I'm not sure, but I think the Castrol site won't return a recommendation because they have an agreement in place to not compete with MINI. Since Castrol produces the MINI branded oil, I think it is a way to nudge buyers to get their oil from MINI. Which is odd since many MINI's have a sticker on their engine indicating Castrol is recommended and Castrol's 0W30 is one of the oils listed in the OM and on the OL site as acceptable for use in a MINI.

At least, that's my theory.

 

jcauseyfd - I believe you have described the situation accurately.

But a sad situation it is. I can get Castrol Syntec 0W-30 European Formula within 2 miles of my garage, but I would have to drive 200 miles - one way - to get MINI branded oil.

If you read MINI's website carefully, it says the Castrol is approved only for topping up when MINI brand oil is not available. According to MINI there is only one oil recommended for a complete oil change, and that is the MINI brand oil available only from a MINI dealer. Very frustrating for those of us who don't live near a dealer and want to do our own oil changes.

Which is the whole reason I started this post - to find out what works. I was hoping people would post something like: "I've got 120k on the engine, always used BigBucks Brand oil, no problems." Or maybe: "I've been using Magical Mystery Oil for 80k, and I'm burning a quart every 3,000 miles. Boo hoo."

I guess there are not that many MINI owners out there who stick with one brand oil in the same car long enough to form opinions based on real-world experience.

 

Ok so this is what i can answer, I have 131K on my 04S, I put 110k of that on the car, and have used nothing but Mobil 1 0w40, I burn about a quart every 2400 miles which is about a month for me of driving, I had an oil check done by Blackstone labs and they said my engine looks great and i could go 7500 on an oil change, which i never do, as I think that is to long. I am giving the 5w 50 Castrol edge a shot and will get another oil check done and see what they say. My car has had No issues, I replaced the Supercharger last year before it went south, no leaks of any kind, 1 set of brake pads, no rotors, but i did replace the overflow tank as it showed signs of wear. Curious to see if i burn less oil.

 

NightFlyR - Wow! And thanks! Just the kind of factual report based on personal experience that I was hoping for!

 

runswithsizzers - yeah, we've had that whole debate before about the wording and the use of "topping off".

As far as usage, my history has been:

0 - 53,000 miles: MINI branded oil, two oil changes at OBC interval of 20k miles, shortened the last one because I wanted to get the Castrol out of my MINI and was just waiting for the warranty period to be over.

53,000 - 98,000 miles: Royal Purple 5W30 using 12k mile intervals based on the recommendation of RP.

98,000 - 108,000 miles: Pennzoil 5W40 (limited use, but subjectively like it the best so far, just waiting to get it back in for longer use)

108,000 - 118,000 miles: back to MINI oil due to some work done at dealer that necessitated an oil change

118,000 - 127,000 miles: Mobil 1 0W40 after some DIY work forced another oil change. Went with Mobil 1 b/c I had an ongoing leak and wanted something I could get easily at the auto store down the street for topping off.

127,000 - current (130,000): After last round of repairs, independent shop put in 5W30 Castrol. I'm trying to decide how long I want to leave that in. My intention is to change back to the Pennzoil as it appears I now have the oil leak issue resolved.

 

Not sure how it can be SN/SM rated because there is a vast difference between SM and newer SN

 

SM - 2010 and older..

from the API motor oil guide - SN (2011) and older engines.

"Introduced in October 2010 for 2011 and older vehicles, designed to provide improved high temperature deposit protection for pistons, more stringent sludge control, and seal compatibility. API SN with Resource Conserving matches ILSAC GF-5 by combining API SN performance with improved fuel economy, turbocharger protection, emission control system compatibility, and protection of engines operating on ethanol-containing fuels up to E85."

In short, I guess its supposed to help prevent intake sludge as well...

 

Well, yes and no.
It is far more than SM 2010 and older.
From what I have read SN is mush better cleaning, has all of the high mileage properties and improved friction modifiers.
I have been told SN is so much better than SM I should give away any SM I may have.
Just saying.

 

One word of warning about newer grades sn/sm
To lengthen the life of the cats, the zinc contant of the oils is getting reduced to near zero...zinc is used as a high preasure lube to prevent dammage and gauling if the oil film fails....
That is the reason mobil1 longlife 15,000 mile oil does not have the energy conscorving symbol on it....zinc contant.....but classic car guys need zinc, the issues rp has had with bearing wear is liky a result of the low zinc....pushed very hard, the zinc may save bearing in a pinch...
Mini's are desgined for use with the lower zinc oils, BUT it just shows SOMETIMES new is not always better, caus regulations do cause formulaions of oil to change to meet the latest spec.

