My new CM has 1400 miles on it. I've seen some other members here talking about getting the oil changed frequently with a new engine. What's recommended? Is it advisable to have the oil analyzed?


Thanks!

Factory recommendation is every 15,000 mile. Yep, that's 15K. Check your oil frequently like 2 or 3 times a month. I can't bring myself to change at 15K. I don't care if is full synthetic. I change my 05 MCS at about 7500. It's just an inexpensive way to help clean out the engine. The engine will reward you with longevity.

I add a first change at 5000, including the filter, but stick to the recommendation thereafter.

Actually that is a misnomer......

MINI will "PAY" for an oil change every 15K miles. I know of NO oil filter in the world that will "effectively" filter your oil after 10K miles and prevent sludge buildup. So your frequent oil changes are part of an excellent planned maintenance system.

I would also recommend installing an Oil catch can as soon as possible. I have seen about 2 cups of crappy brown watery sludge in the bottom of an oil catch can from brand new CM's and R56 with the N18 engines just after 3K miles

I've got an 07 S with 61,260 miles on it today. I change mine every 7500 miles. I've also added a BSH oil catch can and next change which is due at 64,000, I'm changing out the original drain plug with a magnetic one I bought from WMW's. I cannot see going 15K on an oil change!!!!! I also make it a point to check my oil and coolant level once a week.

They will also change the oil annually, regardless of the mileage. Just be sure to bring it in on or after the anniversary of the day you purchased your car.

I only had a little over 6000 miles on my car when it was eligible for its first free oil change. They also do a free inspection.

Dave

I plan on changing it after i finish break in, 1200, then at 3500, then at 7000, then every 4k miles thereafter. I know this is old school, but it will make me feel better. My previous mercedes they recommend every 10k miles, i let the dealer do it because it was a lease and i dont care.

They say 15k...my dealer said to bring it in at 10k tho.

Thats a waste of money. Will they cover that under the warranty service?

I think you are fine to follow the manufacturer's recommendation.

My last two cars were a Porsche Boxster S and BMW 330i with the ZHP package (which has an engine modified by Alpina). I had the Boxster for 6 years (65,000 miles) and the BMW for 7 years (82,000 miles), changing the oil only as recommended by the manufacturers, every 12,000 and 15,000 respectively. I occasionally tracked both cars but never abused them...except for brakes. When I sold them, both cars had thorough pre-sale inspections for the new buyers and both engines were in prefect working condition.

That said, I've been members of several car boards and the oil change debate will never end and everyone has an opinion.

FWIW, I have a friend that has an old beater BMW 325i with just a couple hundred miles shy of 300,000 miles and he says that he changes his oil about every 50,000 miles...not something I'd recommend. :D

If anyone gets MC2 magazine, there was a very good article about the oil change debate on MINI's.

Bottom line was they looked at a lot of parameters and 15000 miles was just too long to go between oil changes. According to the article many MINI service centers are pushing for more frequent oil changes under warranty due to the engine wear they are seeing.

My MC goes in for a change every 7500 miles, has 93000 on it now.

Way back when it was under the 3 year service warranty my MINI service center let me get the oil changes every 7500 and I never paid for them.

I know my (hopefully) soon to be delivered CMS will get oil changes every 7500.

The ZHP package had nothing to do with Alpina, it was an in-house development.

Excessive oil changing is a complete waste of money, modern engines don't need frequent changes, besides the MINI has usage based service intervals, if you drive it hard it bring forward the service.

Here is some interestingv reading from Mobil Oil site:

All viscosities of Mobil 1 Extended Performance meet GF-5. Additionally, they meet or exceed the requirements of various ACEA (European) specifications
Mobil 1 Extended Performance is recommended for up to 15,000-miles or one-year oil change intervals, whichever occurs first. However, if your vehicle manufacturer recommends an oil change interval beyond 15,000 miles and Mobil 1 Extended Performance meets the performance level specified, you can be assured that Mobil 1 Extended Performance will go the distance.
if you drive under normal conditions and use Mobil 1 Extended Performance in your vehicle, the oil is guaranteed to protect your engine for 15,000 miles. We also recommend that drivers consult their owner’s manual while their vehicle is under warranty, and follow the guidelines set forth there. Additionally, we recommend that if consumers drive routinely in severe conditions that they follow the oil change interval recommended in their owner's manual for severe conditions. We define "severe conditions" as:
1. racing or commercial applications;
2. frequent towing or hauling;
3. extremely dusty or dirty conditions; or
4. excessive idling.
To achieve the best peace of mind related to engine protection, many vehicle owners change their motor oils every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Is this practice rendered meaningless with the advent of the Mobil high-endurance oils?

