So we bought a 2013 R57 last August for my son.

It's a low mileage CPO unit with (~6800 miles). Had been dealer driven in the ~2yrs prior and then lightly used by us over the winter as my son hadn’t turned 16 yet, etc.

A number of times when we did use it, we’d see a warning the battery was low. So I purposefully drove it periodically for longer distances to help keep the battery charged.

Recently the CBS light for Brake Fluid lit up so I dropped the car off at the dealer last Thursday and they didn’t get to it until Monday.

Told them my son had seen (and texted me) the following warning the prior week:

Next press of button starts engine!
(Yellow Triangle/exclamation symbol)
Attention Engine Start
Engine will start with the next press of the button, possibly without depressing the clutch or brake pedal.

They say they put a new/more powerful battery in. The original batteries were really not sufficient for the usage of these cars and then they kept it overnight to help ensure no more codes popped up.


They say the “history” shows lights, etc. on the car were left on for more than an hour at some point. Then said warranty for the new battery will not exist due to this abusive or out of spec use.

There’s next to zero chance my son left the lights on, radio blaring, etc. for an hour+. Since just this April he’s used it to get to school or baseball practice and back. The lot at the baseball field is too far for cranking the radio, etc.

Plus, the car is designed to turn electronics off when left on and battery starts to drain. So I’m at a loss on the phone w/ Serivce and I ask them “when…what date” does it show an hour plus usage?

He went silent looking it up for 3 minutes, rambled something incoherent and said he’d have to research it and call me back. WTF?

If the dealer left this car “on” for hours at a time 2yrs ago…I am not liable for that.

How do I ensure what the car is truly reporting and they want to deny coverage going forward is really what happened under my ownership?

My wife...with her QX...at our kids soccer practices, etc...leaves the radio and AC/heat running for hours...no issues on a 2012 QX w/ 70k+ miles. Go figure.

 

is the car equipped with comfort access?
every now n then i'll jump out after thinking i hit the start button twice only to realize the second time i hit it didn't turn off the accessories
(once to kill engine, second time to kill accessories)

 

Yeah Tech Pkg w/ Comfort. But again...car is designed to shut things down if you're a doofus and leave stuff on (not that I think we did that in the past 8 months).

I'm not sure where in BMW's warranty is says you are covered, unless the car's history tells us you're an idiot?

 

I had the same problem with my CPO R56s. Battery just died out of nowhere and couldn't hold a charge. Towed it in and the dealer did the same tests on mine. They concluded I didn't kill it and replaced it under the warranty.


They provided me with a full print out of the tests showing the results and it was bad cells. I would ask for the documentation to show exactly why they aren't replacing it. Also, any other Mini dealers close by? Some dealerships are stealerships.

 

No, they DID replace the battery BUT we've never had an issue starting the car, etc. just the in-dash warnings. Didn't know there was truly an issue which at this point, seems there is.

I called just now to see about picking it and they are keeping it, so even after putting a new battery in, it must still be throwing codes. Technician will call me in the morning.

Even if my son burned through a battery...he couldn't have caused whatever is going on with it. Kill a battery, replace...move on. This is day 5 in the shop.

 

I'd question the "new/more powerful battery". Ask for a copy of the tech service bulletin, or other documentation that authorizes this battery replacement. If original batteries aren't sufficient, how come no recall for all the others out there? My guess is they screwed up the battery "registration" process with an "out of spec" battery.

 

To clarify, this isn’t even a ‘CPO’ warranty issue, I misunderstood the SA initially. Batteries, per the SA, aren’t even covered under CPO.

This is actually a Basic Warranty issue, with the dealer saying given information off the key/ECU and trying to submit coverage to BMW, I won’t be covered since the lights were left on for ~1.5hrs around 8,800 miles. Car now has ~9,500 miles on it. They also point to numerous “short” trips in the vehicle which won’t charge the battery sufficiently.

Since last week of April, my son has driven it around town to school and tennis/baseball practices. Yes, I’m sure he’s killed the battery in about a month of usage.

Again, we bought this car in ~Aug 2015, as a 2013 MY with just ~6,800 on it. Mini dealer said it was manager driven and clearly not much based on the mileage. So current battery is ~4yrs old (late 2012 thru mid 2016).

