Hi
I was wondering if their are any tips or products that help prolong engine wear?

 

Turbo or Non-Turbo??

 

What about Both...?

 

Change the oil more often than 15k / once a year.

 

Get an oil catch can to prevent oil carbon buildup on the back of the intake valves. Having removed my cylinder head and seen others with around 50k it's a MAJOR issue with both engines.

 

Is it easy to install and also how often do they need to be replaced?

 

oil catch can was easy to install, it just needed some drilling for the placement for the can.

I have a supercharger R53, I was looking at pulleys and stuff I saw that anything above 15% works harder/hurts the supercharger longterm, then I was 2-4% crank pulleys, I dont know if they affect the engine, I was wondering if anyone knew?
Also I found SUPER DAMPER® HARMONIC DAMPERS, they seem to have no power increase but looks to prolong the engine, I was wondering as well if anyone had info to share about the pulleys and dampers?

 

They don't need to be replaced just cleaned out. Depending on how you drive it could be and soon as a few thousand miles.

 

you meant to say "prevent" right.....or did you want to start an add for a terrible as seen on TV product!! (With lots of lawsuits, etc)

SUPER DAMPER--Nothing to do with extending engine life.....just a higher performance replacement harmonic damper that is lighter than OEM, but NOT using an Harmonic damper MAY, and IMO will reduce engine life!!

1)Use a good, pure synthetic OIL, change it every 7500 miles/6 Months (rather than 1 yr/15,000 miles), good filters, drive it nice, good fuel, and good maintenance...that and learn all you can about cars...and a good honest mechanic to guide you.

2)NEVER ADD AS SEEN ON TV LUBES OR ADDITIVES!!! PERIOD!!

3)A dose of Chevron Techron (also sold as BMW/MINI fuel system cleaner) or SeaFoam every now and then to keep you injectors clean/reduce carbon build-up too will help.

Good luck

 

Both the S and the regular MINI engines are very high tech. Fuel quality, the amount of detergent and low or no ethanol content helps keep injectors and intake valves clean. I stick to the "top tier" brands recommended by BMW www.toptiergas.com . The are not low tech run-of-the-mill engines. I used high test on my S.

Agree that even with top synthetic oil changing it at one year or 7,500 miles (not 15,000 or 20,000 miles) will pay off.

Happy Motoring

 

I've used Seafoam every 3,000 miles since my car was new, oil changes between 10,000 and 5,000 miles with various synthetics. My new interval with Amsoil is set at 7,000 miles.

 

Well.....
I have the ever popular 15% + 2% combo.
Change oil at 7500ish with either RedLine or Royal Purple and a NAPA (Wix) filter. I'll use a can of Sea foam in the gas every other month.
I tend to drive "sensabilly" in my day to day driving. Have done a few Track Days. (see pic below)
Just turned over 184,000 miles. (Original supercharger, too)

Jim

 

I did not mean to advertise, I was just trying to ask anyone if they tried it and it works, I was not sure if it worked or not.
Are their some products to avoid?

 

They have oil-catch cans for just-a-coopers? I thought they were for the turbo/supercharged coopers?
If they do, where can I find a oil catch can for an 02 R50? Seems like a good idea to have.

 

What type of oil does Mini use when we go for oil change at the dealer? Will it be ok for the car? or if the oil is low quality can we ask them to put high quality oils on there?

 

+1 on the oil change interval. I still manage the engines of our vehicles as I did the engines on all the aircraft I used to fly--as if I couldn't pull over to the side of the road and fix it. Sofar so good.

 

MINI brand oil!
It is said to be euro-castrol synthetic, a very different product than we can buy here in the us. Most pure (not blended) synthetic oil, meeting the BMW specs of course will do the job fine. Many people go beyond the mass market Mobil 1, and use specialty brands like Redline, Royal Purple, or Amsol. Just buy good synthetic oil, change it frequently, use a good filter, and keep it full...check it every few fill ups, and add a bit as needed.
IMO oil additives are a waste of money.....and the money is better spent on doing better, more frequent oil changes, radiator flushes, brake flushes etc. Get the picture. Most additives are just snake oil/get rich quick schemes....if the suff was so good, the oil company's would add it to their oil, and then advertise the heck out of it!!
I do however advocate regular use of injector cleaner with you gas, as previously said.

