R60 A new how-long-to-oil-change thread
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,264
Likes: 31
From: wisconsin, usa
that was me!
my 03/2012 build countryman s all4 OBC showed 9,000 miles to oil change as the salesman was doing the pre-delievery "show-me" show.
the next saturday, i went to the "free car wash sat" at the dealer (free washes for as long as i own the car, nice bene!)
while i was waiting, i asked the service writer about the 9,000 oil change and he confirmed it was a 03/2012 running change.
i will be doing an oil change at 1200 miles, including the manual tranny and diffs, then engine oil at 4,500 and every 4,500 after that. mini will do the multiples of 9,000 and i will do the multiples of 4,500.
i wonder about the implication of this change for earlier (prior to 03/2012 build) cars?
scott
my 03/2012 build countryman s all4 OBC showed 9,000 miles to oil change as the salesman was doing the pre-delievery "show-me" show.
the next saturday, i went to the "free car wash sat" at the dealer (free washes for as long as i own the car, nice bene!)
while i was waiting, i asked the service writer about the 9,000 oil change and he confirmed it was a 03/2012 running change.
i will be doing an oil change at 1200 miles, including the manual tranny and diffs, then engine oil at 4,500 and every 4,500 after that. mini will do the multiples of 9,000 and i will do the multiples of 4,500.
i wonder about the implication of this change for earlier (prior to 03/2012 build) cars?
scott
Last edited by bmwr606; Apr 11, 2012 at 06:53 PM. Reason: typos/spelling
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 429
Likes: 2
From: Orange County, CA
that was me!
my 03/2012 build countryman s all4 OBC showed 9,000 miles to oil change as the salesman was doing the pre-delievery "show-me" show.
the next saturday, i went to the "free car wash sat" at the dealer (free washes for as long as i own the car, nice bene!)
while i was waiting, i asked the service writer about the 9,000 oil change and he confirmed it was a 03/2012 running change.
i will be doing an oil change at 1200 miles, including the manual tranny and diffs, then engine oil at 4,500 and every 4,500 after that. mini will do the multiples of 9,000 and i will do the multiples of 4,500.
i wonder about the implication of this change for earlier (prior to 03/2012 build) cars?
scott
my 03/2012 build countryman s all4 OBC showed 9,000 miles to oil change as the salesman was doing the pre-delievery "show-me" show.
the next saturday, i went to the "free car wash sat" at the dealer (free washes for as long as i own the car, nice bene!)
while i was waiting, i asked the service writer about the 9,000 oil change and he confirmed it was a 03/2012 running change.
i will be doing an oil change at 1200 miles, including the manual tranny and diffs, then engine oil at 4,500 and every 4,500 after that. mini will do the multiples of 9,000 and i will do the multiples of 4,500.
i wonder about the implication of this change for earlier (prior to 03/2012 build) cars?
scott
2nd Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 53
Likes: 2
The authority I would reference is MINI's parent company (BMW) prior to the 1997 model year.
Prior to that, recommended oil changes were much shorter, brake fluid was yearly, coolant every two years, transmission fluid varied (automatics were every 15k I believe) and you could not change filters and wiper blades often enough.
With 1997 models, BMW introduced included (it's not free) maintenance. Nothing changed. The engines and transmission were the same, fluids were the same, but the intervals increased. Other than magically extended service intervals, the only thing that really changed was who was paying for the maintenance work.
The old maintenance schedules were driven by engineers who built the cars to last at least 300k miles, not the marketing department. Some maintenance items may have been a little overboard, but the cars would last.
1997 is a long time ago, so for a more current argument, my BMW service manager justifies the long service interval on my 650i due to the fact that the monster non turbo 4.8L V8 holds 8.5 quart of synthetic oil. BMW's theory is that the large oil capacity and lack of turbo results in lower operating temperature, therefore the oil does not degrade as fast and can last for one year / 15k miles. It seems logical, but if synthetic oil, large oil capacity and lower engine operating temps are the three factors that justify long oil service, the MINI Cooper S motor fails on at least two of the criteria.
Prior to that, recommended oil changes were much shorter, brake fluid was yearly, coolant every two years, transmission fluid varied (automatics were every 15k I believe) and you could not change filters and wiper blades often enough.
With 1997 models, BMW introduced included (it's not free) maintenance. Nothing changed. The engines and transmission were the same, fluids were the same, but the intervals increased. Other than magically extended service intervals, the only thing that really changed was who was paying for the maintenance work.