And granted, it largely sat in my garage over the winter. We got a low battery warning 5-7 times over the winter where upon I’d purposefully take it on the highway myself to ensure a proper charge up. The warning would go away and then a few weeks later, it’d pop up again.

Yet not once did the battery fail…the car always started…never need to jump it.

So they sell these cars as “smart”…they shut things down as needed. But then Service says no…you can’t be an idiot and leave the lights on for an hour or you’re not covered.

Then of course, they want to extort for the “conditioning” required for these already overpriced batteries. It’s an utter scam.

So where in the owner’s manual is all this spelled out…you’re covered unless...? And I did point out that his own technician indicated the batteries in the Mini’s were underrated for what’s required of them…that to me, was why he swapped it out for a higher amp unit.

Anyway, Manager called as I indicated my strong discontent given this was my first Mini Service ever…he's going to look into it, look at my old batter...see if it holds a charge, etc. and appeal to Corp on my behalf.

If it was just a battery issue…why has my car been in their shop for a week? Battery dies, replace, move on…that should take about an hour. I’m suspicious they were getting other codes. The whole thing has been baffling to say the least.

 

I'm not siding with the dealer, but I certainly can see that a slightly used 4 year old battery is capable of giving you issues. Had that happen several times on my cars over the years. I think the dealer is mishandling the situation and probably insuring that you won't ever buy a Mini again.

 

$140 for brake fluid service. $67 for a microfilter. At 9,400 miles...

He comped the new battery after he looked up the carfax and saw the dealer I bought from had noted a battery check/service back in March 2015...5 months or so prior to my purchase.

But note, that was Dealer Goodwill not a warranty replacement. He's quick to point out that BMW/Mini will refuse warranty for what they determine is abusive treatment.

Told him I agree...but leaving lights on...once, accidentally is hardly abusive.

I get it if I took the Mini 4-wheeling and asked for a re-alignment...or modded the car in some way that made its parts work harder than spec.

Simply put, if they're intent on not covering batteries or other items under Basic, then break it out as a 1yr deal and set better expectations with your customers.

I doubt I'll be the last posting about them looking to get out of Basic Warranty items the way it sounded. He said they are very intent at looking at battery usage, how the car's been used or not, etc.

 

I think I'd be looking for a new place to get your vehicle serviced if at all possible.
I never payed a single dime for anything on our Mini's, I've owned three, while they were under warranty.( I don't remember if they ever had to replace a battery in any of cars though.)

Their battery story has an element of truth, but it also has a lot of hot air.
The car does need to be driven for awhile to actually recharge the battery, and short hops around town won't always be enough. It does sound as if it was on it's out when you bought it, based on your description. However, it still should have held a charge, and it sounds as if it didn't, or wasn't being fully charged.
If your car is still in the dealership, I would be asking why? Specifically I would be ensuring that the original issue really was just an "old battery", and not something to do with the charging/voltage regulation system. Something sounds "off" here
If they put in a new higher rated better, I'd be asking them to express in writing that it is an acceptable battery per BMW/MINI USA.

Did you get some type of a Service indication, based on CBS, for the brake fluid,or did you get the brake fluid reservoir low warning? A car with 9400 miles shouldn't have had a low brake fluid reservoir warning yet, unless it wasn't properly filled at one point. Keep a pint of approved brake fluid in the garage and save yourself a bunch of $$$$ down the line.

The micro filter replacement is a very simple 5 minute job. Pop two clips in the passenger footwell, and replace the filter.

Personally, I don't think that you should have had to pay anything out of pocket during this service, unless you specifically asked for that cabin filter to be replaced. All of this should have been handled under warranty, and you are absolutely correct that there is no way it takes 5 days for battery to be changed.

Don't get soured on the car by a poor service experience with this dealership.

 

Under warranty, this is the only Mini dealer around...so I'm a captured audience as long as I can potentially get service done under CPO.

Yeah, the brake fluid came up under the Mini Maintenance system...where it also shows oil, brake pads and vehicle check. Was not a low level warning.

I was surprised it wasn't all covered under warranty. If there's a single other issue that the dealer doesn't cover under warranty I'll contact Corporate.

For now, fingers crossed, life goes on as normal. But again, the dealer stated this is coming from Corp...basically looking at/reviewing and/or having highlighted points of concern based on what the stored vehicle history shows them. Nickle and dime time.