Anybody have access to MINI document number SI M01 02 03 ?

Apparently it gives the details on oil service mileage.

Over the shoulder, I noticed this document number on a dealer communication, near the comment: "It is the total fuel consumption, and not the accumulated mileage, which influences when the oil service will be due."

Just wondering if the only sensor of the On Board Computer ultra-sophisticated Computer Based Service oil change interval algorithm.....

is the fuel gauge

 

MINI uses a sophisticated proprietary algorithm that accurately pinpoints the exact moment your oil should be changed.

 

this is all very interesting to me. it seems to be split down the middle on NAM what to do about oil changes. i have an 07 MCS that i bought in december and it hasn't had a full service yet. i've got just over 11k of hard miles on it and, to be completely honest, it's bugging the crap out of me that there hasn't been an oil change yet. i'm trying to have morristown mini do a full service before i start a summer full of road trips. the same oil in there, even after engine break-in and everything, 15k miles later just doesn't sit right.

 

Even though there is some relationship between fuel consumption and miles, it does seem to make sense that effective oil age might be more accurately determined by total fuel as a function of miles.

Doesn't oil age faster when the engine is pushed harder?

 

As far as I'm concerned, there is no system currently in place from any manufacturer that can accurately determine the condition of the engine oil. Mercedes-Benz comes closest with sensors that can determine the level of some contaminants and the oil viscosity. I'm not aware of any other manufacturer that analyzes the engine oil. All the other methods are just guesswork.

 

I had that same feeling when my MCS got to 5k, 10k, 15k, and then 20k, when the change-oil light finally came on.

The company memo I saw also said, "The CBS oil service can also come due in 24 months, after the last CBS reset, if the total fuel consumption value has not been reached. However, it is recommended in the US Market [emphasis added] to change the engine oil at least once a year."

Maybe we have been brainwashed by the oil-change companies, or we are just living in the past. Technology is way different than when we used to need a tune-up a couple times a year, a chassis lube with every oil change, tires at 10,000 miles, etc.

If BMW/MINI have objective data, I wish they wouldn't keep it secret. Maybe an internal memo to their loyal customers would be good, about what's going on.

Somebody on another thread said he had 176,000 miles on his Mini, with no problems, just following the computer's orders on when service was needed. That's not exactly a double-blind study, but it's somewhat reassuring.