[Prasanna]

I have used this car for over 2 years now. Never had any issues until today. I have always charged at home at 220V.

The HV Battery State of Charge was at about 60% at last check yesterday. So, I'm pretty sure this is not a case of full discharge. I can't unlock the charge door to connect. Needless to say the car sits stranded on my driveway.

What are my options?
Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[MB DNA]

What is the condition of your 12V?

 

[Prasanna]

What is the condition of your 12V?

Thanks for the response. I have no reason to believe the 12V battery was depleting/running off.

How do I access it? Does it power all the doors? like the rear door, charge connector door, the passenger side door? None of them are opening.

Only the driver side door opened with manual key insert. But the car doesn't come to life when I crank the start key.

 

[smark]

Ditto, the interior 12volt battery is weak, or dead. See if you can jump start that battery, so you can open the charging door. It located under the passenger carpet floor board. Your still going to have to address the 12 volt battery.

 

[sokoloff]

Sure sounds like a 12v battery issue. It's under the passenger side floor "board." See photos of it here:

DIY - replacing 12v battery (451)

Yesterday I replaced my original battery with a new OE one from Mercedes. The new battery is identical to the original battery in specs. Cost was $176. I couldn’t tell the manufacturer, but in the past, Varta made most Mercedes batteries. This new battery was identical in size to the...

www.smartcarofamerica.com

Oh, I'm assuming your car is a 451, i.e. 2016 or older. If it is a 453, then the 12v battery is under the "hood."

If it's discharged or more than five or so years old, I'd sure consider replacing it.

Len

 

[MB DNA]

Thanks for the response. I have no reason to believe the 12V battery was depleting/running off.

You have “no reason to believe” that what may be a 7 year old 12V battery is the problem?

What is your basis for such a belief - tested, replaced?

ALL of your “questions” are answered by a healthy 12V battery..,

 

[Prasanna]

You have “no reason to believe” that what may be a 7 year old 12V battery is the problem?

What is your basis for such a belief - tested, replaced?

ALL of your “questions” are answered by a healthy 12V battery..,

Sorry, I'm no expert.. But I didn't expect it just die off one fine day without any tell-tale signs such as head lights/ dash screen, cabin lights not bright enough or something like that.

BTW.. I have an older (2012) Japanese car with original 12V battery which is still going strong.

Thanks for all the answers.. Will report back after I have the 12V battery addressed. I checked and found it under the passenger side floor.. truly appreciate the pointers..

 

[sokoloff]

You are new here and we welcome you. I'm guessing that the 2012 Japanese car is not an electric? Please do a little research on our forum. Put the work "brick" in the search box and I bet you will be running out to get a new 12v battery tomorrow.

Keep us posted please. We are hoping for a good outcome.

Len

 

[Prasanna]

You are new here and we welcome you. I'm guessing that the 2012 Japanese car is not an electric? Please do a little research on our forum. Put the work "brick" in the search box and I bet you will be running out to get a new 12v battery tomorrow.

Keep us posted please. We are hoping for a good outcome.

Len

Thanks Len. This forum rocks! I wish I was plugged in much earlier..

It turns out the wife had left the overhead cabin light ON overnight and that seems to have drained out the 12V battery!!
After jump starting it, the HV battery came to life right away and all's good with it now.

Will definitely replace the 12V. Its a 451 in this car. Still looking through the archives here to see what others have got as replacement..

 

[sokoloff]

That is great news and probably a wise decision to replace the battery. If you've got the original battery in there or if it's a replacement Mercedes/Smart battery, there is a date code on the negative terminal. It will tell you the week and year of the battery. If there is an aftermarket battery in there, then the date could be in a lot of different places. As an FYI, I just replaced the battery in one of mine with a Mercedes battery and it cost me $162 plus tax - that was with about a 20% discount I think.

Len

 

[MB DNA]

…I just replaced the battery in one of mine with a Mercedes battery and it cost me $162 plus tax - that was with about a 20% discount I think.

It turns out the wife had left the overhead cabin light ON overnight and that seems to have drained out the 12V battery!!

