Amen.. used it in my 1990 Maxima that went 340K without any engine issues.
Trying to decide if I want to change my trans over to Redline.
Jim

 

Does it matter what oil I add? Need a 1/2 Qt added to stock oil... Castrol?

 

Anyone had bad luck with valvoline? I get that for free through my sponsorship...

 

Mobil 0w-40.

 

Probably OK but I'd change it every 3-5K miles. Sometimes free can cost you $$$. Filter is about $7.00.

 

In my opinion Valvoline is good oil. That's what I used for years before switching to Mobil 1. If that Valvoline you get from your sponsors is synthetic then yes use it. If not use it in the tow rig & put synthetic in your MINI.

 

had my oil changed at 11070 mi the dealer put castrol slx in it full synthtic it cost me at the dealer about $190 with the exange rate here is some info http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/assets/L..._servicing.pdf

 

Yellow APEXER!,

I was wondering, the Castrol Syntec is not fully synthetic and the other ones are or are you saying that both of them are not fully synthetic? Im about to start doing ym oil changes myself, and I want to get the best bang for the buck. So, what will you recommend. I would like to get Mobil 1 from walmart because its hella cheap there, but is it good. I want my car to last really long without problems. What oilds would you recommend? Redline, Mobile 1, Castrol, Amsoil? Also, how often should I change my oil?

Thanks!

 

Jimz68: Thats awesome that you got 300+ with your Maxima with using Redline! What else would you recommend!? Im still debating between, Redline, Mobile 1, Amsoil, and Castrol?

 

Nothing wrong with Mobil1 - just use the proper viscosity and change intervals and you'll be fine.

Have used it on all my vehicles for years (including my Dad's 288,000 mile Buick) with no issues.

 

As I understand it, all synthetic oils (including Amsoil) are made from hydrocarbon base stocks .....

According to Wikipedia for example...

oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds which are artificially made (synthesized) using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil. Synthetic oil is used as a substitute for lubricant refined from petroleum when operating in extremes of temperature, because it generally provides superior mechanical and chemical properties than those found in traditional mineral oils.


Synthetic motor oils are man made oils from the following classes of lubricants:

• Polyalphaolefin (PAO) = American Petroleum Institute (API) Group IV base oil
• Synthetic esters, etc = API Group V base oils (non-PAO synthetics, including diesters, polyolesters, alklylated napthlenes, alkyklated benzenes, etc.)
• Hydrocracked/Hydroisomerized = API Group III base oils. Chevron, Shell, and other petrochemical companies developed processes involving catalytic conversion of feed stocks under pressure in the presence of hydrogen into high quality mineral lubricating oil. In 2005, production of GTL (gas-to-liquid) Group III base stocks began, the best of which perform much like polyalphaolefin. Group III base stocks are considered synthetic motor oil only in the United States;[13] elsewhere they are not allowed to be marketed as "synthetic".

Bottom line, buy a good brand name full synthetic and you're good to go. I buy Mobil 1 5W30 from Costco, when on sale it's about $3 a quart....

 

I use Renewable Lubricant's "Biosyn" 5W-30. It's a plant-based non-petroleum synthetic. I use 10k intevals, and the analyses I've had done by Terry Dyson show that the Biosyn holds up *much* better than the MINI 5W-30 over time.

 

Has anybody ever use AMSOIL ?

 

Good stuff.....
Oil seems to be like religion....folks pick one, saying it is the best, and proclaim from up hi they have the best, often with precious little info. The one thing with Amsol that muddies the waters is how it is sold (with sales reps and shops, rather than retail big box like many others).
i think Amsol is just as good as RedLine, Royal Purple, etc...they are all boutique oils that are IMO a bet better than mainstream synthetic oils at a price to match.
Like I said, I have used it...I do most of my own work, but I was a bit lazy, and had my "mini guy" do my oil change, and when i changed the oil after about 7500 miles it seemed to be in good shape...pretty clean, nice and slick...but most every synthetic oil seems to be still great after a short 7500 miles....I did not get it tested, but many folks say it would be good for much longer than the MINI 15k....I just don't want to go that far!

 

I have used Mobil 1, Royal Purple and Amsoil and I have to say that I am sticking with Amsoil. The MINI seems to like it (runs a bit smoother) and it burns less off over time.

 

pennzoil ultra 5w30 with half a can of lubro moly mos2 is wonderful in my mini. 5k changeout due to short trips. gotta find something else now that walmart is doing away with 5qt jugs of ultra though. i tried mobil one 0w40 and it makes my cooper s feel really bogged down. My car seems to not like that one though it always gets high praise.

 

How about Castrol Edge?

 

I guess it's like most say, what ever you want to pay for and how often you change it. I am not sure if others have had actual engine failure due to the motor oil for their reasons to down talk a certin brand. Now on my sons mini, the po used Castrol Syntec 5w-30 since he purchased the car in 03'. I have used Valvoline Synpower and Pensoil Platinum, changing it every 4k mile with a Mann, Hengst, or MAHLE filter and have had no problems. As for problems, on my 95' Eclipse GS-T, i have spun a rod bearing using Mobile1 and have started getting oil smoke after trying Royal Purple. Now "Amsoil" on my 77' 280z that has 10w40 Amsoil and Amsoil Bypass, this car has 400k miles and is still running

 

Heck, with a secondary bypass filter, you a superfiltering a small % of oil all the time...they are wonderful things if you run lots of miles, and have a place to mount one!!

 

Yellow,

So I just bought 5 quarts of Mobile 1 5W-30 at Walmart for $25. I would like to try Amsoil and Redline since I hear good stuff about them, but its expensive. Since I bought it already, I'm going to try it out, but for my next oil change, I'm going to make a decision on sticking with Mobile 1 or switching. My question is, Is there a big difference between using Mobile 1 and Redline or Amsoil? If one is better then the other over time or its better for my car, then Id rather spend more money to make my car last longer, stronger, smoother and so forth. What you guys think?

 

Yellow,

I was wondering, what is the recommended oil change cycle from Mini? Also, what do you guys prefer and why? I just changed my oil and now I don't now when to change it again. Appreciate everything.

 

For me ~7,500. I may be wasting money and ruining the planet (vs 15K) but it makes me feel better.

 

The only way to know which oil suits the Mini and your driving habit best is to do a series of analysis. Boutique oils tend to perform better but don't forget that measurement for wear is in "parts per million" or PPM. So a few PPMs difference between a fancy brand and a mass produced one every 5000-10,000 miles isn't gonna make a difference in the long run.

Currently I'm running Mobil 1 in both my Mini and VW. I've been doing 7500mi oil change for the VW. At 90k, I ran it to 9k and had the oil analyzed. The report showed lower than average wear and the oil could go to 10k. The car currently has 180k on the clock. I have a feeling that the engine won't be the first component to fail.... the trans will.

For the Mini, I'll be changing the oil at 7500 miles and about 20 months of use. I'll send it in for an analysis and go from there.

 

Did anything become of the Castrol Full syntec issue of years back on whether or not, they were misleading the consumer's of it just being a re-engineered oil versus a true synthenic oil?

 

Hope 20 months is a typo...... All the OEMs including MINI recommend 12 month max - I would never run an oil out 20 months unless the car was in a museum.