Hey, folks!

Wasn't quite sure where to post this, so I'll start here...

I will be starting to do the oil changes on my JCW Clubman in the coming months. I've collected the basic stuff (new oil, filters, etc.) but now need to assemble some of the tools to make this job as safe and easy as possible.

I acquired a floor jack from a neighbor whose husband passed away, and figured I could use that to initially jack up the car -- except I'm not entirely sure what the jack points on the MINI are -- and whether they differ on the factory JCW vehicles (can't see why they would, but...?). Anybody know where I can get that information? And where to correctly place the jack stands once the front of the car is up in the air? Not really having done this before -- certainly not with this model of vehicle -- I just don't want to get it wrong and damage something (including myself). Or would drive-up ramps just work out better? Recommendations there?

I also want to assemble any specialty tools I might need to do this job. I understand that the oil filter housing cap can sometimes be a pain to remove, and that the coolant reservoir needs to be moved aside to get at the filter; any recommendations there? How about with the drain plug?

Thanks in advance!

 

Just go to way motor works and look at the first time oil change kit. It has all the tools you need to get the job done. Filter, o-ring, 27mm oil housing socket, Allen key, etc.

 

This is the diagram of the jacking points from the service manual. There are the 4 jacking points you can see which have the jacking pucks installed. And there are the two on the front subframe. You can jack up at one of the points and get a jack stand under the adjacent one. I usually jack up under the subframe and put a jack stand under the forward-side jacking point. That will get both wheels on that side off the ground. Its stable enough to change wheels. If I'm working on rear brakes, I'll put one under the rearward-side point.

If you do use the side jacking points, beware you don't ruin the jacking puck. Newer ones are made out of a brittle plastic and will break if the head of you jack isn't bigger than the jacking puck. You can get thingys to put in the jacking puck to protect form this, or you can make your own out of plywood.

 

fwiw, a good set of ramps will work fine. I prefer to do that for oil changes as I just find it easier than trying to jack up both sides of the car. Plus, I really dislike working under a car on jackstands.

 

Thanks, I'll check into that!

Appreciate the diagram and the pointers!

That's where I was heading first, and it seems a fair sight easier to drive up on the ramps than to jack around (pardon the pun) with a floor jack/jack stands. But a work colleague of mine expressed some trepidation about newer, plastic ramps; seems he can't find any of the 'old-school' metal ramps, and is a bit skeptical of the long-term durability of plastic ones. I'd not heard anyone else express a concern with them, so I thought I'd pose the question to the forum community about their experiences. Which ramps do you use? Having used the ones you own, would you recommend them or recommend another brand?

 

i'm using rhino ramps, never gonna jack up the car again to change oil unless i'm doing something else. i think maybe for a truck or an suv, your friends worries are a little more warranted - for a rinky dink mini, it might as well be overkill - this is what i have:
count me in as one of the guys who destroyed the little jack puck things - they would slide off on one side and land somewhere very bad. ultimately decided just to go with jacking up the car on it's plastic covered pinch points. that's how i did the old mini, never had any problems there

FWIW, here's pics of me changing the oil on my base MINI: http://r56hs.com/2013/11/23/oil-change/

 

I'm not real sure what brand I got, but I think they were just some at the auto parts store. iirc, the "name" brand in the plastic ramps are Rhino Ramps (which could be what I have for all I know). The plastic they are made of is really quite strong and in the five or so years I've had them I've had no problems or issues. I've left the MINI overnight up on the ramps in some cases and the ramps held up fine.

I do seem to recall when shopping for them that they are rated just like jacks and jack stands by the amount of weight they can bear - 2 ton, 4 ton, etc.

I have seen a few people post that they built their own ramps by nailing together some boards staggered together, so that could be another option if you really want to DIY.

You really don't need a lot of lift to do the oil change. The MINI is small enough that you don't have to go far to reach the bottom of the oil pan. Really all you are trying to do is get enough room to fit the catch pan up under there and (if you are like me) at least a little bit of your body.

 

I've been changing the oil myself on my '02 R53 since I bought it a few years ago. I use plastic ramps that don't seem to flex at all. No worries with plastic.


I noticed my drain plug is rounding over so the next time I change it, I may need to get the car up a little higher so I can get a good grip on it and replace it.


I've just tried a new device, an oil extractor, that is inserted in the dipstick hole and extracts the oil rather than draining it from underneath. I bought it on Amazon.com and it helps me keep my garage floor a little cleaner. It's smart to still get under your car, occasionally to reacquaint yourself with the oily bits!

 

As long as my dealer does $69.95 oil changes I'll go there. I figure $35 for 5 qts of MINI oil and $15 a MINI filter , they want to do the job for $20 they can do it.

Ramps may be an issue with a JCW if the spoiler hits the ramp will push it forward, I never liked ramps myself.

I have a BMS jack adaptor, goes in the jack point and offers a nice big flat spot to use my floor jack.

 

Get a Fumoto drain valve.

 

That (Rhino Ramps) was the first brand that came to my mind when thinking about getting a set of ramps. Good to know the plastic ones are holding up!

Thanks, that'll be helpful for my first go!

Yeah, I didn't want to get quite that basic with it...

