10/5/2020

61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

SIM 61 01 02
BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

2020-09-28

This Service Information bulletin (Revision 13) replaces SI M61 01 02 dated July 2019.
What’s New (Specific text highlighted):
•
Added Battery Log Form for 2020 Calendar Year

MODEL
E-Series
All

Model Description
All (new vehicles in MINI center inventory)

SITUATION
Proper battery maintenance is vital when MINI vehicles are in your dealer inventory. Allowing a vehicle’s battery
voltage to drop below 12.0 volts (12V) permanently reduces the battery life expectancy and can cause
premature failure of the battery.
We provide a flexible battery maintenance system that every MINI dealer can use to meet their particular needs.
This bulletin explains the Battery Charging calendar and vehicle charging system categories, and offers a
simplified tool and battery voltage checking procedure below.

INFORMATION
Starting on July 1, 2019; the key read with the Battery Care app is no longer needed prior to delivery.
No vehicle should be delivered to the customer with a red Check Control Message (CCM) 460 “Replace battery”
displayed.
For more information on the updated QCI payment and the related claim submission information, refer to SI
M01 01 08.

PROCEDURE - 12V BATTERY SYSTEMS
This procedure details the required battery care at the following points while the vehicle is at the dealership:
During receiving inspection at the dealership
Assignment of vehicle usage (3 categories)
1) Put on the lot (new vehicle display or supplemental inventory)
2) Battery is disconnected, vehicle is in storage
3) Vehicle is put in display stock (showroom or show display)
Vehicle battery is recharged
Vehicle is delivered to customer
Delivery of vehicle to dealer:
NOTE: The vehicle arrives marked with a color-coded round sticker on the windshield. Do not remove this
sticker under any circumstance until the vehicle is retailed.
When a new vehicle arrives at the dealership, do the following:

a. Remove the BATTERY LOG FORM (see attachment) from the glove compartment and complete
section “A.”
b. Check if the car is due for charging according to section “B” in the charging calendar (is car
assigned to the color of the current week?) on the BATTERY LOG FORM.
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61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

If YES, please check the State of Charge (SoC). If it is below 71% (12.5 V), please recharge the car
before it goes into storage. Go to step c.
If NO, go to step c.
c. Check the instrument cluster for battery-related check control messages to determine the condition of
the 12-volt battery. Refer to the chart below for all applicable check control messages.
d. Open the vehicle and make sure it is in transport mode. Press the Start/Stop button and wait until all
check control messages are displayed. Refer to the chart below for all applicable check control
messages.
Vehicle Check Control Displays and Actions:
All except F56 (Cooper/Cooper S) vehicles:

For F56 (Cooper/Cooper S) and newer vehicles:

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61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

If an indicator shows that the battery is less than 30% SoC (12 V), perform the following steps:

1. Enter a comment with the VIN in the Bill of Lading (Delivery Receipt).
2. Perform energy diagnosis to check if there is a vehicle malfunction.
3. Submit a warranty claim with the comment: “Battery was delivered heavily discharged.”
NOTE: Using a multimeter upon delivery is not recommended, because an accurate voltage value is
only guaranteed after the 12 V battery has been sitting for at least 4 hours.
Vehicle usage is assigned:
The BatteryCare maintenance tracking system provides for 3 distinct categories of vehicles while in dealer
stock. Each category has different recommended actions:

1. Put on dealer lot
The vehicle may be in storage (back lot) or in a new vehicle display (not in the showroom)
The vehicle may or may not be in Transport Mode
A four-week charging cycle and calendar have been recommended for this category of vehicle
a) The vehicle arrives marked with a color-coded round sticker on the windshield. Do not remove this
sticker under any circumstance until the vehicle is retailed. The respective color dot on the windshield
(four options) indicates when the vehicle’s battery voltage must be checked in accordance with the
section “B” of the BATTERY LOG FORM on a four-week cycle.
b) Recharge whenever the battery voltage is less than 12.5 V or 71% SoC.
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61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

MINI recommends using the LED 12 V Charging Indicator to determine if a certain vehicle has to be
recharged. (For testing and charging equipment, refer to SI M04 08 09.)
This LED indicator has to be connected to the vehicle permanently and eliminates the need to unlock
the vehicle for measuring the SoC of the 12 V battery. The colors below apply to the charging
calendar’s SoC thresholds, and are as follows:
Green:

Voltage is > 12.5 V (71% SOC)

