Realized this morning that the battery in my Mini was dying...was able to charge it and drive it, but the test at the parts store showed it was bad. Was told that I would have to register the battery with a scan tool, which they did not have. They also said that you have to keep the memory going to keep the information from being erased.

I found an article on NAM that said the 2007-2013 Minis did not have to be scanned. However, I did find something on the 2014 and up that said there was an intelligent battery sensor on the negative cable that would register the battery. This one has .several wires coming off of it, but I'm not sure if that is it or not. Is it necessary to take this to someone, or can I change this myself without having to register the battery?

Thanks,

Jim

 

I recommend you get a scan tool & register the battery. ECS has them for sale (as do other vendors). The tool will pay for itself, as you will most likely get a problem code at some point & the scanner tool will let you deal with it yourself.

 

"Registering" a new battery is not as simple as it may seem. This is a sophisticated "scam" by the auto manufacturers to sell batteries that only they have. These batteries have a special tag on them with the required nomenclature to enter into the ecu. I hope you kept your old battery or copied the information on it because the new battery from your favorite auto store won't have the required info. If you purchase a battery that has the same specification as the old, i.e., a/h rating, etc., you can probably enter the old nomenclature with a slightly different serial number and it may accept it.

 

The IBS is a small box connected to the negative terminal, is pretty obvious. If you don't have it, just change out the battery. My 2012 MCS doesn't have it. Maybe someone that has it can post a pic?

 

Sorry but I do not think this is true. In fact, I am certain it is not. I just recently replaced my battery and registered it using Carly. At no point was I asked to enter any "nomenclature" or serial number.

What registering the battery does is inform the Intelligent Battery System that a new battery has been installed. As a battery ages its capacity degrades. This results in the need to change the charging profile to maintain optimum performance of the battery and extend its life. BMW recognized that and integrated an intelligent system to manage the battery (IBS). When you replace the battery this system needs to be informed of that fact so it can reset the charging profile back to what is best for a new battery and reset the process. That is what registering a battery accomplishes. If you replace like for like, registration is all that is needed. I actually switched battery types when I replaced mine (went from a flooded cell to an AGM) so I also changed those parameters as well during registration. Again, the computer (DME) needs to know this in order to properly charge and manage the battery.

The risk you take in not registering a replacement battery is that the IBS will be applying a charging profile that is applicable to an old and degraded battery. This can result in under or overcharging the battery which will shorten its life.

I highly recommend either getting the battery replacement registered at the dealer/indy shop or, even better, purchasing the Carly app and OBD adapter so you can register it yourself. You also gain the ability to perform diagnostics on the car as well as coding. If you don't know what coding is, you don't know what you are missing!! It is awesome.

 

Had the battery replaced at a shop. Got the battery put in and registered for just over $200.00 (Interstate MTP48-H6). Battery has a 6 year warranty (3 year free replacement, 3 year prorated). Pretty good deal!

I looked at the Carly app you mentioned. I saw where there is a lite version. What would the full version cost, and could this also be used on my 2001 Ford F150? Had some issues with it recently (lot of miles on it), and it would be nice to have something like this for all my vehicles. Tell me more.

 

you can check out their website here: https://www.mycarly.com/ I am not sure of the cost as I bought mine back when they were BMWhat.

I don't think they do domestic cars though.

 

Recharging this old thread to see if anything's changed with respect to battery replacement in a 2014 Paceman. The battery is now 7 1/2 years old and I plan on replacing it soon. Any suggestions on specific batteries and whether or not the stealership has to get involved in the reprogramming/registration with the IBS would be greatly appreciated~!

Thanks in advance...👍

 

I just changed the battery in my wife's 2014 Countryman last night. I bought an Interstate battery from Costco and installed it myself. I have a Zurch ZR13 scan tool that claims it can register a battery for BMW, MINI, etc. It does not! That function is not supported by the tool (which ticks me off, as that was one of the selling points when I bought that tool last year). My local "European repair" shop will register the battery for $75 (!), but I have a $50 off certificate from them that I plan to use.

Let me know what you ended up doing to register your battery...if you found a cheaper solution that my local shop.