I have read through some earlier threads on this. However, I when I picked up my new '09 JCW from the dealer they said that an oil change at approx 1K is not a bad idea. I could not believe that its scheduled oil change is after 15K! Times have certainly changed. Are there any drawbacks of doing an oil change around 1K, other than the dealer's price tag of ~$225!?

 

If you feel like doing it. I didn't find it necessary.

 

I don't think it's ever a "bad" idea to change oil early; I changed mine at 1500 miles.
I bought an oil change kit from Detroit Tuned for $53.00 (plus shipping) and did it myself in about half an hour.

 

I would suggest a first oil change after the break-in period, around 1200 - 1500 miles. After that I changed oil at 7500 and every 7500 after that. For my non-synthetic oil cars, I change the oil every 5000 miles.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I took it to the dealer this morning and they agreed that it's never a bad idea to change the oil early, and since it's not a scheduled service it's not required. My mileage was a teeny 1,159. The damage was not as bad as expected~$115 . I'm going to stick with he scheduled 15K changed from here out though.

 

Wow, $115 for an oil change? On the expensive side its $15 for a filter and $25 for 4.7 quarts of Mobile One Extended performance synthetic and 30 minutes of your time. Do it your self next time.

 

You're right! Once I start changing it myself, how do I dispose of the old oil though?

 

Take the old oil to an oil-change place.

 

Many auto parts stores will now take old oil. Check the ones in your area.

 

I have a collection of used oil ... Buy the bulk 4.7quart jug at walmart and put the old oil in there. I will eventualy take it all to the chemical disposal days they have for free everyonce in a while.

 

I have owned 5 BMWs over the last 10 years. I never changed the oil before the 15k timeframe. Never had an issue with any of them.

 

I changed mine at about 1,800 miles and I switched the manual transmission fluid to Redline MTL. Shifting was good before but noticibly better and slicker with the Redline MTL.

Mike Miller is the technical guru for the BMW club and has a column in every Roundel (BMW's monthly magazine). IMO this guy really knows his stuff and still recommends a 1200 mile break in oil change of enigne oil and manual transmission fluid. He also recommends oil changes - even with synthetic oil - at about 7,500 miles based on actual chemical analysis of used engine oil that often shows some viscosity breakdown at about 8,000 miles. He has an "old fashion maintenance program" and I emailed and asked if he had one for MINI's. He responded that he recommended the same for MINI's as BMW's.

His bottom line; if you only plan to keep the car for 100k miles the 15,000 mile oil change interval and "lifetime fluid" in the manual tranny are fine. If you want to keep the car past 100,000 he recommends the 7,500 oil change interval.

I find it odd that the "lifetime fluids" and long oil changes magically appeared when German cars started including all service costs. The year before - when the customer paid for them - BMW recommened much more maintenance.

To me, it is just cheap insurance. I checked my oil filter (spread the element) after the first change and there were quite a few aluminum particles in it. You could say well, that is what the filter is for, but I felt better with the break in oil change.

Happy Motoring

 

I changed mine at 3,000 miles. I did not change the filter because it will probably still be good when the dealer changes it at service time. I bought Mini oil from the dealer and changed it myself. I think I paid $5.75 per quart. I just drove the front of my car onto two inch thick 12 innch long pieces of wood. You can reach the plug easy enough.
There are plenty of information on this forum to guide you through the process. I do think 1.000 or 1,500 is way to soon to change oil for the first time.
The filter will last at least until the fist dealer service. I think it is a waste to replace it before then.
Ronnie948

 

quick credentials... I've built 14,000 rpm race motors from the crank out,and I'm a 25+ year FAA certified airframe and powerplant mechanic, and a new JCW Mini owner...
Oil change and break-in are HUGE topics everywhere(from aircraft to motorcycles and cars), and everyone has their own take on it. Factors such as what oil, what filter element type (what size in microns will it allow through), how you drive, how often, and how far, etc... all play into the need to change oil. Synthetic oils will easily last the 15k, but will have picked up lots of carbon and smaller than 8 micron size bits of metal. It will also absorb water vapor(a by product of an internal combustion engine) to a point if not driven enough to heat the engine sufficiently to allow evaporation after you shut it off. So, if anything, the filter should be changed more often than the oil. The stuff collected by the filter will slow the throughput flow and can cause backpresure on the pumping system. Increased presure means that some of the bits originally filtered may get forced through the element and back into circulation. Installing a fresh filter eliminates that process and provides more filtering of the carbon and smaller bits again. Just add sufficient oil to replace what came out during the change.
This is the best method to ensure continued happy motoring and maintaining a cost control point... (not to mention the eco friendly use of less consumables) Just my two cents worth, but it's served me will with all the racing, flying, and driving I've done.

