Disconnecting the battery
 

I intend to disconnect the battery in my 2012 JCW to replace the steering wheel.
Have been reading about problems when replacing the battery. Battery needs registered and set by a Mini dealer to correct electronic problems.
Looking for confirmation that this is not required when just disconnecting and not replacing the battery.

Thanks for any feedback :)

Well I replaced mine with an optima red top and no issues. But some say it needs to be registered to charge it properly and so the car knows that the capacity changed etc. 2011 JCW

A basic disconnect - maintenance - reconnect does not require or even need registration. Only one terminal needs to be disconnected, preferably the negative / ground terminal.

That's correct. Registration is only when replacing the battery.

Thanks all :thumbsup:

So your saying another light will come on if I disconnect both terminals?
Or no?
I disconnected both to reset the check engine light and air bag light after doing a few things and both lights still on and battery is fine with no battery light...
So the ECU is reading the Battery Power? or life? or will have a headache if changed to a Sears top o the line battery? Yeah! Another reset...just gets better everytime..

Disconnecting both terminals will NOT cause a CEL when reconnected properly. You will have to reset the clock and any preset radio stations, and maybe check the window auto up / down and sun roof open / close settings, but that's it.

The ECU monitors and records how much battery charging is done. When the battery is replaced, the ECU will "overcharge" it, unless it is "registered". There are those that have replaced their battery without getting it registered, and they say no problems were caused. I chose to not take that chance when replacing mine --- I let my local dealer do the registration process --- took about an hour. Other threads reference using a variety of batteries. I know of no reason why the Sears version for your Mini wouldn't work. Possibly the dealer won't register a non-OEM battery?

Disconnecting the battery is one method to reset the "learning" function --- it will erase all your learned "driving habits", and clear any CEL's you may have. It will not fix defects that cause a CEL, so if the defect has not been fixed, you get the same CEL again.

I had no problems when I switched my steering wheel and disconnected the battery. In fact i took the seats out for a week and had the car sit with the cables disconnected and no issues when I hooked them up.

2011 Clubman

Its the IBS system when you see a cable with a module on it.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-registry.html

Wait 15 minutes before disconnecting the battery
 

I was reading some post and comments and one person suggested waiting 15 minutes before disconnecting the battery so there FRM3 can go to sleep, I guess like a computer. I didn't do this before working on my r55 and now I got traction light and airbag light warning. I can't confirm this but waiting 15 minutes is better than diagnosing. Im not liking mini Cooper bmw electrical/computer/software engineering.