be complicated as you only need to eliminate the cover first before unscrewing the terminals.
3. Connect the Charger
With the battery out of its hiding, it’s now much more comfortable to introduce the charger. Today’s trickle chargers come with brightly colored cables. It would be best if you started by attaching the red charger cable to the positive terminal on the battery. Also, go ahead and connect the negative cable, which is labeled as black.
4. Attach the Charger to a Power Supply
Confirm that the wires are held correctly on the battery and then attach the charger to a wall socket. It would be best if you were having one in your garage or basement. The battery chargers are usually plugged the same way you do with your smartphone’s charger.
5. Allow it to Charge
With the charger connected to the power supply, it’s time to kick in some juice. As said earlier, a trickle charger should take at least 24 hours to fill in a flat battery. Therefore, you must ensure that you give it sufficient time to charge before unhooking the battery.
Here is the great YouTube video I found for you below:
Things to Observe When Charging a Battery Using a Trickle Charger
Dealing with a trickle charger is considered safe as the battery gets to load slowly. However, it doesn’t guarantee maximum safety, as there may be other external risks.
Say, for instance, there are times when the battery gets hot while charging. The hotness may be as a result of damages or old age. Therefore, you should watch out for hotness during the charging process. Such batteries are likely to explode, and this can mean harm if the charging area is near you.
Another thing to note is the charge time. If you are not using a timed charger, you should be careful to ensure that the battery charges within the expected time. The good thing about today’s chargers is that they come with an automatic feature, which shuts down when the battery is full.
How to Locate the Root Cause of the Problem
With the battery fully charged and installed in the Mercedes Benz, you are ready to get back on the road. However, it’s advisable to locate the root cause of the drainage. If you forgot to turn off the headlights the previous night, there is nothing to worry about as they were behind your problem. Also, the problem could be the alternator not charging your battery. This could be dangerous because even jumpstarting can’t help you.
Therefore, if you notice the car battery warning sign once the car starts, you must head to your mechanic for a check-up. Sometimes, the battery could be draining overnight out of a parasitic drain. You can test for the drain using simple tools such as a test light or a voltmeter. Things such as your audio system could be the ones draining the battery while the car is off. Unless you locate and clear them, you may end up with a flat battery every morning.
