I have a 2008 R55 Clubman with the N12 engine. It is a US spec car. What oil should I be using? Originally it came with Mini branded 5w-30. Since then I have tried Castrol Edge 5w30, Valvoline Maxlife 5w-30, Castrol Edge 5w-40, and 5w-40 Liqui Moly Leichtlauf. Is any oil that meets BMW LL 01 specifications ok? I currently have 5 liters of Liqui-Moly 5w-30 Special Tec awaiting my next oil change. I live in northern California, so I tend to run 5w-40 in my cars all year, given the temperature variation. Also, does anyone have any experience with Motul 6100 or 8100?

Thanks!

 

Liqui-Moly, motul, and castrol edge meet all of the bmw specs. There are a couple of threads here on oil, they might lead you over to the BMW forums, but there have been some oil analysis done and their results. You are fine if they meet the bmw specs. Personally I have run motul and castrol edge, and castrol is easier for me to find here in 0w and 5w-40, and I don’t burn as much of it as I did with the motul.

 

Another vote for Castrol Edge. I use it in both of our Minis (both 2013 with N18 engines). Neither burns any oil (so far). And I can get it on Amazon for about $23 for 5 qts. Hard to beat.

 

I use Motul 8100 X-cess 5w-40. On both street and track use, it holds up, stays golden and does not burn off.

There is a pretty good discussion here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4538166

 

I will have to try this on my next change, since I’m doing them myself. Long story short my trusty mechanic told me that is what he put in there, I burned a lot of oil that 5000 miles, to be fair I didn’t see what was poured in there. I have since done 2 myself with castrol edge, so maybe I’ll give it another shot. I know you drive your car, the action shots are awesome.

 

Yeah man, go for it. Hopefully it works out better for you this time.