MINI2

mr.bill · Dec 20th, 2001, 10:37 PM

I posted a thread in Faults and Fixes with instructions on how to tell if your battery is being drained while parked. You'll need a digital voltmeter with a millivolt range. The test is simple, takes a minute or so, won't damage anything on the car and nothing has to be disconnected. You might suggest this test to the dealer as it is a quick way to determine if the ECU is not shutting everything off. Apial said there is a 16 minute delay after shutting down before everything powers off, so wait 30 minutes before doing the test.

Pglenning · Dec 31st, 2001, 03:12 PM

Today the dealership fitted a new CD player and said this is the problem why the battery is going flat, should hopefully be fine now!!!!!!

Cape Cod MINI · Jan 1st, 2002, 12:34 PM

Mr. Bill,
Just curious: If the hood has a light that automatically goes on when it is raised will this alter the voltometer test to find the trickle/drain? Not sure if the MINI has this feature or not.
Steve B.

batemano · Jan 1st, 2002, 02:11 PM

I have had no problems with my battery but my dealer replaced it whilst the car was in for some other faults. The lady told me there was a known fault with the battery. She didn't mention anything about faulty cd players.

kevgann · Jan 2nd, 2002, 08:32 AM

Flat battery is caused by CD Player it has a heater , some units dont turn off and this drains the battery over 2 days!!! New unit fitted last week all ok now

MINXD · Jan 2nd, 2002, 09:44 AM

Well, having read this thread, I would hope that I know the cause of my flat battery

Have CD Boost fitted...

However, anyone who'se had a flatty, had the same problem as mentioned HERE! ???

It is very concerning as a security issue & it would appear I'm not alone...

petal · Jan 2nd, 2002, 10:16 AM

My mini cooper has had a flat battery 3 times after leaving it for 4 days or more. The dealership tell me that it was a faulty radio, they replaced the radio in October, and again last week. This time they tell me it is a modified radio! Hopefully it won't happen again!

(now my interior light doesn't work!)

tylast · Dec 12th, 2003, 10:57 PM

I had this problem with my battery being flat every so often. I just loaded DME v36 & the problem seems to have disappeared. The dealership saw the current draw before the upgrade & didn't afterwards.

Bear · Dec 13th, 2003, 05:16 PM

I was having an issue with my nav system. While discussing with the head technician I mentioned that when the car sits in the garage I leave the key in the ignition switch. He indicated that may cause the nav system to not shut down. A 70 to 90 ma draw is present with the key left in. Do all of you remove the key when leaving the car overnight??

Bear

BA02LEY · Dec 13th, 2003, 07:46 PM

My Cooper is second hand and 18months old (02). I had a look around some web sites to find out about recalls and such to ensure that it has had all relevant work carried out and there was a mention that some MINIs had a fault with the battery going flat in just a short period of time. It turns out that there was a problem with the more earlier MINIs CD player not turning off properly with the ignition. This was apparently corrected in later MINIs.
If your MINI is a more recent build then as already mentioned on this thread, something else is draining the power

rainbowdreamer · Dec 13th, 2003, 09:53 PM

Recently, left my MINI outside for 3 weeks in the freezing cold.

Started first turn of the key.

Only thing was brake discs had began to glaze over.

yaseusa · Dec 17th, 2003, 10:18 PM

I had flat battery last weekend. I told dealer that something draining battery, but they insisted that it was a life of battery, and dead. The car is still within a year, and I believe that new battery should last at least 3 or more years in warm place ( I live in hawaii). I do not want again road assistance which I had three times because of other problem (shift linkage, dead battery), I wanted dealer to check the cause of problem. If ECU is known issue, did dealer know this from BMW? thanks

yaseusa · Dec 18th, 2003, 08:22 PM

I had the following feed back from MINI USA on flat battery:

Congratulations on your MINI and welcome to the family!

