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Mr__Steve's avatar
Mr__Steve
Explorer
Oct 17, 2013

Electric problem while towing Mini Cooper CONVERTABLE

A friend of mine is on the road right now, but has no internet, so I am asking on his behalf. He has a 2010 Mini Cooper Mini R57 with the RVIBREAK2 breaking system. He is having issues with the Mini staying charged, he took it to a shop in Kingman, AZ and they said that this car's battery could NOT be charged via the charging cable installed by the previous dealer where he bought the breaking system. My question is, has anyone ever charged this model of Mini Cooper. everytime he drives it for a bit his battery is dead, when they tried putting a direct current to the battery from the MH they said it shuts off. The purpose of the charging sustem is becasue he must keep the ignition key on for the wheel to be free. Any help really appreciated! THANK YOU! :h

Moved to Dinghy Towing forum from Towing.

10 Replies

  • tropical36's avatar
    tropical36
    Explorer
    Oct 19, 2013
    ScottG wrote:
    If he runs a wire from the MH battery directly to the mini's battery there's nothing to shut off.

    My thoughts exactly unless it for some reason blows a installed inline fuse and I like putting one on each end of the circuit near each battery. Installing 30amp fuses with #10 wire should do it. If a dealer did it, then who knows what he might have wired up between the coach and toad.
  • AprilWhine's avatar
    AprilWhine
    Explorer
    Oct 19, 2013
    Mr Steve wrote:
    AprilWhine wrote:
    Mr. Steve, tell your friend he can contact me by PM if he has questions. :)


    Thank you for the offer, it was very nice, but my friend did get his MH and vehicle back to the place that set it up and they took responsibility and fixed all. It was a missing ground. Thank you everyone for the help...till next time!


    Thanks for the update, glad it worked out!
  • Mr__Steve's avatar
    Mr__Steve
    Explorer
    Oct 19, 2013
    AprilWhine wrote:
    Mr. Steve, tell your friend he can contact me by PM if he has questions. :)


    Thank you for the offer, it was very nice, but my friend did get his MH and vehicle back to the place that set it up and they took responsibility and fixed all. It was a missing ground. Thank you everyone for the help...till next time!
  • luvlabs's avatar
    luvlabs
    Explorer
    Oct 18, 2013
    There is no reason that your friend can't use a charge line to the Mini to keep the battery charged. It should be a protected charge line, however. That is, it has fuses or circuit breakers to protect both the car and the MH. I use a Toad Charge system with my Honda Fit (which also uses an RVi2 brake). The Toad Charge has circuit breakers and a charge regulator that only charges the car when enough voltage (14v) is present to do so.

    If you have to leave the key in the ignition to keep the steering wheel unlocked, then using something like a Toad Charge works well. You do need to shut off the fan and radio and anything else that you can.

    Based on your description, it also sounds like your friends battery is ready to be replaced as well.
  • AprilWhine's avatar
    AprilWhine
    Explorer
    Oct 18, 2013
    Mr. Steve, tell your friend he can contact me by PM if he has questions. :)
  • AprilWhine's avatar
    AprilWhine
    Explorer
    Oct 17, 2013
    You're doing things the hard way. ;)

    Change your braking system to a surge type of braking. The one from Night Shift Auto is what we have on a 2008 Mini Clubman and it works great!

    Next, an R57 Mini does not have a locking steering column. You do not need to leave the key in the ignition. Tell your friend to go out and try it. ;) Turn the ignition off and crank the steering wheel. Pre 2009 convertibles and pre 2008 hardtops had locking steering but not the later models.

    Hubby and I have towed a 2008 Mini Clubman for over 30,000 miles.
  • jules6's avatar
    jules6
    Explorer
    Oct 17, 2013
    I tow a Honda Fit and to keep the battery from discharging I put a battery disconnect on it. I have to reprogram the radio code when I connect the battery again but the battery stays charged.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Oct 17, 2013
    If he runs a wire from the MH battery directly to the mini's battery there's nothing to shut off.
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Oct 17, 2013
    This seems to be a common question when towing a car. Other than putting the Mini on a dolly or trailer it might simply be out of luck. I guess he could try running a dedicated charge line from the MH directly to the battery and see what happens.

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