My Mini Cooper is 2.5 years old. The battery died and the dealer refuses to pay for a new one claiming that it is my fault that it died. (My car is still under warranty and has only 13,200 miles.) The reason--I do not drive my car enough! My job is only 5 miles from my house, so some days I only drive it to and from work. Is this reason legit? They now want me to buy a trickle charger for $75. Any thoughts? I've gone through both the service manager and the owner and they refuse to give me a free new battery.

 

I would say that if you are using the car most days, the excuse you were given was a dealership BS story. I've owned boats that typically sit out of the water from November until May without chargers and had those batteries last 3-5 years!

Do you have anyone who can confirm the condition of the battery outside of the dealer? Perhaps a trip to the local Advanced Auto or whatever parts store you have in your area could put a load test on it. And the question comes up about whether you have anything added like an aftermarket apart or stereo. Those items improperly installed can sap a battery. If they are on the car and the dealer was responsible for their installation, then you need to make lots of noise because THAT is probably the cause of failure.

 

Common issue ...batteries are typically not covered for a multitude of reasons....
Modern cars are very hungry when it comes to power...
Just sitting, not getting used, it has a radio receiver on, listing for keyless entry, and maybe a RFID receiver looking for a comfort entry....so the car is never truly "off", like cars of old when only the radio memory was affected...you have a whole computer and some recievers running...heck a boat just sits (it us not uncommon for a heavy duty construction equipment with a battery disconnect to start OK after months also)...not draw, just like an old car...modern cars...not so much...just another reason modern cars like to be driven and not sit...
If you were doing just one hour drive a week (guess) you would likely never have an issue, cause the battery would get fully charged....
But it is likely lots if short trips resulted in your battery getting the plates in a sulfered up from getting stored at less than full charge for a long time...maybe months between longer drives...so the capicity dropped...and voltage got lower, till...it " gave up the ghost"...
I would put a new battery in the car...
A "smart" charger or matainer, wired DIRECTLY TO THE BATTERY, NOT THROUGH THE 12 V PLUG is needed... Trickle charges are an old term...most are microchip "smart" matainer...no need to buy BMW/mini...can be wired up with a hidden plug...might only need to plug it in for a day it two a week....or just attatch a battery charger once a month (if it is accessible, mine is in the trunk, but some newer ones are hidden)...but a "smart" charger would be less Hassel...
Another suggestion...
Since you do so many short trips, be sure to change your oil based on a calendar.... Not miles...water is slowing building up (as a byproduct of combustion) in your oil....
I might do it every 6 months....MAYBE a year at most.

 

Zippy is correct. Short trips are the hardest service a car can see. Take a bit of a drive once a week & your MINI will be happier.

 

I"d surely buy a charger, used one on my last car and it did a great job. But I'd spend $30 or so instead of the $75 option they want to give you. I just got into the habit of connecting it every night, especially in winter when I drove less.