 

1. Do oil catch cans do anything for the MC engine?
2. How often for injector cleaner?

 

silly question but, would you say Castrol synthetic 5w-30 is good enough oil?
what brand oil filter do you recommend? the oem or something other?
where can seafoam be purchased and how often should it be used i.e. once a month? I ONLY use shell V-power gas for my MINI.

 

As far as I know, the Castrol is fine. (GEN2 owners-please check your manual!!)
For filters Mann, Mahle are two oem(same as mini) filters that can be found without going to MINI. Some like the NAPA or WIX. Generally most threads suggest the STP filters are iffy IMO.
I generally use Shell fuel also. It is a good Tier 1 group fuel with plenty of cleaners....unlike a few other major brands...well worth the +.02 per gal some stations charge.
SeaFoam and Cheveron Techron are both available at most autoparts dealers...Pep-boys, auto-zone, kragens, etc.
The frequency of use depends on how u drive and the fuel you use. The bottles recommend that they be used every 3000-5000 miles. If you buy lots of cheap discount fuel, and don't opt for the additive packages like at some wall-marts, maybe some people will see benefits from more frequent usage.

ALSO GEN 2 motors are direct injection....and oil blow-by, etc tends to build up on the intake valves...and fuel injector cleaner does not directly address this issue...check the thread about it!!

 

I started using Techron on my current car right now after 10k miles. Do you know if any website or shop Where i can buy them in bundles and get discounts?

 

The easy thing to do is check your owner's manual and compare the oil you want to buy against the standards that are recommended...

 

Most chemicals tend to be considered HAZ-MATS when shipped, so any savings would tend to eaten up in shipping expenses IMO. Try sam's, costco or bj's. Techron might be there.....doubt that seafoam would be there.

 

k, I went to autozone to buy some seafoam and the guy talked me into buying gumout. says it's better. anyone know if this is true or anything about it? I haven't used it yet because I just don't know how I feel about it. I'm considering returning it and just getting seafoam or techron. by the way, is there a favorite/superior on the seafoam vs. techron?

Is redline or purple royal higher quality oil compared to the oem or castrol? If so, I'll pay the extra $ - that's not an issue.

 

I think Gum-out is like STP....basically just disesl/jet fuel, repackaged.....it is an old mechanics trick...ask a REAL OLD TIMER.....it does help injectors and it does dislove varnish...BUT-IMO there are better things out there. Besides...it is a huge mark-up to pay 2$ a pint.
TECHRON is widely regarded as "THE BEST". Many members have had great luck with the "SEA-FOAM" product.
AS for the OIL, If you check the internet you will see a huge debate. In the US Castrol Synthetic is an upgraded conventional oil (NOT SURE ABOUT THEIR NEW "EDGE"), or perhaps more specifically, uses conventional feed-stock to make the oil, so in one sense it is a synthetic, but not considered a TRUE synthetic but many, even though it share many of the same properties. This went all the way to court, and after a court-case, with EXXON/MOBIL, was allowed to continue to call synthetic.
OEM is widely considered to be European, real 100% synthetic, just as Royal purple, Amsol, etc. IMO the extra $1.00 or so per quart is worth it.

One other factor is ZINC content. Newer oils sold in the US have a very low zinc content...as they must to pass government rules to get the "Fuel conserving" logo, and the intent is to let the catalytic converters last longer, due to the lower zinc. Zinc is added to motors to mostly prevent wear and "galling" in the Valve train and other high impact areas. Some motors, (usually Flathead from the muscle care era if i remember right) have had huge wear, and failure problems dues to low zinc oil in just a few miles.
MOBIL 1 extend use, the one advertised for 15,000 miles is the only oil I know of that has remained a high Zinc oil. Do out MINI's need the ZINC? Not sure....you can hedge you bet by using a high zinc oil, and additive or just hope for the best!! I am pretty sure most if not all European oils are high in ZINC....heck till recently, many European cars did not have catalytic converters!!