The old maintenance schedules were driven by engineers who built the cars to last at least 300k miles, not the marketing department. Some maintenance items may have been a little overboard, but the cars would last.
1997 is a long time ago, so for a more current argument, my BMW service manager justifies the long service interval on my 650i due to the fact that the monster non turbo 4.8L V8 holds 8.5 quart of synthetic oil. BMW's theory is that the large oil capacity and lack of turbo results in lower operating temperature, therefore the oil does not degrade as fast and can last for one year / 15k miles. It seems logical, but if synthetic oil, large oil capacity and lower engine operating temps are the three factors that justify long oil service, the MINI Cooper S motor fails on at least two of the criteria.
So far, I have to say that in my BMW X3, the engine is going strong with 10k oil changes at 145,000 miles, however, it sees mostly highway miles and isn't always driven hard...
If it were me, the fact that I would be driving a high output (for it's size) engine with turbos to boot, frequent oil changes would be strongly recommended. I would rather pay a few extra dollars for an oil change than for a new engine.
Even if engine tech has advanced farther than say, 1997, we are still demanding more (hp/torque) from less (engine size) while still meeting or beating the output from back then. It's still a turbo, which will undoubtably put more stress on the engine. All while being cheap insurance.
So what kind of oil does the dealer use ? Is it synthetic? Because if I want to do synthetic in between service oil changes ? Because you cant alternate synthetic with non synthetic right? Thanks
2nd Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 53
Likes: 2
Don't want to sound disparaging at all here, so I apologize if I do, but if you read through this thread carefully enough, you'd have figured out that MINI uses synthetic.
The reason I want you to be utterly positive it's synthetic, is because you definitely do NOT want to mix regular with synthetic. Regular oil definitely breaks down faster and there would be NO POSSIBILITY that the MINI would come close to going 15,000 miles between oil changes without eventual engine replacement. Add to the fact that a turbo puts added stress on an engine, regular oil would be the ultimate in 'penny wise and pound foolish'.
Remember, most of this discussion is already questioning whether or not 15,000 miles is still to long between oil changes, and that's with synthetic. Regular oil would compound that issue by nearly100%.
The reason I want you to be utterly positive it's synthetic, is because you definitely do NOT want to mix regular with synthetic. Regular oil definitely breaks down faster and there would be NO POSSIBILITY that the MINI would come close to going 15,000 miles between oil changes without eventual engine replacement. Add to the fact that a turbo puts added stress on an engine, regular oil would be the ultimate in 'penny wise and pound foolish'.
Remember, most of this discussion is already questioning whether or not 15,000 miles is still to long between oil changes, and that's with synthetic. Regular oil would compound that issue by nearly100%.
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 0
From: Robertsdale, Alabama
You don't want your oil to break down because it can cause sludge buildup and turbo failure as well as many other issues.
Be sure to check your oil regularily like at least once every two weeks.
Personally, I check mine once a week, doesn't take but a minute and it's piece of mind.
Take care of your car and it'll take care of you.
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 638
Likes: 1
From: Redding, CA 96001
On various forums with different makes owners have sent in oil samples to labs for analysis, and for the most part synthetic oil has been good out to the 7-10 K mark on most cars. MINI specifies only certain synthetic long-life oils so I think the oil should be good at least for this interval, even with hard service.
I personally will be changing my oil at 1 year or about 7500 mile intervals (when the service display indicates oil change in 7500 miles). If I were driving the car mostly on long highway trips, the 15K interval doesn't seem out of line.
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 638
Likes: 1
From: Redding, CA 96001
See your owners manual, warranty book, and post 17 above for information on oil that MINI recommends.
Thanks Dr simmons
Sorry "Wong way" that I did not know that mini uses synthetic oil, that I dont know which kinds of oil are synthetic and that I dont know that if your talking about oil changes longer that 15,000 it automatically means its synthetic oil, I guess they did not teach us this in high school or in my med school.
I thought one of the point of this forum is to learn from one another , Next time Ill keep my stupid questions to myself!
PS Maybe there should be a experts section in this forum for you Wongway
Sorry "Wong way" that I did not know that mini uses synthetic oil, that I dont know which kinds of oil are synthetic and that I dont know that if your talking about oil changes longer that 15,000 it automatically means its synthetic oil, I guess they did not teach us this in high school or in my med school.
