70K miles on my 2007 MCS with original battery. Battery still works great. When would you recommend changing the battery. Can the car go dead while driving if the battery dies? Or is the only symptom that the car does not start when parked?

 

my 07 mcs, has 35k on it, i noticed it was starting to turn over slower,when i would go some where and park and got back in it still started but seemed about the same slow way . had it checked at the dealer i work at and they found that the battery needed replaced . cold cranks were way down, probably had a cell gone or going .i keep mine on a battery tender since i do not drive alot. i think thats the only thing that kept the battery alive , why dont you have it checked , i think stores like auto zone and advance will hook up a tester that will tell you what state your battery is in.

 

If it's the orig. battery it's probably close to a change out.
If you start getting weird light displays and slow cranks it's really close to
needing changing. I'd be proactive and change it out before it does cause you issues.

 

I also have an 07 and on all my cars 5 years is about the max I would stretch a battery. You start rolling the dice at that point with is it going to start or not.
This is what I got as a replacement.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BRL-B2015/

 

Go to Autozone or some other big Auto part chain and have them check the battery with a tester. It will give you a clear as day indication if your battery's health is great, good, or bad. It can't hurt to check after five years.

 

Porthos, what about the Braille 7548? Do you know if it would fit? I think the standard battery is a group 47 and that is a group 48, which is a little bigger but I read somewhere on here at a 48 would fit. Dd you get the 2015 for its light weight? I dont race my car, so the nearly 3x weight isn't as big of a deal as the lower cca/ca/rc of the 2015. I think my battery is just about dead, I hope it starts tomorrow, about dead! I can stand the higher price for a longer life and more reliability, something this car already lacks. Thanks! PS, my Optima is still kicking after about 10 trouble free years, but I'm not sure they make one small enough for the MINI :(

 

Probably a good idea. Otherwise, you can be almost certian that some day soon you will end up having a bad day, hopefully, not a really bad day.

 

any recommendations for a battery? i've never bought one before. what are the important specs to be looking at when buying? what are the top brands? its a whole new world for me.

 

I acctually got the 17lbs one. Look at what the MINI battery is rated for (i.g. crank amps) and base it off of that. It is almost small enough that you could just drop it into the hole but, there isn't enough room to work. And yes I got it because it was light wieght.

 

There are other posts where members have had odd lights or weird things happen when the battery is almost gone. I replaced the one in my 08 before I got stuck somewhere. NAPA had one, about $95. The factory battery is vented, and so was the replacement. A small rubber tube attaches to the side of the battery to ensure that no fumes get insid the passenger compartment.

Porthos, was the Braille vented? This is the first car that I have owned with a vented battery.

Mike

 

Not vented because you can mount it in multiple directions without it leaking.
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....tteries/b2317r

 

All the batteries you have had were vented (probably, unless you had a sealed battery for some reason). They just didn't have a single vent port - they vented to the open air. If the battery was in the engine bay instead of in the cowl, it wouldn't have the specific vent port to keep hydrogen gas from entering the cabin.

-Charlie

 

Thanks for the clarification. I had an optima in another car, and that was a sealed battery (mountable in any orientation). Just wanted to share this info with other members.

Mike

 

Yup, Optima's and similar AGM type batteries are the exception to the general rule for car batteries.

-Charlie

 

so im planning on getting the braille, either the 15 or 17 but i was wondering if there was a mount used to accomodate the smaller battery, i took a look where my battery is, MC being in the engine compartment, and it doesn't look like there are any tie downs. will i need to get something to hold the battery dowm?

 

Yes mah frund. Here grab my hand I will walk you to where you need to be. Nah j/k but sersoly, here is the mount for the 17lbs battery the other 15lbs mounts are on the left side.
http://www.braillebattery.com/index....alum_mount_kit

 

thanks! ordering everything now! i haven't changed the battery since day one, so thats like 4.5 years...

 

Had to change the ole battery yesterday. Had been cranking slowly a few days ago so the writing was on the wall. Of course it would die just before the dragon which is actually a good thing. Anyway, got a Diehard gold advance (47) for $164. Perfect fit and took me less than 30 minutes to install. "Dragon" here I come..... ps: the original battery lasted four years.

 

Just changed mine out this week after turning my headlights on and getting
the engine light.

When I went to reset the light I had a million warnings
blah blah voltage low will not trigger warning light.

I can tell it runs a little better.

 

Just FYI, I think the Braile 2015 is too tall when the posts are included. I ended up getting a Diehard AGM. No complaints and now I don't have to worry about it starting

 

Mount it sideways then.

 

OOPS! the 7548 is too tall, not the 2015! Sorry, didn't read the old posts close enough, sorry for any confusion.