Consumers should follow the maintenance practice that is best for them, and that meets their car manufacturers’ warranty.

True, the MINI has a usage-based interval, but I think the programming can be overly optimistic if you do a lot of freeway driving. I've had the car's computer frequently recommend intervals as long as 23k miles between changes, which I'm not comfortable with, especially seeing the fuel dilution numbers in the analyses I had done on my oil. I've settled on changing the oil when the "miles remaining" reads 7500, and again when it reaches zero. In theory, that could still mean that I'm going as much as 12k miles between changes, but I don't do nearly as much freeway driving as I did a few years ago, so the actual intervals are shorter.

My 2007 is pretty low mileage. The first three oil changes were done once a year at about 4k miles each time. After my last oil change, I ran the oil for 8,018 miles before recently changing it. I sent that oil sample off to Blackstone Labs for an analysis. They indicate normal wear levels and suggested I go 10k on the next oil change and send another sample.

I've only used the MINI branded oil each time, and the car doesn't burn any between changes, but I wonder if this analysis might be a bit skewed because the dealer actually "topped off" my oil, overfilling it by .5 qt about 200 miles before the sample was drawn.

I've attached the lab report and welcome your comments and discussion. This might not answer the OP's question of "When to change the oil", but I think the lab analysis is a good starting point.

I'm changing mine at 3,000 miles, 7500 miles and every 7500 thereafter.

Jeffrey, Interesting comparison to my O/A. Which was similar with exception to slightly higher silicon level (which will lower in time), the viscosity, Flashpoint and Fuel %. Just wondering, when you dumped the oil out of the crankcase how long was it since you shut down the engine and how long was the engine running for ? I believe my higher fuel % is due to the fact that I started the CM briefly before dumping the oil to drive it up on the ramps.

Thanks, --Hobie

> The cams and bearings were Alpina...at least according to my mechanic and BMW racer. Otherwise you're correct.

Depending on how much was used when it was "topped-off", this could skew the analysis. I'd figure out how much oil is burned for 10k interval and top it off about 6-7k.

I am going to do the first oil/filter change at 1,000 miles (like I do on all my 4 wheeled vehicles) and do a oil analysis. I will do the next oil/filter change at 5,000 total miles (4,000 since last change) and do another oil analysis. Depending on the results of the oil analysis I will then extend the oil change out to either 5000 or 7500 miles between changes.

With such a small sump capacity on a turbo-charged engine I can't see going longer than that. Heck, my Porsche Cayenne GTS (4.8L normally aspirated motor) with a sump capacity of almost 10 quarts recommends no longer than 10,000 miles between changes.

I am going to use Mobil 1 0W-40 full synthetic oil (happens to be what Porsche recommends as well). It meets all the MINI specs (one of the few that do).

-steve

Sounds like a good plan, although I'm not sure how much useful information you'll get from an analysis of the oil after the first 1,000 miles. You pretty much know already that the wear metals will be high from break-in, and you can expect at least a little bit of fuel dilution from the driving you do before the rings seat. Also, you'll have traces of assembly lube and any factory additives "contaminating" the sample.

.

Scott,

True the initial 1000 oil analysis will show all sorts of elevated levels due to wearing in, but it's just a quick & dirty check to make sure everything is A-OK.

In fact it saved my buddy's new diesel a number of years ago. His initial oil analysis (1,000 miles or so) showed coolant in the oil. Took it into the dealer and they eventually found a defective oil-to-water cooler that was allowing coolant to seep into the oil. It was a very small leak that probably would have gone undetected for quite a while...don't know if it would have caused a problem before the truck was out of warranty or not....

-steve

Well the day after Turkey day and with 4500 miles, the oil is getting changed.
Too many unknowns on the waiting until Mini sees the light and does it for me.
I don't want all those shavings running through the mini's blood stream or blocking up the oil filter. Better safe than very sorry.... Every GOOD mechanic that I've talked to agreed that synthetic oil last longer but also said, DO NOT WAIT that long!!!!!

So yup, getting it done.