Has anyone replaced their mini battery with something aftermarket? Autozone has the h5-dlg and odyssey has the pc680t. Anyone use one of these?

 

I was wondering the same thing.

 

Me too. Mine's 3.5 years old (probably more like 4). Do we lose any important settings when we remove the old one (besides the radio stations)? Just curious.

 

Amazing that we have had 117 views and no one has replaced factory battery. Mine needs replacing its an 08 with 50k miles.

 

Ask in the Gen 1 forum, it may be the same battery.

 

I had terrific luck with the battery in my '03 MCS. It was still going strong when I traded that on my '10 MCS, and it had never seen a charger!

 

http://www.braillebattery.com/index....tteries/b2015/

Probably a good idea seeing as it weighs 15 lbs but you can go as light as 6 lbs

 

As a complete side note: Technically you are supposed to register a battery change in the computer system (via dealer software ISTA or DIS). The argument BMW makes for this is the capacity and the draw rate will keep the battery from being discharged.

 

Had a routine doctor's appointment this morning. Pushed the start button, nothing but dimmly glowing key symbol indicating the fob battery was low. However, only a faint click, no starter action and glowing key symbol got dimmer and dimmer! Called Mini dealer in Birmingham -- closest to Montgomery, their records show two different batteries for 07 MCS: 61-21-7-571-896 or 61-21-7-575-326. They would send a flat-bed to Montgomery and replace under warranty. No, thank you.
Removed the battery, easy ... 10 mm wrench for all fasteners, including binding posts. It was a 61-21-7-570-697. Went to BMW of Montgomery -- three miles away -- they sold me a 61-21-7-586-960 that was identical in form, fit, and function. {A careful reader will note that there must be at least 4 different part numbers!). Installed BMW battery without fanfare. Mini instantly started perfectly. Had to reset the time and satellite radio. Lost only the accumulated mpg, mph, distance traveled as far as I can tell. As a telecommuter, I don’t drive much … Mini is just over three years old and has nearly 19,000 miles. In short, $177.10 out-the-door with tax and all is well.

 

Good info on the BMW replacement

but I'd consider failure of the battery in my 07 to be pre-mature at this time. I pretty religiously replace my battery at 5 years just in case but have not had a failure b4 that time in 35 years of vehicle ownership.

Maybe I'm just lucky - but I do buy only 'good' batteries after the OEMs

 

you generally register the new battery only if you bought the new one with different size and specs.

 

This is why I am asking, I want to just buy one locally and not you through the cost and hassle of a dealer visit. Note dealer is 1.5 hours away.

 

So, I've got an 08 MCS Clubman with 22,000 miles on it. My battery has died 3 times in the past week. I called my local Mini dealership (Crevier in Santa Ana). They told me that battery coverage under the warranty was a "grey area". When I asked what that meant, the SA told me that unless the car was driven 1000 miles/month then the battery wouldn't be covered under warranty . I work from home and do a lot of 3-5 mile trips but lately have not been driving the car a lot so I was pretty sure I was screwed (I've got 26,000 miles on the car) He then informed me that a new battery would run $380 but it included installation (whoopeee!!!). I called Long Beach Mini and they basically told me the same thing. I asked if replacing the battery myself would have any warranty issues for the future, they said no. I just had replace the battery with a battery rated with the same Cold Cranking Amps (CCA).
Since my car was dead, I called AAA and they sent out one of their battery techs. He ran tests on the battery and it was definitely in need of replacement. AAA offered me a replacement for $125 which included tax and installation and a 3 year replacement warranty, 6 year prorated. I went for it. The tech was extremely professional and careful. He plugged a device in to keep all the computer settings while swapping out the battery. Very happy with the results and the obvious dollar savings.
For anyone considering replacing the battery themselves, it appears to be a pretty easy job. The battery on the 08 Clubman sits in a covered compartment on the passenger side of the engine compartment. The plastic shield that covers the battery area (the entire plastic piece not the lid for the battery compartment) must be removed. The plastic cowl is split near the center of the compartment, you need to remove the passenger side piece. There are two screws on the far passenger side of the cover that must be removed. After that the cover basically unclips. It's a typical clip wrestle, just gently pull and work the cover off. It's a little tricky to get it out from under the windshield wiper, just be patient and careful not to crack anything. Once you get the cover off, it's really obvious how to remove the battery.

 

I ended up going with a duralast gold. Been in there four months with no problems of any kind.

 

"F" the dealers! i changed my battery about a month ago. bought one from Autozone H5-DLG. install was fairly easy except for putting the top cover back on. car started right away with no problems and only had to redo the clock.

 

Costco?

 

No problems. The vent fit perfectly too.

 

For future reference, since I'll be replacing the battery myself, what all is involved to remove the battery cover? When fishing the lead for my Battery Tender, I removed the plastic nut (near the fender to the front) and cap screw (near the firewall/fender) and lifted the cover high enough to get the lead through the front opening. What else need to be done in order to completely remove the cover assembly; since the hinged lid appears much too small for battery replacement?

 

That is about it just remove that nut and the gasket along the top of the battery cover, a 30 second job, not difficult.

 

The Odyssey PC680 is on the edge of usability. I went with the PC925, still 12lbs lighter than stock:

 

I recently replaced the OEM battery in my 2004 MCS and I was surprised how difficult it was to sort a exact duplicate, "drop in" replacement that didn't require some kind of mods or shims to fit. I ended up getting a SLI47H5 Rayovac from a local Batteries Plus outlet and it fit perfectly. Did the swap in the parking lot, so they took the old one back on the spot without a core charge. If you have one that fits exactly, the swap-out is trivially easy.

Mine didn't show any signs of distress, but six- or seven-years is the point when I tend to replace a battery regardless of condition so I'm not suprised on a cold winter's morning and have to buy something on an emergency basis.

- Mark

 

I don't know the outcome yet but I started doing a deep cycle charge on all our batteries about every 6 months.

 

Meaning you fully-discharge the battery then recharge? On conventional lead-acid batteries, this is just going to shorten their life, especially if they're not designed for deep-cycling. Lead-acid batteries have no "memory effect" and will last the longest if kept fully charged.

- Mark