The sad issue I think most of us can appreciate here is the fact someone was willing and had the resources to have a car towed cross-country to you because they trust you as a 100% honest tech. You aren't going to shaft anyone. It is *immensely* difficult to find a trustworthy, intelligent, capable tech in most areas. That's why so many of us (like me) have taken the DIY route on most things unless faced with literally no other option. As an example, a friend has a 20-year-old Honda that was running rough, and a local shop wanted to charge him $800 for four ignition coils. I pointed him to a reputable retailer for OEM coils and put them in for him. Car owners are in a constant fight not to get ripped off. That's why we *so* appreciate guys like you, and Eric O who try to make all of us smarter and avoid getting ripped off. Thanks as always, Ivan.

FUNNY HOW U SMILE WHEN SAYING YOUR GIVING IT A TEST DRIVE,,IM SURE YOU CAN'T WAIT TO GIVE IT THE BEANS😅😅😅😅😅

Watching from Tokyo. Thorough diagnosis of suspected parasitic draw and ending with “spanked” battery replacement solving the problem. Steps were very well explained, thanks Ivan.

We appreciate you making certain the ‘nator is stable over 5,000 rpm. No noticeable bearing noise. Very thorough.

Bro towed his car halfway across the country before going to AutoZone and having a 3 year old battery checked, or even just replacing it. Mercedes owner checks out.

Getting cars towed to you from as far away as Florida is a testament to just how good a mechanic you really are. That's something to be proud of.

When my son went over TDY seas, we disconnect the battery. Then driving down for vacation quarterly, hook up and drive it for a week. Worked every time.

I’m terrible with electrical diagnostics, so always enjoy your insight. Hey, even an AMG requires a test run before it can be returned to customer😉

Leave a battery flat for 8 months...even a week the plates start to sulphate .a car like that and skimp on buying a new battery?...tells a story...thanks ivan 5 star vid

Very few people seem to understand just how quickly normal car batteries are wrecked if they are allowed to run down too far! After being flattened (just very briefly) around five or six times, you are very lucky if one will start a car after being just left overnight.

HAD THIS ENGINE (CAR) BEEN TO ANOTHER SHOP... THERE WILL BE AT LEAT 10-50 MODULES REPLACED BY NOW AND WON'T EVEN BE THE SAME ENGINE (CAR) AFTER ALL. OWNER MADE THE RIGHT CALL! IVAN, GET THIS AMG.. WE KNOW YOU LOVE IT

That grinning and giggle that Ivan had on the test drive is the same way I feel when I take my Corvette out on a run through the gears! 😃

Just wanted to say that I really appreciate your attention to detail and how thorough you are with your diagnosis. It is a sign of a honest and truly professional person. Wish every mechanic was more like you. Is easy to see why customers all over the country would rather go to the trouble of sending their vehicles to you.

Good video. Customer got a lot of value with the thorough parasitic testing, module scanning, and test drive.

Hey Ivan, I'm really impressed with the detailed technical notes on your invoice. Typically, what I see out in the field on invoices are just "R&R something" or "check something." When it comes to high-end European cars, especially those like a Mercedes-Benz AMG, you're definitely not shopping at the Walmart of auto parts like AutoZone. I'm not familiar with that make and model, but don't you need to do a battery reset when you install a new battery so the system may reset its charging system strategy?

Lead acid 12v batteries absolutely hate going flat and being recharged to full capacity. We see this constantly in the marine industry as boats will sink on land, killing the batteries with bilge pumps trying to pump out rain water. A deep cycle battery will tolerate it much better as that is what they are designed to handle but they are not designed to be starting batteries (under normal conditions).

Sometimes I walk into work & my boss says, how are you John, and I respond, "things are good, been watching a lot of pine hollow Automotive diagnostics!!!

You had me worried there for a minute. It was getting close to the end of the video and no test drive? I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to test drive that beast either!! Great video Ivan! Nice car!! lol

Good video for those of us that have cars we don't daily drive. Helps explain the how and why of a battery maintainer. Good explanation thanks!

I figured early in the video that an '09 Florida Merc probably would have a damaged module from water intrusion causing the parasitic draw. I wasn't prepared for there to be no parasitic draw or for a code scan to pass 100%! That's why you diagnose: sometimes it really is a unicorn!

