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I had AAA install a new battery today. The net says I need to register it with the car's computer. The shop I have been going to, that has installed new batteries on their own in the past, say they never did that. I got three years out of my last battery. I don't drive it more than twice a week for the most part these days. I didn't drive it last twice last week, only once and we've had 20 degree and below weather from then on. It had a hard time starting last Thursday so I made an appointment to get a new battery today. It wouldn't start today so I had AAA come by and put in a new one. The info the guy looked up says it needs to be registered with the car's computer (as does what I have found on the net...)
Since my batteries were not registered with the car's computer and I got three years out of them on average, I wonder If I should get it registered. That would mean either taking it to a dealer (who I hate, since they want to do unnecessary work.) or using an app like Bimmer or others I have heard of.
What do you think? AAA put in a non-AGM battery.
PS I am seeing this when I start the car (see pic). It goes away soon enough.The radio shows the date but not the time and remembered all the preset stations. (I can fix that easily.) Nothing else seems to be out of whack. (It's habit of going into Sport mode sporadically has re-occurred in the driving I did today so putting in the new battery didn't cure that. I just put it in Sport mode using the button when it does that..)
Your replacement batteries may last longer if you register them. For example, the charging system may not charge and maintain the battery efficiently without knowing the exact specifications of your replacement batteries.
The yellow warning light below in the tachometer is telling you that the clock time needs to be set.
Use the button on the end of the turn signal stalk to scroll through the "Check Info" menu on the tachometer display to figure out the cause of the red warning light.
I just went through this on my 2011. I used BimmerCode to change the info to match the new battery. The only thing you can change is the capacity of the battery. I installed a larger battery, so I had to change it from 500 aH to 700. I'm assuming this change will charge the battery at a higher rate than it did before. There are no options for AGM in the menu.
I'm not sure how this would affect the life of a battery. If you installed a higher-capacity battery, did not make any changes in the system, there is a chance the battery would not get enough of a charge if you were only driving for short periods of time. This might slowly degrade the battery.
I replaced mine with the OE genuine mini battery back in 2018 (2013 base w MY10/12). It was still going but I preemptively replaced it only because I was parking the car for 2 weeks at the airport. That's 7 years! No coding needed.
No, not all mini have to register the battery's. Not all mini have the IBS system. Check your negative battery terminal. If it's straight wiring, then no coding needed. If the terminal has a black box attached to the lead, then the car is equipped with the IBS and must be coded. My 2010 R56 copper s doesn't have IBS and I never have to code the battery.
Even for Minis without IBS, I believe that registering the replacement battery's Ah rating and battery type (lead-acid versus AGM) prolongs battery life by allowing the Mini ECUs to properly charge the new battery and properly adjust charging as the battery ages.
No. Thats what IBS is. It's the learning adaptor program. Not all Mini have it. Mine does not and I have had zero issues with my Diegard battery replacement 3 years ago and it was not coded.
There's no requirement for any Mini owner to register their replacement batteries. Is battery life prolonged further by having IBS - yes. However, even without IBS, properly registering your replacement Mini batteries will prolong battery life.
Can’t see how that works.
Please explain convincingly.
without the IBS module, there’s no way for the
Mini to adjust charging
as the battery ages.
What you don't realize is the huge role played by the DME in prolonging battery life. Unlike the IBS that monitors current, the DME monitors voltage to estimate battery condition.
Battery registration on second generation MINIs is not just an IBS thing. Even without an IBS, registering a battery installed in these MINIs prolongs battery life. Here's how:
Battery registration tells the DME the type of battery you have (lead-acid vs AGM), its size (Ah), and its age. This crucial information together with system voltage readings over time are constantly monitored and processed by the DME using software and battery charge adaptation tables to estimate battery condition and to command optimal battery charging by the alternator, thereby prolonging battery lifespan. If the registered battery data is incorrect, then the DME calculations are also incorrect, leading to battery overcharging, undercharging, and/or overheating as well as a shortened battery lifespan.
The service manual seems to say that battery registration is only required for cars with the IBS module. If that's not the case I'd like to know because I haven't been doing it.
The service manual seems to say that battery registration is only required for cars with the IBS module. If that's not the case I'd like to know because I haven't been doing it.
I haven't seen ^this in the USA version of the service manual but maybe I missed it. However, given that non-IBS MINIs require accurate battery registration information for the DME to formulate an SoC accuracy estimation and alternator control reactivity, it would make no sense for USA MINI owners to skip the battery registration process.
According to my service manual,
MINIs without IBS use only
Basic Power Management
(manages idle speed and charging
voltage target value based on
ambient temperature
and a preprogrammed map).
MINIs with an IBS does the above
and in addition also has its own
battery temperature sensor and
microprocessor (in the
IBS) and also manages
electric load function based on
battery SoC, electric load switch-
off if SoC is in critical range or
alternator fully utilized, vehicle
systems diagnostics, and
battery diagnostics.
This is called Advanced
Power Management.
The DME is the brain and decision maker for both APM (MINIs with IBS) and the basic power management system (non-IBS MINIs) . IBS is a sensor for APM, not a decision maker.
Many things:
- first a question: was the battery AAA replaced an AGM battery?
- 3 years out of a (regular) battery seems short. Of four cars with regular batteries we have owned so far (many years each), 5 years was the minimum and 8 was the maximum a regular battery lasted.
- AGM batteries (provided the car's electrical system supports them) can last (much) longer, 14 years in the case of the factory fitted battery in my R56 with IBS. What is more: AGM batteries can sustain much lower charge levels without taking damage and have less wear and tear due to high current draw. Besides being cheaper on a per-year-basis compared to regular batteries, they also reduce the frequency of being stranded due to a dead battery. The latter alone is reason enough to get an AGM instead of a regular battery. Imho: even if the car in question does not support AGM batteries.
- if a battery seller says "we never register batteries" without adding qualifiers, it is a reason for me to run away fast.
- if one technician (the above) says no registration is required and another (the AAA guy?) says the opposite: I'd go with the latter (better safe than sorry). If a car is fitted with IBS, not registering a new battery (especially if its capacity/type is not the same as what is stored in the control module), then the new battery will die prematurely (due to not being charged fully as the car will stop charging it when it reaches the old, worn battery's charge level).
