R56 When should I replace the battery
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3rd Gear
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
From: Burlington, NC
When should I replace the battery
I have 44k miles on my 2007 justacooper. Will I get some warning from the maintenance indicators when the battery is getting weak or should I proactively replace it a some interval?
The dealership is an hour away, so I don't want it to go dead on me.
The dealership is an hour away, so I don't want it to go dead on me.
6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,963
Likes: 392
From: In the here and now, for now.
Don't worry about it. When the battery starts to die all sorts of wierd things will begin to happen to the electricals for no apparent reason, then you'll know. You don't need to involve the dealer. Any auto parts store can take care of it and probably not charge you for the install as opposed to the d(st)ealer who will want a couple hundred bucks just to polish the brass. If you are still concerned, just drop by any major auto parts guy and he'll be glad to check it out for you. Just don't forget his kindness when it comes time for the new battery.
5th Gear
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 779
Likes: 4
Some folks like to replace on a calendar schedule, just to reduce the chance they'll come out on the coldest morning of the year, ten min late for work, and hear the dreaded "click-click". 3-yrs would be very conservative, 5-yrs probably a good number, but a battery can go 10+ years if a car is driven regularly, seldom deep-discharged, and you live in a moderate climate. OTOH, if you drive your car in heavy traffic in 100-deg PHX heat all summer, or live in MSP and leave the car sitting for weeks at the airport during the winter, then replacing a battery every year or two would not be totally out of line.
They usually give some warning, but not always - they can work perfectly one day and be dead as a door nail the next, but that is unusual. The most obvious symptom is when engine cranks over during starting a little slower than usual. Very seldom do you get any kind of electrical warning on the dashboard.
As has been said, there is no reason to seek out the dealer for a replacement; in fact, this is probably a poor option as they don't turn over batteries that often (a fresher battery that hasn't been on the shelf sitting is a better battery) and will charge you way more than an auto parts store. That being said, while there are many aftermarket batteries that basically fit a Mini, there are only a few that fit absolutely perfectly using the stock hold-down hardware without shims, the stock venting, and with the posts correctly oriented. If you want a true "drop in", then you need to do a little research ahead of time to find someone in your area who carries one.
When I did this research, I replaced my 2004 MCS battery after six years with a RayOVac SLI47H5 from a Batteries Plus store for $90+tax. It was a perfect-fit, drop-in replacement. The old battery was working fine, but I was having an odd electrical accessory issue, so I thought I'd replace the battery on calendar time with the off-chance it would solve my problem. It didn't, but the new battery does buy a little peace of mind.
- Mark
They usually give some warning, but not always - they can work perfectly one day and be dead as a door nail the next, but that is unusual. The most obvious symptom is when engine cranks over during starting a little slower than usual. Very seldom do you get any kind of electrical warning on the dashboard.
As has been said, there is no reason to seek out the dealer for a replacement; in fact, this is probably a poor option as they don't turn over batteries that often (a fresher battery that hasn't been on the shelf sitting is a better battery) and will charge you way more than an auto parts store. That being said, while there are many aftermarket batteries that basically fit a Mini, there are only a few that fit absolutely perfectly using the stock hold-down hardware without shims, the stock venting, and with the posts correctly oriented. If you want a true "drop in", then you need to do a little research ahead of time to find someone in your area who carries one.
When I did this research, I replaced my 2004 MCS battery after six years with a RayOVac SLI47H5 from a Batteries Plus store for $90+tax. It was a perfect-fit, drop-in replacement. The old battery was working fine, but I was having an odd electrical accessory issue, so I thought I'd replace the battery on calendar time with the off-chance it would solve my problem. It didn't, but the new battery does buy a little peace of mind.
- Mark
Last edited by markjenn; Oct 31, 2011 at 04:24 PM.
Some folks like to replace on a calendar schedule, just to reduce the chance they'll come out on the coldest morning of the year, ten min late for work, and hear the dreaded "click-click". 3-yrs would be very conservative, 5-yrs probably a good number, but a battery can go 10+ years if a car is driven regularly, seldom deep-discharged, and you live in a moderate climate. OTOH, if you drive your car in heavy traffic in 100-deg PHX heat all summer, or live in MSP and leave the car sitting for weeks at the airport during the winter, then replacing a battery every year or two would not be totally out of line.
