I gotta ask - How did you get stuck footing the bill for a battery replacement on an '09 with 6,300 miles?

 

I paid about $50 for an Exide a few months ago. With just about 5 years on it, my car was losing the clock and the windows were doing their own little up and down dance at will.

 

I s$#% you not, MINI of USA denied it as there was too few miles.
The car was made in August of 2008 and first owner didn't drive it "normally" for proper recharge recovery basically killing the battery.

- Erik

 

I dropped my car off this a.m. for some parts that came in finally. I asked my SA if they could test my battery and he said "No" I asked why and he said if you aren't experiencing problems then we cannot test it. I said it seems to be starting harder but he still said they couldn't test it. He said not to worry because my battery is still under warranty. He did say that in order for warranty to cover it, the car had to be driven at least 3 miles per day. Guess I could be SOL when it comes time for a battery because sometimes my car sits 4-5 days without moving.

 

I asked the SA this a.m. why so much for an OEM battery. I'm told it's because the battery costs $250ish and the rest was labor. $200.00 LABOR TO CHANGE A BATTERY????? She said the batteries have to be registered and that using just any after market battery could only last you a few days because the car may see something "different" and cause it to drain. I then asked if other mechanics could perform this registration he said not without our special tools.

 

some has been able to change the battery themselves without programming only if it's the exact same spec; hence, your mini still has the same charging profile. however, if you are to install a bigger one, then you will need the programming.

 

Important notice!
----------------------------------------
Compliance with the following
information and instructions for correct
battery replacement is absolutely
mandatory!
- ISTA Document
RA_61_20_Instructions_for_battery_replac
ement
----------------------------------------
For additional information, see:
- Battery master document
ISTA_Document_SI_61_07_02_(875)
----------------------------------------
The original battery (battery size and
type) as indicated in the vehicle's
order specifications must always be
installed to ensure correct operation of
the on-board electrical system!
----------------------------------------
If the vehicle is equipped with an IBS
(Intelligent Battery Sensor), the
battery must be registered via the
diagnostic system (ISTA); this process
also registers the battery with the
vehicle's on-board electrical system.
----------------------------------------
A more powerful battery may be installed
during retrofitting operations.
Standard batteries can always be
replaced by AGM batteries with the same
specifications.
Following either type of replacement,
the vehicle registration process in
ISTA/P must be supplemented by a vehicle
coding procedure, which is carried out
as follows:
----------------------------------------
Read out battery size and registration
from onboard electrical system:
ISTA->Service functions->Body->Voltage
supply->Register_battery replacement->
Test plan

 

Changed my battery last night and I don't have to bring the car back to the dealer for any programming. WHEW.... But I do have to bring it in to get my passenger side xenon housing fixed or replaced. One of the plastic support holdin it broke.

 

I have an 06 mini S conv and do not use it in the winter. It sat out until the battery went dead. Looked at his thread and found some good advice. Went to AutoZone and purchased a Duralast Gold, H5 DLG for $124.00, higher than what you indicated but it is also 12 months later. It was very easy to place it in the battery area. A little hard to remove the old one since it is hard to move around. Thanks for the information. Now I need to find some information on oil changes with oil filter and air filters and the best ones to use.