 

What I was saying.. was that SM is for engines from 2010 and older.. (or past models).. (so yes, according to the API you can use it in a model T.).

Motor oils change as time moves on.. as noted above to remove compounds that may harm newer hardware in vehicles. It also changes as seals, materials, and gasoline/fuels change over time.

In other words, only 2011 cars should use an oil rated as SN or *higher*... (or future oils..).

I have a bottle of SA rated oil.... I paid $1.00 at the dollar store. So yes, it still exists.

 

Hmm, this thread is interesting because I've always put in Mobil 1 5W-30 in mine this whole time. I'm about to change my oil after I get back from my two week vacation in mid-June. Is putting in 0W-40 really that much different, and supposedly better for my engine?

 

The answer depends what you mean by "better" (I do know what you mean by "confused"). It also depends on who are you going to believe when comparing oils.

First there are MINI's recommendations which are confusing and even contradictory.

Next, there are various agencies and organizations which write technical specifications and test some (but not all) oils in the laboratory to see if they meet the specs (such as API, ILSAC, ACEA, etc). MINI's recommendations refer to some of these specifications, but not consistently. MINI has also defined their own specification called LL-01 (Long life 01) but very few oils claim to meet that spec.

And then there is the real world where cars either last or don't last. The problem with the real world is: a) there are many reasons besides oil which affect how long an engine lasts, and b) it's hard to find any real world data. (There are plenty of real world opinions.)

I started this thread hoping to aggregate some real world data, but soon realized that was an unrealistic expectation because when someone reports getting long (or short) engine life from a particular brand of oil, it's impossible to evaluate all the non-oil variables.

The safe and simple solution is to stick with MINI's recommended oil, available only at the dealer. The next safest choice would be to use one of the oils on MINI's short list of brands approved for topping up. Mobil 1 0W-40 is on that list, but not the 5W-30.

On the other hand if you change your oil every 5k - and define "better" as improving your gas mileage - then the the 5W-30 may be the way to go (that last bit is an unqualified opinion).

BTW - if you have used only one brand of oil since 2005 your data is of interest - how many miles on the odometer, how often changed, and have you had any problems?

 

Maybe this is the reply you where hoping for :-)
Mini R50, driven pretty hard, 203 000 km, drinking "stock" Castrol like margaritas, runs much more silently and burns a quarter every ~6k miles with Valvoline synpower 5w40.

I recall reading all the oils datasheets and settling with this one due to very high thermal stabolity and low volatility.

 

265000 kms (165000 miles) on my car. I use Castrol Edge Syntec 5-30 or MINI 5-30. I seem to add approximately a quart or litre every 2 to 3 months of driving. Change my oil around 7 months to 1 year regardless of mileage driven.

For some reason, a few years back, Castrol 5-30 became unavailable and you could only get Castrol 5-20. So I had gone back to MINI oil. Castrol 5-30 is available again so I still use it. Also noted that at MTTS, Shell Oil handed out free bottles of Shell branded motor oil and it was labelled MINI oil.

Other than the supercharger pulley, and the cold air intake, the engine is stock.

So I'm not sure if switching to a different brand of oil will make a lot of difference. But then, I only drive spirited enough for my wife to think I drive too fast. I rarely get anywhere close to the limits of the car.

 

I've been using 0w40 Moly in mine. If I can't get that, I pick up Mobil 1 0w40 European blend. I'm at 203,000 miles right now on my 2008 N12.

 

I use Royal Purple 5w 30 in mine, follow the OBC oil change interval (~20-22k)/ When I did a rebuild at 365k miles the original hone markings were still on the cylinders, there was zero build up of any oil sludge, and the machine shop could not find any wear on the crankshaft.

Nik

 

I've spent more time than I care to admit on Bob is the Oil Guy trying to figure out the best oil for my car. Every time I visit the site, I spend a while following links to various threads and falling down different rabbit holes. Eventually, my head starts to hurt so I close the browser tab and resolve to stick with the Castrol Edge Titanium 0w40 I've been using.