OK so I changed my oil at my expense today on my 2006 MCS. 2560 miles on the odometer, I did not reset the oil change counter. I had the dealer change the oil at a cost of $77.00. I plan to do the next one at 10,000 miles. When do you change your MINI oil?

I have had a ton of cars, some ran on dino oil, some synthetic. Either way I run all synthetic oil in all my cars now and I do have several. I now change the oil on my cars at 7500 miles as a rule. I used to go 3500 miles on dino oil.

I thought I would change this oil as my MINI is now feeling like it is really broke in. I am sure there is some more break in time left and I am still going relatively easy on the revs but I gotta believe the oil was wrung-out from all the break-in friction. Synthetic or no.....comments? Let's hear your story! When was your first oil change? I have heard some people say 500 miles! I used to do that on all my new cars!

 

I change it every 6000 miles - using full synthetic only.

 

1,494 for the "break-in". Then I plan to change every 6-7000 miles. Using only German Castrol 0W30. (Not the US made 5W30).

 

I did my first at 6k. Then let the dealer do it at 12k. After that, I would do a change halfway between the dealer changes during the free maintenance period. This usually ended up being 8-9k miles due to mostly highway driving. Now, I'm on more of a time than mileage interval. My last OCI was only 4k miles after 9 months.

I was using Mobil 1 5w-30 for my oil changes up to this last one when I switched to German Castrol. The MINI seems to like it.

 

I change oil every 2,500 miles with Mobil 1 and a MINI filter. When the scheduled oil changes come due, I take it in.

I change my cabin air filter twice each year.

I change plugs every 20,000 miles (yes, I can tell a huge difference in how it runs).

I change air filter every 30,000 miles.

I change plug wires every 40,000 miles.

As of now, I have 47,500 miles on an 05 MCS/JCW.

Rawhyde

 

I changed at break-in at 1,500 done by myself.

After that I follow factory specs. Modern engines with synthetic oils can go the distance. IMO it will be the head gasket or water pump that will cause problems, not the oil change cycles.

Also a great write up about oil changing in general:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=2945

 

I stick to the schedule. Spoke with several German BMW service techs and they said it would be a waste of money. They even had the graphs on the oil to prove it. Even at 10K the oil was hardly broken down.

 

once a year.

 

about every 5000

 

BMW has a lot of data to back up their oil change frequency. Not to mention they have been doing it for a lot longer than our little car has been around.

 

The oil Breaking down isn't the problem, the problem is the acid that gets in the oil from the exhaust.

 

5,000

 

+1

 

This is something I found on another site.
I just want the NEWBIES to know that there are other sides to this issue. IMO there are individuals that seem to think this is all a bunch of BS, and should not be listened to. Well that is just one opinion, this is another one. As I am some what of a NEWBIE (at least to MINI), I had a lot of question about this and seem to draw the ire of those that are still in the mind set that 3k/3 month is the best.
People come here looking for answers from people that have MINIs, as I did, and there are always more then one opinion. Continuing the oil change interval that you have is great, trying to convince a NEWBIE that is the only, or best way is not what we are about. We just need to give everyone the most up to date information and let them decide which is best for them.
Happy Motoring.

- KP

PART 1:
Today's topic seams to be motor oil related. I am a NASA Engineer at
Marshal Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. My field of work is
Tribology which is the study of friction, wear, and lubrication. In our
spare time, our group collects and tests different motor oils using the
Shell Four Ball tester. This tester tests the extreme pressure properties
of oils. These areas in a motor are cam to lifter contacts, valve stem to
guild, and piston skirts. Over the years we have found synthetic bases oils
to out perform mineral based oils by a large margin. We test the oils new,
after 1000 miles, 2000 miles, and up to 10,000 miles. In a nut shell, we
found that synthetic oils have better wear properties after being run 10,000
miles then mineral grade oils new. Which synthetic do we use? First any
you will benefit from any synthetic, but we use Mobil 1. Mobil by far puts
more research dollars in motor oils then any other company. They are also
aggressive in racing.
Other notes on motor oils.

Do not run a multi grade oil (10w-30) more then 1000 to 2000 miles -
depending on your driving habits.
This is because a 10w30 oil starts its life as a 10 weight oil and large
polymer chains are added to get the 30 rating. These chains break down very
quickly which produces small chains with an open electron charge at the
ends. These ends attract grim and form sludge.

Do not run synthetics in a new rebuild. A new engine needs the added
friction allowed by mineral oils to set the rings properly. Chevy found
this out on the corvette. These cars came from the factory with Mobil 1 and
owners brought them back because of smoking and oil consumption (rings did
not seat). Run a good single weight oil for the first 2000 miles. We found
Havaline 30 to be a good mineral oil - in fact we use it for our standard.

The reason Mobil 1 can safely be run for 10,000 miles is because the
additive package is well engineered to isolate grim and hold it in
suspension. This also is why Mobil 1 is expensive. You know - you get what
you pay for.