Great diagnostic, Ivan! What a beast of a car - sounds almost like a Lamborghini :-) No parasitic draw, but the objective procedure took out all doubts. Simple repair :-) Had a similar problem with my humble Ford - battery started to give up after 8 years and had to be replaced (no parasitic draw, no charging problem - just 5 years of city drive, with little motorway in between).

your test drive made me smile

"Let's see if the convertible top works" - so dedicated to the testing process... lol

I just realised i miss the second part of your recent video and i finished watching furst and come back here, love your works❤👍

I love watching your vids. So informative. Ty for all the information you give some of us techs🎉

You got to be a rather 'special kind of diagnostic guru' You are indeed. Towed from Florida. Even if he owned a tow truck that is a definite WOW!

I've always had a need for speed! At one point I had a Ford van and a Chevy Cavalier so I had to buy a motorcycle to satisfy that need. A couple of hours of thrashing the motorcycle was great therapy!

Excellent diagnosis, as a Mercedes Mechanic I seen this situations a lot of time the most Mercedes owners leve the cars sitting for long long time and they expect a full battery after that and just one thing always use OEM parts Mercedes battery don't forget Ivan 😂😂😂😂

Great job! When things are so complicated, people are afraid a basic solution isn't possible or enough. I have a friend who works for a dealership, and he told me that because of government regulations (MPG maximization), cars don't charge the battery any more than absolutely necessary. He said they stopped putting ammeters in trucks because they charge the battery so little - people would see the ammeter on zero and think the alternator wasn't working.

I am wanting to say that car is on the same chassis as that Chrysler Crossfire you repaired previously. GREAT VIDEO!

You nailed this one with the siren ivan. I was literally typing to check for the oozing siren and you said it . Had to remove mine on my 05 xfire

I like doing a load test on the battery using a load tester & the battery in my dads 2000 model Holden VX Commodore which is fitted with the 3.8 litre Holden/Buick L36 V6 engine went flat after the car wasn't driven for about 3 months so I recharged it overnight using my 5 amp trickle charger then I load tested the battery the next day. It tested at its rated 650 Cold cranking amp capacity & it did take quite a few hours to recharge the battery,I have had stuffed batteries which appeared to be fully charged start a car but it only took 1/2 an hour to recharge using my old 4 amp trickle charger so it wasn't holding a deep charge. My dad has been driving his car no problems & he got 7 years out of the last battery. The reason that I say Holden/Buick is because it's different to the U.S. version, it's fitted with Holdens own ECOTEC aluminium alloy inlet manifold, it's fitted with Holdens own aluminium alloy oil pan & it's run by a Bosch OBD1 PCM albeit it's an OBD1.5 setup in the car since it's fitted with an OBD2 type of diagnostic port in Australia. The U.S. version is fitted with a composite plastic inlet manifold & Delphi OBD2 PCM !

Thank you PHAD. Appreciate your expertise and knowledge.

I loved the smile on your face when you said...."This car is a beast""

Pretty sure reserve capacity is measured in minutes Ivan. That battery is closer to 50 AH, which is still substantial and will allow the car to sit a good month before too much headache. But careful with that calculation! Nice work keeping them on the road!

I hope you took this for a spin. These are high 12 second cars believe it or not. And one of the most bulletproof drivetrains Mercedes ever made.

I learn so much just by watching you.

Ivan must not watch the car wizard, you’re playing with fire with those convertible tops lol 23:27

Brave man to put that top down

A true miracle . . . a Eurocar with no active codes!

Thanks for the video Ivan.

I’m glad he tested the seatbelt light on that drive! 🇺🇸

Even Ivan was surprised that no modules had any codes.

Any battery that goes flat is toast because they’ll never recover properly, good video for theses that don’t know 👍

Hello Ivan, Great video as always and completely agree main battery suffered to "dead". Q: Did you check secondary/small battery? As part of the anti-theft system, this battery may draw current from the main system. It is designed to have power if main battery power is removed. NOTE: the horn/siren will not pull down the system unless relay is stuck "open (passing current)" and it would emit sound. If it, small battery, is also "dead", it may pull down the main system prematurely while trying to maintain voltage. It should stop requesting help once main battery system reaches a predetermined cut-off, but may be an issue with parasitic draw on this vehicle. Would love to see amp draw "overnight" on your Pico scope. My theory is that with all the charge given to the vehicle, the small battery was happy during diagnostics. ??

