I have a 04 MCS with 49,000miles on the clock. I do alot of highway driving, and had the oil changed every 7,500 up to the 30,000 mile mark. I have been busy traveling for my job and figured what they hey, "Ill try the Mini Service interval" well its now 49,000 and it just reached the oil service interval. In my mind way too long to change the oil. I was just checking my dipstick and noticed on the very tip a white residue, possibly engine sludge? Im going to have the dealer give me some of the oil to have it analyzed. Have any of you had this issue? Also i noticed it does consume some oil, maybe 1/2 qt in 10,000 miles. I think thats normal for a supercharged car, correct me if im wrong.

 

Not sure on engine sludge, but in supercharged cars oil can acumulate in the intake track especially in the intercooler. It's because of the cam vent that goes into the intake track. Granted it does this on other cars, but its bad news for intercoolers. This is why I got an oil catch can. While installing the can I took off my intercooler to clean the inside with throttle body cleaner, the oil actually poored out. I had 20k miles on the car at the time. I can only assume that with more miles, more oil is to acumualte, but no where near your 1/2 quart. Any slow leaks on the bottom of the engine?

 

well maybe it wasnt quite 1/2qt, it was still close to the full line. granted this is after 20k... oil does break down.

 

you're making the case for an oil can for me....

 

Just check inside your intercooler, you will be surprized how much oil is in there. After it poors out, you would need carb/throttle body cleaner because the inside is already coated with oil. You will notice the smell and slimyness inside it.

 

If you drive your car in very cold temperatures, especially for some short trips, some moisture present in the crankcase in normal operation will condense in the dipstick tube and in the valve cover and breathers. This is normal and will usually disappear during longer drives. If you cannot avoid short trips in cold weather, change the oil more often. Also, some moisture accumulation can result from a bad PCV valve or collapsed hose (a known problem).

 

I took my 05 MCS with 27,000 miles on it to the dealer because of "goo"in the valve cover.The general conclusion was too much 40 degree weather and all short trips,resulting in condensation.My oil catch can was full of 98% water,which I emptied before I took it to the dealer.Last Saturday a few club members got together and heard my story.They all emptied their catch cans,and they all had them 1/2 to 3/4 full of water!

 

Car died yesterday, Mini came and picked it up. Today they tell me the engine is dead, OIL SLUDGE! 07S with 34,800 miles. They have done all the maintenance, one oil change at 18k? Input from anyone?

DyeLooper

 

What is your driving style? How far is your commute? 18,000 and 16,800 miles are too long for an oil change interval.

 

Why I dont follow BMW service intervals...

 

^^ I change my oil every 2500-3250 miles.

 

Sludge can cause a number of problems but by its self is not a reason for an engine to die. Oil starvation from not picking up oil is the one I would assume but sludge alone?
And at 34K?
I smell something amiss. You probably need to ask for more details.

 

Well, got told today that the early 07's had a casting problem with the blocks. This is all I have heard at this point. They are replacing the engine with a new (Not Rebuilt) engine and turbo. Sounds very fishy to me from what I have read about sludge oil. They, the dealer has performed all maintenance on my mini, I let them do it since it's under warranty. I want them to warranty the rest of the car for the remaining 13000k miles, and re-warrenty the new engine for the 48000k they had given me, sound bad? In addition, I am not sure if they are replacing the intercooler or radiator either. I think they should as though both can play into the whole sludge theory as they call it. My commute is approx 18 miles. Some stop and go some highway.

 

Dealer-maintained, car under warranty ... sounds to me like they're giving you a new engine for free. And a loaner while they do it.

Good luck and sorry for your bad luck!

 

19k is too long an interval. I would take a sample at 10k and have an analysis done to see if there's life left in the oil.

The Service Indicator is not perfect... and once the warranty expires, MINI is out of the loop.

 

Did they say what caused the oil to sludge up? I think 18k is too long. Without a Used Oil Analysis, you can't pin-point the where limit of the oil is.

I have a turbo-charged VW 1.8T (chipped) New Beetle and have always changed the (synthetic) oil around 7500 miles. (Remember turbos are harder on oil than S/C because it spins at a much faster rate and uses engine oil to lubricate.) At 90,000 I sent a sample with 9000 miles to Blackstone for analysis. They say there's some life left... possible to go to 10k. The valve-cover gasket was replaced at 155k, the surface of the head and cam lobes are very clean. Turbocharger sounds fine so far... hopefully it'll stay that way a few years.

I suggest you send in a sample of used oil at 10k and then decide what to do.

 

Whats the cost to Blackstone? Where? How much do they need.

 

Update: Car is done, I pick up tomorrow. Will let ya know more tomorrow sometime.

 

It should cost about $22-$35 for the basic analysis (including TBN).

More info at http://www.blackstone-labs.com/index.html