I've seen folks quote anywhere from $65 - $140+. Depends on the location (and dealer). I would NOT follow the OBC. Total BMW Kool-Aid. But that's another thread....

 

1000 mile oil change?

I don't know if it's obsessive or just good insurance to pay for an oil change at 1k miles. I know when I bought previous cars (in the 90's) I was told to change oil at 1000 miles since there could be "stuff" from the engine in the oil (I'm not exactly sure what kind of stuff, but I have a mental image of microscopic metal filings that can cause unnecessary damage to the engine). $50 or $100 doesn't seem like much if it really is going to make a big difference to the life of the engine.

Any thoughts? Anyone with more than a "hunch" on this?

 

I change about twice as often as the dash readings recommend.

Roughly every 5000-6000 miles and the oil is pretty clean when changed.

You could wait as long as 10,000 miles for each change under normal use.

For low mileage drivers change oil once yearly at least.

Oil analysis is helpful.

 

I did, right around 1,200 miles. You only pass it once. Then at 7,500, and later that year, the free dealer change. I typically change at every 7,500 miles. Using only the ACEA A3/B3 and BMW LL-01 spec'd oils.

 

I'm waiting for my mcs to arrive and have been reading quite a bit on proper break-in, etc. I am NOT a gear-head by any means, but from all the information that seems to be more well-informed or backed by real testing, I'm planning to follow something like this:

- 1st oil change after first 50-150 miles (get rid of all that particulate matter from early break-in)
- 2nd oil change after 1200 miles, post break-in (get rid of remainder of early particulate matter).

- Then, oil changes around every 7500 after that. I figure that for every free one that I'll get from MINI that I'll do one myself in-between.

 

I've seen two R56 oil analyses (one with with 5,200 miles on the oil and one with 6,000 miles on the oil) that seem (to me) to show that the oil was approaching end-of-life, but I think a 7,500-mile interval with the MINI oil is probably fairly safe for long-term use.

The 150-mile change might be overkill, considering that you're planning on changing it again at 1200 miles, but one or two low-mile oil changes isn't excessive if you're talking about switching to 7,500-mile intervals after that.

Your plan is probably the best overall strategy if you don't want to mess with the cost/hassle of having periodic analyses done. I've spent a lot of time/money doing analyses on my first-gen 'S', but that's only because we have two identical '06 MINIs, and we typically keep cars for ~175,000 miles, so although I've spent a chunk of change on the front-side, I think I've found an oil that will let me go for 10,000 miles between changes without sacrificing protection. So in the long run (likely 350,000 miles between our two cars) I will have saved time/money.

 

OK, that's a plan.

However- if the 1st oil change was at 150 miles to "get rid of all the particulate matter" then why does there seem to be a need for the 1200 mile oil change for "remaining early particulate matter"?

How much particulate matter is there in a new engine at 150 miles and at 1200 miles? Not much I would guess. Any done an oil analysis on a change done in the first 200 miles and again at 1200 miles? That would be something to see. What is the condition of the oil both times and is there anything else in there that needs to be physically removed?

See post #21. I agree that if the oil filter is doing it's job and catching debris and if it has been functional, not packed with residue to make it inefficient then an early oil change when the oil itself is fairly new would be totally elective.

I have not oil analysis but usually when I have my oil changed at about 5000-7000 mile the mechanic usually tells me that the oil looks very good, good color and clear.

Also your driving/road conditions and engine use play a factor in how long your oil can last.

If you think an oil change is OK at 7500 miles, then I'd suggest the first change at 1500 for piece of mind then at 7500 and every 7500 after that or roughly twice as often and your dash light recommends.

Dealer oil change is easily $70 to 100+ in my area and an auto garage oil change is $19 if you bring in your own oil 5 quarts and filter $7 or $39 as some shops for everything but I like to buy my own oil.

 

Morning all, for my taste, mobil 1 at 5k intervals

 

This isn't quite what I was trying to say - again "all the particulate matter from EARLY break-in". It stands to reason that there will likely be more particulate matter that will continue to get into the oil through the REMAINDER of break-in - say to 1000-1200 miles or so. And it also seems reasonable that there will be much less contaminants from that point forward per mile, etc.

The only thing that everyone seems to agree is on is that it CAN'T HURT the engine to change the oil more often, especially in the early miles. And to me, spending $120-150 to change it out twice like this is no big deal at all.

Will it actually make a difference in engine longevity or available power? Oh heck - I don't know - truly. But, I am perfectly willing to give it a shot based on info from the crowd that seems to know what they are talking about, have had oil analyzed (and/or really know engines).

