Hey Guys,

Here's the story. I have a 2006 R53 (lightly used, very well maintained, 24k miles on the odometer). Warranty ended back last December. About a couple months before the warranty ended, this happened:

The MINI was stored in the garage for a like a month. one day, I couldn't start it. Called MINI Roadside Assistance, and the guy came to jump start the battery. It started and I drove around for 20-30 minutes. Went to get coffee, came back and car was dead. Called Roadside Assistance again to jump start, and drove home. Had the MINI serviced at the dealership. They were stumped at first, it certainly wasn't a battery issue. It took them a week but they found out it was a power draw issue from the LoJack system installed in my R53. There was a massive current draw from LoJack. They resolved the issue and I got the MINI back with no problems at all. I think the battery was also replaced even though it wasn't a bad battery. The MINI was running like a charm after that.

However, I had my MINI stored again in the garage for a few weeks. Same problem, completely dead today. I had to use another car to drive the 300+ miles this morning. Perhaps it is because of the LoJack or maybe a door wasn't closed all the way, but there are a lot of reasons why my MINI could be dead. I searched the forums and there are not alot of threads about dead battery attributed to LoJack so that is why I'm posting. LoJack should be drawing very low power, was surprised I had a dead car.

I have to deal with this issue when I get home. Since the vehicle is now out of warranty, what should I do (next steps)?

1) I know I should have gotten a trickle charger. and I think I should just buy one and use it to see if I can charge up the battery. Any recommendations? I'm looking at the Battery Tender line. Not sure about the best way it would connect to the battery of my MCS (looks like there are alligator clips and fused ring terminals)

2) Since the problem *could* be due to LoJack, can I still go to a independent MINI mechanic? I know it was installed by a MINI dealership.

3) Has anyone had a problem similar to mines? I am not sure how serious this problem is, but don't want to shell a ridiculous amount of money (granted, I understand I am at fault for not *properly* storing the MINI , but seriously, car was running fine, even during periods of short storage). Just afraid I'll be looking at like a $1k+ bill or something!

Thanks guys!

 

Well at least it can't be stolen with a flat battery so i suppose lo jack is working. Sorry, i cannot help myself.

Maybe you can disconnect lo jack and see if the problem persist?

 

I had lo jack on a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT but since it was a daily driver I didn't have any issues. I just recently dealt with a dead battery on my mini and it sounds like that is your problem. All you need to do is get a new battery and if you are not going to be running your mini for a period of time you should remove the battery from the vehicle and place it on an insulated surface (i.e. wood not concrete) this is a trick that classic car owners use to store their vehicles. Lo jack knows classic cars are stored and offer a special lo jack system entirely dependent on its own power supply this may be remedy for you and you may want to contact lo jack.

 

The OEM batteries are known to just suddenly go bad. Get it replaced.

Personally I would get rid of the lojack. The MINI really doesn't need it as the car can not be stolen unless it gets flatbedded or they have your key.

 

Any car that is storred for a period can have a dead battery.....the fact it was jumped, but not driven lots to fully charge the battery, then stored again makes me think the battery was never fully recharged.....
A car that sits lots should have a trickle charger at the least....in modern cars there are drains when not in use....
If you get a new battery, one of the spiral wound, sealed batteries rather than a traditional flooded cell battery would be a good choice....they store better, and mine has on a few occasion gone a couple months....some driving or time with a charger was still used to bring it back to full charge...
Optima is one brand.
I kinda doubt it is the lokack...I have it...I bet it is fused, (the battery is the sizes of a pack of cigretts and usa tiny leadacid battery)and is very low powered...I bet a 5 amp fuse...after 5 years lokack does reccomend getting the unit serviced, with a new battery....

 

+1
Happened on me with the OEM and then the NAPA replacement. Luckily the NAPA still had the warranty so the third battery was super cheap.

You can even take it to an auto parts store to have it checked but they'll tell you you need a new battery.