^ Playtowin: I just bought a Diehard Advanced Gold group 47 battery. I'll be putting it in tomorrow and will post a followup. My MINI is 6 yrs old and always outside in CT weather so I wanted to replace prior to anything going wrong. I got 14 years out of my last DieHard Gold on my nearly 27 year old Nissan so I felt comfortable with another DieHard. I'll investigate the vent thing; I have to search for a photo so I know what it looks like.

 

Hi, folks.

First, I used this video. It was GREAT and step by step:

http://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/20...eplace_battery

The only thing it DOESN'T mention is pulling off the vent tube on the + side of the OEM battery.

My Mini Cooper S is a 2009 purchased in Nov. 2008 and is always outside in CT weather. So I opted for preventive maintenance. The DieHard Advanced Gold group 47 was about $173. I opted to install it myself although they'd do it for $10 but they were running about an hour's wait.

I followed the above video with the added step of removing the vent tube. I noticed the OEM battery has two vent holes: one that the vent tube is connected to on the + side but also there is a hole on the - side that is plugged. I removed the little black plug from the OEM battery and saved it for use on the new battery.

When I put in the DieHard, I put the vent tube into the hole near the + side and the little black plug from the OEM battery in the hole near the - side.

Only casualty: I may have broken a tiny plastic pin piece off of the cowl/housing below the windshield wiper that holds the battery. *shrug* It made no difference. Someone here noted that it's easier to move the wiper arm up to get the molding in and out---good tip.

After installation, I got a little "bleep" from the car upon startup that told me to reset the clock. That's it. Even my radio presets are still there.

Took maybe 20 min and I was a slow poke. I'll try to share pix if I can, showing in particular the vent hole and OEM plug. All in all, I feel better. We're due for a BLIZZARD in the next few days. Oy.

 

Nice job, on the cowl section , so it seams up evenly , you heave to press the back section into that rubber notch seam right below the glass. Some people bust the plastic on the cowl on the clips and the plastic that goes into that seam , then it does not seat flush. Looks like you got it in ok based of what you said. Nice job.

 

Appreciated all the tips here. Have a few to add myself.
Wife's 2009 Mini Cooper hatch, original battery, 43k miles. Slightly lagged when starting so time to replace. Chose Bosch H5-6508 (aka, H5/L2/47) from Pep Boys, as it was rated #2 in research (Con. Rpts. 6/13) for the 47 type battery. But far pricier than others mentioned- was $161, but they had a 25% on-line discount to order and pickup in store the next day (don't ask me), and a $30 mail-in rebate, so true cost will be less than $100. ($15 core).
The Bosch was precisely the same height and depth (front to back) as the OEM, with the same flanges on bottom, making mounting it easy. The Bosch is about 1" wider than the OEM, which was insignificant since the battery tray is wide and could likely fit a battery even another inch larger.
One item to note was that it comes with no vent tube, which wasn't an issue since I just reused the original. But, the two vent tube openings were reversed- in other words, the positive side vent hole was plugged up, the negative side was open, and the vent tube is next to the positive side of the battery. So before dropping in the battery, if you have the same, then simply use a 5/32 hex to pry the "bung" plug out a bit (it isn't threaded), then carefully remove the rest of the way with a needlenose or a screwdriver. Put the plug into the negative side, you're good to go.
The other thing that came up was trying to get the large plastic battery cover back on right. As others mention, you need to work around one wiper. The end of the rubber seal near the top, by the quarter panel is easy to pinch or tear, so care must be taken to place it back carefully as you start to replace the cover. Also be sure to hook the plastic flange along and just under the top of the cover into the slot along the rubber seal on the bottom of the windshield, then work your way to the front and snap back in the plastic flanges. Make sure the top, outside rubber seal is seated where it was before along the windshield, and put the the nut on the far left on first. Finally the bolt (outside the hood, near the top left of the panel,where it meets the quarter panel)- but you may find the plastic panel doesn't line up with the hole for the bolt so that you can thread it. I struggled with this longer than I'd like to admit, until I realized that the hole the bolt is feeding into isn't part of the body frame, but rather flexes a bit as part of the quarter panel. Not used to that sort of car construction, seems cheap, but I guess it works. So use a short screwdriver or the like from underneath to slightly pull the hole toward the bolt as you push it through the panel, and it will line up for you to finish the job. I must wonder if I'm the only one who has ever struggled with this!
Onward!

 

^ All the additional tips and info are most helpful. Yes...that cowl thing seems needlessly complicated in how it fits in, but mine did fit flush with a bit of prodding. I feel much better with the new battery, given that I just got done cleaning up 2 ft of snow from the northeast blizzard. Gah.

 

You are welcome.

 

When I replaced mine I found it very difficult to replace the panel without removing the wiper. The wiper is fairly easy to remove and reduces your chances of damaging the panel when you reinstall it.

