Okay guys...I went with the Mobil 0w-40 European Car Blend based on it meeting A3/B3 spec.

I dunno if its me...but I notice the engine accelerates smoother. For example, Winston could cruise just above 2K in 6th gear at around 70 mph and I couldn't feel the car really working too hard. Now, I can cruise at about 75-78 at around 2500-2600 and it felt the same at 70 mph. My commute is pretty long, and I believe I'm in tune with my car so I can feel the difference. The car just seems to accelerate smoother.

Here's the kicker...Everyone says that the fill up for oil on the R56 is 4 quarts and some change. Well my buddy, BMW mechanic, put 5 quarts in my car. He said that he put about 4.75 quarts and the dip stick showed that I will still about a .25 low...so he put in the 5 quarts. He made sure to reference the MINI mechanic in the next shop over to make sure he was doing things right. His explanation for going with 5 quarts was because he changed the oil in my car while it was still hot. He says that all of the oil flows out, and that is why I need the 5 quarts.

Now after driving home I tried to check my oil, but the dipstick is pretty useless. I had no idea at what level was full, or what. I'm used to the stick that have lines and clearly state what full is. I mean this stick looks cool, but IMO I prefer the lines. I will be checking today with my motorhead buddy to make sure it wasn't overfilled.

Any one have thoughts on my comments above?

 

I drained mine hot as well, but checking the dipstick only indicated that it wanted about 4.5 qts.

The way to check this dipstick is to pull it out and lay it on a paper towel. Then roll it away from the stain to see where the oil was. Let us know what you find.

Did your friend wait 5 minutes before checking the dipstick? It could be that not all the oil had made its way to the sump when he checked.

 

I didn't ask about the 5 minute thing...hmmm. I will be checking soon and reporting back.

 

Looks like I'm a half quart over...what do you think?

 

I too used about 4.5 quarts when I changed mine, so half a quart over sounds about right if he put in 5 quarts. Half a quart shouldn't harm anything.

 

Yeah I was reassured by a couple of people...So i'm not too worried there. However, my coolant is low. My buddy filled it yesterday, and it's low again today. It is just below the line and the car has been sitting about 3.5 hours.

My E36 M3 used to eat some coolant too..It would show low on the cold level...and then purge.

 

MinUSA also reports it holding 4.5 quarts btw.

 

I'm still waiting for my Mini Clubman, but this thread has helped me immensely. I thought I heard my MA say I "had" to use the Mini branded oil in order to validate the warranty. I am an absolute believer in Mobile 1. It started with an acquaintance who races BMW's. He is **** about his fluids. He only uses Mobil 1 for engine oil, and Redline for his tranny.
Well, the first time I used Mobile 1 after talking to him was with a brand new, 1996 Chevy Tahoe (remember when gas prices afforded you to drive these?). That SUV ran to 335,000 miles and never burned any oil between changes and the only thing done to the engine was to have a coolent leak repaired. I once took an oil sample and sent it to Blackstone Labs for analysis with 250,000 miles on the engine and 7000 miles on the oil at the time. Blackstone's analysis showed...no metals, no gas, no coolent, and enough additives left to go another 4000 miles minimum. They said this engine, with a quarter of a million miles on it, looked like an engine with 20,000 miles. I've been using Mobil 1 in everything since...cars, lawn mowers, generators, etc.
Now that I know the warranty will still be valid...I'll change my oil on my new Mini at about 1500 miles and change over to Mobil 1.
Just my 2c.

 

hmmmm...i would really look at this and monitor the coolant level because if it is truly sucking up that much, and only happened after being overfilled with oil, you could have a blown gasket lets hope not, but id definitely consider it a possibility

 

Wow, sounds like your BMW mechanic would have failed my high school auto shop.

From page 95 of the owners manual:

They don't say how much over it has to be to cause damage. Personally, I'd try to remove some.

 

He claims that it was low prior to changing the oil. And he topped it off with more coolant (that was on Monday). We checked it on Tuesday and it was just below the minimum line.

I hope its not a blown gasket...However, the car runs fine so what would the symptoms be?