This is in stark contrast to "here's what MINI recommends so you should do this" thought process.

I'm in a technical field (computer networking and security), and it is OFTEN the case that true best practices are NOT what a vendor recommends. And, this is truly do know as I have worked directly for many different manufacturers over the last decade.

Sometimes best practices are simpler than vendor recommendations (who may wish to have them as more complex than needed to allow for additional professional services revenue). Sometimes best practices are more complex than their recommendations (which many vendors shy away from so that their product isn't as "support intensive").

In this light, let's just look at this - let's say the "hard-break in and change oil often crowd" are totally right. If MINI were to actually publish all that info, then it would intimidate the heck out of a fair number of prospective customers ...

Anyway, I don't mean to preach or anything - just to clarify my meager point of view. It's clear that you have forgotten more about cars than I will ever know. But I DID stay at a Holiday Inn Express and so LOOK like I know what I'm doing.

Best regards,

Jeff

PS: My girlfriend's new MCs has the horrid checkerboard dash and I showed her your dash pics - she's excited about the possibility of air brushing it to something much more attractive. Is it possible to have those pieces sprayed just one consistent color like black etc without taking the dash and doors apart?

 

I decided Im changing it at the first 2000 miles and going to run Royal Purple 5/30 in it. Royal Purple recommends changing the filter and adding a quart every 3k up to 12k and then changing it all. I follow that on my other vehicles using their products, so I will stick with that schedule.

Not I gotta buy a case of filters

 

This is what the filter is for. If you have particles in your oil you are having filter problems.
If you are willing to throw out $120-150 for a oil change that early, can you please throw another $22 for analysis just to see if you were correct? I'm betting it will come back fine without any contaminants. As for longevity, it's been proven that synthetics need some time to start working properly and there is a great benefit of keeping them in the engine for longer. I'd stick to 7500 personally.

Well funny thing is that MINI wants to actually save you money, by longer invervals . So it's not like some kind of added service that doesn't need to be there to begin with. I'd say that youre trying to play a "vendor" trying to spend more than needed.

no they would not publish anything, they would just make 3k or 5k oil changes mandatory.

I find it funny that people are desperately trying to spend more money without a need. You want to change oil every 3k or 5k thinking that this is a "cheap insurance"? Fine, but get an analysis to have real "peace of mind".

 

I agree - the filter is there to catch particles. But not all particles make it to the filter. Several people here have had proper and expensive analysis done on their oil at varying points (and well between what MINI has for change frequency) and there is all sorts of stuff in the oil besides oil. I don't look at this as a "problem" per se. It just is what it is.

http://tsx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1443
http://forums.mbworld.org/forums/sho...ghlight=marcus
http://www.ntnoa.org/enginebreakin.htm
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm


Well it's a new car - my first since I bought my blazer in '98 - which will now be my beater car, and I'm trying to really "do it right". My blazer isn't a performance car and I couldn't care less if I broke it in properly or not.

According to what I've read I should swap out the synthetic immediately for break-in. I'm undecided if I'm going to do that though for warranty violation considerations.

I'll certainly think about having an analysis done, but I've read here on NAM that it's a whole lot more than $22. Perhaps that's old info ... If an analysis costs as much as a change I'll pass.


LOL. Sorry - but what they ACTUALLY do is have actuaries on staff that calculate the statistical likelihood of when failures would occur given the recommended procedure. The vast majority (but not quite all) of these will be after the warranty expires so they can drive services revenue (high-margin).

They also do this for anticipated failure of parts. And sometimes they bet wrong, trying to build it a little cheaper, and that's when we hear about things like recalls. Ok sure - sometimes it's just a design that doesn't work as expected. But often it's build it to a certain parameter that will help keep costs down.

Sure - MINI makes a darn nice product but they are doing so as a for-profit business.

Yes - that is publishing ... just like they currently have a procedure in the owners manual.

Some people already have done so - I've read their posts. I really don't feel a need to re-invent the wheel. But if a GOOD analysis costs only $20 or so I'd probably do it.

 

Blackstone analysis cost $22 and it will tell you if you are having particles and is your oil "breaking down" meaning that the flash point is getting really low. That should be enough to get your "peace pf mind". Everything else is going to be high since it's a brand new engine.

 

Hmmmm .... that's reasonable enough. I could swear that I've read that they were more expensive than that - but it could have been a different company. Or it might have been an older post too ... I just turned 40 last Sat - memory goes first right? So, why the heck am I missing hair?

