My 08 Cooper S needs a new battery. Went to the dealer to buy one and they told me it would need to be registered (programmed) to the car at a cost of $480 (including battery)! Is this true for my model? I thought I could just pick up a battery and put it in myself but they say I can't.

 

I did the same on my 2008 S, but I have a scan tool and was able to register it within minutes. Without registering it, you may have a few issues that don't self correct, such as date/time memory loss, and other things that require minimal battery power, but the computer has blocked, to reserve power for unlocking and starting the car

 

I don’t suppose you used a $20 Walmart scanner like mine. If I understand you correctly, I’ll lose some functionality if I change battery myself. So it’s either enrich the dealership or pony up for appropriate scan tool. Any suggestion for a scanner that won’t break the bank?

2013 S

 

I did wind up buying a $260 scan tool. I coincidently had a check engine light come on, on my Ridgeline.
it was well worth it. Registering the Mini battery made all the difference! My power mirrors also work correctly now as well, and I saved money on the Honda as well.... however, now I’m the ‘go to’ guy for all my friends .. lol. Good luck!!

 

I purchased the scan tool at Advance Auto. In my case, it paid for itself😉

 

Thanks for your quick reply. I found a Foxwell T510 elite for $179. But I will also look at advance auto before I pull the trigger.

 

Any garage with a scan tool can ‘register’ your new battery. I did mine in under 10 minutes. Don’t let the dealers scam you

 

All the ‘registering’ does is tell the onboard computer to rescan and acknowledge the new battery and reset to allow all functions to work once again

 

I owe you a pizza

 

Is this the one you bought at Advance Auto Parts? Innova CarScan Pro