Awesome news!

Once again begs that question of, if an electrical circuit (like the dome light WITH IGNITION OFF) shows a continuous draw why doesn’t it time out? We have other “nannies” to save us from our human frailties?

$175 battery replacement can provide some invaluable peace of mind when 12V FAILURE can leave you with a smart SLED!

Fact, unless you are the original owner you have no idea what abuse the batteries may have seen? Charging frequency, unprotected storage in the deep of Winter?

Based on the 451 HV risk, if you are still “rocking” an OEM 12V you should seriously consider replacing that battery soon!

 

[Jo e Lefors]

Awesome news!

Once again begs that question of, if an electrical circuit (like the dome light WITH IGNITION OFF) shows a continuous draw why doesn’t it time out? We have other “nannies” to save us from our human frailties?

$175 battery replacement can provide some invaluable peace of mind when 12V FAILURE can leave you with a smart SLED!

Fact, unless you are the original owner you have no idea what abuse the batteries may have seen? Charging frequency, unprotected storage in the deep of Winter?

Based on the 451 HV risk, if you are still “rocking” an OEM 12V you should seriously consider replacing that battery soon!

My 2001 Ford 150 and my 09 Toyota Yaris both timed lights out after 3 minutes if the ignition wasn't on.

$175-$200 for a new battery every 3 or 4 years especially in an EV / EQ, is pretty cheap insurance and piece of mind.

 

[sokoloff]

On an ICE I replace the battery when it tells me it's time. That could be10 to 12 years. Unlike the EV's, there is little chance of any serious damage to the battery going dead. On my EV's I go at least six years, maybe seven, because I drive them a couple of days a week at least, know how they are treated and test them a couple of ties a year. For me a routine 3 to 4 year new battery interval is a waste of money, but to each his own. If it makes you sleep better at night, then go for it.

Len

 

[Jo e Lefors]

I guess I'm more of a preventive maintenance person than a reactive maintenance type.

 

[lebikerboy]

I guess I'm the preventative maintenance type also. I recently replaced the four year old lead acid battery in our 2017 ED
with a Lithium Ion LiFePO4 version. Much lighter and has all the advantages of Lithium vs. Lead Acid...

 

[Jo e Lefors]

I guess I'm the preventative maintenance type also. I recently replaced the four year old lead acid battery in our 2017 ED
with a Lithium Ion LiFePO4 version. Much lighter and has all the advantages of Lithium vs. Lead Acid...

 

[Trapper]

I have used this car for over 2 years now. Never had any issues until today. I have always charged at home at 220V.

The HV Battery State of Charge was at about 60% at last check yesterday. So, I'm pretty sure this is not a case of full discharge. I can't unlock the charge door to connect. Needless to say the car sits stranded on my driveway.

What are my options?
Thanks a lot in advance!

The locking charge cap is a left over annoyance for the ICE version.. No one is going to suck electrons from the battery. When I got my my used Smart, I used my dremel and cut out the little end part on that channel on the cap itself. That way, while the locking pin still technically pushes into that cap channel there is no end for the pin to hit and keep the cap from opening and therefore never locked. It will be supereasy to plug that end again should I want to lock the cap again in the future.. But for now, easy charging should I not have my keys with me… Granted this only works because it was a manually opened cap door to begin with. If they had used the pin to actually “pop” the door open like on some cars, this fix would not work..

 

[passingsemis]

Thanks Len. This forum rocks! I wish I was plugged in much earlier..

It turns out the wife had left the overhead cabin light ON overnight and that seems to have drained out the 12V battery!!
After jump starting it, the HV battery came to life right away and all's good with it now.

Will definitely replace the 12V. Its a 451 in this car. Still looking through the archives here to see what others have got as replacement..

I did the same thing in my 2008 fortwo. Really felt stupid.

 

[Yinzer]

The marker lights (but not the headlights) can also be accidentally left on on the ED and run the 12V battery down.

 

[Vincent Rapide]

My 2016_ED charge door does not lock so I assume prior owner
cut off the locking tab or some such. "A feature not a defect".
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