Clubman S - 2010, with 15K on the clock. Wife drives kids to a class (30 minute drive), turns off car, walks kids in. Goes back out to car, starts it (it was 0 degrees out), stays in it for 30 minutes or so waiting for kids. Car is on the entire time. Wife turns off car, goes inside to get kids, car won't start. Roadside to rescue.
Two weeks later, wife picks kids up from school (5 minute drive - car is stopped and restarted during pickup). Drives son to soccer - 15 minute drive. They wait in car 5 minutes (with it running). Turn car off, go inside drop son off, go back out, car is dead again.

Mini is saying that the computer says she did not shut the car off all the way during these two times (side marker lights left on). Car has comfort access and she must not have been pushing button twice. We have had the car for 3 years and she certainly knows to shut it off (I even called her with dealer on phone and confirmed she is shutting it off correctly). Dealer says their hands are tied, they will ask Mini but it will probably be denied since it is our fault - even though both incidents of the car "being left on" were within the last 100 miles and coincide with the two times she needed a jump.

Any thoughts here?

If the usage pattern you described is fairly typical—and with just 15,000 miles in three years, it seems like it might be—then I think three years out of a car battery is actually pretty good, IMHO.

Not had my MINI long enough to comment on its specifically, but apples to oranges comparison or not, I've had a Volvo S40 for 13 years with what sounds like a very similar usage pattern: lots of short-duration, short-distance trips. Like the MINI, lots of options: courtesy lights, alarm, etc., etc., some of which do a trickle drain on the battery 24x7.

It's on its 5th battery in that 13 years, and while it seems like a lot, my indie repair shop has told me it's not surprising given how it's driven.

So for whatever that's worth...

I didn't even stay at Holiday Inn last night, so my opinion is worth squat on this, but I agree with Petje.

Three years seems about average.

Every vehicle I've driven drained batteries differently, and it seems logical that our cars with all the bells and whistles may have a trickle.

I had in my possession a friend's mazda RX8 for about 7 months. I drove it exactly twice (turned it on and did all one is supposed to do as well) and the new battery he put in it was completely dead. I replaced it. Something was definitely wrong there--two new batteries in a year?

Thanks guys
BMW agreed to replace the battery. I agree that maybe 3 years is what a battery can last - especially in Chicago - especially with short drives. But, it is warranted for 4 years.

The rub here is that the car was calling us the problem - saying we left it in accessory mode and killed that battery. That is what was killing me - we didn't do that!

Yeah, that part is indeed annoying. Glad to hear they took care of you in the end.

Wow! Kudos to your service department! Those are such special treats when things work out like that!

And as for your car blaming you, maybe she's just upset about something else and she's angry you just won't communicate... ;-)

Seriously, I'm going to do some checking on mine to see if I can replicate what your car "says" you did, because I don't want to end up on the side of the road.

My wife drives about 5k a year in her Audi also, and especially in the winter I find that I have to put the battery on the charger about every other month, cause with the cold starts and sitting with the engine idling - heater on, seat heaters on, park lights on, etc etc the battery just does not get charged up by the short drives, so I have to "refill" it periodically.

Your best bet would be to buy a battery minder and plug it in once you get home, you'll never kill another battery prematurely if you do, and they're not expensive.

Remember, all these new cars have a lot of computers in them that constantly draw power, even when the engine's off. Few and short drives at city speeds do not allow the alternator to recharge the battery fully, and it just gets weaker and weaker over time.

I also recharge my 2009 Clubby about every other month in the winter as well, just in case - as my schedule has changed since I retired and I drive even fewer miles than she does now.

The MINI does not have a deep cycle battery. Having it get low & basically stay low due to lack of use is hard on a battery. Good on MINI for giving you a new one.

Is the battery covered under warranty or was this a one off case with them replacing it?

If the faults had not been stored, they would have replaced the battery as defective under the warranty. It was the faults that the car was reporting (incorrect as they may be) that made the warranty coverage harder.

I actually own 3 CTEK chargers (two 3300s and one 4.3) and I do put the Mini on them (mostly when she is driving her MDX in the winter - but occasionally if she has not driven the Mini for a couple of days and is not planning on doing so for a while). In the end, since the next battery comes out of my pocket, I think I'll be doing this a lot more in the winter months.

Of course maybe it is just us - cause my X6 goes in for a new battery next Tuesday and it has...yes, 15K on the clock.

Last but not least, the service departments at Patrick BMW and Patrick Mini are top notch. I don't (nor can I) blame the service writer and/or manager for this. It is the policy and they were just telling me what would happen. Fortunately they (BMW/Mini) made an exception and took care of us - but I do credit the folks at Patrick for being on our side.

If you have comfort access, and have key fob close to the car...it can kill a battery if the car isn't driven often.

