Avoid These Mistakes When Charging a Benz Battery

If your Mercedes key fob won’t unlock the car or turn in the ignition to start it, the problem could be a dead car battery. 

But before you ask the nice person in the parking lot to help you jump start your Benz, consider these risks of using jumper cables and another vehicle to get your Mercedes battery working again:

• It’s common for jumper cables to be placed on the battery backwards or switched around—especially considering that you will be in a rush to get your car running again, and the other person might be also. If the car is turned on after improperly connecting the cables, a voltage spike is sent through the car’s electronic system while also damaging your battery’s own integrity.

• Even if the jumper cables are placed on correctly, any time you send a higher-than-normal voltage into the car, you risk permanently damaging the electronic modules in your Mercedes, such as the ignition, navigation, starter, etc. Control units will often trigger voltage fault codes.

To avoid such voltage spikes to your car’s computer system that can cause permanent or expensive damage, disconnect the battery cables before jumping or remove the battery from the car before having it charged. This protects the electrical systems within the car—which of course are extremely costly. But even with the battery disconnected, these types of powerful car batteries are not built to be charged with jumper cables.

You will want to properly protect the intricate workings of your Mercedes by exercising care for your car battery. These batteries are best charged at a slower rate, so the smartest choice would be to use a battery charger or maintainer. And to ensure the proper methods are applied and the battery itself can be looked at, we recommend taking it to a professional to have it charged and checked.