11/19/23, 7:48 AM

61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

SIM 61 01 02
BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

2023-11-02

This Service Information bulletin (Revision 16) replaces SI M61 01 02 dated March 2022.
What’s New:

Complete revision of the Battery Maintenance and Care bulletin
Updated attachment, Battery Log Form for 2024 Calendar Year
Updated attachment, M610102_BatteryCare_Process_Flyer
Removal of M610102 Flowchart Attachment

☐

THIS REPAIR IS MOBILE FRIENDLY

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 center’s inventory. Allowing a vehicle’s
low-voltage battery to drop below 12.0 volts (12.0 V) permanently reduces the expected battery life and can
lead to premature failure. For vehicles equipped with high-voltage (HV) batteries, (Plug-in Hybrid Electric
Vehicle (PHEV) and Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)), improper maintenance or handling may lead to a
discharged HV battery, requiring replacement.
We provide a flexible battery maintenance system which every MINI dealer can use to meet their particular
needs. This bulletin explains the Battery Charging Calendar (see attachment), charging system and battery
voltage checking procedure below.

INFORMATION
PROCEDURE - 12V BATTERY SYSTEMS (INCLUDING PHEV/BEV VEHICLES)
This procedure details the required battery maintenance and care at the following points while the vehicle is
at your facility.
Inspection upon delivery
Assignment of vehicle usage (3 categories)

1. Put on a dealer’s lot (new vehicle display or supplemental inventory) Section “B”
2. Vehicle is put into display stock (showroom or show display) Section “C”
3. Vehicle storage (battery has been disconnected) Section “D”
Vehicle battery charging
New vehicle delivery
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. The sticker corresponds to a calendar year
quarterly time schedule for battery care.
Inspection upon delivery
When a new vehicle arrives at the dealer, please, follow the steps outlined below:
1. Remove the BATTERY LOG FORM (see attachment) from the glove compartment and complete section
“A”.

Copyright ©2023 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. All Rights Reserved
about:blank

1/7

11/19/23, 7:48 AM

61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

2. Open the vehicle and make sure (TRA) transport mode is active. Press the Start/Stop button and wait until
all (CCM) check control messages are displayed. Check the instrument cluster for any battery-related check
control messages to help determine the condition of the 12-volt battery.

When the transport mode is activated (set at the plant in all vehicles), an instrument cluster display is
generated which quickly provides information of the battery condition. Please refer to the chart below
for all applicable check control messages pertaining to the 12 Volt- battery.
If the battery voltage is below 71% (12.5 V), fully charge the battery for at least 12 hours. Charging
shall be discontinued no earlier than when the charge current falls below 1.5 Amps.

3. Check if the vehicle is due for charging according to section “B” in the charging calendar (is your vehicle
assigned to the color of the current week?) of the BATTERY LOG FORM.

When the charging interval specified in the battery charging calendar becomes due, charging is
necessary, the vehicle must be fully charged (preventive charging).
4. For PHEV/BEV vehicles, the high voltage (HV) battery must be charged if the SoC is below 30%. This
situation can occur because of delays in transporting the vehicle to the dealer.

5. If the vehicle displays CCM 460 “Replace Battery!” or the 12V battery is less than 30% SoC (12 V),
perform the following steps:
a. Enter a comment with the VIN in the Bill of Lading (Delivery Receipt).
b. Perform the energy diagnosis to check if there is a malfunction in the vehicle (refer to SI M61 06 07
Discharged Battery: Energy Diagnosis Must Be Performed).

1. Vehicle Management
2. Troubleshooting
3. Function structure
4. Body
5. Voltage supply
6. Energy Diagnosis

c. Submit a warranty claim with the comment: “Battery was delivered heavily discharged.”

