A small amount of oil use is inevitable in ALL piston engines and is inherent in the design of the pistons and cylinders. Here is why:

Engine oil is used to lubricate the cylinders, so the pistons can move freely and the piston rings seal better. While the piston has an oil scraper ring that collects most of this oil, a thin film of oil is always left behind in the microscopic irregularities of the cylinder wall. This oil is consumed in the combustion process.

Multiply this small fraction of a gram of oil by thousands and thousands of combustion cycles and you get a significant amount of oil consumption that is unavoidable and inherent in the operation of the engine. It's also perfectly normal and is why you need to check your oil level regularly.

 

Well, there's "normal" and then there's "typical". Some amount of oil consumption is expected, for the reasons you listed and more, but for most MINI owners, it doesn't even amount to half a quart over 10k or 15k miles.

MINI may say that burning a little over a quart every thousand miles is "normal/acceptable", but if you're having to add even a quart every 5k miles, I'd start looking for a leak if it's a newer engine, or suspecting the valve guide seals if it's a high-mileage engine.

 

I've made it a habit with every car I've owned to check under the hood after having the car serviced (before leaving the shop), including checking the oil level to ensure it is full. I've found all sorts of problems (disconnected hoses, wiring, loose oil filler caps, etc.) that were easily corrected, but that could have a been a big problem if I'd driven away.

 

Does anyone make a replacement dipstick that an average sighted person can read. I can't believe that some engineer actually got paid for designing a dipstick that requires 4 readings and a roll of towels to read.

Mine seemed okay and I checked it again and discovered that I was actually more than a quart low and it was actually oil from the tube that holds the dipstick that had accumulated on the 'coil' of the stick.

With new oil it's almost impossible to see.

 

There are dipsticks sold for MINI's, about $150+ shipping.

I just fold a 2-3 inch square scrap of paper in half, lay the dipstick in that fold and level is easily seen.

ANY Dipstick would need to be first wiped clean of residual oil for an accurate reading.

When I changed oil, I calibrated my dipstick (this is the stainless steel version)
and found lower ferrule indicated three quarts cold and 4½ quarts came to a little less than ¼ inch below top ferrule.

Hot oil will read a little higher, but over top ferrule is over-filled, which has been reported on NAM,
following some MINI Dealer oil changes.

 

maybe my car has too much oil in it? if it does can anything bad happen to it? since they said they put in 6L which i think is too much.
they were going to make me pay 60 dlls for oil + 15 dlls for the change itself.
(i hate the economy right now, my pesos arent worth anything vs the dll, it would be 100dlls and 20 dlls of the OLD dlls)

but yea does anything BAD happen if it has too much in it?

 

If there's enough oil in the crankcase that the underside of the crankshaft is submerged, the crankshaft will whip the oil into a foam. In extreme cases, the oil pump will stop pumping liquid oil and start pumping foam, which leads to oil starvation in the engine.

If they really put six liters in your car, I'd drain some out until you're back down to the "full" mark on the dipstick.

 

im thinking il just let it alone and if my car dies then il go claim a warranty for their shitty service.

the guy that handles MINI service was really cool with me, he expained the whole "warranty until necessary" stance from the warranty department, which is totally stupid and absurd because they end up claiming more money from BMW than in the first place if the car would die, but w/e.

thanks for the tip though, i might check it if i can understand how to read it sometime soon.

 

Should your MINI die from lack of oil, Warranty Dept. will call that "Abuse" and deny any warranty coverage.

You might find it easier to check your oil after engine is cold, still wipe dipstick clean and then take the measure.

If you are reading over that top ferrule on your dipstick, go back to that Dealer and ask for fix,
should be no charge for that and next time check before leaving Dealer Service...

Also look 'beneath' for leaks, Finding a problem later that causes damage Will be a problem,
the Dealer Service will want to deny responsibility for it.

 

ok........ so i was gona check the oil today.
after driving i parked the car, and was gona wait the 15 mins, but time flies so i ended up checking after 30 mins, the hood scoop wasnt untouchably hot like always, but the dipstick was kinda hot.

here are the pics, i think it may be overfilled....

 

I need to go look at my car a little closer... but I don't think my dipstick looks like that. I can read it clearly without a paper towel. I have a super later 2008 MINI..

Let me go check

 

On the 08 Mini, you basically have a smooth metallic rod with an orange plastic thing on the engine end. If you look at the orange plastic thing, you will notice that it has two round holes or indentations in it, one is closer to the tip and the other is closer to the dipstick handle/****. Your oil level should be in between the two holes/notches.

 

My '08 MINI (week 12 build) dipstick looks exactly like Topmini's.

Assuming dipstick was wiped clean before measure (in the top photo),
middle photo does look like one liter too much on that paper towel.

I prefer to use a folded scrap of paper to determine exact measure, paper towel will absorb oil and level can creep above true measure.

Normal Oil Level should be kept between the top two ferrules seen on lower photo.

That would be three and a half to four and one-half, never more, never less; (I want mine always between four and four and a half ).

 

thanks for the response.
so should i go to the dealer and tell him he put too much oil in my car?
or just drain it myself, i mean i would do it myself but i dont have any tools cuz they always get lost, and i dont have little ramps to put the car on.

so drain? or not

 

I had a low oil incident sometime prior to 4,600 miles, but virtually no oil loss after that in my 08 MC.

 

Since it was your Dealer that did it and it is nearby, I would go to them.

Do you have any contact with boaters? Inboard Marine Engines usually drain through a thin plastic hose inserted into dipstick tube, this would be the preferred way to drain a small amount.

With a boat, you also need a pump or suction tank, but with a car you could syphon a small amount (have the hose oil filled and sealed at top when inserting down dipstick tube).

The oil drain is opened with an 8mm Hex bit or key and would start draining as soon as a little loose, but might not reseal on tighten, as you normally need to use a New Crush Washer and Torque to Spec. (22 Ft/Lb).

 

I've recommended this before, but just use your finger to tell where the oil is on the metal R55/R56 dipstick. Take it out, wipe it clean, put it back in, then take it out and lay it against your finger. You'll know exactly where the oil level is. Wipe your finger with a rag, put the dipstick back in, and you're done.
I recommend you not try this on a hot engine, but oil is best checked on a cold engine, anyway.

 

I'd second PilotArt's suggestion to take it back to the dealer. They messed it up, so they should fix it. Better that then loosening the wrong thing and making a big mess of your car.

If you're bound and determined to drain your own oil and you live in a coastal town, try West Marine for the oil change pump. They carry all sorts of neat maintenance items for reasonable prices, with "reasonable" measured in boat terms.

 

went to the dealer today,
we checked it and he said it was OK for 1L to be in the motor, i was like WELL thats not what NAM said.

i was rly not gona leave my car for it to be in the dealer the whole day just to drain some oil, il go buy a little tube and get some of it out

 

I'd have the dealer put that statement in writing, and then send a copy to MINI USA. I think they'd be very interested to hear that the oil fill specification is 4.5 - 5.5 quarts! Not sure why MINI service gets this wrong so often, as they only have a few models and a few basic engine designs to deal with.

 

oh no. i mean he said it has about 1L more than the recomended 4.5qts
well he basically told me they put in 5 bottles and they are around 9.45L in volume so yea...

 

A liter is a little bigger than a quart, about 5% more, so 1 liter overfilled is a little more than a quart overfilled.