I have had my "S" for 14 months and have not reached the mandatory 10,000 miles for the first service.

My question is; has anyone experienced problems going this long before getting oil changed? I think 10,000 miles for the first oil change is a bit long on a new motor, any thoughts?

Best,

Frnak in Toledo

 

Lots of people change their oil before the first scheduled oil change. It is not "mandatory" that you wait 10k miles. . . but you do have to wait that long for a free oil change. . . .

I changed mine around 5k and now do it every 5k

You do check the oil level from time to time though?

 

You are entitled to a free oil change service annually, regardless of mileage !

 

Yes, I check it on a regular basis - always ful & clean.

Would you mind sharing what oil you used?

Thanks,

Frank in Toldeo

 

Frank,
Amsoil, Redline, and Royal Purple seem to be the highest-regarded oils amongst the folks here, although it's generally agreed that any true synthetic oil is superior to the wink-wink "synthetic" oil that MINI supplies.

Plenty of folks are sticking to the 10-15k oil change intervals without problems, but I have to think that those engines will be performing differently at 150k miles than they would if the oil had been changed more frequently. I plan on keeping my car for a long time, so I'll use full synthetic and probably change it roughly every 5-7k miles.

This topic is exhaustively discussed here. For more opinions than you'll ever want to hear, go to the "beneath the bonnet" forum and do a search on oil changes.

Welcome to NAM!
Chris

 

Frank,

How close are you to reaching 10K. Typically MINI will allow the oil change to be done under warranty if the car is either at the 12 month mark (regardless of mileage) from date of delivery/purchase or if you are within 1000 miles on the countdown meter on your speedometer.
I'm originally from Toledo myself! I had to chuckle (with satisfaction) when I saw your post knowing that you're from my old stomping grounds. I left in 84 for Dallas, Texas and am currently residing in Charlotte, NC working for Hendrick MINI.

I recently purchased an 05 BRG/White S and currently have almost 1200 miles on it (yippee). Soon I'll be exploring that magic redline up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I hope you are enjoying yours as well and that my information was helpfull to you.

Sincerely,
Steve Mezardjian

 

Oil is cheap insurance. Even with synthetic it's worth it to me to change it more often (at least I do in my A4). When I had "free" service still, I always did a midway oil change (about 5k) in between the Audi paid for changes. And even for free changes I bought my own oil since they charged you for synthetic.

Imagine that, the dealer wanted you to go 10,000 miles on non-synthetic oil. Wonder why so many turbo Audis are having sludge problems now...



Is the system in the MINI the one where the car actually tests the oil, like in some of the BMWs? I assume that it tests for pH, moisture, particulates etc.

If the system is just a countdown, then I wouldn't trust it. However if it really "tests" the oil then I might be more comforable letting it go longer.

 

FYI, MINI dealership told me they will not give you the oil change under your 10K factory service unless it is within 100 miles of 10K... Or 1 year..

 

It's just a countdown, although it adjusts depending on whether you drive like a granny or drive the car the way it was designed to be driven.

 

I'd read that it's based on how much gas has gone through your engine. So it may tell you to change at 9000 miles or less if you get 10mpg because your foot is stuck to the floor or 11000 miles or more if you get 30mpg because you drive like grandma.

Or, like me, live in an area with traffic (and cops) so dense that I end up driving like grandma because grandma is, in fact, blocking the road in front of me. In all 4 lanes.


Anyway, I say use your dipstick, check the oil now and then, if it looks low, add more, if it looks too black, change it, if it looks okay, leave it.

I'm approaching 8000 miles and haven't changed my oil yet. I just recently checked it again via the handy dipstick-and-white-rag technique and it still seems fine. My guess is if the engineers said you need to change it after 10,000 miles, what they really mean is that you're in a lot of trouble if you still haven't changed it at 15,000. If 1 car in 1000 ran into problems because of a lack of oil change at 10,000 miles, they'd have told everyone to change it every 5,000 miles because it's cheaper than doing a lot of under-warrenty repairs.

 

What are your thoughts on Castrol? On the label it has a higher rating than what is called for in the Mini owner's manual.

I was very let down after talking to the dealer last week after posting here. The policy on service, in my opinion, sucks big time. According to the service manager in order to get any service on my Mini, I first must have the oil changed. After going around and around, the only way I could get any service at all and not get the Mini oil, which they claim is the equivalent of Mobil 1, is to bring my own oil when I bring the car in for service. Is this guy pulling my leg and how can I be sure?

