I'd like to get a custom bracket made, too, but can't seem to find the right person. Any suggestions?

 

Just purchased the Autozone Duralast H-5 DLG in the Denver Metro area. Perfect fit, bracket works, cover works, 5 minute job. $129 seems to be the going rate on this battery.

 

The series 47 from Les Schwab (PNW regions) fits, but sits a bit lower requiring the box to be modified where the + and - cables attach......an easy job. Came with a vent adapter kit which worked. The OEM hold down works, bot only really touches the top sides of this battery rather than the entire top like the OEM......but it does not wiggle when tightened down. $91.00 Free 2yr replacement, 84 month warranty.

 

Called the local Autozone here......they say they can no longer supply or order a battery for an 04 MINI..........

 

Anyone know if any of the Optima's will fit a 2005 S ? I've got the optima in my other cars and want to stick with that. txs

 

others have said the 34R

 

I got the NAPA Legend. It was about $30 cheaper than the Autozone but the bracket doesn't fit on my '04 R50.

 

I live in Atlanta, GA and the MINI dealership in town quoted me $260 for a new battery with installation for my 2005 Mini Cooper. After spending a lot of time on Autozone.com I finally found 1 store in all of the surrounding area that had the Duralast H5-DLG in stock. It was a bit of a drive to get there but they had the battery in stock for $129, half what I would have spent at the dealership. Everything fit perfectly and it was a super quick fix.

For those interested who might live in or around Atlanta, this was the store:

Autozone
1292 Forest Pkwy
Morrow, GA 30260
(404) 366-9141

 

Just replaced my battery after 5 1/2 yrs and 88,000 miles. Is a group size 47 made by East Penn (Deka). O'Reilly Auto Parts (at least in the greater St. Louis, Mo area) carries this battery. Is a perfect fit except I put a piece of 3/8 thick wood under the battery to make it the exact height for the terminals. Cost was $90 with exchange. The AZ Duralast H5-DLG price was $130 and the MINI dealer was $140 with club discount. Hope this helps someone.

 

I went to Kragen/O'reilly because they listed a battery compatible with a 2004 mini cooper. I doesn't fit, its too shallow for snug contact with the battery posts and the bracket doesn't fit correctly

I've attached some photos, this is my first post so I don't know if they automatically display.

The bad news is since I tried to attach the battery, Kragen won't take it back! And they looked up my year / model themselves and picked out the battery. It cost around $100 with tax, I contacted Brescht mini in Escondido, CA and for a battery they wanted $150 or so. I wanted to get the one from the dealership after I found out this wasn't working, but I may be out of luck.

the model on the kragen battery was Super Start Premium 47-72J

Beware!

I'm going back to Kragen to see if they will resolve the matter, I'll edit the post if I get any new news.

edit: under some family advice I just stuck something under the battery to raise it enough (about 1/2 inch from some old dried mortar off some bricks) I plan on replacing it with wood when I can so it isn't too abrasive on the bottom. Connectors fit snuggly now, but bracket doesn't fit of course. I shimmied up the inside with some broken painter's stirrers. I'll probably figure out something more permanent later

 

47H5 Gold from Advance Auto Parts fit fine for me today.

 

Did the hold down bracket and vent tube fit correctly? Did you have to shim it up with wood or anything? & how much $?

 

Everything fit fine with no modifications necessary! Just dropped it in, put everything back together and everything was good to go. Hold down bracket and vent tube went right back into place. It was $119.99 before tax.

 

Optima 'Red Top' fits without any problems.

 

Please confirm. There are multiple reports in other threads that the Optima Red Top doesn't fit in the normally aspirated MINI, but works in the S.

Please note that this is a "non-S" thread.

 

well - I joined the boat and my battery too went out - O'Reilly has a super start - 72 month (prorated after first 24) that fit perfectly; well nearly.
I did use 3/4 inch shims to lift terminal posts. varoom - good to go. $100. 00 after $10 core rebate.

 

Oops, sorry for getting back to you so late. It's a really simple welding job with 1/8" x 2" bar stock. It really shouldn't cost you more than like $30 or so. Just bring the bracket to a shop and have them make a bracket that fits. I'll see if I can't take a picture later this week.

 

Well I just had to join the ranks of people having to replace my battery after six years and 73,000 miles. The battery that I got was a Continental Supreme 47-72. The cost was $84.48 from Garnett Auto Supply. Its got 550 cca and a two year free replacement and the rest of the 72 month is prorated. The battery fit fine with no shimming and I could use the same bracket to hold it in place.
I think the old battery only had 480 cca.

 

Napa Legend 7547 Fits perfect!! $96 and in stock!! Napa computer tried to fit a 7548 but it was not even close. Dealer wanted $145 and $300 to install. Husband installed it in the parking lot in under 10 minutes. Yippee!

