Well before you go on a witch hunt with your pitch forks and sign a petition you might need to know that BMW/MINI considers burning a quart oil every 1k miles within normal standards. Heard that for the 15th mechanic I have dealt with in regards to both my 07 MINI S and my 93 BMW 525iT.

When it comes to burning oil in my MINI it comes and goes. At one point it was burning a 1/2 to a quart every 2k to 3k miles then since being back from Afghan it hasn't burned a drop. Granted I changed brands of oil. I went from Amsoil(which is for the ballers) to Castrol Edge.

 

Its funny u say that cause Castrol Edge is the one i was using right from the beginning and i was burning oil!

 

It's not the negative stance; it's the "its been attempted and you only get to a certain point"...
Really, if you stepped back and check how many cars BMW / MINI has produced, over several decades, ...you'll see that this claim will be smothered.

Genik, what year is your MINI? How many miles? Are you the original owner?
What oil do you use? What's the frequency of your oil changes?

I hate to tell you, but my JCW doesn't burn any oil...

- Erik

 

Castrol Edge? I guess technically it does meet the SM designation. Other than that, not really the correct oil.

 

Last time I checked Castrol was making "MINI" brand oil. Maybe not Edge but none-the-less it is still the same brand. I don't worry about the SM anymore my MINI isn't in warranty so I make what decisions I think are correct for me and my MINI.

Not getting mad at you just stating something so don't take it wrong.

 

Porthos,

np. I'm running RP, so not an "approved" oil either. My comment was really directed at genik, the OP, who wants to start a petition complaining about MINI not addressing what he thinks is an oil burning issue. But now it comes out that he is using an oil that is not really on MINI's list of recommended oils. Kind of begs the question of whose fault is it really that oil is burning. Then multiply that by all the choices individual owners make about oil, intervals, break-in procedures, driving style, etc. Which is probably why so many question the value of pursuing such - is it really established that a problem even exists and if so, is it really a MINI problem.

 

Actually he didn't say that he was not using the recommended oil. I did though.

 

mine acutely doesn't burn any oil.

 

I took delivery of my MINI about 2 months ago and it has 2,000 miles on it now. I check the oil at least once a week and the oil level on the dipstick has not changed at all in that time - still dead center between the two bumps as it was when I got it.

 

why not the correct oil? im talking about the 5/30 version

 

This is what he posted after your post:
But perhaps he does have the correct oil as far as the correct Castrol blend. According to MINIUSA, the "approved" oil is "Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30". In the past, the Castrol Edge was a different line of oils from Castrol Syntec. However, I just looked up on the Castrol site and I see that Castrol has now renamed the Syntec line as "Castrol Edge with Syntec". So maybe folks are saying Castrol Edge when really they mean Castrol Edge w SPT, which is the successor to Castrol Syntec. If that's the case, I stand corrected.

I'm running into a similar problem now with Pennzoil as none of the current products correspond directly with what MINIUSA lists.

 

genik, see my reply to Porthos regarding the change in name regarding Castrol Syntec v Castrol Edge.

I do note that the 5w30 does not meet the ACEA A3/B3 or BMW LL01 specifications. The 0w30 does and appears to be the oil option that most closely corresponds to what is on the MINIUSA web site as an "approved" oil.

 

So using the wrong weight oil is going to cause it to burn? Or be consumed more rapidly?

I just buy the oil and filer from the dealer. Its not like its any more expensive.

 

I don't know. But what it does do is give MINI an "out" - e.g., "You're burning oil? What oil are you using? Oh, well, you are not following the manufacturer's recommendations - that is why you have a problem with burning oil." It is not so much a question of proving the case of a problem - is is a question of eliminating excuses that MINI may have. Kind of like in some negotiations I used to be involved in where we were competing against others - the goal was not to get a "yes", the goal was to make sure you didn't give them a reason to say "no".

 

And when I meant wrong weight I was not suggesting gear oil instead of synthetic motor oil. I meant that if the recommendation was 0W-30 and 10W-40 was used...would that really be a big deal? Maybe over a long period? And I guess it would matter where you lived climate wise too.

 

Durr Hurrr totally did not see that.



I think that I am going to give 0w-30 a try next oil change as I live in a warmer climate and really don't need 5w-30.

 

72K Specs in the sig. True statement "All R56's burn oil". Mine has never burned enough to warrant adding any by a 5k oil change. I might have added some during the first 3k, but that was 5 years ago adn I have slept since then.
All engines burn oil. Some more than others. I am sorry yours burns enough to make you so frustrated.
Limited amount of things that will make an engine burn oil. My money is on a bad ring.
Sometimes you get a ring that just won't seat. I have never seen these plugs, but on a chevy, you can tell when a cylinder wall is getting left wet. Now, I am talking rebuilds, so you would expect the standards to be higher from the factory. But I think the problem amounts to the same thing. You can't tell what a ring is gonna do in a cylinder until you run that engine. Long enough for them to mate up.
I am not a long winded typer, thank goodness the interwebs is full of folks that are. Here is a discussion that I thank may apply.

http://www.ntnoa.org/enginebreakin.htm

I am not saying it wasn't broken in right, or that anybody did anything wrong. The effectiveness of the compression ring is the amount of force it exerts on the cylinder wall. I think that sometimes a ring will mike the right size, be made of the right material, but just stay compressed when it is installed. You squeeze it in there, and it stays squeezed.

Every make, every model, every manufacturer has this happen. It aint a BMW or Mini only problem.

 

there are many folks here saying that their mini doesnt burn oil at all, what is not asked and is very important is, what type of oil is used? so this is a good question to clarify things, so...

my R56 burns oil and i use Castrol Edge 5/30

let hear from the rest what exactly is used!

 

No oil burned in the 5k miles I've owned mine and whatever the dealership used last, likely the MINI re-branded oil I would suspect.

 

5k is very little to figure this
what type of oil are you using and when was the R56 manufactured?

 

I don't burn any oil anymore since switching to Edge. Before when I used Amsoil it would burn oil.

 

I have only had my MINI's oil changed at the dealer, so I have only run MINI brand oil in the car.
I keep a spare bottle of MINI oil in the boot.

Dave

 

+1, easy, same price as hunting it down and then I get to hang out with the service and sales people.

 

Which Edge would that be?

 

what type of oil are you both using, tell us about the year make of your mini and miles so far!