Yellow:

Voltage is between 12.0 V and 12.5 V => Recharge

Red:

Voltage < 12.0 V (30% SOC) => Replace battery on new cars

c) Every time a battery is checked, record the voltage in section “B” of the BATTERY LOG FORM.
IMPORTANT: The LED indicator has to be connected to the car for at least 4 hours in order for it to
indicate the correct battery condition!
2. The vehicle goes into the showroom, or a similar display area
The electrical system is “Customer ready”
The vehicle has been taken out of Transport Mode using the MINI Diagnosis System
The color dot system is not applicable while assigned to this usage
When in the showroom display, energy consumption is frequent and unpredictable because of the
showroom traffic. A four-week charging cycle will not suffice, due to the increased current draw imposed on
the battery. This is because of frequent usage of the vehicle’s electrical components (demonstrations,
product familiarization, etc.).

a) To ensure the battery charge is maintained, connect the battery via the underhood charging
terminals to a suitable power supply (SI M04 08 09).
b) If the showroom vehicle battery has to be disconnected due to state regulations, check the
battery voltage on a regular basis to ensure the state of charge is maintained above 12.5V. Record when
the battery is recharged in section “C” of the BATTERY LOG FORM.
Note: For those MINI dealers which have established their own working battery maintenance procedure
which fulfills MINI guidelines, Section C can be used to track the charging of those vehicles.
3. The battery draw has been minimized

The vehicle battery has been disconnected.

With the battery draw minimized, a 12-week charging cycle can be followed. Use section “D” of the
BATTERY LOG FORM to document when the charging has been performed.
The columns on the BATTERY LOG FORM are identified by the colors white, red and green of the 12-week
charging calendar, designating the months when the vehicles are to be charged. The windshield labels can
also be used to track these vehicles, with the exception of the 4th color, yellow. Therefore, vehicles received
with a yellow label will need to be reassigned another color.
The 12-week charging cycle requires the battery to be recharged at every check.
Since MINI uses only maintenance-free or AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries, DO NOT ADD DISTILLED
WATER!
If, at any time, the battery open circuit voltage should drop below 12 V, or a battery replacement is indicated
during the CBS handover inspection, perform Energy Diagnosis (refer to SI M61 06 07) to determine the
cause. Any necessary repairs should be carried out and the battery MUST BE REPLACED. The replacement
battery must be registered using the service function in the diagnosis equipment.
Dispose of all batteries properly, observing legal regulations.

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Charging Parameters:
Battery charging must be performed using an approved battery charger (recommended charging voltage 14.8
V). Refer to SI M04 08 09 for recommended chargers.
For an optimized charging procedure, the ambient temperature should be between 60°F and 75°F. Under
these conditions, the battery can be considered fully charged when the charging current has fallen below 2.5
Amps.
Charging below 60°F should be avoided if possible, since the capacity of the battery to take up current is
reduced and the charging time is extended considerably. However, if provisional charging below 60°F is
performed, the charging voltage must be set to 14.8 V. Charging shall be discontinued no earlier than when
the charging current falls below 1.5 Amps.
New Vehicle Delivery
The CBS Handover Inspection must be performed as the last process step, immediately before delivery
to the customer! Refer to the Service Information entitled “New Vehicle Preparation and Maintenance
Requirements” for the vehicle model concerned.
Upon the sale of a vehicle, its BATTERY LOG FORM should be removed from the BATTERY CHARGE LOG
(binder) and filed in the vehicle file to be available for future reference.
Make sure that the car will be handed over with a minimum state of charge of 12.5 V or 71% SoC. To ensure
that the battery remains fully charged, start the engine before demonstrating the operation of components to the
customer at the time of delivery.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Note that the procedures outlined above are meant to be guidelines to assist MINI dealers in assuring a
sufficient state of charge of vehicle batteries at all times. Following these procedures, however, will not
guarantee a sufficient state of charge on all batteries. For example, there may be exceptional cases of
excessive current draw through frequent movement of back lot vehicles which may call for more recharging
than otherwise necessary.
The above guidelines for proper battery maintenance are meant to provide maximum flexibility for every MINI
dealer. Regional MINI personnel will be happy to assist with setting up an effective charging and monitoring
program.

