2003 Mercedes W209 CLK55 AMG daily driver

Well done for getting it sorted, hopefully good all good and a while before it chucks another big bill at you.

Looking good.

I was just running back through the past 5.5 years of my C55's history under mine and the previous owner, a lot of the same stuff on mine.

I think it's easy to pick up a car needing work, which could be several grand to get it back to good condition, then after that it'll still need stuff every year but not to at the same rate.

I put the bolts that clamp the battery terminals through the 'hoops' of the connector that came with my MXS5.0, rather than try and fit them to the battery terminals themselves, which, as you say, are too big. I then routed the lead towards the strut top and tie-wrapped the cable to the black plastic on the strut top. I then bought an extension lead and routed it out between the headlight and the bumper where there is a rubber seal and was able to fully close the bonnet. Subsequently I have seen people with other cars bring the connector out to the base of the windscreen, which might be a better idea, but I've not tried it.

I like the idea of not having to open the bonnet. I might investigate whether I can do the same, though it looks like the standard connector, at 400mm, is 10cm shorter than the indicator one.

Yikes! A tough first year, hopefully these relatively minor yet costly things get the car back on track, the fundamentals of the car must be solid, enjoy now u have 12 months of freedom 😀

Does yours have a CD changer in the glovebox? That was the culprit on my C55, removed and no more battery issues.

My 2005 SLK55 has a nasty habit of activating the rest function just after the car is stopped and locked........ I takes a chunk out of the battery if not noticed as it seems to run for far longer than it should.

I’m a bit heavy handed to be honest to pull all the fuses 1 by 1. I’ve done this on a previous car and bust something that cost more to fix.

I’m watching the amp meter through the window and while it is sitting somewhere between 0.16 and 0.22, it spikes up to 1.5 to 2 ish every now and again which would indicate something is turning on e.g. climate related.

Doors and boot are closed. Windows down and bonnet open. Anything to try (happy to unplug devices), thanks.

Ps tested so far - unplugged front seats, removed fuses accessible from the side of the dashboard which seem to include central locking etc, checked doors and boot, removed CD. The fuse box by the firewall (opposite side to the battery) is a mine field of cables, too scared to pull anything.