Can 5w-30 be used for a mini cooper oil change? Or does one need to buy the european formula? Is there really a difference?

 

The european formula Mobil 1 0W-40 has the A3/B3 and LL-01 specs
specified by MINI. The 5W-30 doesn't. If your car is still under warranty
and you plan on the long oil change intervals that MINI suggests, I'd stick
with the european formula M1 or one of the few other oils that have the right specs.
If you're out of warranty and are changing the oil every 5K-7K, it probably doesn't
make as much difference.

 

Right in the owners manual, it tells you what specs the oil must meet.. After that, it's up to you. What you use isn't nearly as important as how often you change it and check the actual level...

 

If you are under warranty run the BMW spec unless you want conflict for a claim. A large part of the specs that are specified by MINI/BMW are aimed at the long service interval. The total base number (TBN) and high temperature high shear resistance HTHS ratings are the two ratings that are the most significant between a LL-01 and non LL-01. The TBN is how well the oil can cope with the acidic combustion byproducts, and the HTHS is how well the oil stands up the the heat and shearing forces in an engine over time. 0w40 Mobil has good TBN and ok HTHS because it shears down from around a 40 weight to a 30 weight. Most 5w30 oil might have a lower TBN and will likely shear close to a 20 weight oil over time. If you are changing oil in a mini every 5-7k miles running a 5w30 with decent HTHS numbers it shouldn't hurt anything in the mini. Nothing less than a semi-syn though will have a good enough HTHS though. Specific specs can be found at the oil manufacturers website. I run 0w40 in the winter and as soon as the temp is regularly over 45F, I use 10w40 Maxlife because it has great HTHS and TBN ratings and is an acea a3/b4 oil. I run 7k intervals year round because the winter is so much harsher on the oil even with the 0w40 M1.

Sorry if that was long winded.

 

Yeah, sure, the blipping European dinosaurs were so much better mannered ...


While under warranty, you are:
a). getting prepaid (not free!) oil service from the dealer at the silly-long 15K mile interval
b). there is no way for anyone to discern what oil you were putting into the engine at the intermediate 7.5K mile change interval (assuming you intend to keep your car to 100+K miles and beyond).

I happen to be running 0W40 Mobile 1 as well (in MINI and non-M bimmers), though I'm pretty sure factory spec 5W30 synthetic would work just as well.

Now that I'm well out of warranty, I ran the Blackstone labs analysis on the Mobile 1 0W40 oil after 7K miles in N14, and it came out with a clean bill of health and a recommendation to extend the interval to 8K. Will try that next.

YMMV,
a

 

Free oil change is part of the 3 year maintenance plan. The warranty is 4 years.

I think that MINI has lowered the mileage to 10k interval. (Which is probably marginally ok if you are religious about checking level and adding when below full...) they also change the oil yearly regardless of mileage.

Any oil that meets the BMW / MINI oil spec listed in the manual is fine.

 

from oil tests i've done the oem 5w30 is much thicker than a "normal" 5w30 - more like a thick 10w30 or a thin 0w40