I'm guessing that there are few if any people in the MINI community who are motivated by that. After all, if you are that concerned about the four quarts of oil in the sump, you might be a little more concerned about the thirteen gallons of fuel in the tank, which generally gets completely used up every ~400 miles. If you're that worried about the consumption of petroleum products, chances are that you're driving something better on mileage than a MINI. (Like a Prius, or a 2000 Honda Insight, or a 1990 Geo Metro, or...)

My guess is that most of us who have formed opinions on this subject mostly care about the long-term health of our engines, and in a close to distant second place about cost savings.

That said, I will probably change my own oil at 7500 miles and send a sample off to Blackstone to see what they have to say.

 

After reading this thread cover to cover i feel very comfortable doing oil and filter changes at 7500 miles. i do one myself and let the dealership do the next.

 

This seems to be the general advise of most informed folks and mechanics to folks who whish to both play it safe, and to folks who plan on keeping their cars for a long time.
heck, this 7500 mile tactic has been in use a long time on mini's...on gen1 cars it was a very convient way to split the car's/dealer recommended oil changes, and still keep the "free" changes (as long ad one did not reset the computer).
ahh...a good oil debate, gives us all something er....constructive to debate on a slow dday ....

 

Still 4500 more than the old 3K change.

 

Just so I understand, are you suggesting that people are deciding to prolong their oil change interval not due to the cost, but instead based upon their desire to conserve fossil fuels for the love of mother earth and the greater benefit of mankind? Because, if so, you are welcome to try again! Interesting thread, indeed....

 

Yeah, I kind of chuckled when I read that.

FYI, I grew up in Frisco.

 

I have no issues with people following the manufacturers extended oil change interval to use less oil. Many of us purchased a MINI as we want to drive... for something fun that is also reasonably fuel efficient. Both for cost savings in fuel but also for a benefit or small offset, albeit small, to the environmental damage that we are doing by driving. The flippant attitude by some folks, particularly North Americans, towards fossil fuel use is IMO a little annoying. I don't pretend to be an environmentalist, but if someone wants to reduce oil consumption in their own small way, then that is his/her decision.

 

I don't discount the fact that driving a MINI is probably more "earth friendly" than the average car, and that is great! Likewise, I also don't like the flippant attitude most people have towards fuel use in America. It's something we can probably all do a better job of, myself included.

However, I thought it was a bit misplaced and comical that on a forum dedicated to driving, that someone would even hint that one's motivation for extending their oil interval was based anywhere in global conservation instead of exactly where it really is, rooted deeply in their wallet.

Typically the only thing Green that most people are considering on this forum is that of the "British Racing II" variety...
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@Daflake: Cool, where abouts? I'm in Little Elm off Eldorado Pkwy, right near the Frisco border.

 

I don't think of this as a forum "dedicated to driving" -- I've never heard of that before. I thought it was a forum dedicated to Minis, which includes driving, mechanics, automotive lifestyle and the general aesthetic of the Mini. And the aesthetic of the Mini is one that leans toward doing more with less, efficiency, conservation, and even environmentalism.

After all, the entire motivation for the creation of the original Mini was the oil shortage brought on by the 1956 Suez Crisis. The Mini has always been, from Day 1, all about using less petroleum.

What's odd is that there are Mini enthusiasts who don't care about conservation. You'd think they'd be driving some kind of SUV, not a Mini, right?

 

I love the semantics shell game! Call it all the fancy words you can, but the reason we are all here is because we drive MINIs! Sure, the other stuff is fun as well, but those things are all a subset of "Driving a MINI".

It's silly to think that anyone should argue about ONE gallon of oil over a many-month period, when the same car is burning ONE gallon of fuel every 30 miles or so. Those who are so environmentally friendly as to obsess over 1 gallon of oil should probably not be driving an enthusiasts car.

Change your oil often and regularly, that's really the only thing that matters in this thread.

There are certainly alot of people who buy MINIs for environmental issues and conservation. They are the same people that the forum bashes for "not being real MINI types" and for "not waving". Careful what you ask for!

Those who aren't here for the driving aspect of their car are now welcome to return to their "automotive lifestyle".

j

 

"Automotive lifestyle" is the nicest term I could think of to describe roof graphics and wheel spinners and neon underglow lights. Just because something isn't my cup of tea is no reason for me to be rude to those who like it. People discuss automotive lifestyle stuff on this site and more power to them.

Maybe it is silly to care about wasting oil. And money. But a lot of people do care. But nobody is forcing you to stop wasting money and stop throwing away good oil. If that floats yr boat, more power to you.

I think it's funny to hear the Mini now called an enthusiast's car. It was created to be a cheap transport and purely by accident it was fun to drive. It's a fascinating story how all that came about.

 

Mobile One Extended Performance oil and filter designed for 15K.
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...rformance.aspx
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...l_Filters.aspx

I have been running these in all my cars for a few years with no issues. Though I usually change at 7.5k

 

I think that people in the USA also confuse green with fuel efficient. Hybrids are really far from green when you look at the total carbon foot print. They save on fossil fuel but that is really about it.

I grew up off of Camfield Way just north of 289. We moved there around 1980 when it was a new division. Couldn't believe how big the area has gotten.

 

There is a local taxi co. called Green Taxi. They have Priuses. I agree with you. They still burn petrol so how can they be "green".

 

If you change just the filter does oil leak everywhere? I'm unfamiliar with doing it with oil in the car

 

No more than when you change the filter after emptying the oil pan when you change your oil.
If you unscrew the filter partially to expose the little hole in the threads and
let it sit a couple minutes before taking it off completely, and make sure to keep
the filter cap upright when you take it off, there is minimal spillage of oil.

I'd agree that changing every 3000 miles is excessive with a quality synthetic oil,
and 15,000 - 18,000 is too long. 7,000 - 9,000 miles (halfway between
scheduled oil changes seems to make perfect sense, and that's what I do.
If I went the full interval without changing the oil, I'd at least change
the filter halfway between.

 

Oil...is this an another oil thread .
I've always been fond of Olive Oyl.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program .

 

You can always change the channel.

 

Nah, this is fun .