Frank in Toledo

 

I plan to change my oil with Mobil 1 at roughly 5000 mile intervals, so I guess I'll be going to the dealer for my free oil change every other time. I've gone with extended drain intervals before on other cars with synthetic oil, but I usually try to change the oil on the cars I autocross (including my MC) at least every 5000 miles.

-Keith

 

Ok....The service manager is a moron and is way off on treating you this way.....We change customers oil prior to them reaching the maintance time and theres no trouble with the warrenty department on paying for it....I cant tell you at what times these were done and if theres a within range time that its ok to do so but i wouldnt worry about goin the full 10k as i never seen a problem with it in the 6yrs ive worked for BMW.

And no....Mobil 1 is not even close to being the same as the Castrol oil we use in these vehicles..well not true.....there both synthetics.... so right there hes an idiot and id bring your car somewhere else.....Castrol makes a special blend oil only made for BMW/MINI to go the extra mile compared to others on the market ( and if you didnt notice....alot of the companies are now offering new blends to go the extra milage themselves ) so i wouldnt change it nor do you need to. And for only less than $5 a QT at the dealer, you still cant beat that at your local part stores anyway.

 

So, has anyone actually done a blackstone on the Mini after it's recommended oil change interval? I would be afraid to see it, especially after 75K-100K on the odo. Mine only has 1500 miles on it right now, but I do plan on getting a blackstone after a few oil changes (I am going to change it myself every 5K miles anyway). If they come back and say I have plenty of life after I change it, i'll just extend it a little bit.

 

This same subject gets debated on the BMW forums every day. Despite what the dealer may tell you, a current BMW's service interval counter is set to go off after about 600 gallons of gas have gone through the engine. My M3 uses a "special" oil that retails for almost $15 a quart at the dealer and to stay in warranty, you have to use that and nothing else. Many BMW owners have done testing on their sythetic oil and general consensus is BMW is telling the truth: the oil is fine after the usual 15K or so interval, and in fact has lots more mileage left in it in most cases. I don't change my M3's oil any more often than the service intervals, and it's doing fine at 46K miles. I don't expect my Mini to be any different.

 

Its actually $8.95 a qt. And i dont blame you on not doing itthe time is needed.....and thats just under $70 for a M3 oil change less the labor. these cars dont needed oil changes b4 the alotted times ( unless you beat the hell outta your car, you might wanna do it alil earlier....but even then you dont have to ).

 

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I really believe I was led astray and should have lived by my lifelong practices and ignored the sales hype.

In the future I will be using a very high quality synthetic and changing at 3-5M miles.

Once again, Thanks for all your help.

 

I just had my oil changed (free at the dealer) at 8500 miles. The service light told me I had 100 miles left. The dealership did it without a problem. Listen to your car, it knows:smile: .

 

Interesting that we both have BRG/W MCS's. Are you from this area?

I hope you enjoy your drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is very flat around here as you more than likely remember. I am from the eastern side of Ohio where it is a bit more hilly - where the roads are more suited to the Mini.

Best,

 

I have no (or at least little) doubt that the bmw/mini oil will last between oil change intervals without any problem. But I am concerned about the first oil change, because I've heard that new engines shed some iron while they are breaking in. My sales person even whispered when questioned about the issue that it wouldn't be a bad idea to change the oil at my own expense (with a good synthetic) at 1,500 miles or so. This seems prudent.

Do I need to change it with an extended life synthetic, or can I use a regular synthetic like Mobil 1 for the remaining 8,500 files or so before the scheduled mini oil change? Is the MINI oil different from the retail Castrol Syntec? I know mobil 1 offers an "extended performance" version - is this needed?

 

Hello guys, today my Check Engine Soon light came on with only 9606 miles. However, before I start the car, it says I have less than 100 miles before my first oil change. My question is, will the ECU trigger the check engine light when it knows that it's almost time to change my oil? Thanks.

 

Read my post somewhere above about oils.

 

1FSTMINI: Someone else posted here that mini oil is plain vanilla Castrol Syntec, not some specially-manufactured BMW oil. The poster suggested he worked for Castrol and so knows the truth. Other people have confirmed the same thing, while MINI dealers have been telling people that they are selling a specially-manufactured-for-BMW higher-life oil. It's difficult to know what the truth is.

If I do an oil change at 3,000 miles, then it would be about 7,000 more before the free mini change. That would be pretty good. 15,000 mile intervals are quite long. I'd be more comfortable changing at 7,500 miles.

 

i read that mobil 1 sued castrol over the use of the term synthetic. it seems that castrol is not a true synthetic but from a very highly refined petroleum base. the courts said it was close enough for castrol cont to use the term synthetic.