I'm so sorry to read of your trouble with the battery. Thank you for taking
the time to let us know about it and I have documented your complaint in our
records. Your MINI service advisor is in the best position to assist you as
they have the technical training and special tools needed to properly inspect,
diagnose, and repair your MINI. The life of the battery will depend on several
factors, including the distance that is driven each day, how often the car is
driven, and other factors. Please let us know if you have any questions or if
we can assist further.

LET'S MOTOR.
Jen Schuelke
MINI Division
Customer Relations
866-ASK-MINI

stryder · Dec 18th, 2003, 08:51 PM

Unless you do something totally odd in your normal driving (like leaving the lights on all the time), I can't see the battery dying in one year in someplace as warm as Hawaii. MINIUSA is just making excuses because they don't really know what is up, but I'd call your dealer back and point out there's documented cases of batteries failing (for all the different reasons on here). See what they say, and make sure they actually test to see if current is flowing when the car is off, (doesn't sound like they did the first time)

If that fails, you can always go higher up in MINI, the first line people never do much.

tylast · Dec 18th, 2003, 11:27 PM

YASEUSA, have you had your DME flashed yet? My dealer didn't have any technical bulletins on Battery Drain for the Mini. I had them flash the DME to v36 for my stumlbe problem...and the battery drain disappeared. I'm sure that's your problem.

yaseusa · Dec 19th, 2003, 03:44 PM

tylast, I am sorry to ask you but what is DME? How did you flash it? I appreciate your comment. thanks

stryder · Dec 19th, 2003, 03:50 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by yaseusa

tylast, I am sorry to ask you but what is DME? How did you flash it? I appreciate your comment. thanks

Its your car's software, your dealer flashes it for you, and it should be free under warranty if its to fix a problem by upgrading to the newest version.

2NDONE · Mar 24th, 2004, 03:58 PM

dead battery mystery solved ? the other afternoon i finally dusted off my dashboard ( after 8 months ) then went in the house. a couple of hours later a neighbour let me know that my lights were on. i would have noticed this after sundown, because my mini is quite visible out the window. i had not put my lights on. i went out and discovered only the lights on the left side were on. ?? why ? when cleaning i had knocked the turn signal indicator lever down, which turned on the left side indicators. i put the lever in the neutral position and the lights went off. i then tried lifting the lever into the up position and sure enough the right side indicators went on. we're not talking about flashing here but full on. all this was happening without the key in the ignition. now follow the bouncing ball. if your turn signal is on ( flashing ) and you turn off the ignition, the turn signal will turn off. if for any reason with the ignition off, you activate the lever the lights will go on steady. i have owned many cars and never seen this before. mine is a 2003 cooper. try this on your own car. maybe mine is unique. maybe i have only rediscovered the wheel.

Polmear · Mar 24th, 2004, 05:30 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by 2NDONE

dead battery mystery solved ? the other afternoon i finally dusted off my dashboard ( after 8 months ) then went in the house. a couple of hours later a neighbour let me know that my lights were on. i would have noticed this after sundown, because my mini is quite visible out the window. i had not put my lights on. i went out and discovered only the lights on the left side were on. ?? why ? when cleaning i had knocked the turn signal indicator lever down, which turned on the left side indicators. i put the lever in the neutral position and the lights went off. i then tried lifting the lever into the up position and sure enough the right side indicators went on. we're not talking about flashing here but full on. all this was happening without the key in the ignition. now follow the bouncing ball. if your turn signal is on ( flashing ) and you turn off the ignition, the turn signal will turn off. if for any reason with the ignition off, you activate the lever the lights will go on steady. i have owned many cars and never seen this before. mine is a 2003 cooper. try this on your own car. maybe mine is unique. maybe i have only rediscovered the wheel.

check your manual-under parking lights, they are required in some european countries

