Hi,

It looks like Chicago winter has taken its toll on my 2008 hardtop battery. I was out of the country for 20+ days. ( However; my friend did start my mini last weekend but did not drive around much)

Now, when I try starting the mini, all sorts of signs come up (on the dash) and it definitely looks like the battery is very very low.

I took help from a friend and tried jump starting it, the battery did charge and it made a knocking sound while starting ignition but refused to start.

My concern is; could ther be a more serious problem than dead battery ?

for now - I'm planning to call in Emergency road service of my insurance provider to see if their equipment proves to be better at jump starting.

Any thoughts ??

 

my sons 08 did that and with a 5 yr old plus battery your probably in for a battery, but funny less than 3 mos after getting new battery my sons starter died.

 

Thanks Adam.

I think you're right. I need a new battery.. should I go for a BMW battery ? A friend ( BMW owner as well) suggested BOSCH.

Suggestions welcome.

And.. Thanks again.

 

Feb. 11, 2014
The easiest thing to do is go to PepBoys or another auto place and let them load test your battery. If it doesn' hold a charge then it is time to replace the battery. What annoys me the most is when people replace batteries they don't mark the date of the new battery on the top. You never know how old the battery is without that date. Do most of you when replacing the battery go to the Mini dealer or other auto places ?

Gordon

 

well my son just put a autozone in, then the dealership told him the car had to be programmed for the different batttery, they say " the charging requirements need to be known to keep from over or under charging" not sure
I buy that, I know glass mat vs reg may vary a little. The dealer blamed the battery for car not starting, when it was the starter , they replaced starter under his ext warranty.
So if you can afford the MINI battery get one, if not the autozone has worked fine for my sons.

 

Thank you guys.

I'm bit scared of the mini dealership coz.. as usual they are a bit overwhelming when it comes to the situations like this .

any estimate on how much it should cost if I get it done at the dealership, assuming it's only the battery and nothing else ?

 

Your 2008 needs a new battery.

If you have Autozone or Advanced Auto parts you can get a batter there for about $120 or so. They will even install it for free. The size you need is a group 47. I installed one from Advanced Auto in my wife's 2008, perfect fit.

The dealership is going to rip you a new one. This fix does not need the dealer.

 

An update : I managed to get my mini jump started and drove for about 1 1/2 hours.

They helped me test the battery at AAP and it showed that 330 cranking amps were available out of 440 ( battery rating) This was before I took it for an hour long drive.

I had no problem starting it today morning, I'm wondering if it is still due for a battery change... any thoughts ?

 

Where do you want to get stranded at ? If
A battery is nice enough to give you warning
I'd replace it.

 

lol! Good one I'll get it replaced with a better battery.

Thanks!

 

^^^ True words here.