I haven't paid any attention to it either, but nothing would surprise me.

Back in the day, BMW used to make wipers easy by using Bosch blades that were refillable by changing just the rubber insert. Cheap. Easy. Quick. You could buy those refills lots of places for <$5 each. And, even better they were long enough to fit all applications so you could buy just one part number and cut to fit. (Porsche used the same wiper which was a nice bonus) This was the time when BMW was interested primarily in performance and Gee-Whiz idiotic 'features' were nowhere in sight. Something happened (Chris Bangle?) around the early 2000s that changed this, starting with one of the worst ideas I've ever seen in a car -- idrive. OMG, it was horrible beyond words. That's when I gave up on BMW. They simply lost the plot.

 

I searched and found this tread. My Diehard battery was beginning to become weak since it's winter. Went to Sears, found it had 10 days left on the warrantee. That's the good part.

So they tested it. Which seemed to have killed the battery. Using their jump-start machine, it would turn over, but not catch and run. Then they found there wasn't a replacement in stock (seriously?), but got one in today. They called me to ask if I had another key, no. I asked why, they said it won't start.

So I see some people had to get the dealer to reset the car? But some didn't. When I got this Diehard, I didn't. Now it seems like I have to?

 

If you have a 2007, this thread probably won't apply to you. The only thing you had to worry about with 2nd gen MINIs' batteries is if you happen to have a intelligent battery sensor (it's a 3rd wire connected to the battery) that may require reset by a MINI mechanic - not necessarily a MINI dealer. If you don't have the IBS, a straight swap should be fine.

 

just want to add my .02 but bmw has been doing this for a few years now. All you need to do is find one of them tech savvy people that does coding and you can do it without going to the dealer and for MUCH less $. If anyone needs coding, gps map updates, or this in the Austin, TX area just hit me up.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! I will contact my mechanic first thing Monday. Not towing 90 miles to Scottsdale.

 

i put a 17lb. braille in my 2015 s worked fine and shed 33lbs off front!

 

^did you have to take it to the dealer or code in the new battery or just plug n play? I had the 21lb braille in my 135i back in the day and never had any issues either. I have been running 17 lb motorcycle batteries in my Porsche for years now lol. Can you post a pic of how you mounted it? I plan on going lighter in my f56 as well.

 

traded in car for a 15 gt mustang. pluged and played foamed it in with some pieces of foam had mt stage 1 in the box also.

 

intelligent battery sensor or IBS will have a thicker cable that looks like it has module w=attached near the end of the terminal. In most cases when you change a battery with that the car will need flashed for a new battery.

 

Sears screwed up the cache computer module.

 

Ah, any more info.

 

Just posted my adventure here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...safe-mode.html

 

Had no problems with AAA replacement batteries in our 08 and 09 Coopers, No trip to the dealer was needed.

 

Thanks. They must have been trained on how to deal with MINIs.

I see you have a Volcanic Orange, my loaner was that color, love it.

 

I found above is NOT true in my 2014 MCS with 2.0T.
I went to PepBoys and picked up a perfectly matching "Made in Germany" replacement battery and VROOM just like in old days!

 

In case (which probably is true) the car has some kind of memory that keeps track of how much capacity the battery can hold, it may not be ideal if you simply replaced the battery without doing the proper coding or whatever it involves. I wish there were more information on this.

 

I looked yesterday on bimmerfest. I think esys can be used to spec the properties of the battery, but then something like Rheingold Insta+ has to be used to register it. I have not tried anything else but esys, but I think those other programs have bmw specific diagnostic and other capabilities. I think it'd be worthwhile to learn, if only to access bmw modules, with their potential error codes, that are not covered by your obdc codes.

 

Do you have any specifics on this battery?

 

This is what I got.

https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/838838/00880

The dimension/shape is EXACTLY as same as that of the original F56 battery. I'm thinking they might be the same battery and just in different color and packaging/label.

So far no check engine light, no code, no unusual symptoms, etc., after driving 200+miles. My Mini starts/runs perfectly just like with the original factory that came with.

I was a bit surprised this PepBoys battery came with FREE REPLACEMENT warranty instead of their typical prorated program. I went to AutoZone as well and they do have also for F56 at $209, but their warranty is only 36-month (not sure if free replacement or prorated) and it is DuraLast brand (not sure where it is actually made nor if it is a rebadged other brand battery). I tried CostCo too but they don't have AGM battery for F56. Any nearby Mini dealers's parts department was closed on Sunday.

 

Did you have any issues when simply replaced the battery without doing the coding or whatever involves?

 

I don't have any experience with replacing the battery on my 2015 F56, so I'm just speaking out of my ***, lol.

 

Good for you!
Now you know what to do and what to expect when the time comes for you to replace one.


I just couldn't understand how a less than 3-yr old battery could die, especially on a car that's driven almost daily. I've owned 12+ new cars in my life and this was the SHORTEST lived battery ever. It's quite disappointing to see the label on this short lived battery saying "Made in Germany" with the BMW logo on the top - who claims to make the Ultimate Driving Machine with German engineering?!
Even my POS Dodge truck's battery lasted 9 years.

 

Yeah, that is really weird. The AGM chemistry is supposed to make the battery last even longer than the regular cheap lead-calcium ones. Do you use automatic engine idle stop function a lot? That's why they beefed up the battery to a AGM in the first place.

While we are speaking about the battery, this battery specifically says "to not charge with over 14.8V even when it's low on battery, and do not use rapid charging programs". I found this in the Rheingold manual somewhere.

 

Maybe I used the automatic stop/start feature less than 10 times since bought this car new in July 2014, so very little. I just don't like the idea of having extra wear and tear on the starter and its associated parts.

I never charged the battery using ANY charger.

It's very strange that my dead battery lived a perfectly easy life and still died at such young age:

> Driven almost daily about 60 miles a day. Now has 66000 miles.
> Never accidentally drained it, like by leaving light on over night.
> Never jumped to itself or other (dead) battery.
> Never lived in a harsh climate like too cold or too hot.
> Never taken out of the car for any reason.
> Never had to power any additional/aftermarket electronics (100% stock!).

I checked charging voltage of the alternator it ranged between 13.0 and 14. volts depending on rpm. So, car's charging system is OK.

 

I don't think I've ever had an OEM battery last more than 3 years. I had an '02 MINI Cooper S back before the large-scale BMWification of the brand. The battery was in the proper spot (the boot) and when I needed a new one, I bought an Optima that did last 6 years and needed no programming. My '14 VW Golf battery died last year (3 years...) and I was surprised to see the radio didn't even lose its stations for the couple minutes the battery was disconnected. Stuff like this is making it very hard to come back to the MINI brand.