2NDONE · Mar 24th, 2004, 06:07 PM

obviously you missed the point. if you parked your car and turned off the ignition and then accidently put your turn signal lever into right or left indicator position then the corresponding lights would go on. i did it while dusting off the dashboard. if you were in bright sunlight or simply facing away from the car and using your ears to determine that you had locked the car using the remote then you might not notice the lights on. you might simply be on the other side of the car. the question is will this drain the battery. try this before you reply. go to your car - unlock and open the door - do not put the key into the ignition - put your turn signal on and walk around and look at your lights ! if your car does not do it, then you will have no idea what i am talking about. if it does then you will now be on the same wavelength as me. i repeat i have owned many cars, pickups and suvs and never seen this before.
jim

ps i forgot to add vans too

Dec 31st, 2001, 03:12 PM	#42 (permalink)
Pglenning 5 years with MINI ONE Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Liverpool Local Time: 10:51 PM Posts: 252 Offline	Fitted new CD player Today the dealership fitted a new CD player and said this is the problem why the battery is going flat, should hopefully be fine now!!!!!! Was MK1 Black MINI ONE (Sept 2001 Build) NOW NEW MX-5

Jan 2nd, 2002, 08:32 AM	#45 (permalink)
kevgann MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2001 Local Time: 10:51 PM Posts: 7 Offline	Flat Battery Flat battery is caused by CD Player it has a heater , some units dont turn off and this drains the battery over 2 days!!! New unit fitted last week all ok now K.Gannon

Jan 2nd, 2002, 10:16 AM	#47 (permalink)
petal MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Dec 2001 Local Time: 10:51 PM Posts: 4 Offline	Flat Battery My mini cooper has had a flat battery 3 times after leaving it for 4 days or more. The dealership tell me that it was a faulty radio, they replaced the radio in October, and again last week. This time they tell me it is a modified radio! Hopefully it won't happen again! (now my interior light doesn't work!)

Dec 13th, 2003, 09:53 PM	#51 (permalink)
rainbowdreamer MINI2 Regular Join Date: Apr 2003 Local Time: 11:51 PM Posts: 266 Offline	Recently, left my MINI outside for 3 weeks in the freezing cold. Started first turn of the key. Only thing was brake discs had began to glaze over. Rainbow Dreamer 2005 Cooper S Convertible

Dec 18th, 2003, 08:22 PM	#53 (permalink)
yaseusa MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Honolulu Hawaii Local Time: 12:51 PM Posts: 12 Offline	Comment from MINI USA I had the following feed back from MINI USA on flat battery: Congratulations on your MINI and welcome to the family! I'm so sorry to read of your trouble with the battery. Thank you for taking the time to let us know about it and I have documented your complaint in our records. Your MINI service advisor is in the best position to assist you as they have the technical training and special tools needed to properly inspect, diagnose, and repair your MINI. The life of the battery will depend on several factors, including the distance that is driven each day, how often the car is driven, and other factors. Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can assist further. LET'S MOTOR. Jen Schuelke MINI Division Customer Relations 866-ASK-MINI

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Dec 20th, 2001, 10:37 PM	#41
mr.bill MINI2 Senior Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: USA Local Time: 10:51 PM Posts: 577 Offline	I posted a thread in Faults and Fixes with instructions on how to tell if your battery is being drained while parked. You'll need a digital voltmeter with a millivolt range. The test is simple, takes a minute or so, won't damage anything on the car and nothing has to be disconnected. You might suggest this test to the dealer as it is a quick way to determine if the ECU is not shutting everything off. Apial said there is a 16 minute delay after shutting down before everything powers off, so wait 30 minutes before doing the test.

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Jan 1st, 2002, 12:34 PM	#43 (permalink)
Cape Cod MINI Exposing the Beast Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Cape Cod, MA Local Time: 06:51 PM Posts: 5,354 Offline	Mr. Bill, Just curious: If the hood has a light that automatically goes on when it is raised will this alter the voltometer test to find the trickle/drain? Not sure if the MINI has this feature or not. Steve B.

