I have a 2019 4 Door Hardtop S. Only add ons are JCW pro tune kit and projector puddle lights in the doors. I purchased in May and have had no issues till now.

A week and a half ago Ian shut us down for a couple days. My car sat for 2 days, started fine and I drove about 30 miles to the airport. Car sat for 9 days in a park and ride and when I returned this Sunday the battery was to weak to start the car. Not stone dead but wouldn't crank the car over. Luckily the lot had a jump pack so I jumped it and drove the 30 miles home. Started Monday morning and I charged it all day at work Monday. Has started fine today.

I have read some on here and other places that these cars have battery issues. Especially if they sit or are often driven short distances. My car normally does neither. I work 6 days a week and drive 25-30 minutes each way. I am assuming I have the factory battery (bought used). Car is a 2019 with 45,000 miles. I've never had to change a battery inside of 3 years with that low milage. Is it common for the battery to drain in 9 days to the point it won't start? This is my daily summer driver and has never sat for more than a weekend since I've owned it. Is this just from the car basically sitting for 9+ days or do I likely need a new battery? Does anyone know if there is warranty coverage on the battery? I am still under full factory warranty.

 

No, it is not common for the battery to drain in 9 days. During the first 12 months of the pandemic, my 2017 F55 S was just sitting in the driveway. I charged the battery every 4 to 6 weeks and the charge level never dropped below 70%. Fully charge your battery and then measure the voltage. It should be 12.6V or higher. Drive it for a week and then check the charge level and the voltage again. You should be able to get a sense if your battery is healthy and the alternator is doing its job.

 

Last year, my battery suddenly died on my 2019 Mini Cooper. Since my car was still under warranty, it was replaced for free. Never had a problem since.

 

Quick update. I drove the car all week without any issues. Cranked up every time. Drove it yesterday for 2--30 mile plus drives with freeway time no problems. I was ready to chalk it up to just sitting for close to 2 weeks. Then this morning I jumped in the car after sitting less then 12 hours and it was dead. So I've got an issue.

First thing in the morning I'm gonna jump it with my kids car and head straight for the dealer. Car is still under full factory warranty. Plus I just bought the car 4 months ago as a "Mini Certified" used car. It is still under full new car warranty until March 2023 and then certified warranty after that until March 2024. I am hoping the dealer is going to correct this under warranty or at a minimum goodwill considering it was bought 4 months ago as certified used.

What have been peoples experience with dealers in situations like this? To me battery is a grey area. It is a wear item like brakes, but also I should not need a new battery after less than 3 years and 45,000 miles. For sure not after 4 months from the time dealer "certified" the car.

 

My wife's 2019 MINI Countryman's battery failed at less than 3 years and 35,000 miles. No warning, it just went kaput. When the dealer ran the diagnostic it showed that the battery was drained by operation of vehicle systems with motor not running/charging. Therefore the battery's Warranty was not applicable. It was our fault. We had to replace battery at our cost. The explanation I got from the dealer was that since the diagnostic gave that code, they could not perform the replacement under warranty. They claimed their hands were tied.

Nothing was left on. No doors ajar. Nothing was apparently draining the battery that would have been our fault. The battery just went dead.

The new battery has given no issues and when I check the battery condition with my scan tool and voltage tester, all seems fine. So my conclusion is that there was no adverse drawn on the battery from an unknown source, it was just a battery that failed prematurely.

I believe the battery should have been replaced under warranty. But the dealership would not consent and we needed the car back so I didn't have time to fight the issue. I know your issue is slightly different than mine, but hopefully my experience can help you a little.

Cheers

-Joseph

 

I had a similar issue with my 2019. We had an indicator, though we didn't know it at the time. For a month or so before my battery got low enough to not be able to start the car, the automatic "lower the window an inch when the door is opened, raise it when its closed" started to fail. If I reset the windows it would work for a few times, then fail again. Haven't had the issue since the bad battery was replaced. This was about 2.5 years into owning it, so before the 3 year warranty ended, and the battery was replaced free of charge.

 

Thanks for the input. I've now seen a couple examples of dealers replacing batteries and al least 2 of dealers coming up with crappy excuses not to. The one above and another on another thread that the dealer told the owned that they didn't drive the car enough.

I am going to jump it in the morning and be at the dealer when they open at 7 am in hopes of making to to work by a decent time. I am hoping the dealer will take care of it. Hopefully just the battery and not something more involved.

 

UPDATE:

I took my car in Monday morning and the dealer was awesome and got right on it. They did find nothing wrong with the car other then a bad battery. The battery was replaced under warranty. Service manager said they replace multiple batteries a week and they only last about 3 years. I've never had a newer car that needed a battery every 3 years. My Harley batteries usually last 4 years and thats a little battery starting a pretty big motor. 3 years seems to short to me for a standard car battery starting a small 4 cylinder engine.

As a side note is it really true you can't replace your own battery? They dealer said they have to be "programmed" after they get a new battery and you can't do it yourself.

 

↑ The dealer is right - it has to be registered to the car.

 

You can use the bimmerlink app https://www.bimmerlink.app and a compatible OBD module to register the battery yourself.