R129 storage and battery/roof issues
Discussion
hi I am new to the forum and looking for some guidance.
Tomorrow I will pick up a "new" R129, it will be rarely driven as I have a Cls and clk convertible already. I was going to simply disconnect the battery (as I do with the clk) and leave it in the garage most of the time. ( no power supply to garage) . However I am reading all sorts of horror stories about roofs/windows going out of sync. I am clear I must not jump start it if the battery is flat, now.
Can you give me any advice. I'm up to
1) park on drive ( not under cover ) and leave an intelligent charger plugged in
2) leave it in garage with two batteries in parallel, obviously disconnect before starting
3) disconnect battery and risk going through whole reset process every time, not too worried about resetting windows but roof sounds less clear.
I would really welcome your advice on this
Many thanks in advance
Tomorrow I will pick up a "new" R129, it will be rarely driven as I have a Cls and clk convertible already. I was going to simply disconnect the battery (as I do with the clk) and leave it in the garage most of the time. ( no power supply to garage) . However I am reading all sorts of horror stories about roofs/windows going out of sync. I am clear I must not jump start it if the battery is flat, now.
Can you give me any advice. I'm up to
1) park on drive ( not under cover ) and leave an intelligent charger plugged in
2) leave it in garage with two batteries in parallel, obviously disconnect before starting
3) disconnect battery and risk going through whole reset process every time, not too worried about resetting windows but roof sounds less clear.
I would really welcome your advice on this
Many thanks in advance
aabravo said:
hi I am new to the forum and looking for some guidance.
Tomorrow I will pick up a "new" R129, it will be rarely driven as I have a Cls and clk convertible already. I was going to simply disconnect the battery (as I do with the clk) and leave it in the garage most of the time. ( no power supply to garage) . However I am reading all sorts of horror stories about roofs/windows going out of sync. I am clear I must not jump start it if the battery is flat, now.
Can you give me any advice. I'm up to
1) park on drive ( not under cover ) and leave an intelligent charger plugged in
2) leave it in garage with two batteries in parallel, obviously disconnect before starting
3) disconnect battery and risk going through whole reset process every time, not too worried about resetting windows but roof sounds less clear.
I would really welcome your advice on this
Many thanks in advance
Leave it with a battery connected, and visit every few weeks to swap the battery for a charged one.Tomorrow I will pick up a "new" R129, it will be rarely driven as I have a Cls and clk convertible already. I was going to simply disconnect the battery (as I do with the clk) and leave it in the garage most of the time. ( no power supply to garage) . However I am reading all sorts of horror stories about roofs/windows going out of sync. I am clear I must not jump start it if the battery is flat, now.
Can you give me any advice. I'm up to
1) park on drive ( not under cover ) and leave an intelligent charger plugged in
2) leave it in garage with two batteries in parallel, obviously disconnect before starting
3) disconnect battery and risk going through whole reset process every time, not too worried about resetting windows but roof sounds less clear.
I would really welcome your advice on this
Many thanks in advance
TooMany2cvs said:
Leave it with a battery connected, and visit every few weeks to swap the battery for a charged one.
I think this could be the best idea,mind you I bet there will be many R129 owners with other ideas.Batteries and roofs on R129`s is a frustrating issue with so many different outcomes.This is my "roof story".During the last ten years I`ve always kept my battery connected.During this time there were two occasions where the battery got low,"just" started the car,then the roof and roll bar lights came on,roof dead,over to Merc` for a ECU reset ect (£150 !!!).
THEN? on another occasion after leaving the car for a month or so the battery was so flat the doors would not open with the key blip!!!.Managed to open the boot manually and fit a new battery,started the car thinking another visit to Merc` and another £150,low and behold the roof worked perfectly this time???
THEN? the following winter it became apparent that my "new" battery was duff,non start,roof and roll bar lights on,roof dead this time,thoughts of another Merc` visit and £150 ECU re-set.Tried all the "online tricks" and recommendations to bring the roof back to life without success.I left the car without a battery for a few days while I found the best,most powerful battery money can buy.Connected it all up started the car and to my amazement the warning lights had gone out and the roof was working perfectly.It had reset itself????
So,next time I`m away do I disconnect or not? One thing I do know is make sure you have a top quality high amp battery and keep it fully charged all the time.
Just another thought? If you do remove the battery also remove the battery tray and give the wing gully and drain hole a good clean out.I did and found a rusty hole!! apparently there is a rust trap there.
Edited by Old Merc on Thursday 25th February 10:41
Edited by Old Merc on Thursday 25th February 10:42
Old Merc said:
snip... I left the car without a battery for a few days while I found the best,most powerful battery money can buy.Connected it all up started the car and to my amazement the warning lights had gone out and the roof was working perfectly.It had reset itself????
So,next time I`m away do I disconnect or not?
I know nothing about these cars, but what you appear to be describing is where the ECU has power/capacitor supported memory and as a result, to properly reset things needs quite a long break from power to allow the ECU to fully discharge. Repowering is then done from the default settings.So,next time I`m away do I disconnect or not?
I'd try disconnecting the battery - the longer without power the better it would seem.
Mine goes flat occasionally, disconnect, fully charge and reconnect. Windows end up half way down, simply raise them and drive off- all sorted. Only no no is a jump start. If I were you I'd leave the battery out of the car and charge it when needed before refitting. And buy a really good one with a decent warranty so if it conks out get a free replacement.
Maybe give these guys a call?
http://www.bimblesolar.com/offgrid/12v
Fit the panels to your garage and instant battery charging for the winter. I used a similar setup on an old Defender I used for camping and it worked very very well.
My 129 lives outside at present and I jsut make a point of driving it once a week. I also have an external power socket on the house and periodically put on the smart charger just for a top up.
http://www.bimblesolar.com/offgrid/12v
Fit the panels to your garage and instant battery charging for the winter. I used a similar setup on an old Defender I used for camping and it worked very very well.
My 129 lives outside at present and I jsut make a point of driving it once a week. I also have an external power socket on the house and periodically put on the smart charger just for a top up.
I turn my battery off via a proper isolator when I leave the car in the garage or stored elsewhere, so that the car is entirely unpowered. Over the last year it's never caused the slightest problem except that I have to reset the time on the clock when I turn it all back on.
That's a 1993 500. Possibly facelift cars would behave differently.
That's a 1993 500. Possibly facelift cars would behave differently.
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