while the salesman was "showing me the ropes" during delivery, as we were paging through the various OBC screens in the tach, the next oil change screen shows "9000, 4/2013"

9000 miles NOT 15,000 miles!

this was before i even heard my car run, had 6 miles showing on the odometer, sitting in the dealers "delivery room"

i had read and been told the oil change interval was 15,000 or 1 year

there are several threads here and on other boards about the 15,000 miles interval, good/bad/other etc, oil change intervals are like politics, everyone has an opinion.

that said, i cannot believe there is not a SH*TSTORM of board activity if the 2012 cars have lowered the oil change interval to 9000 miles

when i start the car, it shows 9000/4-2013 til next service, not just in the buried service screens

so lets hear from other 2012 owners:

what is showing on your 2012 for miles til next oil change>

scott

 

My 2012 has 7k on it and shows ~8k until service, so right in line with the standard 15k as far as the computer is concerned.

Of course I would never follow their recommendations as I think the 15k interval is asking for trouble. I changed my break-in oil at 3k and will do so every additional 5k.

An oil change at the dealer costs about the same as 1.5 tanks of gas, so cheaping out on oil changes is not part of my maintenance gameplan.

 

subzero

i have 300 miles and show 9000 til service....

scott

 

Curious, is it a Countryman thing (and if so...how come?).

My week-old-to-me MCS has 800 miles, and...15000 till service.

 

my point exactly! WTF is going on here?

my countryman is an 03/2012 build

 

Hey Scott! I don't at all doubt what you are saying, I was just reporting my numbers for reference. I'm pretty sure the actual interval that the car shows varies in accordance with driving style. I've read that more aggressive driving can cause the interval to come sooner, but I'm not an expert.

It's just me, but I'd prefer to ignore what the computer says and stick with my own shorter, regular intervals. The price is relatively low for the peace of mind that it offers.

 

i agree, i will be doing an oil/filter at 1200 then every 5,000 or twice a year

probably going to change the tranny and diff too at 1200, then every 25,000

my last vehicle, 1997 gmc sonoma 4x4, that has worked for 287,000 miles

 

i went to my dealer today for "free car wash saturday"

while i was waiting, i talked to a service advisor

he confirmed that 03/2012 builds now use 9000 mile or 1 year oil change as standard interval in the OBC

so i will now adjust my oil changes to 4500 miles and i will do one then the dealer will do one

scott

 

My 2012 MCS is just about to get its 2nd oil change at 6K. I don't care what the computer tells me.

Check your oil every week or 300 miles!

It is not a bad idea to get the break-in oil out early! (like 1200) Then start changing it as needed (like 4-5K). The computer uses fuel consumption to calculate when the Mini dealer will change the sludge turbo burnt oil for you. If you drive hard your fuel consumption goes up and so does the Mini approved oil change frequency at the dealer. Don't wait for your motor to turn black inside to change it. Don't wait for the computer to tell you it is OK (Your turbo and timing chain will fail sooner). Don't wait for the dealer to tell you it is OK. Don't wait for Consumer Reports or JD Powers to tell you your car is a high maintenance and expensive pile of junk because you did not change the oil when it was needed.

Oh, That is cool that Mini changed it to 9000 miles for 2012. Now I may be able to have the dealer do 4 oil changes instead of 3 before my maintenance program runs out.

 

IMO, it doesn't hurt to have a Blackstone lab analysis once in a while as well. Well worth the $25 or so!

 

My 2012 Said 15K till next oil change when I bought it!! It had 3 miles on it when I first test drove it. I now have 800 miles on it and it says 14K. The build date is 02/12 so...

I guess I'm just gonna have to pay for more oil changes then?

I'm going to have a 1,200 mile oil change done, then at 5k, then every 5k forever and ever after that : )

 

i wonder what would happen to pre 03/2012 cars if they get an ECU flash to the lastest software version?

if the oil change interval changes, it would mean more free oil changes during the included maintenance period

scott

 

Since break in I've change at 5,000 mile intervals no matter what MINI or the ecu tells me and until they design and produce and engine with no moving parts I'll continue to do so!

This 9,000 or 15,000 mile interval bs was an actual selling point used by my MA. I know better but I can guarantee there are a lot of people that don't.

 

Ah, so some "official" word about the difference.

Sounds like a good maintenance plan. Mine has a 2/27/12 build date, with 973 on the clock as of this morning, it's showing 14000 to go.

All academic to me; I'm also of the early break-in change, then 5k intervals afterwards school of maintenance anyhow. RaceRamps / tools / gen-u-ine MINI oil and filter are assembled for a first change at 1200 miles, probably some night this week.

 

Three cheers to that!

It felt strange when I first started driving MINI's getting used to not have a temp and oil pressure gauge but now I don't think about it at all. I do know however that there is still an engine under the bonnet that works like every other modern engine out there. It requires clean fresh oil to run at it's optimum. Synth oil may help prolong changing intervals but I will always believe that an oil and filter change at regular intervals is the cheapest preventative maintenance that will save you possibly thousands down the road.

 

just checked my OBC on my r56 and it also says 9000 miles.

 

nelnel21

is yours a 03/2012 build date too?

scott

 

yes it is

 

Picked up my Coupe yesterday. It says 9000 too.

 

What is free carwash saturday? Is this at all mini dealers?

 

beauxgoris

at my mini dealer they offer a free exterior wash and interior vacuum every saturday for as long as i own my mini

i do not know if it is a mini thing or a dealer thing, but it is a very nice benefit to me as a mini owner

scott

 

Thanks for the info - I'm going to check with my dealership. My mini needs a wash.

 

funny how the "new" prince engine has a pcv delete, shorter oil change intervals and a turbo oil line heat shield.....sounds like they have been lurking NAM.

 

I can't go 9000 on an engine that runs at 220 degrees all day long. 5000 is when I change my oil. My car has 9000 miles on it and three oil changes to date.

 

We still do oil changes every 4,000 on our 2012 R56 MCS. When we went to the dealer for our first "FREE" maintenance oil change at 12,000 the dealer reset the computer to 9 or 10,000 till the next free oil change. When the car was at the dealer they replaced the water pump because the bearing was failing (it is good to have the car looked at). We have been driving the Mini like normal and we noticed the projected mileage till the next free oil change is dropping fast with the new flash (mileage programming). We did our extra change at 3,000 this time. We are now at 800 miles till due (for the next free oil change) after 5,000 miles of driving from the last free change (2000 from the last DIY change). It looks like 6,000 (about 1/2 of the first distance) is our new adjusted rate.

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