Quick update - dropped the car off with the dealer yesterday - manager pretty much agreed with everything raised here - the battery is not big enough! Maybe the charging rate too. We're off on holiday for a couple of weeks tomorrow so he's asked us to leave it in so they can monitor for battery discharge and discuss it with Chrysler. I'll post the result when I get back.

 

Further Update,

I have got in touch with Chrysler UK. No help at all. Keeps wanting me to take it back to the dealers even after they have checked it few times.

I have been left with no choice. I have now contacted Watchdog to see if they can help.

It is frustrating when a big company like Chrysler don't want to look after the customers.

Will keep you updated.

 

Hi Guys
Well we're back from 2 weeks in the States and just picked up the car today.
Afraid I haven't got any 'official' line on the battery problem but it's fixed.
I'm dealing direct with the franchise manager, not the workshop so have not touched on anything overly technical
They monitored the car for an unknown period initially and could find no discharge fault.
Manager then advised Chrysler UK that he had a customer running out of patience who had left the car with them for 2 weeks and that a solution must be found in that time. The 'fix' is therefore sanctioned by Chrysler UK not just the local dealer.
They've done as Merlin has previously advised and changed the battery. since doing that, until our return the manager has been starting the vehicle each day and then switching it off to check it's maintaining sufficient charge - all without problem.
Manager has pretty much confirmed what Merlin has posted already in that the original batteries are 'difficult' to charge - a problem made more relevant by their limited capacity (believe they were only 40ah)
Had a quick look under the bonnet today - not sure what make the battery is (it's lead acid) but it has Mercedes stickers on it's side and the label on top says it's 70ah. The only modification needed was to trim the plastic lip off the front edge of the battery tray (could not even see what they'd done), no mods needed for the cables.
So my problem seems to be fixed - question is why aren't Chrysler making information they obviously hold available to their dealers without customers having to go through the repeated visits and checks that I've suffered (and others too) before addressing the problem and authorising a fix?
For any others out there suffering similar problems our vehicle is a 2.8 Executive XS first registered April 08, 10,000mls on the clock. The dealer is in Chester.
Battery problem first appeared at 4 weeks old when the car was driven 300 daylight miles and then stood for parked for 10 days. On return the battery was totally dead. Car was returned to dealers who could find no fault.
Car later returned again to the dealers who could still find no fault but installed a replacement, fully charged battery anyway (and advised that all dealers had been instructed to maintain battery logs for all stock cars)
This is the third time car has been back and they've finally changed to a lead acid battery.
My previous GV, a 2005 2.8 CRD with similar usasge to the new one also suffered battery problems although not as often as the new one.

 

Hi
Very happy for you a lot better then backing the vehicle and nice to see another happy owner (in the end).
Hope I was some help to you.

 

Yes, thanks Merlin - although I tried to avoid passing on what I was learning here in order to try and learn Chryslers' take on the problem - it appears they're in line with what's been discussed here.
Not totally out of the wood yet though!
We took the opportunity to resolve the battery issue when the parts had arrived to resolve a problem with the NS sliding door.
It seems to be misaligned and gets very tight to operate manually and exhibits a grinding noise / sensation when being slid along it's runner. When my wife took it in some months ago they told her there was nothing wrong - so I took it in and stood over the mechanic while he checked it and he agreed it was out of line with obvious wear makes on the mechanism teeth so ordered a new runner.
We checked the doors' electrical operation at the dealers yesterday but in all the discussion over the battery and newly fitted towbar we forgot to check the manual operation. Got home and discovered there's no change. Managers confirmed the runner was changed so it will need to go back again!
I have to say that while I'm a huge fan of the vehicle I'll be glad when a competitor from the far east or europe brings out something similar - Chrysler are the only option at the moment.

 

Been reading your posting, and maybe some useful info from this end:
Over here (Norway), the battery is 74 Ah for the diesel engines so Ah's in the 40's is way to low. I was told from the dealership/workshop here, upon request, that the charging system is temperature dependent, which means that on a hot summer day the charging is lower than in the cold winter time. The guy in the shop also advised me to charge the battery a couple of times each year to keep it in good shape. Have checked this myself and on a summer day it charges with as little as 13.6-13.7 volts, but in the cold season it does about 14.3-14.4 volts. Also if you just do short trips the battery will eventually go flat, as it takes a considerable time to fully charge it when driving. This due to sources of power draining, i.e. glowing / starter / normal electric usage such as fan or A/C plus all the other "gadgets" people normally got in their car.
I suppose these facts are valid for the newer models as well as older ones, such as mine, which is getting close to "vintage" with the 2.5 TD.

 

Hi,
I recently purchased a 2.8 Diesel Executive XS. I initially had a flat battery and charged it on my charger only to find it flat again 3 days later. I returned vehicle to dealer who said it was one of the DVD screens draining the battery. Screen was removed pending a replacement. Car ran fine for 4 months then battery went flat 3 days after a 250 mile run. Before this I had only been using the car one or two days a week for about 36 mile runs. Returned car to dealer who said the could find no drain on battery or any fault with the battery. I was told that if I did not use the car for three days the battery would go flat. I said this was unacceptable and as the battery had gone flat 4 times on me I had the dealer fit a new battery as I said if there was no drain the battery must be faulty. I then spoke to Chrysler Customer Care who said that the battery would go flat with my usage pattern (only using once or twice a week). They said that the battery was a spiral battery and that when it was down to 80% charge that the alternator could not charge it back up no matter how far the car was driven. Hence my battery being flat 3 days after a 250 mile run. They also told me that a normal 12 volt charger would not restore it from this state and that it would need 14.4 volts to charge it back up. He also said that some of the larger diesel Mercedes where having the same problem with irregular use and that people were leaving their batteries on trickle charge when not using them.
I have just purchased a solar charger and charge regulator to use as a pemanent trickle charger to see if I can solve the problem this way. I shall be writing to Chrysler Customer Care to complain as it just seems like a bad design flaw if you have to use the car nearly ever day to keep the battery over 80% charge and that the alternator cannot restore the power whilst driving if it has dropped below 80% charge.

 

My battery has gone flat a few times now, mostly due to numerous short (school) runs. My Dealer told me that it would take three days to charge a spiral battery, after the last time mine went flat. Any idea why it takes three days?

Also. I like to be able to charge the battery myself if I get caught by a flat battery whilst on holiday. Is there a recommended charger I should use? I imagine that it has to be an "intelligent" one that tapers off the current as the battery tops-out.

 

I wonder if they could be talking about pulse charging the battery - this is a way of removing sulphate build up on lead acid batteries.

 

Hi,
I've had conflicting views on charging. Chrysler Care told me that you have to put 14.4 volts into the spiral battery to charge it, a battery company told me that your normal 12 volt charger would charge up to 14.4 volts.
I did charge my previous battery for a day and a half and it went flat again within 3 days
Since fitting the solar charger my battery seems to be keeping topped up. It does not sit in direct sunlight all day, but seems to trickle charge enough.
I will be contacting Chrysler to complain about the battery situation, as they clearly know there is a problem, but I've been allowed to waste my time and money trying to solve the problem when clearly the battery and/or the alternator are not fit for purpose.