Well, I figured for the first time around, it would be best to get 'eyes on' everything I could, if for no other reason that to be certain about exactly what I'm loosening...

Another good option; and I may end up there eventually. But like you said, it's not a bad plan to peek underneath the car every once-in-a-while...!

Spending most of my time, as I currently do, in Lorena, TX, there isn't a MINI dealer for at least 100 miles around. With the time, fuel, etc. involved in driving, say, to your dealer up in DFW -- just to get a reasonably-priced oil change -- it's a push at best for me where the cost is concerned...

Yeah, I'd considered that aspect too. Another forum-friend of mine suggested a brand of drive-on ramps called Race Ramps. They're selling point is that they've got a shallow ramp gradient, suitable for low-clearance vehicles. As I also have a C5 Corvette, those ramps might be a better overall choice for me rather than the Rhino Ramps.

I'm a bit skittish about those quick-drain valves... I know they've been tested and all, but I've also had one on my airplane go leaky on me... It was back to the standard Lycoming drain plug after that...

 

Don't use a drain valve on an R56. The valve will stick straight down & is very likely to be snapped off with disastrous results.

I have used Rhino ramps for the past 10 years. Makes oil changes a breeze.

 

Ramps are certainly the "easy button" but a jack and jack stands aren't the end of the world either. I have only ever heard one instance of a ramp failing and I read a thread on the internet about it. Haven't ever known anyone personally to have an issue with them. It's much more common for a jack to fail. Which is why you never get underneath a car that is only supported by a floor jack. So basically i'd do ramps but a jack and jack stands are more "versatile". You won't have any problems driving up onto a set of regular autozone ramps with your mini unless you're super low. I don't know that even the race ramps will work for the 'vette. Most corvette guys I know drive onto some 2x6s and use a jack.

An oil change is a pretty simple process. The only thing that is kind of a pain is working around the coolant reservoir. Don't muscle it around too much or the connection on the bottom will start to leak. The oil drain plug is hard to miss. The oil pan is the big black thing bolted to the bottom of the engine and the drain plug is facing straight down in the one corner.

And yes I'd never use a fumoto valve on a mini. It'll be poking straight down and just seems like it's asking to get torn off if you drove over something accidentally.

 

I have a mity vac fluid extractor. It hooks up to my air compressor and holds about 8qts of oil. More than enough to change the oil on most vehicles (other than diesel trucks) it has a long tube that goes into the dipstick tube. I just bottom it out in the pan (you can feel when it touches the bottom of the oil pan) turn on the air valve and let it suck out the oil. I can check other stuff while that is working and I never have to crawl on the ground/use ramps etc... It has graduated markings on the side and it's translucent so you can see how much you have taken out.
I have ramps/jack stands/jack but don't need to use it for oil changes anymore.

I haven't attempted to do this on a mini yet. I'll find out soon enough since I'm picking it up this weekend

 

Yeah, I was already disinclined toward quick-drain valves, and these observations pretty-much clinch it for me...

The floor jack was a 'target-of-opportunity,' so to speak. It came my way, and as I mentioned, was essentially brand new. I figured I could use it, since I already had it in my possession, but I think the ramps will be a better choice for oil changes -- quicker to set up and more stable. I'll look into both the Rhino Ramps and the Race Ramps, and even the 'generic' ones offered by places like AutoZone. I've got a bit of time to shop around before I need to do an oil change, and neither of my vehicles are lowered; both are at stock height.

I've seen other Corvette owners doing the same things, and I'm leery about using loose lumber; I always get the feeling it will slip out and put a hole in the fiberglass body... But maybe I've been watching the wrong people doing it...?

I think the Race Ramps will work for a Corvette; at least the Race Ramp folks show C5 Corvettes in their advertising... The Race Ramps definitely have a more more shallow approach than the other ramps on the market. But they also have a much higher price tag too... Part of the so-called "Corvette Tax," I guess...

Yeah, I'd read about the coolant reservoir being in the way here... I know space is limited under the bonnet, but I still have to wonder what genius thought that arrangement up... Thanks for the tips, though!

Still may end up there myself one day. But for now, I think I'm just doing to do it 'old school' method...

 

I think they designed the MINI, and in particular the engine bay, so that something else is always in the way of what you want to get to!

 

I hear ya. I remember reading about some of the other engine repairs on the MINI that basically require the front end of the car to be removed...

Still, good design practice would dictate that those things that will be frequently changed (like oil filters) should be easily-accessible. This set-up with the MINI oil filter reminds me a little of a '90 Grand Am I once owned with the Quad 4 engine. Good car, good engine; but some engineer at GM decided to bury the air box deep in the engine compartment where no one could easily reach it. Needless to say, the air filter didn't get changed much on those cars -- leastways not by owners... In hindsight, it was probably one of those things that was deliberately done to 'encourage' people to bring the cars into the dealers for simple, routine maintenance...

 

Like the E90/92 BMW 3 series fuse box. The fuse box is buried in behind the glovebox and dashboard. To change or check a fuse you have to open glovebox, empty the glovebox, then remove the panel at the back of the glovebox, then reach through the tiny space to try and get at a fuse. Defiitely designed so that nobody tries to do it themselves!

 

+1 on this. I've had my rhino ramps for 10, going on 11, years and they've been perfectly solid.

--Matt