Wrong battery for a 2008 Mini?

[RAR]

No Intelligent Battery System means it doesn’t have a way to register the battery. The electronics needed to monitor the battery aren’t in the positive terminal so - nothing to talk to to register.

These R56 Minis use either a Group 47 or 48 battery (a 48 is a tight fit but can be done), and are old enough pre 2011 that they used flooded batteries. You can use an AGM if you wish. I used both in mine with no issue, no need for battery registration, no electrical faults. I have the Mini-specific scan tools to register the battery if needed, but it can’t be done on my non-IBS equipped Cooper S. I used these scan tools on BMWs that needed that registration back in the day, and they had huge positive battery terminals with the monitoring devices built in.

Unless the indys and that one dealer have the car in the bay and can see it for sure, they are guessing. If the terminal is plain, the battery that’s in it should be ok. I’ve run a battery for a while unregistered in a car that requires it and it never damaged the electrical system. But I didn’t run it for weeks either.

 

[f355spider]

I have posted on a Mini forum and haven’t gotten concrete answers either. I’ve gotten mixed advice from the 2 dealers in my area as well. The dealer he bought it from and where he still goes for oil changes tells him he needs to register it whether it has an IBS or not or risk damage to his electrical system. The other dealer which is in the northern part of our state says he doesn’t if it doesn’t have an IBS. Almost all the Indy shops I’ve called say it needs to be registered. Very confusing. We’re not so worried about reduced battery life since this current battery was somewhat cheap, but he doesn’t want to cause possible damage to the car.

I doubt very much there is any risk to the car. It may shorten battery life. But yes, I would get a definitive answer before moving forward.

I did some more searches and from what I could determine IBS became standard on Mini Coopers with the 2014 model year. No registration required with prior years. But why the dealer or independent shops would not know this?

Please check and confirm my information....

 

[930.engineering]

Assuming this car required it (appears it does not) it resets the Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) to a charging profile for the size (amp hour) of battery installed and for a "new" battery. The charging system on many newer cars modifies the charging profile as the battery ages to compensate for the lower capacity of an older, aged battery. I believe the idea is to not over charge a battery when newer (less drag on the engine, presumably to save fuel), but also to extend battery life by charging it appropriately when aged. There are claims an IBS can extend battery life by 10 to 20%. (search google)

The downfall of not registering is that it may overcharge a newer battery, shortening its life...and you may get a very slight decrease in fuel efficiency.

'Overcharging'? Without a generator voltage of above 14.5 V (which the generator without failure won't do) impossible.

Let's stop 'guessing' please.

.

 

[eljefino]

Yeah, get a running voltage, both a minute after starting and when it's hot.

Since most cars UNDERcharge, having this one making a few cents more voltage may actually be a good thing.

AAA sold a battery that was on the truck.

 

[Highlander 1459]

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On a side note: AGMs are lead acid batteries too.
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exactly... think this one thru... 6 cells arranged in series should equate to 12.6 VDC when fully charged.. it shouldn't matter whether it is AGM or traditional construction...

 

[Jim K]

Wrong battery for a 2008 Mini? I would not use this one.