Had my recall done last week in Nashville... I have an 08 S, BTW. Was my first experience with a MINI dealer... wasn't much different than dealing with a BMW dealer.. (ie I ride BMW motorcycles..) First impressions are that they wanted to bend me over and... empty my wallet.

FYI.. I live in Asheville NC but I had biz in Nashville so I called them, spoke to service manager, Gary and he set up an appointment and a rental while it was being worked on.

Anyway.. I arrived a little early, went in and asked for
1. The recall work to be done (I did NOT have the letter from MINI, but they were OK with that..)
2. Oil and filter change (it was due)
3. (4) mud flaps installed

He worked up the paperwork and told me the total would be $684.!! After I came to, I looked over the paperwork and there was 1/2 a dozen other things he'd written up saying it was time for.. changing fluids on this and that, tweaking the flux capacitor, etc etc... I told him I ONLY want what I asked for initially. The bill dropped to $230.. I agreed and the work was complete in about 5 hours.. Now I can park my car in the garage and not worry about the house flaming up like the Hindenberg.

I would like opinions on the following... I have made many back-n-forth trips to Nashville from here. It's about 360 miles each way. I usually burn up about 1/4-1/2 quart of oil on the R/T depending on how much I'm on the turbo in the mountains between here and there.. Once I get home, the first thing I do is check the oil.. add what I need and fagetaboutit....

On this trip I got home and after letting the car sit a while I checked and the oil was over filled to the mark below. Keep in mind this is AFTER a fast run back.. so instead of being at least 1/2 qt low.. it was this high..

I called Gary at the Nashville dealership (in a quasi-panic) and explained exactly what I'm explaining here and he said not to worry about it.. That the reading is/was not as high as it looks because the reservoir for the oil is like a coke-bottle.. wide at the bottom but narrowing up at the top so while it may look like there's 1 full qt over.. it doesn't work that way and that it's probably only about 1/4" over.. No worries.. No need to drain anything.. NO chance of damaging anything..

Should I trust what the dealer rep is telling me? Opinions?

 

Check it cold in the morning - see what it reads.

Just took the MINI in for the aux H20 pump recall. They also did the timing chain tensioner seal "service action" - said ours was the first - it just popped up. I was surprised as I always read it was older models.


Very happy with NW MINI Tacoma service today - they also did the 2 year service 900 miles ahead of time, brake fluid change, air filter, micro filter, oil change etc. Replaced a non op chrome boot latch even though it was added after purchase. Had a 2011 S loaner for the day to boot...... They couldn't wait to pull the car into service at 8:15 AM..... Service advisor had the paperwork in hand as we walked in the door to pick up at 5:00 PM.... Oh and sat in a sweet Coupe while I waited for our MINI to be pulled around.

Total cost. Zero dollars. *PRICELESS*.

 

If the reading is high, it's high, don't understand the coke bottle nonsense. They probably just added 5 whole quarts instead of 4 and 1/2 the manual calls for. They do that at my dealership too and I haven't seen any ill effect. Oh and sorry to blow your bubble but us gov't employees are having a hard time making ends meet too...

 

It is common to get misreadings when checking your oil. Most of the time the misreading looks too high. Make sure the car is on level ground!!! Use the cold oil check method outlined below.

Cold oil check method:

1) Remove the dipstick and clean it. Do not put the dipstick back in the tube.
2) Let the car sit so the oil can drain out of the tube. It is best to wait 2 hours or more.
3) Insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
4) Inspect the oil on the stick.


This is what happens when you check your oil warm as Mini recommends:

 

dealer probably put in 5qts. it's not a big deal. however i would try to drain out the 1/2 qt for better idle.

i had my oil changed at the dealer and they overfilled it, too. car was idling a bit rough, not the norm that i've been accustomed to. i finally noticed that my mcs didn't idle around 600/700 but at 800/900 sometimes. not normal at all. then, i took out the 1/2 qt and now my mcs idle smoothly at 600/700.

