Hey guys, Changed the oil in the Mini Countryman yesterday. 4500 miles, was a little late because, there was no spring in Virginia in April. ( and when there was a warm day, I was at work)
It was interesting, not to bad. There is a fiberglass? cover on the bottom of the engine bay. It keeps dirt and salt out of the engine area. Does a good job. The top cover on the motor just pops off.
Motor was very clean after harsh winter. There are 14 screws with attached washer which hold the bottom cover in place.
Interesting, that it is not 14mm bolts holding a skid plate in place like on a the older Misubishi Montero or the Infiniti QX56. Those plates were heavy ! I was much younger and could hold the plates ( for a while) with one arm and start the bolts with my other hand. But I digress.

I guess when you get good ar changing the oil, on the Countryman, you won't really have to remove the cover, but I wanted to. There are two flaps cut into the bottom cover. They have a small plastic tab that you rotate to a point where it is out of the way, and the flap will open. The flap with the + symbol is the oil filter. It is toward the front. The rearward flap, toward the front axle and has a 'o' symbol is the drain plug.
I think if you get the car up in the air, you can see in those flaps easily. I did not have that luxury, and also I wanted to remove the whole cover to see what was going on in the engine area. So I removed the the 14 screws, you use a 5/16 or 8mm socket. I thought the 5/16 fit better to the screw head.

I had the Countryman up on my old 2x10's 8ft long ramps. They are long, heavy to move, but super safe. You just drive the Countryman up on them, raises the car up about 8 or nine inches.
After I removed the bottom cover, the drain pug is clearly visible. Another reason I wanted to remove the whole cover I didn't want to drain the transmission by accident
17mm socket fits drain plug, its not on super tight, and I notice on mini Mania website they suggest 18ft pounds of torque to replace. so you don't want to strip it. The Oil change kit from Mini Mania comes with the genuine BMW filter, rubber o-ring for the Oil filter canister and a crush washer for the drain plug ( plus five or six liters of OW-20 BMW oil. Its good.
You use five liters of oil or if in quarts its like 5 and half quarts.
I ordered a 37mm socket from Mini Mania, 3/8 drive and it fit right on the oil filter canister. Lefty,loosey, came right off.
There is a drain on the canister, but I didn't remove it. If loosen the canister it will allow to drain out into the pan. Watch there are two wire-looms running past the canister but the oil misses those if you are careful.

Watch that bottom aluminum radiator support that is right in front of the oil filter canister. It has a sharp edge. It sliced right into the bottom of my thumb where it connects to the palm of my hand. Slick as filet knife !
I will be taking my Dremel tool and rounding that sharp edge on that support bar.

Popped the old filter out of the canister, it pulls out. The oil filter has little tabs on one end and felt at the other with a hole. The Filter has tabs which fit inside the tabs on the inside bottom of the canister. You press it in the canister, it will snap in easily
Then when you put the canister & filter assembly back up on the motor, the felt end of the filter goes over the tube on the motor oil filter canister mount, and push it up on there. IF the filter's felt 'hole' is small, use your finger to make the filter hole, in the felt a little larger and it will slip right up on the filter tube on the motor and the canister will start its threads.

Please don't cross thread that canister. You put some oil on the little rubber O-ring on the canister. ( the new O-ring comes with the filter kit from BMW) Its just like a Lexus IS350 and VW 'New' Beetle, if you have changed the oil on those cars. You tighten the canister on the mount, until the lip of the canister comes in contact with the oil filter mount on the motor. Don't tighten it, just run it up to that canister mount lip and it stops turning, don't tighten past that point. The 37mm makes it super easy with a ratchet, but don't cross thread that canister ! ( or cut yourself on that aluminum support bar).

put the copper crush washer on the drain plug. Snug it, I dont think you torque it like a lug nut or anything super tight, cause the drain pan is aluminum or that magnesium metal, not steel, and its soft. Another reason I wanted to remove the bottom cover, so I could eyeball that drain plug.

You can add oil now after draining and changing the filter, added Five liters.
started the motor, before putting the cover back on the bottom side.
No leaky, wifee drives around the block, because it won't let you Check your oil level until it warms up ! ( and you have to be on level ground.
The Mini finally did its dance to check oil level, and the indicator bar chart was 3/4 the way up and the message was oil was at Maximum level.
Thank you Mini, I am glad your motor didn't lock-up while checking your oil level! annoying, but Mini seems to like the new oil. ( I guess)

The bottom cover is precise fitting. You line up the holes in the cover to the plastic inserts, on the car. Luckily the inserts are white and easy to see. All fourteen mounting holes. Don't over-tighten the screws. snug them.

Everything back to normal. But you cannot reset the oil minder in the automated maintenance schedule in the car. so it will go off at 6K miles.

Fine, dealer may be able to change the oil at 6K, but I am changing it in the 'in-between time' ,,, Since I can't SEE the oil !
It was time to change at 4500, for me. I have a 'thing' if I can't see it.
I cannot leave it in there longer if I cannot see it. The oil was dark dark amber, not black like a Cummins turbo diesel oil.
I think I saw where you could put a dip-stick on the Mini. May check into that.
yeah, 'If' I take 'her' to the dealer for a oil change, they are going to have to let me watch.
Hmmm,, that doesn't sound good, but you know what I mean.

Not a bad job, Good car. Dinan tune is next

 

Biscuit, you aren't joking, not many oil changes come out black like a Cummins oil change. My 5.9 comes out like its pitch black. But the oil out was the same color as what was going in.

As for the sharp edge. I have the smaller engine and didn't run into this issue. But over the years I've learned to keep scraps from prior work. My kid likes to have those door edge protectors in clear vinyl and instead of grinding and such, I just cut to fit and press on. Easy repair.

When I did mine the first time, I found the plastic ramps I use for the other vehicles worked perfect. When the panels were opened both the filter hosing drain and the oil pan drain never made a mess and hit the pan perfectly.

As for checking the oil level, I hate their design. I'm old and still look for the oil stick everytime I open the hood. If you can install an oil level stick, I envy you. I was told there is not point to install one on my engine. I understand they put bundles of money in its design and installation for the owner, but it seems incomplete to me. Like I'm checking a Briggs and Stratton lawnmower, not a car engine.