Your empire is expanding

Beautiful car ,bit of a pain having to spend extra time with a test drive,but you have to make sure it is OK.

Its called Sulfation. Sulfation occurs when a lead acid battery is deprived of a full charge, sulfation is the formation or build-up of lead sulfate crystals on the surface and in the pores of the active material of the batteries' lead plates. This will effectively reduce the plate area and subsequently battery performance. In severe cases the sulfate becomes permanent. years ago you could buy "battery rejuvenating" tablets which you popped into the battery and they attempted to remove the sulfate from the plates. Another problem is this debris can fall to the bottom of the battery and if it comes in contact with the plates the battery develops an internal discharge path. Modern batteries tend to have a lot less room below the plates compared to older ones.

You look great on the test drive

Ivan you just wanted straight away to go for a Drive!!!!!!😂

I was so excited when i saw the car, then so disappointed it was going to be a parasitic draw, what a waste could have been a great video with am engine problem.

Plot twist: The owner towed it all the way to Ivan just so he can say "Ivan touched my car!".😂😂😂

Hey Ivan, I wonder how 'Rainman Ray' feels about you poaching Florida cars? Just kidding, of course! As usual, a straight forward, logical analysis and conclusion - bravo.

Hey, nicd job on this one. Tip, when you did the first battery disconnect for the amperage draw, you reset the whole system by removing the vehicles ground path. The trick is usally have a small wire clip attached to the voltmeter and the negative cable so it never breaks a connection.

166K. It's nice to see a car that has been driven and enjoyed. Hopefully, it will get garaged and treated properly in its senior years once it reaches its destination.

Replaced many a seat control modules on Mercedes in my day, for parasitic draw. Hope this helps

Yey! Ivan is back with a mercedes 🙃 Edit: getting a good diagnosis is worth his drive, + this is great content for us, never seen anyone test a battery this way, a great tip for everyone if you ask me!

I can't believe he didn't try new battery first. That was a waste of time and money.

Thanks Ivan!

On this Mercedes, the regular operation of the control modules of the multimedia center should be checked, it also goes into full sleep mode when the car is locked with central locking. If any component in the control module is non-functioning and broken, then it does not go into sleep mode and continues to consume a large amount of Mamps. This car has about 40 Ma. about a lot.

Good old Autozone Battery. To a Fisher Auto Parts Battery. 👍 OOPS forgot great video Ivan.

A partially sulphated battery can also wreak havoc on electrical modules especially the ecm -ecu ! I get alot of good use from battery's just by using a battery tender when stored !

Well done

That is quite a nice tarmac shredder yes.

You can't park a vehicle for any time over 1 month without having the battery capacity severly lowered unless you put a battery maintainer on it. I have one for when I'm driving one and the other one sits for sometimes 1 to 2 months like now. The one in the back yard has the maintainer on it, yet even after 1 month it started right up with no problem. My maintainer's max output is 5 amps. It starts out at 14.5 volts, 5 amps for 2 minutes. Then it drops to 13 volts, lower amperage depending how much the battery needs. Good one Ivan.

I had the same problem with 2 cars. My 2008 Honda Crv, sat around for awhile while I had surgery and became unreliable. I replaced problems went away. My other car a 1984 Mustang had a battery tender, but wasn’t used much, so now I have to buy a battery……normal.

for long time parking, battery should be hooked up to smart charger/maintainer like noco genius type. This kind of charger monitor the voltage in real time while the car is parked. Noco provide all optional accessories for hooking up as needed

That car like Mine needs a AMG battery and Auto Zone Battery is not recommended. I played the battery game and after trying Napa and Auto zone and a Die Hard they all gave me issues. Ended up Buying an Interstate AMG Battery and it has lasted 7 years. I just replaced it this year out of concern not failure. The Interstate Guy told me that it still had 50% life left. I told him buy it from the shop if he want’s it. I want a fresh battery so he Ordered me a Fresh one from the Factory. And just so you know unmodified that car will Snap a Speed in 10.5 seconds. And for all you nonspeed enthusiasts that is 0 to 100mph in 10.5 seconds. 🤘🏼🤘🏼🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

If I towed my bmw e60 530d to your place would you look at it, only one dig problem I live in Sheffield UK, I am fascinated by your diagnostics and honesty.

my 2015 mustang GT , I have to have a trickle charger on it all winter as I only use it 2 months in the summer , my 91 GMC show truck I dont have too .