 

I'd been thinking about following Ronnie948's regimen(only 300 miles on mine so far), but stheim's logic is pretty compelling. I'm a little confused about the water issue. Are you saying the water absorbed by the oil gets picked up by the filter, leaving the oil "clean" but the filter shot?

 

It is just something the oil picks up while doing it's job. It's not a big issue, but if the engine is not properly cared for, it can casue issues if you plan to keep your mini for an extended period.
During combustion, water is formed and it will mix with the oil. If you don't run the engine long enough to get it fully warm, it can sink to the bottom of the sump and join up with the rest of the water molecules and form droplets. Once droplets form, it can cause rust etc... It is one of the reasons for changing oil, not the filter. I now live in Mississippi (not by choice really) where just the humidity can hurt a car over the course of 10 years. I don't want to make it worse by doing things like... say I only drive the car on Sunday, or just short trips where the motor doesn't get fully warmed up.. I put maybe 3,000 miles a year on the car (not likely in my case, but I'm jsut saying)... It would be 5 YEARS before I reached the 15k mark. The water condensation in the engine case would have started to rust the crank, the bearings, the screens, the pump... Changing the oil annually and running it to HOT at lest monthly would prevent it.
But if you DO drive it often and properly care for it... the filter will need changing long before the oil. That's about it... I have about 1500 on mine and am looking to buy the Detroit oil kit. I've used Royal Purple for years and it IS an excellent oil. Mobil 1 is also tops, but Detroit has the filter etc... I'll support the MINI community on this bit.

 

Part of the potential benefit from more frequent oil change is longevity of the engine. It can pay off further down the road. But if you keep cars for an average of 2 years, then of course you won't see any issue

I've seen oil analysis on the BMW N52 engine (magnesium block) and that was enough to convince me to spend a few bucks and change it early on my E90 and R53.

FWIW, I performed a "break-in" oil change on my R53 MCS at 1200 miles, and also changed the 6MT gear oil. I may or may not own the car at 100K miles, but whomever does will have a car that was properly maintained.

The issue is not with the ability of the synthetic oil to perform for 15K miles, rather the contaminants which inevitably get into the oil, especially in a brand new motor.

 

I just hit 15K miles a couple days ago, and the computer is telling me that I have another 4,800 miles to go before the first change!
I changed it myself at 1,500, and I think I'll do it again soon, as I don't expect to reach 19,800 until sometime in the Spring.

 

I know I overdo it but I changed mine at 1200 miles, 5K, 10K and I'll sneak one in at 15K miles. I'll let the dealer do the 20K mile change.

I'm sure 5K miles is too early on today's oil and technology but but I can get castrol synthetic for less than 5 per quart and pay 7 for a filter.

For 30 bucks and a few minutes of my time, who cares....


Mark

 

i did mine @ 1000 miles oil and filter also magnetic drain plug. i drive cars 100m + miles. seems like cheap insurance.

 

Don't take this wrong, but WHY would you change your oil, then not replace the oil filter. There is about 1/2 a quart of old metal particles mixed with the older oil in there. If you've ever had a piece of aluminum particles get some place where it's not suppose to get, a new filter is cheap insurance. Change it all, or just wait until you have 7500 miles on it or so, and have it done then. Also, a good synthetic oil, Redline, Lucas or even Kendall can be changed at about any oil changing facility for under $60. Why go to the dealer. Oh well, just some thoughts.

 

When I do my first oil change, the entire reason for changing oil is because I want the filter changed.

I've cut apart several filters during the new oil change and though they weren't ladled with shavings, they do retain some metallic content.


Mark

 

All, good stuff but I have to agree on the need to change the filter with the oil. I'll refrain from any analogies here... I don't plan on changing it again before the first scheduled service. I hit 2,700K on Sunday in it's first 1.5 months. So far so good.

 

Great explanation, thanks for clearing that up!

 

27000 MILES.... WOW... you've been driving a LOT!!!!




Mark