They usually give some warning, but not always - they can work perfectly one day and be dead as a door nail the next, but that is unusual. The most obvious symptom is when engine cranks over during starting a little slower than usual. Very seldom do you get any kind of electrical warning on the dashboard.
As has been said, there is no reason to seek out the dealer for a replacement; in fact, this is probably a poor option as they don't turn over batteries that often (a fresher battery that hasn't been on the shelf sitting is a better battery) and will charge you way more than an auto parts store. That being said, while there are many aftermarket batteries that basically fit a Mini, there are only a few that fit absolutely perfectly using the stock hold-down hardware without shims, the stock venting, and with the posts correctly oriented. If you want a true "drop in", then you need to do a little research ahead of time to find someone in your area who carries one.
When I did this research, I replaced my 2004 MCS battery after six years with a RayOVac SLI47H5 from a Batteries Plus store for $90+tax. It was a perfect-fit, drop-in replacement. The old battery was working fine, but I was having an odd electrical accessory issue, so I thought I'd replace the battery on calendar time with the off-chance it would solve my problem. It didn't, but the new battery does buy a little peace of mind.
- Mark
They usually give some warning, but not always - they can work perfectly one day and be dead as a door nail the next, but that is unusual. The most obvious symptom is when engine cranks over during starting a little slower than usual. Very seldom do you get any kind of electrical warning on the dashboard.
As has been said, there is no reason to seek out the dealer for a replacement; in fact, this is probably a poor option as they don't turn over batteries that often (a fresher battery that hasn't been on the shelf sitting is a better battery) and will charge you way more than an auto parts store. That being said, while there are many aftermarket batteries that basically fit a Mini, there are only a few that fit absolutely perfectly using the stock hold-down hardware without shims, the stock venting, and with the posts correctly oriented. If you want a true "drop in", then you need to do a little research ahead of time to find someone in your area who carries one.
When I did this research, I replaced my 2004 MCS battery after six years with a RayOVac SLI47H5 from a Batteries Plus store for $90+tax. It was a perfect-fit, drop-in replacement. The old battery was working fine, but I was having an odd electrical accessory issue, so I thought I'd replace the battery on calendar time with the off-chance it would solve my problem. It didn't, but the new battery does buy a little peace of mind.
- Mark
I say about every 4 years especially if you store your car for any length of time.
OVERDRIVE
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,037
Likes: 283
From: Melbourne, FL
for a very long time I have replaced my batteries at 5 years and had great success.
Wouldn't you know it, just this morning my 2008 Honda wouldn't turn over . . a quick charge got it (wife's car) started and it was straight to AutoZone .... first bat' I've had crap out in under 5 in over 20 years . . . .
Wouldn't you know it, just this morning my 2008 Honda wouldn't turn over . . a quick charge got it (wife's car) started and it was straight to AutoZone .... first bat' I've had crap out in under 5 in over 20 years . . . .
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 330
Likes: 2
From: Redmond, Wa
For those people that dont drive their car on a regular basis, a battery tender is a great idea. Our BMW would lose its settings on the clock etc if my wife didnt drive it enough, so we would put it on a tender overnight once every 2 weeks and have never had a problem again.
Ive read that keeping a car battery from a state of deep discharge will prolong its life.
Ive read that keeping a car battery from a state of deep discharge will prolong its life.
For those people that dont drive their car on a regular basis, a battery tender is a great idea. Our BMW would lose its settings on the clock etc if my wife didnt drive it enough, so we would put it on a tender overnight once every 2 weeks and have never had a problem again.
Ive read that keeping a car battery from a state of deep discharge will prolong its life.
Ive read that keeping a car battery from a state of deep discharge will prolong its life.
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Alliance Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,100
Likes: 229
From: York, Pennsylvania
If the battery is charged and reads less than 12.2 volts (engine and key off), or if the battery goes
down below 9.6 volts when cranking, it's probably time to replace it.
This is a good time of the year to test it and replace if necessary- just before winter hits.
Don't expect a battery to be reliable through the winter if it's over 5 or 6 years old.
down below 9.6 volts when cranking, it's probably time to replace it.
This is a good time of the year to test it and replace if necessary- just before winter hits.
Don't expect a battery to be reliable through the winter if it's over 5 or 6 years old.
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