I know there are a lot of questions on motor oils. You can e-mail me for
more information or search the web for more details on synthetics. Your
Roadster deserves the best - run synthetic oils.

Phil Hall

Part 2:

I listed multi grade oil break down at 1000 to 2000 miles. This is for the
junk oils found at circle K for a dollar. A good name brand oil will last
3000 miles without too much break down. This is for mineral grade oils -
synthetic oils meet government viscosity tests for ratings without adding
thickeners like polymer chains.

Guys here at work run synthetics in motors that have 140,000 to 170,000
miles on them without any more oil consumption them normal. I believe that
you will get a slight increase in consumption in older motors because the
synthetic are very slippery and can get by old rings easier. In these cases
going to a 15w-50 may help, but this is not a reason not to use synthetics.
Older motors need the extra protection. At running temperature a synthetic
will maintain its viscosity, where a mineral oil viscosity is DRASTICALLY
REDUCED.

A test on how well synthetics work at different temperature can be done in
your home. Get a quart of your favorite mineral oil and a quart of a
synthetic. Put a cup a each oil in a glass or paper cup and stick in the
freezer over night. In the morning try and pour the oils out. Next test:
DO THIS OUTSIDE. On an old camp stove put a ¼ of the synthetic oil in an
old frying pan and put it on the stove on the highest heat setting. Cook
for 30 minutes. Now cook your oil for 30 minutes. At this point you will
see why you cooked the synthetic first. As the oil cooks pour some out to
see the changes in viscosity between the oils.

Phil Hall

Part 3:

The question of change intervals and synthetic oil has come up. As a side
at work we run oil tests using the Shell Four Ball test rig. This tester
was developed by Shell oil to test the extreme wear properties of motor oils
- cams, piston skirts etc. It consists of three, = inch ***** held in a
triangular pattern in a cup with oil heated to 165 degrees. A forth ball is
lowered to the center of the three ***** and loaded to 40 KG. The ball is
then rotated 600 RPM for one hour. After the test the wear scar is measured
on the three stationary *****. The bigger the scar the lower the extreme
wear property of the oil is. We use Havoline 30 wt for a base line. We use
this oil because engineers from the past liked this oil, so we have a large
data base.

Looking at data shows new Havoline 30 wt has a wear scar of .0165 inches.
New Mobil 1 has a .0145 inch scar. May not seem like a lot of difference,
but it is. Havoline 30 at 3000 miles has a wear scar of .020 inches and
Mobil 1 at 4000 miles has a .0164 scar. Remember - the bigger the badder.
3000 miles is as long as anyone was willing to run Havoline 30 wt, so its
data stops here. Mobil 1 at 6000 miles is .0167, at 8000 miles is .0188,
and at 10,000 miles is .0194. So, at 10,000 miles Mobil 1 has better
lubrication properties in the critical areas in your motor then a good 30
wt. All mineral oils follow Havoline pretty close - major brands. Some off
brands have a .020 wear scar new. Multi-grades generally have a larger wear
scar as well. This data was from a 5.0 Ford Mustang. Every motor will be
slightly different, but not much.

So, synthetic can handle long run intervals. But, that is part of the
story. You have contaminates to deal with. This is where the additive
package comes in play. This is the expensive part of oils and the reason
synthetics are high priced. Because of the long run intervals of synthetic,
they must have a vastly superior additive package - and they do. Proof of
this is to take 3000 mile dino oil and look at it in a glass jar - then do
the same for Mobil 1. The Mobil 1 will look new compared to the dino oil.
I run Mobil 1 in my new cars to the longest manufactures oil change interval
- usually 7000 miles. This will keep the warranty happy. In my Roadster I
change it once a year regardless of mileage. It run my Roadster about 5000
miles a year. Most people at work run synthetics and do the same. We have
a bunch of cars in the lot that have over 200,000 miles on them and going
strong. I (my wife) never keeps one that long.

I run 10w-30 Mobil 1 in my new Roadster motors (after break-in). Older
motors get 15w-50 because the tolerances are larger. Because synthetics
don't thin down like mineral oils do at temperature, I would be careful
running 15w-50 in a motor with a high volume oil pump. By doing so you may
run into cavitation problems - oil gage jumping wildly. Drag racers
experience this often at high RPM. Drop a wt and it will clear up.

I checked the auto parts stores last night and could not find a zero wt
Mobil 1. It was about 2 years ago they were talking introducing this oil,
so apparently they have in some markets. I stand corrected.

Testing another "magic" oil additive today. It looks and smells like
linseed oil! This should be fun. Additives are another subject all
together. Another day, but never tested a good one - none- zip - zero -
don't waste your money.

Sorry for being soo long. I like synthetics (obviously). If you have been
to the conferences, seen all the tests and data, and read the lubrication
journals you would run nothing other then synthetics.

Phil

There is a lot of information out there. just do a google search. Here is another good source of information.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

 

Tests showed that there was nothing wrong with the oil at all. These tests were run by an independant lab here. One of my German friends works for BMW and said the same thing. Bottom line, is that it is a waste of money for normal drivers to change it that frequently. However, that changes depending on how you run the car like if you are tracking it. FYI, normal driving here is Autobahn with high speeds (my normal speed is 115 MPH).