If the vehicle battery needs to be exchanged before diagnostics can be performed, do not register
the battery until the root cause has been identified. When a battery is registered, the stored energy
history is deleted. This may cause the vehicle to return if the root cause of the discharged battery is
not determined.
Vehicle Check Control Displays and Actions

Copyright ©2023 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. All Rights Reserved
about:blank

2/7

11/19/23, 7:48 AM

61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

NOTE: Using a multi-meter upon delivery is not recommended, an accurate voltage value is only
guaranteed after the 12 V battery has been resting for at least 4 hours.
Assignment of vehicle usage
The new vehicle battery maintenance tracking system provides for 3 distinct categories of vehicles while in
dealer inventory. Each category has different recommended actions:

1. Put on a dealer’s 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
vehicles
a. The vehicle arrives marked with a color-coded round sticker on the windshield. These
colored dots indicate when the vehicle’s battery must be checked. Please, see section
“B” of the BATTERY LOG FORM (four-week cycle).
b. When the charging interval specified in the battery charging calendar becomes due, charging is
necessary, the vehicle must be fully charged (preventive charging).

c. Every time a battery is checked, record the voltage in section “B” of the BATTERY LOG
FORM. Additionally, if equipped, the HV battery SoC must also be checked at these
intervals and charged if below 30% in the SoC display.

2. Vehicle is put in display stock (showroom or show display)

The electrical system is “Customer ready”.
Copyright ©2023 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. All Rights Reserved
about:blank

3/7

11/19/23, 7:48 AM

61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

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, vehicle batteries become depleted by continuous loads during
demonstrations. The four-week charging cycle will not adequately maintain the 12 V battery. Shorter
recharging intervals are required for these vehicles (e.g., every night) so that a total battery discharge is
avoided.

a. To ensure the 12V battery is maintained, connect a suitable power supply (refer to SI
M04 08 09) to the under-hood jump start terminals.
b. If the showroom vehicle battery must be disconnected due to state regulations, check the
battery voltage on a regular basis to ensure the state of charge is maintained above 12.5
V or 71% SoC. We recommend default charging every night.
c. Record when the 12 V battery is recharged in section “C” of the BATTERY LOG FORM.
For dealers that have established their own battery maintenance procedure, Section “C”
can be used to track the charging schedule of vehicles.
d. For PHEV/BEV vehicles, energy is continuously drawn from the HV battery due to the
“terminal 15 on” state. External 12 V power supplies will NOT charge or maintain the HV
battery. To avoid deep discharge of the HV battery, a daily check of the charge level is
necessary. It is recommended to charge the HV batteries overnight via the external
charging port.

3. Vehicle storage (battery has been disconnected)
The 12 V vehicle battery is fully charged, until charging current falls below 1.5 Amps.
The 12 V vehicle battery is disconnected.

With the battery draw minimized, a 12-week charging cycle can be followed. The 12-week charging cycle
requires the battery to be recharged at every check. Use section “D” of the BATTERY LOG FORM to
document when charging has been performed.
The columns on the BATTERY LOG FORM are identified by the colors white, red, and green of the 12week charging calendar, designating the months when the vehicles are to be charged. The windshield
labels can also be used to track these vehicles, except for the 4th color, yellow. Therefore, vehicles
received with a yellow label will need to be reassigned another color.
Since MINI uses only maintenance-free or AGM (absorbent glass mat) batteries, DO NOT OPEN THE
BATTERY OR ADD DISTILLED WATER!
Dispose of all batteries properly, observing legal regulations.
Vehicle battery charging
PROCEDURE FOR 12V BATTERY
All 12 V batteries are charged from the engine compartment, whereby the charging process must be carried
out via the jump-start terminals. This is the only way to ensure that the charging process in vehicles with an
intelligent battery sensor (IBS) is correctly detected by the vehicle electronics. If the battery is charged
directly at the battery terminals, the battery condition may be misinterpreted and, under certain
circumstances, unwanted Check Control messages or fault codes may occur.
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 charge current falls below 2.5
Amps.

