Tried to jump start and all I hear is clicking sound and headlights on and off. Is the battery dead? Had the BMW charger plugged but that shows red light flashing for "battery not connected properly".

After unplugging now when I open door I hear a low clicking sound instead of usual dings. Before plugging for jump start there was no sound with door open.
Any help is appreciated.

 

Sounds like more than just a dead battery. Check fuses and such. Also check that hte battery cables are tight and not corroded.

 

Check the battery cables for tightness and cleanliness, then try again, maybe by using another vehicle rather than the charger.

Do you have a reason to believe the battery is discharged, ie, has the MINI been sitting unused for a long time, was the key inadvertantly left in the on position, lights left on, etc.?

The chargers I've owned weren't very good at jump starting, I just hooked them up and left them until the battery was fully charged.

Try again and double check the connections.

 

Unless the charger is made to "jumpstart" a vehicle, it won't. The one I have (Black and Decker I believe) has a built in option for jumpstarting that has to be selected to work. Like the previous posters said, check all connections (would remove and clean battery terminals and posts personally), make sure everything is tight, fully charge battery, then try it.

 

Sounds like a dead bat' and a trickle charger.....2 me.

You need to try an honest jump from a good battery / jumper pack. A small charger won't do much....if you have a 'big' quick charger maybe....

But it also sounds like the battery is toast anyway. IF you get it running head to any AutoZone / PepBoys / Advanced Auto .... they can check the battery but be prepared to replace it. Or just yank the battery and carry it over ... same outcome.

The trickle charger put just enuf juice in the battery to begin to wake systems up but no where near enuf to turn it over.

Today's electronic systems and batteries end up being a system that doesn't give you a lot of warning that your battery is going. One day it seems fine and the next day nuthin'. {Oh for an AMP gauge ....}

Save ya some searchin' : OPTIMA 34R seems to be a good fit. Not cheap but lasts a long time. Red Top for normal use, Yellow if you've added a lot of ICE and run it off the battery for extended periods.

 

MCS was parked for 2 weeks as I was travelling. Went home and no ignition lights and battery seemed discharged. I connected BMW charger but that did not work on MINI but works on my BMWs.

Tried jump starting using my BMWs battery and jumper cables and it did not work. I do see ignition lights and Nav turns on when I connect jumper cables to other car. Iginition makes clicking sound and headlights turn on and off. Wonder if that means anything. I am travelling again, will check back on Thursday. Thanks for suggestions.

 

Leave the charger hooked up while you are gone. If the battery is still dead when you get home take it out and let AutoZone, O'Reillys, Advance, etc. test it for you.

Some power is getting to your MINI from the BMW when the cables are hooked up, just not enough to start it. Still sounds like the jumper hook-up isn't good enough to actually start the car. You need to know for sure if the battery is OK. If you take it in to get it tested, most Auto stores will also charge it for free....and you can check the condition of the battery cables while the battery is out of the MINI.

 

Same thing happened to me a few years ago, It wouldn't jump start or take a charge, went down bought a new battery and Bingo everything was fine.

 

Sounds exactly like mine when it died. Not sure where you are but batteries only last 3-4 years in FL heat.

If you have an MCS and take the battery out, you will find you can't operate the electronic release to open the trunk to put the new one in! I asked the dealer what to do and he told me I needed to use jumper cables to get power to open the trunk. Since then I have been told there is a cable under the back seat to open the trunk when there is no power.

 

Def. a dead battery. When they get really low it is hard to jump start them. The batteries MINI (and BMW) use don't like to be run down all the way. You will probably have to buy a new battery.

The emergency cable release was introduced in the 2003 year model. (maybe some late build 02's have it)

 

Hi, Just had that happen and yes I needed a new battery. Funny because the light on the battery indicated all was well. I had to have her towed to the dealer and battery replaced. All is back to normal. I drive a 2003.

 

Wow, that had to be an expensive way to get a new battery. I assume your '03 is out of warranty?

Anyway, glad you got it fixed.

 

Well, with a Mini not much is cheap. It's all worth it though. I bought my chili red Mini six months ago. It had over a 100,000 miles on it so I got it for a great price. Dealer assured me the previous owner took good care of it and drove mostly highway. I've got 119,000 and then some on it now. I will buy a new one in 2009. Love this car.

 

Update: Checked the terminals on battery and it looked clean and tight. Got a new battery now and everything works.

One thing I noticed that BMW "Battery tender" charger does not work on MINI. Does anyone know which charger works fro MINI so this does not happen again with me?.

Thanks for your help.

 

If a battery tender plugs in to the cig lighter socket, it won't work, as the
ignition needs to be on for that socket to be powered.
You'd have to wire one into something that gets 12V with the key out.