Paul, it is not the battery, it is the ECU. Everything is controlled by the central computer and it is not shutting all the devices off. If you read some of my early posts, you will see how this is one of the major sticking points in my decision on whether to get the car. The problem with having everything controlled by one microprocessor is you have no way of knowing if everything is switched off. If the ECU fails, you are screwed. The only current drain when the car is parked should be to hold the radio settings, ECU settings (it "learns" how you drive) and perhaps the alarm on standby. That should amount to no more than a few milliamps at best. I suggested a way to measure the current when the car is parked using a VOM or ammeter. Even a simple test light will work. It sounds as though several amps are being drawn. If no lights are on, then something else is the cause.
One thread said there is some "new software" for the ECU to correct the problem. But since the car has been running around in prototype form for four years, this should not be happening. I postulated that we will hear a lot more complaints about flat batteries on the MINI once the "newness" wears off and people stop driving them every day.
The ECU is also responsible for the central locking failures. I wrote to BMW about this and reminded them that if they bring the car to the States with these "niggles," magazines such as Consumer Reports will rate it "not acceptable" and that will be the death knell for it here. They did that to the Suzuki Samauri and Izusu Trooper, think they did it to the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon if my memory serves me. The companies suffered major financial losses. It is too bad BMW chose to make the MINI a "personal luxury vehicle" because more foo-foo features just means more to go wrong. Had they kept it simple, it would have been a lot more reliable, especially over the long term. But it is too late to do anything about that now. |