I own a 2003 MINI Cooper S here in the U.S. Battery is dead, need a new one. Do I have to get a replacement from my MINI dealer or can I get a more heavy-duty one that will fit? I checked Sears on-line but they don't have a replacement listed.
Thanks, Blues
Hi Blues, any H/duty battery that will fit in the space will do,, doesn't need to be BMW, Fitzy
Interstate Battery makes a drop-in replacement, complete with the vent tube connection. Check yellow pages -many cities have "Interstate Battery Center" stores.
Tim/
Thanks Tim, that's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for.
Blues
Glad it was helpful! I'm sure you've discovered by now how "squirrelly" MINI's get (in fact, all BMW's get) when the battery starts to fail. My MINI battery started to go bad a few months ago, and the car developed many odd habits until it was replaced! One big thing is, every time you turn the steering wheel, the power steering pump kicks on, and draws down the battery. The new battery will cure any of those odd happenings almost immediately!
My other car (BMW 540i) also adopted a real "Jekyll and Hyde" personality when the battery was on it's way out. Lights flashed on and off, the computers started giving odd orders to the transmission and HVAC systems, etc. It was interesting to see the similarities between the Big Bimmer and the MINI Bimmer while this was going on!
Enjoy!
Tim/
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