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Get rid of your battery with this replacement - NAPA 7547

63K views 86 replies 36 participants last post by  e350coupe 
#1 · (Edited)
Bought my 08' Passion in 2008 and during the winter 2008-2009 when It got cold, and I don't mean real cold, about 34 degrees, my battery wouldn't start and the dealership said, after examining the battery that it wasn't part of the recall, and they really couldn't find anything wrong with it and, if I choose, I'd have to pay for a new battery, was their solution. A battery that doesn't last even a year!, there's something wrong with this picture. I fought with this situation throughout the winter and, when the temperature got warmer, the problem went away until again this year when it got colder, and it wouldn't start again unless it was jumped. I was not about to buy another Smart piece-of-s**t battery. I started looking around which finally ended me up at a sort of nearby, NAPA Parts Store. Every auto parts store I tried, including NAPA, couldn't find a 'lookup' match for the Smartcars, but the friendly sales person @ NAPA was eager to help resolve my situation. I had maximum battery compartment measurements and configuration on hand, as we headed out to battery world. After sorting through several possibilities he asked 'Who makes the Smartcar?'. I told him about Mercedes involvement which prompted him to ask 'does my battery have 'recessed terminals?' YOU BET. He said Mercedes is known for using batteries with this configuration and he pulled out this battery with #1-recessed terminals #2-the positive was on the right #3-all dimensions were o.k. for a good fit. The battery was a bit longer but still within parameters to fit without obstructing the a.c. overflow drain tube.
By being larger overall, this battery's rating was a wopping 600 minimum CCA(thats cold cranking amps), 750 @ 32 degrees. The original was only 350 CCA. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Just shy of $100 was my total cost.
My following pictures and notes will help you trash that original crappy battery.
The only small modification that needed to be done was to flatten the metal tab on the hold-down-clamp. This is the tab that's normally bent at 90-degrees by the negative post. Just flatten it in a vise or use your own method. I have found no effect resulting from this change.
You'll need a 10mm combination wrench for removable of the hold-down-clamp-bolt and the battery clamps.
NOW THIS IS A MATTER OF PREFERENCE, but I found this to eliminate any operational problems so a complete drop of power would NOT be an issue for the Smart's computer systems, I used a portable-battery-jumper-unit with a double-ended-accessory-plug-cable.
#1-remove the hold-down-clamp-nut
#2-Turn the car to ON (not start), this enables your accessory-jack.
#3-Jumper between this jack and your portable-battery-jumper-unit.
#4-remove the Negative-battery-terminal
#5-remove the RED battery cover
#6-remove the Positive-battery-terminal and wrap it real well with a towel to make sure it doesn't touch anything and I do mean ANYTHING METAL.
#7-remove the right-angled-black-vent-tube from the end of the battery.
#8-now take that OLD CRAPPY BATTERY OUT and put it some place where you can forget what you did with it.(or use it for core $$)
#9-put the NEW battery in and follow instructions in reverse.
#10-put on a happy face and buy yourself dinner for a job well done!

Here's comparision pics of original battery to NEW noting only the length is different......





Here is a pic of the top of the New NAPA 7547 battery......



Here's the New battery installed showing the flattened tab......


Here you see that the longer battery does not interfere with the a.c. drain tube......


The RED battery cover fits into identical holes in the new battery, hmmmm......


And the vent-hose is now reattached into ANOTHER IDENTICAL location.......
 
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#4 ·
Regardless of the finding at your dealership, something was wrong with your original battery. we have an '08 and it has started easily at below zero temps (F) for two Winters now. Appreciate the find though, as I always go stouter than stock when it's time to replace.
 
#5 ·
Too bad about your dealer

For what it's worth, you got stiffed by your smart dealer IMO. My '08 made it through last year's winter without a hiccup. Our '09 has had to deal with even colder temps over a longer period of time without any problems. I'll keep your info in mind if/when I need a replacement though.

Regards,

Dan
 
#7 ·
Looks like you had the original 42Ah battery, which to me is underpowered for almost everyone, especially short-trippers like me. If you check voltage (digital multimeter) in the morning, lights and accessories off, you should see 11.8V or higher. If you see 11.5 or lower like I did, your battery's only got a few months of life left. My new battery's been in for almost a year and still shows 11.8-11.9 after sitting overnight. When it was replaced, there was a major difference in cranking power - which confirms the nearly-bad original battery.
 
#8 ·
The sticker on the top definitely says 42ah and as you did with a MM, I did have the same findings....ones that the dealer would not process in their little brains. I'm a short-tripper too for everything but my GMC's battery doesn't act like this one did and the GMC battery is from 2005.
 
#10 ·
UPDATE as of 1-12-2010

And AS OF 1-12-2010, even in sub 5-15 degree temperatures, this battery is still doing an AWESOME job. There are many times where I don't use the car for 2-3 days but it still starts up in these frigid temps. I'm still not worrying as it comes with a 75 month warranty. :woohoo
 
#41 ·
And AS OF 1-12-2010, even in sub 5-15 degree temperatures, this battery is still doing an AWESOME job. There are many times where I don't use the car for 2-3 days but it still starts up in these frigid temps. I'm still not worrying as it comes with a 75 month warranty. :woohoo
Geez, MEC, The battery manufacturer thinks more of his product than Mercedes Benz does of our cars! (75 month battery in a 24 month car)

:D
 
#14 ·
Smarticus was just posting another solution for those not blessed with a NAPA nearby. Advance Auto and Auto Zone (30+ stores) are king around here with only a few napa stores. I myself use AA.
Unless the picture is incorrect, that is the same orientation as the NAPA battery.
Those specs are not that much worse than the NAPA.
 
#19 ·
Battery Update as of 1-2-2011

Well thru several extreme cold weather snaps last year and just a couple of weeks ago(Dec 2010), this NAPA battery is still performing as good as the day it went into service. I can let the Smart sit buried under snow for 3 days and the Remote Start via the NAPA battery starts right up without any hesitation.:woohoo:
 
#26 ·
i got the replacement larger battery from smart when i got the tranny reflashed in feb '09, i haven't had any problems yet and tonite it's gonna be -10F so i'm keeping my fingers crossed. (it did start a week or two ago at -4F) but i think i'll be getting one of them monster batteries before next winter.
 
#28 ·
Hey Pee-Wee. It's still a Group 47 battery so yes it'll work. No matter what the maker is, as long as it is a Group 47 it'll undoubtedly work. Go to any store that sells automotive batteries and tell them you want a Group 47 and they will all look just like the ones shown, same dimensions w/ the recessed terminals. No worries.
 
#30 ·
Batteries in cars have different sizes, polarity, and cranking amps. The groups are essentially part numbers that are somewhat universal across different manufactures. Group 47 is much bigger than the OEM size and has more cranking amps which may hopefully help it last longer.
 
#32 ·
It will definitely fit as far as dimensions go, the Duralast isn't too bad of a battery. If you have your heart set on Autozone then make sure you go for the Duralast Gold.

Group 26 dimensions - L-W-H
<table align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#80ffff">8 3/16 </td> <td align="center" bgcolor="#80ffff">6 13/16 </td> <td align="center" bgcolor="#80ffff">7 3/4
</td></tr></tbody></table>
Group 47 dimensions - L-W-H
<table align="center" border="1" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center" bgcolor="#80ffff">9 11/16 </td> <td align="center" bgcolor="#80ffff">6 7/8 </td> <td align="center" bgcolor="#80ffff">7 1/2 </td></tr></tbody></table>
I like the Group 47 because we all know......bigger is better. :rolleyes: Double check your polarity when installing. :wink:
 
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