Hi,

I have a 2013 MINI hardtop. Will the battery warning light give me plenty of advance notice before my battery needs to be replaced? I was getting new tires a little over a week ago and while I was at the shop they tested the battery and they said it needed to be replaced. I declined to get a new one at that point. I just came back from an AutoZone, they tested the battery and they said, "The battery is fine."

I've only owned three cars in my life and with the previous two, once the warning light came on it was pretty much already too late. Just wondering if I can keep going or if I should go ahead and replace it. I will have had the MINI for five years this coming March, so maybe I should just get a replacement since the battery is almost five years old.

Thanks.

 

Oddball little issues can pop up without warning. On our Countryman the 12v outlets stopped working and that was the first warning of bad battery. It was 7 years old.

 

Battery 5 yrs old? Replace it. Here in AZ, the heat kills them fast. I replace mine every 3 yrs and consider it maintenance.