 

THx all.. I feel better now!! I was mostly worried as on some BMW motorcycles, they are very sinsitive to how much oil you have in them... 1/2qt over can cause serious damage...

cccplus:.. Didn't know that about the idle, but mine is idling slightly rough..

OcenaMini2: So you are saying, pay no attention to what the manufacturer says? and it check cold, via your method? am I reading that correctly? I ask because I generally wait about 30-1hour after driving to check it.. Not cold, but generally still a little warm. I like the sound of what you are saying... will try that later..

Again.. Thx all... I'll seep better tonight..

 

took mine in last week and mine was a little high also, i was wondering also.

 

The extra .5 quart of oil will cause seals to fail. If you rev the motor high for periods of 1min or more the risk of damming seals increases. It can take some time before you notice leaks. MINI tells you not to overfill.

In my interviews with Mini dealers (service techs and service advisers) I have found that some dealers don't know the difference of required oil volume between the different Mini motors.

MINI's technical service document lists oil capacity by motor. Note that all Minis do not hold the same amount of oil so be careful when asking people or reading answers on message boards.

R50, R52 and R53
W10 (2006 MINI Cooper) – 4.50 liters / 4.7551 quarts
W11 (2006 MINI Cooper S)– 4.80 liters / 5.0721 quarts

R55, R56, R57 and R60
N12 (2007+ MINI Cooper) and N16 – 4.20 liters / 4.4381 quarts
N14 (2007+ MINI Cooper S) and N18 – 4.20 liters / 4.4381 quarts

Checking your oil, when you know the level is OK, can be done warm using the same method of removing the stick for about 15 min. The first check after the oil has cleared the dipstick tube in the chain guide is the only one that you can use. Any attempts to check your oil level after the first check are tainted unless you remove the dipstick and wait 15 min or more. If you don't know the level at all (dealer filled it) I would check it cold first to make sure you get a clean clear point of reference.

Warm checking when the oil level is low (.5 to 1 quart low) increases the chance of a bad reading. I found 75% misreadings in my testing checking oil warm as outlined by Mini.

I am sharing some more of my oil checking results as tested on a 2012 Mini Copper S from dealer stock (not my car). This is a new car with nearly no miles on it. We (the Dealer SA, Dealer Salesman and myself) tested the oil level cold and warm. Each test documents the first three checks (check level, clean stick and recheck....) The 4th and 5th checks were not usable because oil had attached itself to the inside of the tube.

Cold oil check method: Orange = saturated oil on the stick, Red or orange dots = light oil with stick texture showing, Solid red = no oil.

1) Remove the dipstick and clean it. Do not put the dipstick back in the tube.
2) Let the car sit so the oil can drain out of the tube. (we waited 20 min on this test at the dealership) It is best to wait 2 hours or more.
3) Insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
4) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 1)
5) Clean it and insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
6) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 2)
7) Clean it and insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
8) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 3)




Warm oil check method: Orange = saturated oil on the stick, Red or orange dots = light oil with stick texture showing, Solid red = no oil.

1) Run car up to normal temperature. (note the lack of any temp gauge for oil or coolant)
2) Shut of the motor and open the hood.
3) Wait 5 min.
4) Pull out the dipstick, and then wipe the oil off the dopstick.
5) Put the stick back in without rotating the stick.
6) Wait 10 sec.
7) Then pull the stick out (check 1). look at the tip that is full of oil including the top ball (with the original oil set from the factory).
8) Clean it and insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
9) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 2) Look at the false negative and at the same time a false overfill reading.
10) Clean it and insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
11) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 3) Look at the false overfill reading.

Notice that in each set of tests the reading is slightly different. In some cases the reading shows a false over fill condition. The only repeatable way to check the oil (if the dipstick is used to check) is to check the oil cold as outlined in the cold method. Unfortunately only the first check will provide usable results. Any attempts after the first check are tainted from oil transfer from the tube.

Mini does not recommend the cold check method and stated the stick is not calibrated for cold checking.