Copyright ©2023 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. All Rights Reserved
about:blank

4/7

11/19/23, 7:48 AM

61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

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.
procedure for high-voltage battery (PHEV/BEV vehicles)

Prolonged use of the “Emergency charging function” causes the HV battery to become totally discharged.
This occurs when the 12 V battery is not properly maintained, and the SOC of the 12 V battery drops while
the vehicle is in sleep mode. The vehicle is woken up and recharged from the HV battery.
On PHEV/BEV vehicles, the high-voltage battery packs should be checked at the same maintenance
intervals as the 12V battery. If the high-voltage battery reaches a critical state of charge, the vehicles can no
longer be driven by electric propulsion. In this case, the vehicles must be immediately charged.
It is possible to charge the HV battery installed in the vehicle via a power outlet or an external DC charger.
Charging is complete when the charger and/or vehicle indicators display the status message “Charging
complete.”
HV charge indicator, located in the instrument
cluster
Connect an approved 110 V or 220 V
charging cable to the vehicle’s charge
port
In transport mode, maximum SoC is limited to
30%

New vehicle delivery
The CBS Handover Inspection must be performed as the last process step, immediately before
delivery to the customer! Refer to Service Information bulletin “New Vehicle Preparation and
Maintenance Requirements” for the affected vehicle model.
Other battery-related steps to be performed prior to customer delivery:
BATTERY LOG FORM should be removed from the BATTERY CHARGE LOG (binder) and filed in the vehicle
file, to be available for future reference.
To be sure that the vehicle is handed over with a fully charged battery (minimum state of charge of 12.5 V or
71% SoC), start the engine before demonstrating the operation of components to the customer during the
time of delivery.

If, at any time, the vehicles battery open circuit voltage drops below 12.0 V, or a battery replacement is
indicated during the CBS handover inspection; perform the 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.
After diagnostics are performed, the replacement battery must be registered using the service function in the
diagnosis equipment.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Copyright ©2023 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. All Rights Reserved

about:blank

5/7

11/19/23, 7:48 AM

61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

Note that the procedures outlined above are meant to be guidelines to assist MINI dealers in always
assuring a sufficient state of charge of vehicle batteries. Following these procedures, however, will not
guarantee a sufficient state of charge on all batteries. There may be exceptional cases (for example,
recurrent movement of back lot vehicles) of excessive current which may call for more frequent 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
Obtain and confirm the part numbers for your specific vehicle by entering the chassis number in either ETK
or AIR which considers specific equipment and/or options.
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

CLAIM INFORMATION
This Service Information Bulletin provides technical-related information.
Damage and/or issues caused by outside influences are not covered under the MINI limited warranties.
Reimbursement for the battery maintenance step, one (1) FRU, is included to the applicable QC1 labor
operation. Please refer to the “SI M01 01 08 QC I Claim Payments for additional information.”

FEEDBACK REGARDING THIS BULLETIN
Technical Feedback
Warranty Feedback
Parts Feedback

To submit feedback for the technical topic of this bulletin: Submit your
feedback in the rating box at the top of this bulletin
To submit feedback for the CLAIMS section of this bulletin: Submit an IDS
ticket to the Warranty Department, or use the chat available in the
Warranty Documentation Portal
To submit feedback for the PARTS section of this bulletin: Submit an IDS
ticket to the Parts Department

Supporting Materials
picture_as_pdf M610102_Battery_Log_Form_2024.pdf
picture_as_pdf M610102_BatteryCare_Process_Flyer.pdf

Copyright ©2023 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. All Rights Reserved
about:blank

6/7

11/19/23, 7:48 AM

61 01 02_BATTERY MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS: BATTERY CARE

Copyright ©2023 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. All Rights Reserved
about:blank

7/7

October 2023

Attachment to M610102

VDC USE: Chassis #:

2024 BMW Group
Battery Log Form

Battery (12V) / Kombi
HV Battery(PHEV/BEV)
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

Center #

B

Model

Vehicle Receipt

Voltage as received

Vehicle In Storage - Charge Every 4 Weeks
High
Voltage
(12V) / Voltage
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F

Week
Of

Week
Of

High
Voltage
(12V) / Voltage
LED 0 Qr Qw Er F

Chassis#
Inspected by