I thought one of the point of this forum is to learn from one another , Next time Ill keep my stupid questions to myself!
PS Maybe there should be a experts section in this forum for you Wongway
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 0
From: Robertsdale, Alabama
Thanks Dr simmons
Sorry "Wong way" that I did not know that mini uses synthetic oil, that I dont know which kinds of oil are synthetic and that I dont know that if your talking about oil changes longer that 15,000 it automatically means its synthetic oil, I guess they did not teach us this in high school or in my med school.
I thought one of the point of this forum is to learn from one another , Next time Ill keep my stupid questions to myself!
PS Maybe there should be a experts section in this forum for you Wongway
Sorry "Wong way" that I did not know that mini uses synthetic oil, that I dont know which kinds of oil are synthetic and that I dont know that if your talking about oil changes longer that 15,000 it automatically means its synthetic oil, I guess they did not teach us this in high school or in my med school.
I thought one of the point of this forum is to learn from one another , Next time Ill keep my stupid questions to myself!
PS Maybe there should be a experts section in this forum for you Wongway
You can get all kinds of opinions on ail change intervals so it's very individualizied.
I personally wouldn't go 15K even with the synthetic. I think half of that is sufficient. Point is, make sure it's changed and again I'll stress the fact, be sure to check it weekly or every two weeks at minimun.
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,358
Likes: 1
From: Graham, NC
Instructions available here. You should not reset the interval if you are still in your included maintenance period.
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 0
From: Robertsdale, Alabama
I guess you can buy those little static cling window decals that shops use to indicate when next oil change is due. I haven't looked them up but I'm sure they are available somewhere.
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 429
Likes: 2
From: Orange County, CA
I just keep a little log book of my oil/filter changes as well as tire rotations, and any repairs, and replacement parts such as battery, etc.
I guess you can buy those little static cling window decals that shops use to indicate when next oil change is due. I haven't looked them up but I'm sure they are available somewhere.
I guess you can buy those little static cling window decals that shops use to indicate when next oil change is due. I haven't looked them up but I'm sure they are available somewhere.
you can download the log here for free. I print it out and keep it in a folder with all of my receipts for oil, filters, etc.
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,961
Likes: 0
From: Robertsdale, Alabama
Microsoft office actually has a vehicle maintenance log and I use that to keep track of what I've done on all of my vehicles.
you can download the log here for free. I print it out and keep it in a folder with all of my receipts for oil, filters, etc.
you can download the log here for free. I print it out and keep it in a folder with all of my receipts for oil, filters, etc.
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,129
Likes: 4
Maybe one way to settle this is to have two motor oil tests done by Blackstone Labs ( http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free-test-kits.php ). I'll send in my 7,500 mile oil and if someone who is going to go the full 15k miles wants to participate, I'll mail you a pre-paid test kit, all you have to do is be honest about the mileage on the oil and share the results. PM me if interested.
There are MINI's on this site following the CBS and still going 200,000 to 400,000 miles later.......
Here's at oil analysis at 25,000 mile OCI.
2nd Gear
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
While reading the links above, I noted Car Talks admonition:
"You may want to consider changing your oil more frequently if:
"You may want to consider changing your oil more frequently if:
- You drive like a knucklehead: jackrabbit starts, heavy acceleration or high-speed driving"
I think so! I know I'm guilty of all 3...
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,033
Likes: 1
From: SF Bay Area
New Oil Change Interval on MINIs
According to MotoringFile, MINI has reduced the oil change interval from 15,000 to 10,000 miles:
http://www.motoringfile.com/2012/04/...and+Podcast%29
I'll look later today to see if the newest R60 cars show this as well.
http://www.motoringfile.com/2012/04/...and+Podcast%29
I'll look later today to see if the newest R60 cars show this as well.
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 112
Likes: 2
From: Cincinnati
OK, since there are no stupid questions, I have been dying to ask: has anyone ever taken their mini to a quick change oil place to get their mini's oil changed? Can they even do it?
My mini is my first mini and I bought it used. All my previous cars, I have taken to quick change oil businesses to get the oil changed. But after reading around this forum, I think I should change my own oil. If I do, where do you dump your used oil?
Thanks
My mini is my first mini and I bought it used. All my previous cars, I have taken to quick change oil businesses to get the oil changed. But after reading around this forum, I think I should change my own oil. If I do, where do you dump your used oil?
Thanks