The carbon buildup appears to be a major problem in the MCS. The direct fuel injection is thought to be the most significant cause for this problem. I am curious if anyne had this problem in the MC.

2011 MC PW/B

 

Very mild if any. I have pulled intake manifolds off justas with 100k+ and just a very light coat on the runners not much at all on the valves

 

To my knowledge the problem the justa's suffer from more then the carbon build up is sludgy oil build up in the cylinder heads. Which is where a catch can, regular sea foam treatments and more frequent oil changes are handy. With that being said my justa is about to go under the wrench in the next week or two for some serious upgrades, so I'll be looking closely at the throttle body as well just to see if there is a carbon issue there or not while it's out of commission. I will defiantly keep you posted and maybe take some pictures if anyone's interested.

 

Justacooperjay,

Have you mounted a catch can on your justa? If you have, please let us know how effective it is and how hard it was to install. My 2011 MC has consumed very little oil and the oil temperature is about 210F after fully warmed up. Almost all my driving allows the engine to run at full operating temperature for several minutes and I assumed that would allow the condensed water to vaporize and pass through the breather. I also change the oil twice a year (5,000 to 6,000 miles).

I would appreciate feed back from any other Justa owners that have installed a oil catch can.

2011 MC PW/B

 

I'm not a justa and or a direct engine owner like you R5sixxer.
The oil catch can will slow down the oil build-up in your intake port/valves.
Eventually, you will need to get that cylinder head cleaned up with walnut blasting process. Frequent oil changes has nothing to-do with the oil build-up in your cylinder head. Seafoaming? I'm not too sure if it helps at all.

 

Byron, unfortunately I haven't had a chance to install one on my justa yet, on that point, I still have a suspension and nitrous bottle sitting in my garage floor waiting as well, getting married in a couple months and things have gotten a little hectic. I have however installed one on my older brothers 05 gto as well as a few customers cars, mostly lsx family v8s. Most difficult part on them in deciding where to mount them and just doing it to be honest.
5-6k mile oil changes aren't a bad idea, I stretch mine to around 7500 but that's with a seafoam treatment just before the oil change and due to the fact that I have a 100 plus mile round trip commute between jobs. Some people( like myself) swear by them, others swear they are a wast of time. Basically i've found if I do a treatment right and put half the can into mu cylinder head and half the can in with my fuel I have a very happy mini when I change my oil.
You are more then Welcome to shoot me a pm anytime with any other questions you may have anytime

 

Thanks justacooperjay. The free oil change by the dealer is the earlier of the time you reach the service based mileage or one year. Since I feel the service based milage is way too long and I never reach th mileage in one year of driving, I change the oil twice a year. The dealer has done all of the oil changes so far, I just pay for every other one. I have read many posts that indicate MINI's oil is not as good as some of their approved substitutes. I am going to find out if I can change the oil myself without voiding the warranty or supply the oil. I think all I will have to do is show them the receipts for the oil and filter. It will end up costing me about the same, since I will have to pay for the oil and filter for both oil changes instead of for one oil change. Do you have any opinion about the quality of the MINI (Castrol) oil?

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B, 14,000 trouble free miles

 

I dd something similar to what you are doing, except I changed my own oil in between the free ones the dealer gave me, using oem mini oil. Dealership never said anything, but then again i could just have a lax dealership as far as warrantees concerned because they never said anything about my cold air intake or have my rear sear removed either.
Personally I don't care for castrol products, but that's just a matter of opinion because I have no proof that its any better or worse then any other oil. Personal opinion though is choose a motor oil and stick with it. I switched to valvoline. But that was mostly because its what I run in all my vehicles and never have a problem with it. I did notice that a small tick on cold start was far lest noticeable after the switch. The biggest thing I'd be worried of is grabbing whatever's on sale at the time you want to do your oil changes and mixing brands every time you change your oil. Different companies just have different additives in them and who knows how they will react together over time. Again this is all personal opinion.

 

The oil change intervals have been changed by MINI. From what I have been hearing it is now 10k miles and not the 15k previously.