My '09 Clubman is at about 50,000 miles. I had a Dodge Intrepid with a Mopar battery that totally died at about that mileage (about 50-55,000). Everyone who has replaced their batteries, what was the car's age and mileage? Should I be looking around for a new battery soon so I don't get stuck in rush hour traffic if it dies? That's what happened to me with my previous car! And one last question: are Braille batteries a bad idea for a daily driver that spends 50% of its time on the highway and 50% in stop and go traffic ?where it's normal to be stopped by EVERY light over five city blocks)?

 

If your car dies on the road,... its not the battery... and idle times don't effect battery life..

What effects battery life is climate, heat load (the don't last as long in hot climates).., full discharges (like leaving lights on..), rapid charge cycles (fast charges with an external charger), shorted plates, vibration damage, case cracks, and contamination.

I would not go with a (light weight) Braille battery for a daily driver, they are not well suited for daily use.. low RA capacity is my main worry. The larger AGM units they sell, frankly offer nothing more than the stock Mini battery or an Optima unit. (they are also 2x to 30x the price..)

Generally a battery will last 4-5 years.. a few lasting longer if you are lucky.

 

6 years, 24K miles. Take the battery to your local auto parts store and have them tell you the condition.

 

my car is a 07 with 54000 and i still have the original battery and havnt had any issues yet. starts right up. my luck now it will probably die on me though.

 

Well - I have a 2011 with 25K miles and the battery died this week

I also have a 2010 with 27K miles and it is still going strong... we will see how long this one lasts - here in AZ, 2 - 3 years is about average for a decent battery.

 

2008 Cooper - closing in on 60,000 miles. Original battery, no problems (yet). I live in Canada and it gets cold here in winter, lots of -15 C starts and 30 C + hot summer weather too. The battery has performed well. I hook it to an automatic charger every once in a while to keep it "topped up" - probably not necessary but it makes me feel better.

 

I bought my Mini Cooper S in January this year and it had 28,000 miles. I tried driving it home from CarSense around 7PM and the lights were flickering. They looked at it and replaced the battery and alternator for free. Hope this helps...

 

2007 Cooper S with 83,000 plus miles. No issues with the battery whatsoever.

 

The original battery in my '06 crapped out on me a couple of months ago, with about 60,000KM on the odometer.

 

Replaced last January 10th with 65031 miles. Started waiting for the 4th or 5th cylinder before firing. Now it hits immediately like normal.