GP has 3500km on it now and don't want to wait until dealers oil change. just wondering if i take it to the oil change place near my house will they be able to change the oil without taking the belly pan off.

 

Uh what? The belly pan just unscrews? It has to come off to change the oil. The Coolant bottle has to be unscrewed and moved out of the way to get to the filter.

 

Ya i wasn't sure if it did . Thought there might be a drain hole or something i haven't been under the car yet Thanks

 

You might check with your shop -- some oil change places have the capability to extract the oil through the dipstick tube instead of opening the oil drain in the bottom of the pan. I don't use oil change places personally b/c I prefer to do it myself, but the place a friend of mine uses does oil extraction because they've had too many problems with stripped drain plugs. I have seen discussions here and elsewhere about whether extracting from the top is as complete a removal method as draining via the drain plug; I don't have an opinion one way or the other -- there will be residual oil in the engine either way. Getting the oil change done is more important than worrying about a few cc's of residual oil.

 

Spend the money and take it to the dealer. They change oil in our MINI's everyday and know what they're doing. The oil filter cap is plastic, if they over tighten or cross thread then you'll need a new cap. The lower hose on the expansion tank leaks or pops off when you removed the tank even when the experienced MINI tech changes the oil. I would rather have the dealer install the correct antifreeze rather than the generic green stuff the quick oil change shop uses. The belly pan has to come off to change the oil. It would be nice if the had an access cover like the new F56. Another plus on the new F56 is the oil filter comes out the bottom.

 

This is the most retarded thing I have ever heard

 

From my experience, I wouldn't let an oil change shop do it. You must remove the coolant overflow tank. That alone is something I'm not sure those shops would even try to do. Take it to a corner garage, they could handle it easily enough.

 

Yeah, I would avoid a generic quick lube shop like the plague. Too many horror stories.

I've changed the oil on my cars myself for many years now, it's cheap insurance that the job's done right, and a great way to familiarize yourself with the mechanical bits.

This car might finally convince me to buy an oil extractor, though, since I find recessed hex-style drain plugs to be a pain in the *** to handle when they're covered in oil.

 

I used to change my oil until the time I pinched the oil filter O ring. It resulted in oil all over the garage floor and driveway. Very easy mistake to make. What a mess!

After that, I decided to try the Valvoline place. I brought my own filter and walked them through it the first time and they've been great ever since. Every once in awhile, they'll pinch the O ring too but when that happens, the mess is contained in the shop.

 

It is not necessary to remove the coolant overflow tank in order to replace the oil filter.