Jeff

 

Why does that make everything else "high"? I'm assuming "high" means bad. If that's the case, isn't it reason to change it? If it is due to "stuff" being present (ie, metal filings) then an oil change would clean it out, right? Or is it that the engine, until it is broken in, causes the high levels of stuff? In that case it might make sense to wait a bit. I'm new to all this, of course. I did change my 97' accord's oil at 1k but it sounds like the consensus is that 1k oil changes are no longer necessary?

Tony

 

i changed my oil at 600 miles and it shimmered in the sun like it was pearlized paint. other than the shimmer the oil was spotless. so i think it was worth the extra money. anyone who says there are no metal particles left in a new engine is mistaken.

 

I change when I get bored and have some free time and also have remembered to pick up a filter and oil, first one was at 1100 miles, next one is coming, usually between 3 to 5K. DIY, it's pretty simple.

 

It makes readings high as the engine is breaking in and parts are being adjusted inside by the normal wear process. It's like getting a new tooth filling, you need to adjust to the new spot and edges in your mouth. It takes time and that's why engines usually show high elements readings all the way to even 20k miles. It's not like you'll have shimmering bits of the engine floating in the oil since these would be caught by the filter but some particles are too small for the filters. They are fractions of a micron and show up in the oil analysis. They are perfectly OK to have in the average quantities determined by the industry standards shown on the oil report. It's a natural process of metal wear.
In the first year of the engine life these values will be high but should be steadily declining with more and more miles on the engine.

 

To answer the OP question, I'm changing mine at 1,200 miles, which is the end of the break-in period, and then every six months, as I do less than 10k miles per year. That way I'll do a change in between the dealer's once yearly change. I'll use Mobil1 5w30, which is aproved by MINI, for the changes I do, along with an OEM filter.

 

I change my oil and filter every 5,000 miles. I do drive mostly highway miles and it does not use any oil between changes. The Mini dealer will only change the oil when the service indicator says so at no charge. When I asked the service adviser how often he changes his oil, his response was 3-5000 miles. The lesson to remember is Mini is not in business to sell oil, they are in business to sell cars and parts which may include motors.

 

they're not an american carmaker from 80s you know
If their oil strategy is incorrect and backfires with failed engines in couple of years they will have close to non future customers. I don't think they overlooked that being almost German company. BMW has a simmilar maintenance schedule and as far as i know there are no BMWs with blown engines filling up the ditches.

 

I change every 5,000 because partly because it is really easy to remember and partly because it does not hurt anything.
I actually agree with both sides of the oil change debate:
- Change often as it can't hurt
- Changing often is not necessary.


Most major syn oils will last much longer than the 5,000 I put on and may even last longer than the OBC recommends.
But I know every 5,000 on the odo to change oil, rotate tires and inspect for other problems.

 

Just to add my $.02 and some questions:

1.) (this is the $.02 part) just about everybody on this thread has read other threads from all over the US (and sometimes the world.) While there is a basic "party line" from Mini on most topics, there are DEFINITELY discrepancies in what we've all been told, what we've researched, etc. from the Mini dealerships & repair facilities. Isn't that why we track and use these threads? You guys all make some great points, and I'm glad you're there!

2.) (confusion Adding to my non-gearhead confusion, when I shipped my pet from Europe, and the dealer here "reset" the computer...the service-tracking counter has now turned into a manual deal counting the days, not the automatic mileage countdown update every time I started the car. ??? Can I get it back to counting down the miles to service, or am I stuck with it only counting down to a date? I ask because I was under the instruction from my Pentagon Sales dealer (Kaiserslautern, Germany) that the countdown was to the first SERVICE, not the first oil change. I'm at 7.2k now, and I'm getting the feeling "Mints" wants an update.

Help?

 

Six months or 6,000 miles should work for the average driver. That's what I do. I also use the Mini branded oil sold by the dealership. I don't care for the extended intervals so I change in between the annual services. I do it myself and the cost is not outrageous.

As 'thulchatt' says it also a good time to rotate the tires and look over the car. Sure can't hurt.

For the second part of your question according to the the owners manual, I don't believe yours is different than mine, the first service at about 10,000 miles, by the countdown meter, is an oil change and general look over. The first inspection 15,000 miles later, again by the count down meter, is oil and other things.

You can also take it in for an annual, based on first day in service or ownership, no charge low mileage oil service even if the service indicator has not indicated that one is due.

I don't know, maybe someone else does, about changing back to miles from days. I had no idea it would offer both ways to count down time for the maintenance intervals.

Thanks for your service, past and presence, to the country!

Hope this helps...

 

Here's a point, post #25 earlier in this thread, that might be reason for having more frequent oil changes.

It's called peace of mind.

Hope this helps...