Jan 1st, 2002, 02:11 PM	#44 (permalink)
batemano MINI2 Regular Join Date: Nov 2001 Local Time: 10:51 PM Posts: 123 Offline	I have had no problems with my battery but my dealer replaced it whilst the car was in for some other faults. The lady told me there was a known fault with the battery. She didn't mention anything about faulty cd players.

Jan 2nd, 2002, 09:44 AM	#46 (permalink)
MINXD AKA Puff The Magic Wagon! Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Suffolk Local Time: 11:51 PM Posts: 49 Offline	Well, having read this thread, I would hope that I know the cause of my flat battery Have CD Boost fitted... However, anyone who'se had a flatty, had the same problem as mentioned HERE! ??? It is very concerning as a security issue & it would appear I'm not alone...

Dec 12th, 2003, 10:57 PM	#48 (permalink)
tylast MINI2 Regular Join Date: Jul 2002 Local Time: 11:51 PM Posts: 117 Offline	I had this problem with my battery being flat every so often. I just loaded DME v36 & the problem seems to have disappeared. The dealership saw the current draw before the upgrade & didn't afterwards.

Dec 13th, 2003, 05:16 PM	#49 (permalink)
Bear MINI2 Regular Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Kansas Local Time: 05:51 PM Posts: 78 Offline	I was having an issue with my nav system. While discussing with the head technician I mentioned that when the car sits in the garage I leave the key in the ignition switch. He indicated that may cause the nav system to not shut down. A 70 to 90 ma draw is present with the key left in. Do all of you remove the key when leaving the car overnight?? Bear

Dec 13th, 2003, 07:46 PM	#50 (permalink)
BA02LEY SuperCooper Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Kent Local Time: 10:51 PM Posts: 20 Offline	My Cooper is second hand and 18months old (02). I had a look around some web sites to find out about recalls and such to ensure that it has had all relevant work carried out and there was a mention that some MINIs had a fault with the battery going flat in just a short period of time. It turns out that there was a problem with the more earlier MINIs CD player not turning off properly with the ignition. This was apparently corrected in later MINIs. If your MINI is a more recent build then as already mentioned on this thread, something else is draining the power

Dec 17th, 2003, 10:18 PM	#52 (permalink)
yaseusa MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Honolulu Hawaii Local Time: 12:51 PM Posts: 12 Offline	I had flat battery last weekend. I told dealer that something draining battery, but they insisted that it was a life of battery, and dead. The car is still within a year, and I believe that new battery should last at least 3 or more years in warm place ( I live in hawaii). I do not want again road assistance which I had three times because of other problem (shift linkage, dead battery), I wanted dealer to check the cause of problem. If ECU is known issue, did dealer know this from BMW? thanks

Dec 18th, 2003, 08:51 PM	#54 (permalink)
stryder Sponsor/Moderator/Other Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Cleveland Local Time: 05:51 PM Posts: 3,358 Offline	Unless you do something totally odd in your normal driving (like leaving the lights on all the time), I can't see the battery dying in one year in someplace as warm as Hawaii. MINIUSA is just making excuses because they don't really know what is up, but I'd call your dealer back and point out there's documented cases of batteries failing (for all the different reasons on here). See what they say, and make sure they actually test to see if current is flowing when the car is off, (doesn't sound like they did the first time) If that fails, you can always go higher up in MINI, the first line people never do much. Magic 8-ball was correct. All be in awe of Magic 8 ball.

Dec 18th, 2003, 11:27 PM	#55 (permalink)
tylast MINI2 Regular Join Date: Jul 2002 Local Time: 11:51 PM Posts: 117 Offline	YASEUSA, have you had your DME flashed yet? My dealer didn't have any technical bulletins on Battery Drain for the Mini. I had them flash the DME to v36 for my stumlbe problem...and the battery drain disappeared. I'm sure that's your problem.