I have a 2004 amg Sl55. The alarm is a known parasitic draw. On mine the internal batteries corroded and completely wiped out the circuit board. I keep mine on a trickle charger at all times.

Hello from Hawaii. It’s midnight here in Honolulu. Perfect weather.

I have gotten in the habit of adding water to my car batteries about every other year. Got 2 past 4 year mark in south Alabama. They loose a surprising amount of water. Given how expensive batteries are is worth the few cents in distilled water and time it takes to recondition.

I have a 2001 C240, and the alarm horn ( which looks very similiar to the SLKs, albeit mjne is behind the front wheel ) shorted out in the rain, and drained the battery. Apparently, it is/was a problem on those years Benz', where the wiring or control box shorts out.

Out west with the heat even with a car that starts every day you can expect 2 years at most with a battery, very rare they last more then that

I was trouble shooting a similar issue on a Nissan. The battery seemed fine but died every night. And like this vehicle very low parasitic drain when in sleep mod. I finally took the battery completely out of the vehicle and charged it fully then let it set over night. Dead. Internal short I’m assuming. Least technical item and hardest to pin down in a short time. But I got to play with my fluke and a few tools so.

Gotta "test drive" it to make sure the "battery works."😂😂😂The perks of being a tech.😂

Towed from Florida obviously rainman ray couldn't fix this one 😂

Holy cow Ivan. Looks like you smacked your thumb on something. They must have throbbed for a while. Now ya have me curious. Too bad a lot of folks still don’t realize if you park your vehicle for more than a month you should have a battery maintainer to keep the battery at full charge. I’m sure most people don’t know but this guys does. I would have loved to take that car for a nice little drive myself. Sounds sporty. See ya next video Ivan

supprised the fuel is still good after sitting so long, thanks for posting

I own an SLK200 from 99'. Fun little car.

an opption on my new Camaro was a smart battery saver ( $135 from GM but it says Camaro on it) . It is simply one of those low amp smart charger. They Know that most Camaro owners park the car for winter months. . Hook it up plug it in and in the spring your battery is ready to go

Man, I’ve always wanted one of these. Wish they offered a clutch, though.

I like when you use the Infared camera to detect current draws, although it wouldn't have helped in this case. Towed All the way from Florida for a defective battery? Thank you Ivan

I think you needed SDS for this procedure. The owner should put the car on a trickle charger as a 2021 battery shouldn’t be done and dusted by now. Good explanations and guidance.

In the recent Audi, past 4 days, stopped, you got to connect a charger or disconnect the batteries. . Because too many security devices draining the battery at all time. .

Excellent !

Super Mario diagnostics in Miami would have been closer

I wonder what one of those battery testers would have shown. I have a TopDon one that's pretty cool. Shows resistance, capacity, voltage, health, etc.

"...to make sure nothing else is wrong." (wink, wink) 😅

Looks like you showed us the invoice 😳😉🤫😂

My neighbour went to Florida as a snowbird, leaving his Chrysler Crossfire with the alarm set. After a few weeks the alarm started to go off intermittently. It’s a very similar car to the SLK. Finally the battery just died and he returned later to a very dead car. We weren’t impressed. 🇨🇦

You road topless today ? ? Here in Shawinigan Québec, we had snow this morning 😆

Fun fact... Volkwagen used to ship cars with solar panels put on inside of windshield (2000's ?) and plugged into always on lighter socket. This would keep the battery charged in transit. May not be a bad idea for this car if it sits idle for long periods of time.

You are good mate, i love watcing you.😀

Better luck next time.. the drone shots are amazing

2021 on the battery. Customer should have purchased a New battery before towing all that way. More $ than common sense. imo

Just changed the battery on my wife's RAV 4. Had it tested and test showed it was not to good anymore. Best place was Costco for a replacement. Toyota batteries tend to last a long time

Hey Ivan, it's not uncommon to find W211 batteries that are 15 years old - still starting ok, just failing the midtronics test!

no napa legend i never had good luck out of auto zone battery's