Kinda got bored reading this but when I lived in Vegas, batteries died yearly because of the heat. Didn't have a MINI then but kinda wonder how MINI USA deals with that?!?!? Netma1000, I can tell you live close to Way by your parts and pieces! Just had him install a bunch of stuff including TSW springs, Exhaust Manifold and XBrace. Today I had my first speed bump rub. It was a particularly evil bump. Have you have many problems rubbing the XBrace?

Ive been dealing with battery problems my entire life. Most of them while was working at(15+ yrs.) a Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, BMW motorcycle, ATV, and watercraft dealership. And others. Talk about yer battery issues.
Short trips kill batteries, and engine oil. The load it takes to start a car in the winter is tremendous anyway.
Add the lights, bells fans, radios, and how many computers?
All run by a battery about the size of a Harley Road king.
There have been several articles discussing the 12 volt systems in cars today, and how manufacturers are struggling to design cars with so much electronic hardware that 12 volts are not enough to run everything, and will soon have to be changed to 24v or even 36, but the USDOT is resisting due to safety issues.
With three years on a battery with a four year warranty, you must have really been "verbal" to get a brand new battery out of MINI for free, installed.

Menalgell - I've resisted lowering my R56 for years.. but because I've grown tired of the cocked stance in corners, I'm having TSW springs and control arms installed next week along with new pads getting ready for Helenblitz and a DE at Road Atlanta in March. Are you going to Helenblitz this year? I'm leading a run there.

So, the answer is no, I've not experienced any bone jarring bumps on the street ...as of yet! I do expect to bottom out when I compress from a drop in the road. The one time it did happen on a track, was when I missed riding the gator rim (turn 2 Road Atlanta) and was off by a few inches. The X Brace took the brunt of the hit but did its job. I had to back off one setting on the H sport sway bar because the rear wheels kept lifting in a hard corner. I expect to have to visit that issue after the springs are installed.

Why must he have been very verbal to get something with a 4yr warranty replaces after 3 years? You don't quite make sense there.

I worked for a few years in a parts store. The average dead battery I dealt with was about 6 years old. Failing at 3 years old seems a bit worrisome to me. Is there a possibility that there is a drain from the marker lights when they aren't on?

Quote:

Originally Posted by minicooper1985

I worked for a few years in a parts store. The average dead battery I dealt with was about 6 years old. Failing at 3 years old seems a bit worrisome to me. Is there a possibility that there is a drain from the marker lights when they aren't on?

Ultimately it is about two things
1) all the computers and other things that draw significant power
2) how long they stay on after the car turns off

On my X6, the dealer tells me it does not go fully to sleep until an hour after I power it off. I think that is because once you turn it on, all those computers have to come to life again and they don't want them cycling (and you waiting) if you just happened to go into a store for 30 minutes (for instance, I can't make a phone call on my Bluetooth for almost a full minute after the car starts - yes, the horrors )

I'm guessing the Mini does much of the same thing - so they keep it powered on as long as possible, even when it is out. Now, couple it with short trips where the battery is never fully charged* and you have the recipe for some serious battery draw.

*My X6 engages the alternator when I decelerate (hate this, it is like driving a hybrid). So ultimately it gets most of its charge when I slow down and very little when accelerating and/or idling.

i am a general aviation mechanic

small airplanes are very hard on batteries, they are smaller than car batteries to save weight and typically sit for weeks at a time

2 years, 3 at most was always considered "normal" life

we have been using the battery minder brand charger/maintainers on a lot of customer aircraft

the first customer to get one is in year 10 of his current battery

if the aircraft is not flying, it is on the batteryminder

i do the same for all my vehicles, my mini, my p/u truck, both motorcycles and my airplane

both motorcycles are in year 8 of battery life now

scott

To get a brand new battery instead of a "pro-rated, you pay the installation replacement", you must have had to haggle with your service advisor, or he or she was a rookie, or they fudged the warranty paperwork or the dealer ate it.
Your wifes' driving habits clearly dictates a need for a battery tender, or other trickle type charger.
You will have the same problem again unless you increase the time (distance) the alternator is actually charging the battery to replace the energy used to start the car, run everything electrical, and then be ready to start the car again after > 30 minutes of operation.
If it was my car I would increase the frequency of oil changes as well, due to the short trips. Condensation inside the engine wont have time to burn off.
Take the long way home
Im not saying this to be critical.
Just what I've experienced.
From both sides of the counter.

Yep, We'll be coming up Friday. See you there.

Battery minder is your best option. Sitting at idle will never produce enough alternator output to run all the car systems you obviously have on.

This is good advice. I would add to use a battery tender. I use a CTEK (3600 I think). I've been able to plug it into the cigarette lighter on a Cayman. Just wondering, are the MINIs wired similarly? Or do I need to go directly to the battery terminals?

Also on the Cayman, Porsche service recommends locking the car to "put the computer" to sleep, which draws less current.

It looks like cig circuit is open when the ignition is off on the MINI. Have to hook up under the hood ... too bad.