a genius 10 is more than a maintainer, its capable of the 10 amp charge rate, but should sense a dead or shorted cell and shut down.
Refurbished battery smelled like rotten eggs while charging and then died?
- Thread starter lokijoker
- Start date
Correct battery for the car type aside -The smell was the genius 10 cooking the electrolyte out of the battery.
A charger with a temp sensor in the positive clamp would have avoided the boil out by shutting the process down before it started.
Regardless of their popularity my own experience with nocos is give and take.
A charger with a temp sensor in the positive clamp would have avoided the boil out by shutting the process down before it started.
Regardless of their popularity my own experience with nocos is give and take.
First of all there is no consensus. The dealer my Dad took the car to for an oil change told him he needed a AGM battery but the Mini dealer he bought it from (the biggest Mini, BMW dealer in Colorado) told us that this is hogwash and a lead acid battery will work just fine but might not last as long. The original dealer also said that that year and model of Mini does not need the batter registered. The same goes for the various independent service shops. Most say that a lead acid battery will be fine. What I am trying to find out is could the dealer and most shops be wrong and the battery does need to be registered to work right. My other question shouldn’t a battery maintainer prevent the battery from over charging or could a defective battery still overcharge on a maintainer?
Btw, the original dealer service told us that there is no way to register the battery in that year of Mini, basically saying that the other Mini dealer was trying to rip us off. I’m trying find out who is right.
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
i’m with astro here. you can put an AGM in a vehicle that came with a FLA battery, but you CANNOT put a FLA in a vehicle specified for a AGM.
Thanks, that’s what I’m trying to find out. Is there something defective with this NOCO maintainer. I’ve used it to maintain my other car batteries with no problem until now.
I guess I could call Mini of America to find out what they say since there is no agreement between their 2 dealers here in Colorado. I have a neighbor that has a 2007 Mini Cooper ( not an S model) who told me he is running a lead acid battery with no problems and has had it in the car for 4 years now.
According to a manual for an otc battery reset tool 2008 is the first year of Mini possibly needing a battery reset.
According to interstates application guide it depends on the equipment and may not have come with AGM.
According to interstates application guide it depends on the equipment and may not have come with AGM.
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
you can call whoever you want to, this isn’t a brand by brand basis, and mini is the last company i’d want advice from. AGM’s charging profile is not the same as FLA.
P.S. i see it a lot in this subject, AGM batteries are still lead acid batteries. the electrolyte is just in a fiberglass mat versus free to slosh around in a FLA. this is why they’re preferred in high vibration environments.
Also, many cars have a label somewhere (commonly the spare tire well) with codes. If minis have such a label its probably possible to determine what battery it came with.
I suppose a call to mini to see if they can tell is worth a shot.
I suppose a call to mini to see if they can tell is worth a shot.
Do you belong to any Mini forums? I would suppose there are some smart folks there (like there are here) that have experience in this and could give you good info vs. pitting dealer against dealer or indie shops etc. As for the NOCO charger? Sure it could be doing something it shouldn't, but work on another battery fine. Online diagnostics is tough in this case. Call NOCO.
Pretty clear that a $35 used battery is not the correct one. This is less about registration, and more about the wrong battery. A used, dead, example of the wrong battery.
When I do a search on your car, AGM is what comes up.
This is what the original dealer told us. 2008 is the first year needing the battery registered but not all models required it depending on how they were equipped. Our model, (the way it is equipped) doesn’t require it. We aren’t even sure if the original battery was an AGM battery and I can’t seem to find out if it was but I will look for the codes to see if that tells us. The manual doesn’t mention anything about only using an AGM battery. The original battery was a Varta brand. That’s the only thing we know.
IF the original lasted 12 years that's a good deal. I go back with that
BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
you would think… OP wants to risk burning his car down for a $35 used battery. when its battery time i only buy top shelf from walmart/advance etc.
Based on what i can find if it has a plain negative cable it does not have intelligent battery management, if it has electronics on the negative cable it does have intelligent battery management. If it does not have IBM, i see no reason it should need reset/adaptation/programing. (but i could be wrong).
If it has battery management I would lay odds in 2008 it came with an AGM.
If it has battery management I would lay odds in 2008 it came with an AGM.
https://www.interstatebatteries.com...wSHBOd2tzaDZldlMzT0FZRGhhVUltJTJCNlJRJTNEJTNE
https://www.optimabatteries.com/
https://www.walmart.com/browse/auto-tires/car-batteries/91083_1074765_6499603_1104292_5926828
Read foot notes. (i agree there doesn't seem to be agreement)
https://www.optimabatteries.com/
https://www.walmart.com/browse/auto-tires/car-batteries/91083_1074765_6499603_1104292_5926828
Read foot notes. (i agree there doesn't seem to be agreement)
It was the right model battery for the car. It was the correct Duralast model. We did check that before installing it. It was the correct size and the right cold cranking amps. It even had the special notch for the bracket that holds the battery in place.
The original dealer service told us that not all 2008 Mini’s had AGM batteries. Our Mini does not have navigation. The Mini dealer service advisor told us that the models without navigation did not require registering and could have had lead acid batteries.
I don’t know if you can visually tell an AGM battery from and Lead acid battery but the original battery looked like a typical lead acid battery.
It does have a plain negative terminal with no extra electronics on it. Which is what the original dealer told us to look for to determine if it needs to be registered.
You can’t visually tell. It’s usually printed on there.
I have AGM in both Mercedes. The voltage regulator on the alternator is designed for AGM.
Numerous Mercedes owners put a lead-acid battery in their used Mercedes, because “expensive”, and then fill the forums with their complaints about the car - when the problem is using the wrong battery.
Used (and in this case, dead) batteries belong at the scrap yard, where they can be recycled, not in your car.
There is going to likely be an indeterminable line between it being "defective" and its charging algorithms inability to sense a problem with the battery and to start pulling back charging amperage.
I'd send it in for a check to be sure, but they will likely tell you sorry not our problem, or the shipping charges and possible test charge may not be worth it. The unit is basically a throwaway at today's labor cost, but check.
You are going to get tons of opinions on this matter, but somewhere up in the thread someone already said 10 AMPS is more than a maintainer and is at the maintainer /charger level.
Anything capable of more than 10% of face value (7 amps in the case of a 70AH battery) can trash a battery pretty quick especially if left unattended and something goes wrong like you experienced.
Should it have been fine - yes.
Was the battery probably gone - yes.
Could the charger itself have recovered it - probably not.
Should the charger have cooked it - nope. It should have shut the charging process down and red lighted way before boil off.
Could that condition be dangerous - You Betchum Red Ryder.
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