Funniest thing I have ever heard. It is on 02 with 19,000 miles. They say that the warranty doesn't cover costs associated with NOT driving the car.

We'll see how it turns out, but I am NOT paying for new battery since it is supposed to be covered.

 

Let us know when they give you the new battery.

 

Sorry to tell you that is standard - have had that with other BMWs. If you do not drive the car X amount you are basically responsible for the battery wearing out from lack of use/charge. It is also up to you to have the maintanence done per the manual based on the time passed vs the miles driven (ie the oil should be changed once a year even if the car isn't driven the required miles - they will cover it under the maint warranty too if you show them the time passed). This all is probably covered in the manual just fyi.

For what its worth you migtht as well replace the OEM battery with a better aftermarket one. I don't know which ones fits but some good batteries include Duralast (can be had at Autozone), Interstate, and Optima.

Cheers

 

^^ +1

unfortunately from a manufacturer's perspective 19k miles in 4 years
is probably not considered "normal use" so you may not be able to get a
new battery.

mine is about 20k miles in 3years, but i keep charging it when i don't
use the car (like winter months)...so my battery still has a lot of power.

hope you get your battery, but if not, go to Autozone and they will be able
to get you a decent battery for a very low price (and I heard they even
do free installs?)

 

I have to agree with Mini SF. This is a clear case of neglect. Anyone driving their Mini less than 10k/year should be singled out and punished.

 

That's kinda funny. But I don't agree with that. It shouldn't matter how much one drives... if you're warranty is for X years & X amount of miles... it shouldn't matter how many miles or how often you drive it.

 

Of course the premise is pretty goofy when you consider that a car could be driven almost daily and have low miles if work/tasks are generally not far and on the other hand a car can sit around unused most of the time and driven occasionally very far and end up with more mileage... Only the owner knows for sure I suppose. Nevertheless I don't think there is much one can argue if the base yearly mileage is spelled out in the manual with regards to the battery warranty (which is also considered a consumable I think, not sure).

 

Obviously.

 

Might want to look into a battery tender if you drive this infrequently.

 

btw, if you don't drive your car that often try the Optima yellow top.
it's a deep cycle battery so you can drain it without damaging
the battery permanently.

i have one in the garage (on the lower shelf of my seat creeper) where
I added a cigarette lighter socket so i can power up my air compressor
or car vac for those quick jobs where i don't want to fire up my car or
pull out my powersupply.

 

Anyone have the warranty booklet handy? I don't but am now curious what it says and only have the regular manual as a pdf.

 

I have a 02 with 16k miles and original battery. Seems to work/start fine for me and it seems I drive mine even less than you. Unless it's specifically not covered under the MINI warranty (sometimes tires and battery are covered under their own warranty), I would think MINI is on the hook to replace it.

 

yeah, but you live on Kauai, which is like what? 25 miles across?

 

Agree. I have one on my Harley right now...

 

I would think the pertinent part would be:
"This warranty does not apply to the following: Damage which results from negligence, improper operation of the vehicle, improper repair, lack of or improper maintenance..." (my bolding)

I'd say it's a reasonable position to say that a vehicle not driven much shows evidence (though not proof) that the battery was not properly maintained.
Given SF's reputation on the service side, this issue doesn't surprise me a bit.


Interestingly, it specifically says: "Wheel alignment, balancing and wiper blade inserts are covered up to 2,000 miles." I think the blades are universally covered for 36k miles - I know mine were.

 

Speaking as someone who owns 5 cars (all insured and registered) I run into the dead battery problem all the time. I take it upon myself to keep the batteries charged and not count on the dealers to facilitate my unique situation. While I am an insurance company’s dream, dealers just don’t know what to do with the “lack of use” issue.

 

MINI Advanced Charging System 82110150930 $69
or
Auto Part Stores sell these tenders that you leave attached to the car, and you plug it in when you get home. It won't overcharge the battery.

 

The easy way is to let me drive it some. My 03 (which will be three years old two months from tomorrow) has 78,000 + miles on it. So if I drove your half of the time we would have about the right millage on both.

By the way, a nice trip to Vegas should help put a couple of miles on it.

Earl

 

Sorry to hear about your experience at SF MINI... Sounds like you are in a grey area of sorts where the dealer can go either way, depeding on interpretation, and the mood of the person you encounter...

Funny, when I was contemplating what dealer to go through in the Bay Area to purchase my MINI, quite a few folks said that I might want to consider a place like SF that charges over MSRP because they would take care of me down-the-road; that the extra amount paid would manifest itself with exceptional treatment, and perks. Given the experiences I've heard, that appears not to be case. I went MSRP at East Bay, and I'm so glad that I did...

Whatever battery you decide to get, if you continue with your driving habits, you might want to consider a 10 buck solar tricke charger. I got one at Harbor Freight, but I think it was on sale then. Either way, they're cheap...

 

I have an 02 MCS with 12600 mls. Took the car yesterday to our monthly Columbus,Oh visit to see the Grand kids. The little heathen (MINI) ran like a 12 cylinder Ferrari (my dad used to say that when he bragged about his Oldsmobiles).

To be honest about it...If the battery ever did give up, and I was told by whoever, that it was because I did'nt use the car enough...I would not have thought about it possibly being covered under warranty.

I would have bought a replacement and than kept a trickle charger on it.