Change it if it makes you feel good, but IMHO as well as BMW and a few test labs you are wasting your money and adding more pollution.

KPMINI, Great read!

 

I changed it at 2500 and then again at 5000 and every 5000 since then. It is easy to remember when to do it and that is the interval I use with all the cars in the family. Oil and filters are cheap and I use the occasion to check the plug and wheel torques and make all manner of other visual inspections. I use Mobil 1 5-30 group IV on the Mini.

I have no doubt that modern synthetic oils (or even Group III blends) may go 10,000 or more before they break down or become contaminated. But who cares? I also wax my car once a month during the good weather and at least once during the winter. And a couple of oil changes a year gives me peace of mind if not increased protection. It also gets me out of the house and a chance to be alone doing something I like to do. <G>

Rich

 

When the OBC tells me to do so

Usually just over 15000 miles

Nik

 

I do the first change at 1500, second at 5000, and than every 5000 miles. I use 5-30 or 5-40 Royal Purple. I agree that the oil can probably last 10000 miles, if not contaminated, but I worry about the oil filter and all the other junk in the oil so I change the oil frequently.

It is interesting to note that my Suburban with an oil monitor algorithm that tells me when to change the oil based on various vehicle/driving parameters, usually indicates that the oil needs changing about every 5000 miles.

 

Good info and here is some more. I know it will not convince the 3K ppl to change their minds ... thats fine. their money, they can spend it as they like.

Again, show me just ONE MINI engine damaged by following BMW's schedule. .... hmm.

Here is some more source

My company develops and manufactures products that incorporate electric motors capable of rotating 80,000 to 100,000 rpm (for hours at a time, sometimes as many as 24 to 36 hours: imaging doing that with your car). ... For years, the only lubricant that would handle the job was Mobil 1. We bought it in 55 gallon drums and repackaged it so our customers didn't know what it was, since we didn't think they would believe it was as high tech as it is. ..., our experience made me a firm believer in Mobil 1. Oh, by the way, these motors, lubricated this way, last for decades.

 

As far as my oil change interval is concerned I changed the oil and filter, replaced with OEM Mini filter and oil, at the end of the break-in period and again at 6 months from the date of purchase.

I will have it changed at the annual service as well as the countdown meter by the dealership and do it myself in between.

I will continue to change it every 6 months with factory filter and oil "just because" it makes me feel good. I'm old fashioned and kinda set in my ways.

Having said that I am using synthetic now and because of that I'm not changing oil and filter every 3 months as I did before on my other cars.

As far as mileage is concerned I usually don't exceed 10,000 miles a year but with the Mini I'll have to try hard not to do that because as we all know the car is the most fun you can have sitting down!!

Hopes this helps...

 

I follow a similar regimine to several stated above...

I changed at 2k miles and do it every 6k or so. Sometimes I'll examine how many miles it is until the free MINI oil change, so I'll stretch it out a bit, but I like 6k as a nice round number.

I use Royal Purple 5w-30 and the MINI factory oil filter.

 

+1

 

First 2000 miles and then every 5000 miles (or less) depending on use. We autocross our Mini quite a bit, so I change the oil sometimes as often as every 3000 miles (but never any sooner).

 

Near the half interval according to the count down indicator, not the actual milage. So the oil changes were/are at:
1st at 5k with no reset.
2nt at just over 11K at the dealship for free.
3rd due now at 18.8 K
4th at dealership when due

 

Ok folk I will stir the pot a little. I am in the oil change industry. When I say I am in the industry this means I have been physically changing oil for the past 25 years. I currently own 2 fast lube operations. I have changed the oil in 225 vehicles in 1 day, but on average lets say I change oil in 40 cars per day, over 25 years...........well you do the math. So needless to say I've seen some oil drop out of a car. Under every scenario probably known to mankind, from a 500 mile drain interval to a 60,000 mile interval. (with an assist of a screw driver and some gouging!)
So here's my take: the benefits of synthetics far outweigh the cost difference between it and petroleum based oils. ie.. far more efficient lubricant, resulting in added fuel economy, added horsepower,
cooler running engine, less volatile resulting in less consumption etc..
From my experience a drain interval of 6-7500 miles with synthetics should be safe under "normal" driving conditions. "Normal" driving conditions are defined by most major car manufacturers as " non-stop highway driving " anything else is defined as "severe service". Severe service is defined but not limited to, stop and go driving, towing (with a mini ? ) sorry for those of you with a hitch, dusty conditions, mountainous driving, or driving in extreme hot or cold. Which warrants more frequent changing, lets say 3-5000 miles.
As for brands of oil stick with a major brand and you will be fine, everyone has there favorites. Always change the filter when you change your oil and use a filter that meets or exceed the manufacturers specifications.
And remember to lubricate those CV boots regularly as to prevent cracking and loss of lubrication (a nice silicone based spray works nicely)
just my 2pennies