 

I'm not 100% sure, but I have heard that chocolate looking oil or milkshake, and possibly darker coolant
This link has a variety of answers, just take with a grain of salt i guess

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_t...wn_head_gasket
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...f_a_blown.html

 

Thanks for the links...I read them on my google search. My car doesn't exhibit any of those things, so we'll see. I found a local shop who will extract the extra oil...and I'm scheduled to see my dealer about the low coolant on Monday. So we'll see.

 

Just got back...they pumped out almost a quart Thanks for the advice...I was trying not to be overly concerned but better safe than sorry. The shop I went to did it for free. His wife owns just a Cooper...so I may be going back for more work.

 

Good to hear (well crazy that much was in there, but good thing its out)...did justacooper tell you if there could be a possibility of damage?

 

I've actually talked to quite a few people about this...most of them dedicated gear heads.

Guy at the shop: He said I might of had problems if I went like a 1000 miles with a quart over.

Track buddy: He said likely hood of damage very minimal. I may have some excess oil going to my vents, so I may have to clean that up...but I didn't see any dripping. Also, he said that I would get oil foam in the lifters (I believe) and so my engine may have some clacking noise.

As far as I can tell 1/2 quart would have been okay...A guy here runs 1/2 quart over on track days...I'm glad I got it out though for peace of mind. I know the chances of something happening would have been limited, but I can't take a chance and I'm still under warranty.

 

z3bum

Thank you for the DIY. Did it today at 2400 miles. Simple as pie! Though that drain plug leaves something to be desired though.

Thank

 

Did a 7500 interval change today (a 2500 mile was done at the dealer). Got my oil from the dealer (6.00 ea) and thanks to a friend and his ramps everything went like this thread said it should. Thanks to everyone who's contributed.
The oil was pretty black and scummy. Although that might not mean anything, I'm still glad I didn't wait for the year anniversary change. I really can't imagine leaving the original oil in for all this time.

 

Transmission fluid!! I did that on my bimmer it was never the same :(

 

So, two questions:

1. The filter housing appears to be the black plastic "extended nut" with the 25 Nm stamp on it. Is that correct?

2. Do you really need to move the coolant reservoir - mine appears to have plenty of room (base cooper anyways) to maneuver given that question 1 above is correct?

Thanks,
Greg

[quote=z3bum;1528871]Ok.
This is going to be a LONG article, and not for the faint of heart. If you're still interested, read on...

Today, I decided, with 1500 miles on the odometer, that it was time to change the new MINI's oil. Little did I know, I would have the fire marshall stop by, be changing the oil AND the transmission fluid, and go on a motorbike ride during the project!

Ok, first things first. I bought a filter from MINI of Sterling, and six quarts of oil, 5w30. The new engine actually only uses 4.4 quarts btw, but it is always good to have a quart or two on hand. Tools needed for this job:

Socket set with a long extension... I used two together to reach the filter cap.

T50 Torx bit for the oil drain plug.

8mm wrench to remove the coolant tank.

27mm socket for the oil filter cap.

Lots of paper towels to soak up oil.

 

[QUOTE=GregO;2322842]So, two questions:

1. The filter housing appears to be the black plastic "extended nut" with the 25 Nm stamp on it. Is that correct?

2. Do you really need to move the coolant reservoir - mine appears to have plenty of room (base cooper anyways) to maneuver given that question 1 above is correct?

Thanks,
Greg

Yes that is the filter housing. And I have the base cooper and I did not have to remove the coolant reservoir...there is plenty of room in ours.
Goodluck

 

At the risk of topic drift, does anyone have experience with the aftermarket oil dipstick sold at Outmotoring? It's supposed to be a lot easier to read than the stock dipstick, which drives me nuts everytime I use it.

 

thanks to the OP (z3bum), i did my break-in oil change last evening. the only thing that posed some difficulty was finding all the tools needed and moving the coolant without possibly breaking it.

i went with the same oil auto_pilot used (mobil 1 euro spec 0w40).
it might just be my imagination, but it seems to accelerate less freely...almost like the OEM oil was really thin stuff, while the mobil 1 is like molasses.

i don't know...maybe i'm just full of crazy.

 

I thought the exact OPPOSITE when I did the same change, so it sounds like we both are full of CRAZY

 

okay... ignore my last post.

it actually does drive smoother than before. a couple people drove it today and felt the difference. and now i do too. i guess it was just morning grogginess.

mobil 1 ftw.