I change mine every 5k to 7k depending on how I drive during the interval. Changing the oil is one of the most important and vital preventive maintenance procedures you can do.

 

When I used to take my Honda to Jiffylube I would use a couple different locations. You would think they would share records but each time I went to one after not using them for awhile I would hear it. "You know its been 10,000 miles since your last..."

 

Relax -- my previous 911 had a 20K oil change interval! Too frequent changes of synthetic oil (ie, the 3K-5K intervals that everyone thinks are sacred) are actually counterproductive and result in less than optimal lubrication.

You do have to make sure you replenish the oil which is consumed between changes. I bet most Mini owners don't do this.

 

Relax....Most folks seem to plan on doing oil changes at roughly 2x the MINI's factory recommendation.....about 7500 Miles.....this works out great since you just re-set the internal counter on the computer when you do a change, and the car says it is due...that way your other Inspections are still done onetime (according to the car;s computer anyway). Ofcourse...you can isy ignore the computer...do the oil chages with FULL SYENTHIC OIL ONLY when you want, and do an inspection 1 one at 30,000, then Insp 2 at 60,000, then inspection 1 again 1 at 90,000, then 2 at 120,000, and so on....

 

from my experience my car didn't like the long 15k oil changes. it was changed at the mini dealer and when i changed it 15k later that oil was very thick and worn out. I did a 3k change and now 5-7. I think theres some variables like age and condition and driving habits to consider on that factory specified interval.

 

ditto here - every 7,500 to 8,000 miles.

I buy the oil from the dealer for about $6/quart and the filter is about $10. You only need 5 quarts.

 

Every 7-8k here, Royal purple synthetic cost me about $40, a filter about $8 a cold beer and about 20-30 minutes and the deed is done.

 

Ok ok i'm no longer angry but very suprised at minis recomended interval. I'm fairly confident that nothing is wrong and with the car due to it's possible previous oil changes, but will continue from here on out with changes at 5-6k miles.

And for the record I love my mini and hope to have it for a long time.

Thanks for everyones comments

 

Source???

 

I change mine every 15k or so. Never had a problem.

Now the recommended 5-7k tire rotation...I'm not so good with that and I need another set of tires now.

 

I haven't changed the oil in over two years. I use just regular 5w30 Pennzoil. I think synthetic oil is just a scam. You have to be a complete idiot to waste your money on royal purple.

 

+1

 

Just a thought, but what about the filter ?

It's just that I don't know of any oil filters on the market which will "effectively last" for 15K miles.

If I may suggest, you may want to consider at least swapping out the filter at 7,500 miles, then just add about 1/2 qt to top it off. They are pretty much trashed after 8K miles. And for those whom are using aftermarket "cheepo 5 dollar" filters ? They are prone to collapsing in upon themselves ultimately blocking the flow of oil. And those are the folks who will someday be looking at a new engine for 4K dollars just to save 10 bucks.....

70 dollars every 5k is not a lot compared to what this fluid/filter does and what can go wrong. My 2 cents.

 

Second on the filters......I tried one and now only use factory filters. They're only 6-9 bux, depending on what year you have, worth the peace of mind....

 

I use NAPA Gold filters, made by WIX AFAIK, always a quality filter in my searching (bobistheoilguy forums). Not all aftermarket filters are "junk", same with non-OEM oil. Fact is, BMW has someone make those for them, I bet they don't have their own oil refinery and filter factory.

 

I use 'em, too!
The thing with aftermarket filters is you have to be sure it has the internal plastic "cage" to keep it from collapsing.
I'll go 7500ish between changes with Red Line or Royal Purple.
Oh..and tomorrow, I'll turn over 195,000 miles!

Jim

 

 

 

I don't have a link to spoon-feed you but the research results are out there if you really want to find them just like I did a few years ago (Google is your friend!).

The gist of it is that the lubricity of synthetic motor oil actually improves during the first several thousand miles before eventually degrading much later.

That counter-intuitive characteristic of synthetic motor oil and very tight manufacturing tolerances are what enable Porsche and BMW among others to permit such long oil change intervals without risking damage to extremely expensive high-revving high-performance engines. Mini engines too .

 

There is a Mobil One study, that shows the oil analysis improves after 3k or so. I have a German made Mann oil filter in mine right now, same type filter my mechanic uses in his MINI.

 

Mine has worked to about 3500 miles per change.

One thing that gets missed in this oil change interval discussion is that it is not only miles but time. The dealer recommends an oil change yearly regardless of miles. I just got my last freebie from the dealer as part of my three year service on my 07 R56 MC.

During this three year period I've taken the approach of doing an oil change at an independent mechanic about half way through the year and I put about 7000 miles a year on my MC, hence my interval is around 3500.

I'll probably start to back off and do one about every 5000 miles with synthetic, but no more.

 

My first oil change came at 20,000 miles. My 2008 tells me when the oil change is due based on my driving style of driving habits. I drive mine on highways and two lane fast backroads. This is about 26 miles each way to work. I called my Mini Service Advisor and they wouldn't change the oil until the car told them to do so. I now have two oil changes and the car has 37,000 miles on it. And....$200.00 for a change? I paid $75.00 at a garage that handles my Mini clubs service. I can accept that. Hey, if its recommended by Mini and you keep records...problems down the road appear to be BMW's not yours. Happy Motoring.

 

Interesting. Thanks.

 

I didn't realize our engines were built by BMW.

 

I don't even know how to respond.

To OP: you're angry over THAT?!? I don't even understand how that can be something to be angry about.