 

Here is a photo of my dipstick. Cold or hot, I pull out my dipstick, clean it thoroughly, wait for 30 minutes or overnight, re-insert it without twisting, wait a few seconds and pull it back out.

The dimples fill with oil if there is any but apparently don't get any oil from the tube. It works for me.

 

What's wrong with just checking it on the first pull? Why pull it and reinsert just to pull again and probably get oil on it from tube or have to wait overnight or whatever. Just pull it and check it.

 

The only thing that you can learn from a single first pull is that the motor has some oil in it (not an indication of how much). The problem is that oil gets stuck in the dipstick tube/ chain guide when the motor is running. The oil in the tube covers the top part of the stick and fails the reading. You have to clean the dipstick and clean out the oil in the tube before you can check the level. A single first pull check works on a classic Mini but on a N12, N14, N16 or N18 2007+ BMW Mini motor I am nearly positive your reading will appear higher (as much as a full quart) than the actual level.

If your motor is ever overfilled it is very difficult to check the level. It is a fine line between full and over full. What you are looking for ideally is a very small gap in saturation (about .5mm of some texture showing) between the upper ball and the recessed cylinder (if the tube still has some oil in it) or a clean upper ball (if the level is set perfect and the tube is clean). As soon as the upper ball is covered (due to the high level of oil in the motor) your only resort is to put the dipstick in a part way to a measured amount (use a socket or some kind of tool), then see if you can calibrate the difference in displacement. If that does not work for you, you can drain out all the oil and carefully measure the oil. This will force an oil change. If that is not desirable you can pump some oil out the dipstick tube or let some oil out of the pan. Most likely you don't have a topside oil pump to pump the oil out of the dipstick tube. If you remove the drain plug you should replace the crush washer. That can be a challenge if you are just letting out a small amount of oil.

One other point, "You need to check the oil any time you are topping off." When topping off your oil you want to add small amounts and use the dipstick for feed back. With every drop you put in the crankcase the level is getting closer to full. It gets more difficult to check as you approach the maximum mark when the upper mark is covered in oil from the tube (and showing a misreading). You must wait long periods of time to allow the tube to drain clean before checking and then adding additional oil. Learning how to out smart your car's dipstick is very important if you want your Mini to continue to function without timing chain failure.

 

Pirate007 and everyone else, please keep the political conversations for another venue. Forum rules prohibit discussion of politics. Any further mention will be met with infractions.

 

Pirate007 Let us know if you get different results when oil checking as outlined in this string of messages. If your oil is too high I suggest clearly documenting it and sharing the situation with the dealer. Have them fix it. You can call the Mini 1-800 number and have your car flat beaded to the dealer to get it fixed and the dealer should pay for everything including a loaner car. The dealer is supposed to be professional and well trained to deliver a high level of quality service / repairs. Don't ever let them tell you that sloppy workmanship should be overlooked or it is OK. You can be friendly but let them know that your car is your car and you want the oil set to the proper level. You expected that the dealer would do it correctly and so does Mini USA. I stress that you want to be friendly about it and at the same time show you care.

"..... And by the way, your dealership should be giving you free oil changes for life. If you led it to discover that it was giving away an extra quarter or half of a quart of oil with every oil change, think of all the money you're now saving the dealership on oil! "

It sounds like you were only charged for the mudflaps. I am betting Mini USA covered all the other expenses on your visit to the dealer.

 

so i have an r56 not S, whats the worst that can happen if oil is slightly high? When i been doing my changes, i buy a 5 qt bottle and use the whole thing.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ed-my-oil.html

 

If my car has been sitting all night, I go out and pull the dipstick in the morning, why wouldn't I get an accurate reading on that first pull? It will be accurate in my opinion.

 

I was on a trip and the check engine light came on...manual said ok to continue...went to closest Mini dealer (St.Louis) and they determined that my oil was .5 qt overfilled...oil removed and all was well. (2008 Cooper R56)

 

I am guessing the extra blowby oil vapors and just oil passing through the positive crankcase ventilation were failing the air fuel mixture.