PARTS INFORMATION
Refer to the attachment to this bulletin for the procedure flowchart.
Part Number
01 00 2 411 748
01 00 2 411 749
01 00 2 411 750
01 00 2 411 751

Description
Battery Charge Label - White
Battery Charge Label - Red
Battery Charge Label - Green
Battery Charge Label - Yellow

Quantity
1 = 50 labels
1 = 50 labels
1 = 50 labels
1 = 50 labels

The pre-printed version of the Battery Log form will no longer be provided since the demand was very low.

WARRANTY INFORMATION
Since the BatteryCare key read procedure prior to a vehicle’s first delivery is no longer necessary, MINI is
currently in the process of re-transitioning the reimbursement of the battery maintenance step, one (1) FRU,
back to the applicable QC1 labor operations.

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Please refer to the updated version of SI M01 01 08 for the interim claim submission procedure for QC1s
performed on or after July 1, 2019.

Supporting Materials
picture_as_pdf M610102 Process Flyer.pdf
picture_as_pdf M610102 2021 Log Form.pdf
picture_as_pdf M610102 2020 Log Form.pdf
picture_as_pdf M610102 Flowchart.pdf

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Attachment to M610102

July 2019

BATTERY CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Delivery of
vehicles

Battery testing
during receiving
inspection

Assignment of
vehicle usage

If InstPanel
shows defective battery:
Energy diagnosis

Battery check &
(re-)charging
process

a) Follow the charging calendar
b) Use as many permanent
chargers as possible, especially
in the showroom

Battery check
during delivery
inspection

Vehicle
transfer to
customer

After PDI, No CCM "Replace
battery" displayed. Do not deliver a
vehicle to the customer with CCM
460 "Replace battery" displayed

1 VEHICLE CHECK INSTRUMENT PANEL
Battery OK
1. Press button on the end of the lever several times until
the menu item “CHECK-INFO” is visible
2. Press the button again and hold until the check result is
displayed
3. In case of existing check control messages, toggle
through and watch for the battery symbol

Recharge or
Replace
d) Release central lock button.

combination indicates error code.

September 2019

Attachment to M610102

VDC USE: Chassis #:

2020 BMW Group
Battery Log Form

Battery (12 V) / Kombi
Battery (Hybrid)
Date
Inspector

Stock#

Volts / SOC%
SOC%

This form should be filled out when the vehicle is received and updated according to the proper
procedure (display vs. storage vehicle). It should be placed in the vehicle history file when sold.
Note: Failure to maintain batteries as recommended and documented with this form will be considered sufficient
cause to reject warranty claims.

A

Model

Vehicle Receipt

Center #

B

Voltage as received

Vehicle In Storage - Checked Every 4 Weeks
Voltage Voltage Charged
(12V) / Hybrid
By
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F

Week
Of

Week
Of

Voltage Voltage Charged
(12V) / Hybrid
By
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F

Chassis#
Inspected by

Date received

Color indicates battery is to be checked during the week of . . .
Week
Of

Voltage Voltage Charged
(12V) / Hybrid
By
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F

Week
Of

Dec. 23

Dec. 30

Jan. 6

Jan. 13

Jan. 20

Jan. 27

Feb. 3

Feb. 10

Feb. 17

Feb. 24

Mar. 2

Mar. 9

Mar. 16

Mar. 23

Mar. 30

April 6

April 13

April 20

April 27

May 4

May 11

May 18

May 25

June 1

June 8

June 15

June 22

June 29

July 6

July 13

July 20

July 27

Aug. 3

Aug. 10

Aug. 17

Aug. 24

Aug. 31

Sept. 7

Sept. 14

Sept. 21

Sept. 28

Oct. 5

Oct. 12

Oct. 19

Oct. 26

Nov. 2

Nov. 9

Nov. 16

Nov. 23

Nov. 30

Dec. 7

Dec. 14

C

Display Vehicle - Monitored Daily

Date
Voltage before charge
Charged by
Date
Voltage before charge
Charged by

Voltage Voltage Charged
(12V) / Hybrid
By
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F

Battery Log Form

Stock #

This form should be filled out when the vehicle is received and updated according to the proper procedure (display
vs. storage vehicle). It should be placed in the vehicle history file when sold.
Note: Failure to maintain batteries as recommended and documented with this form will be considered sufficient
cause to reject warranty claims.

A

Center #

D

Model

Vehicle Receipt

Voltage as received

Inspected by

Date received

Vehicle In Storage - Charged Every 3 Months
Date

January
Voltage
Before
Charge

Date