 

$300 to install a battery??????????????????????????????????????????? ?

 

I just replaced to AC Delco 47-6YR and it was a perfect fit. No need to mod anything.

 

Duplicate deleted

 

Just replaced my OEM Battery in my 2005 MC with the NAPA 7547 for $100 and it is a direct OEM fit, no modifications needed. You get an 18 Month Free-Replacement/75 Month Pro-Rated Warranty.

And as YellowMINIAZ said, they first brought out the 7548 which is 1-7/16" too long, next they brought out the "option that may require minor modification, 7590 which is about ~1" short in height. The guy finally relented and brought out the 7547 I asked for in the first place. This is quite interesting since the NAPA Online site shows only the 7547 when I searched for a 2005 MC.

I tracked the battery being made by E.P.M. Products which is East Penn Manufacturing (see BigFun04's post) that has merged with Deka. The Deka number is 647MF per there Spec Sheet.

The Auto Zone Duralast H5-DLG is still available here in Michigan but it runs $130. All of these batteries and the World Source One look identical so they are probably all made by Deka.

 

There are a couple of posts that state that the Napa 7547 is a perfect fit for the MC and there are a couple of posts that state that the holding bracket does not fit properly. I don't understand how the battery is a perfect fit for some and not others. I need to replace the battery on my 2004 MC so I need to know whether the 7547 fits or not. Thanks for any advice.

 

So I after reading all these post (and after buying and returning two batteries that did not fit my Cooper 2002) here are some thoughts:

Note: this applies to My Cooper 2002 and most likely not to a Cooper S, and possibly not to later Cooper models.
My Cooper 2002 was one of the very early models delivered in California... so you mileage may vary.

- most of the after market batteries sold by chain stores that are supposed to fit the Cooper DO NOT FIT.
- there are afew models that do, but they are quite hard to find, and often almost as pricey as the Mini/BMW branded battery.

The standard for the battery "type" is a 47, but this standard does not seem to be precise when it comes with to critical issues for a Cooper :
- the height of the battery
- the shape of the top casing moldings
- the location of the battery venting tubing

Height:
Most of the 47 batteries are too low, usually they come with a 7" height, when the correct height is more like 7.5" or 7 9/16 ".
So when shoping get a measuring tape. If the battery is not 7.5" forget about it. You could consider adding a shim under it, but this is cumbersome and may not solve the problem anyway because of the other issues usally found with batteries of the wrong height. Because of this height issue, you cannot connect the terminals properly without a shim.

Top casing modling shape:
Most of the 47 batteries in addition to being too short aalso have the wrong top casing shape. So even if they fit the battery case OK, and even if you add a shim under it to get the right height, you most likely will NOT be able to get the battery hold-down to fit. Usually this is because the attery top is too wide. The edge of the casing that is opposite to the terminals is usually flush, when it needs to be beveled.
This picture from a GOOD battery shows how there is a ridge/bevel on top; this ridge is where the matching ridge/bele in the hold-down fits.


This is another picture from my onw original battery, where I highlighted the ridge/bevel for illustration:



So now, a picture of one of these bad batteries:

On the "right" picture, top left corner, you can clearly see that there is no ridge/bevel : this means the hold-down will NOT fit.

Vent location:
Most of the 47 type batteries vent tube is in the middle of the battery, between the two terminals, when the original vent is on the side close to the +/positive terminal. Furthermore the vent tube is usually too big and even if bent will not fit the rubber modling correctly.

Theses three issues combined can be found on MOST of the 47 batteries out there.
I tried Costco, Kragen/Oreilly, Napa, Intersate, Delco. (I am in the San Francisco Bay area, California). I found one shop in Redwood City that had a good battery (Cerrones European) and knew it... it was only $10 less than the $210 to $240 than the local mini dealers are asking for the original one.
To Costco credit, they listed their 47 Super start battery for Cooper S and not for regular Cooper. I got too tempted by the $60 price tag, but had to return it.
The Kragen one was identical but in the 90$ range. Napa had two which also were identical and no good either and a bit more pricey. So was an interstate at a Firestone shop, and a few others at small shops I stopped by (the evaluation was quick with the measuring tape in hand).
Note that the Kragen battery was listed for the Cooper... but I knew immediately it was no good since it was identical to Costco's battery. In their system the clerck showed though that there was a note saying that the hold-down may not fit and this may require adjustments .....


So the next step for me is to try this one at http://www.batteriesplus.com/p-36494...-sli47-li.aspx which looks to have the right ridge/bevel from the look of the picture.

I'll report if this fits or not... and if not, out of despair I may take the plunge and shell out the $210 for the BMW one

Happy batery shopping!