 

^Ammodave,

did you remove the wiper blade or the entire arm?

 

I removed the entire arm.

 

I was at our dealership with my 2010 S hatchback for a check engine light. While replacing the HPFP, they also replaced the original battery (5+ years old). This is a BMW battery made in Austria slightly smaller in size and the sticker on it says 360 CCA at 0 deg F and 44 Amp Hr @20hrs. Two numbers listed on the top stickers I am not sure which one is the part number 412721 or 61212363816 ??


Is this battery the correct replacement or adequate for my vehicle? Or the dealership just put in what they had in stock and or the cheapest one they could find? All input is appreciated.

 

 

If your battery has the IBS module on the positive terminal, it needs registration. If it does not, then it doesn't need registration.

(This is what I'm told, anyway.)

 

 

I've had 2 batteries replaced at the dealership while still under warranty. Kept getting battery discharge every time at start up no matter if the accessories / radio was on or not. Dealership kept saying that we're excessively running the accessories when the engine is off which wasn't true cause it's daily driven. Left the car at the dealership overnight just prove they're wrong. Battery replaced at 15k and lasted 3 months with the same issue. Dealership replaced it again with SA stating Mini/BMW got an allotment of faulty factory batteries in 2011. Now the car has approx 40k and the 2nd new battery with 6 months of use is once again getting discharge is flashing during start up. The factory warranty is up so I won't be going to the dealership to replace it.

Not going with a factory battery again!

 

Sounds me like the dealer knows there is a problem, but doesn't want to lose money on the days of time it can take to find an electrical fault. They are reimbursed by BMW based on defined "book times" for known problems, not for general troubleshooting time.

So, it's cheaper to keep replacing batteries and letting BMW pay for them. After you are out of warranty they can charge you for their time it actually takes to solve the problem.

A Volvo dealer did this to my sister. In her case it took several days for the car to discharge the battery which made it even harder to troubleshoot. She eventually gave up and traded it on another car. (She got a Saturn, and ended up with some cash in her pocket out of the deal.)

If the dealer can't fix the battery problem, seriously consider trading the car in against a different car.

Or, depending on the lemon laws in your state, perhaps let them try again, and when the same thing happens again, initiate legal process and let BMW/MINI NA give you a new car.

Good luck!

 

lol... not at that legal level yet!

Not dismissing the battery issue but if it's simply THE battery then switching brands I'm fine with. If the issue is car related that can't be reasonably fix then that's when I'll consider my options.

Who's has positive results swapping out the factory battery for another brand?

 

I have; I used a Bosche battery, off the shelf from Pep Boys. It's been fine. BUT, and this is the big BUT, my car doesn't have the "Intelligent Battery Sensor" (IBS) on the positive terminal post, so my car doesn't require battery registration.

If you drop in a new battery and the old one was having trouble and your car has an IBS, then you should have the new battery registered by a dealer or BMW/MINI specialist that has the right equipment.

Anecdotally, if you have IBS and the battery isn't having trouble and you replace it, you do not need to register the battery. But in that case, why would you be replacing a good battery?

 

I have two Mini Cooper dealerships near me. one cares, one doesn't care. I always go to the one that cares and get great service. They do spend the time to fix issues above the book times allowed. You need to find a Mini Cooper dealership that cares. I'm sorry you're having trouble with your battery. I actually have the IBS and had my original battery replaced free of charge at 4 years old! The Mini Dealership did the work and have had no issues.

 

My battery read bad @ Auto Zone; when the bad battery was in, the display lit up. I replaced the battery & now I don't have display & it's not starting. Any ideas? Do I need to tow my mini to the dealership to fix? I have a 2011 Cooper. Thx!

 

If you have the extra little cable on the battery you probably have the IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor) and need to have the battery "registered" so that your electrical system works properly.
My advice: Have the Mini Dealer check it out.

 

I would have them check the IBS also. Had a battery very low and it had to be reset by MINI.

 

I need to replace battery in 2005 Cooper S and do not want to get ripped off by dealer, nor do I want to screw up my beloved car. So 1. Where the heck is the battery 2. Is NAPA my best inexpensive choice?

 

#1 its here: Under the rear mat in the trunk / boot




http://www.billswebspace.com/MiniR53PSPFanDuctDIY.htm


#2 https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...s-for-mcs.html



PS:
This thread is for the R56 crew with the battery in the front engine bay.

 

The procedure for removing the battery is similar to the one on the R50, however, the battery is located in the rear trunk under the carpeting. Here is a great DIY, which may be useful to you for tackling this project.

For the R56 crowd, here is a great DIY for your battery replacement with notes on how to register if your R56 requires it.

 

I have an 08 Cooper S that needs a new battery as well(Still on the original battery). I picked up a battery from Sears but I read somewhere that the Diehard battery doesn't fit without modification so I returned it. I'm going to check the local NAPA store to see if they have one in stock. Hope it works!