Hello all, I've got a bit of a problem here. My Mini, she's a real beauty and I love her, but every time I start her up I get this yellow icon displaying a car raised up on a lift. The clock and date resets when this symbol appears, but all other settings are still intact. I have the convenience package along with the un-rechargeable key fob, I say this only because I have seen in other posts where people have had the same issue with the convenience package. I have checked both the battery in the fob and the car battery. The fob is fine, but the car battery seems to be slowly losing charge when it is not running. Has anyone figured this problem out on a mechanical/electrical level? or am I just dealing with a dying battery here.

 

What year and model? Do you have anything added(stereo,GPS,Ipod,Iphone etc..) or plugged in? A lot of times it is due to one of these items being left plugged in or left on. You could also go to Advance Auto and have them check it out for a drain on the battery. They have a machine and do it for free.

 

2007 R56 MCS. Everything is stock and I have nothing plugged in. I may have to take it over to Advance Auto as you say, I've been having this problem for about a week now and the car is at 39,000 miles

 

That error means that the car's battery is being drained while sitting. Are you locking the car when leaving it? Any lights staying on? I have seen this happen from such things as leaving the radio on while working on the car and such. It could also be a tired battery. Is it the original?

 

39,000 miles in 6 years is roughly 541 miles a month. MINI says 800 miles per month is required to keep the battery in good condition. My 2007 only has 26k miles and use to get these warnings until I put it on a Battery Tender. It's not my daily driver.

If you're driving the car daily or all short trips, you may need a new battery.

 

I just bought the car last month and plan to drive it significantly more than the previous owner. The battery is sitting firmly and the connection is tight, green dot and all. When I bought the car I had to replace the clutch and get new brake pads, and I know its been sitting for a while. I know battery problems can be difficult to find from previous experience when you don't have the necessary tools to pinpoint them. I'll be getting it checked later after work.

 

My battery would have the green dot and give the battery discharge error message. Once I put it on the battery tender the error message and clock resetting stopped happening. You may just need to charge the battery fully since you plan to drive the car more. But on the other hand my dealer says 5 years on an OEM battery is about all they're good for. Good luck with it!