Dec 19th, 2003, 03:44 PM	#56 (permalink)
yaseusa MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Honolulu Hawaii Local Time: 12:51 PM Posts: 12 Offline	tylast, I am sorry to ask you but what is DME? How did you flash it? I appreciate your comment. thanks

Dec 19th, 2003, 03:50 PM	#57 (permalink)
stryder Sponsor/Moderator/Other Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Cleveland Local Time: 05:51 PM Posts: 3,358 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by yaseusa tylast, I am sorry to ask you but what is DME? How did you flash it? I appreciate your comment. thanks Its your car's software, your dealer flashes it for you, and it should be free under warranty if its to fix a problem by upgrading to the newest version. Magic 8-ball was correct. All be in awe of Magic 8 ball.

Mar 24th, 2004, 03:58 PM	#58 (permalink)
2NDONE MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Jul 2003 Local Time: 03:51 PM Posts: 23 Offline	dead battery mystery solved ? the other afternoon i finally dusted off my dashboard ( after 8 months ) then went in the house. a couple of hours later a neighbour let me know that my lights were on. i would have noticed this after sundown, because my mini is quite visible out the window. i had not put my lights on. i went out and discovered only the lights on the left side were on. ?? why ? when cleaning i had knocked the turn signal indicator lever down, which turned on the left side indicators. i put the lever in the neutral position and the lights went off. i then tried lifting the lever into the up position and sure enough the right side indicators went on. we're not talking about flashing here but full on. all this was happening without the key in the ignition. now follow the bouncing ball. if your turn signal is on ( flashing ) and you turn off the ignition, the turn signal will turn off. if for any reason with the ignition off, you activate the lever the lights will go on steady. i have owned many cars and never seen this before. mine is a 2003 cooper. try this on your own car. maybe mine is unique. maybe i have only rediscovered the wheel. Last edited by 2NDONE : Mar 24th, 2004 at 04:15 PM. Reason: spelling mistake

Mar 24th, 2004, 05:30 PM	#59 (permalink)
Polmear MINI2 Regular Join Date: May 2003 Location: Michigan Local Time: 06:51 PM Posts: 276 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by 2NDONE dead battery mystery solved ? the other afternoon i finally dusted off my dashboard ( after 8 months ) then went in the house. a couple of hours later a neighbour let me know that my lights were on. i would have noticed this after sundown, because my mini is quite visible out the window. i had not put my lights on. i went out and discovered only the lights on the left side were on. ?? why ? when cleaning i had knocked the turn signal indicator lever down, which turned on the left side indicators. i put the lever in the neutral position and the lights went off. i then tried lifting the lever into the up position and sure enough the right side indicators went on. we're not talking about flashing here but full on. all this was happening without the key in the ignition. now follow the bouncing ball. if your turn signal is on ( flashing ) and you turn off the ignition, the turn signal will turn off. if for any reason with the ignition off, you activate the lever the lights will go on steady. i have owned many cars and never seen this before. mine is a 2003 cooper. try this on your own car. maybe mine is unique. maybe i have only rediscovered the wheel. check your manual-under parking lights, they are required in some european countries

Mar 24th, 2004, 06:07 PM	#60 (permalink)
2NDONE MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Jul 2003 Local Time: 03:51 PM Posts: 23 Offline	Not Parking Lights obviously you missed the point. if you parked your car and turned off the ignition and then accidently put your turn signal lever into right or left indicator position then the corresponding lights would go on. i did it while dusting off the dashboard. if you were in bright sunlight or simply facing away from the car and using your ears to determine that you had locked the car using the remote then you might not notice the lights on. you might simply be on the other side of the car. the question is will this drain the battery. try this before you reply. go to your car - unlock and open the door - do not put the key into the ignition - put your turn signal on and walk around and look at your lights ! if your car does not do it, then you will have no idea what i am talking about. if it does then you will now be on the same wavelength as me. i repeat i have owned many cars, pickups and suvs and never seen this before. jim ps i forgot to add vans too

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