R55 Battery replacement

[johnson55]

Hi guys: I have a 2011 Clubman that the battery went down to 5v in 24 Hr. period. Talking to a local mechanic he is telling me that the battery needs to be registered with the vehicle. It is a 2 year old battery with 5 year warranty. Since that 5v condition it appears to be ok. After the Autozone battery was installed I had the vehicle at a Mini dealership and any fault codes were cleared and they didn't mention anything about the battery registration. My next step is to check if I have any current draw when the car is turned off. I will also go to AZ to have them check the battery. The car was built in Sept. of 2010. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
DJ

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

Hello Johnson - You need to check and see if your Clubman has an IBS unit. This unit can be identified on the top of your negative battery terminal. It sometimes looks like an L shaped tiny box. If you need a visual look at figure #3 in this tech article here: MINI Cooper R56 Battery and Connection Notes Replacement (2007-2011) | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article. The black box above where the green arrow is pointing is an IBS unit. If yours has this, it does require to be registered. Sometimes IBS units will be there without the black box so you need to indicate if there is something attached above your negative battery terminal. If yours has it and it was never registered the charge program will be incorrect, shortening the battery life. Let me know what you find after inspecting your battery for the IBS unit. If you're unsure, please post an image of your battery and the connecting points here for me to review.

[johnson55]

Checked my negative terminal and doesn't have anything that looks like your photo of the IBS unit.
No recurring problem with the battery to date. I had it checked at AZ.....79% charged and they find it to be good.
DJ

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

Good to hear. Be sure to charge it up completely. Curious, does the vehicle sit for long periods of time? When you do drive it, is it short trips?

[johnson55]

Thanks for suggestions. I will put it back on the charger for a few hours today.
The trips we take are usually 10+ minutes and the car doesn't sit for a long period of time.
With the previous battery I had a situation where it wouldn't turn over the engine. Bought this current battery, then found that the old battery was at 89%! I'm starting to think that I have something in the vehicle is not shutting off, radio?, when the engine is turned off.
DJ