Today I changed the oil on my Mini Countryman S and made a quick video on how to do the job. Maintenance is due anywhere between 10,000 to 15,000 miles going by the ECU's sensors...but I believe that interval should be cut in half. Also, doing the oil change on your own can save you a lot of money, especially if you are out of the maintenance warranty.

I hope this video helps out, let me know if you have any questions.

http://youtu.be/dAYFRseVvwg

 

Just watched this and wanted to say THANKS!

 

Did an oil change on Hujan this morning using your video, 1big. Thanks for posting it.

Everything went pretty well. By far the hardest part is getting the filter in/out, a task made more difficult because of the washer fluid reservoir. Intuitively you want to pull the reservoir up and to the left, but you can only go so far because of the intake tube on the turbo and the hoses leading to the reservoir itself.

I found that to unscrew the cap, it is easier to push the reservoir down and in instead of up and to the left. This lets you see the 27 mm cap much easier and get hand down there to guide your socket. However, once the filter is loose, you'll want to lift the reservoir up and to the left to get the filter out, otherwise it will get wedged in there.

 

Cool! Glad you were able to do the oil change. Thanks for the updated feedback, sounds like a good method to get better access to the filter cap.

 

1bigpea

nice video, i do mine a little different

first, get the engine to operating temperature

then i open the fill cap and remove the drain plug, i do not loosen the filter at this point

i use an allen key instead of a socket wrench because it is much shorter, allowing me to remove the plug over the catch pan, i got mine from Way



now i do something else for awhile, rotate the tires or clean the interior windows

this allows the oil to drain from the engine and filter housing and allows the engine to cool down

now i remove the coolant tank and filter housing

i use a wobble extention instead of a swivel, it has enough play, but is much easier to control the socket on the end



i find i get no oil drippage from the filter housing this way and do not have to fight the hot parts

in aviation, we are taught to lube an oring seal before installation and to ensure that there are no twists in the oring after it is in the seat

to do this, carefully get a small screwdriver or other tool under the oring like you are removing it, and run the tool all the way around the seat area

scott

 

By operating temperature, do you mean 220 F? (That's how hot my oil gets at operating temperature, according to my ScanGauge.) If so, it seems dicey to be playing with oil that hot. What is the rationale for getting the oil temp up before you remove the plug? Is it to increase the viscosity so that it drains faster?

My advice is to jack up the front driver's side of the car and then put a single jack stand under that side. The result is that all of the oil will slide away from the filter body so you should get minimal leakage when you remove the filter. Plus, the drain plug is on the passenger's side of the oil pan.

The wobble extension is a great idea and reminds me of something I forgot to mention: I put the U-joint between two extensions instead of right on top of the socket so that it effectively worked like a wobble joint. (In other words, my tool went as follows: wrench > extension > U-joint > extension > socket.)

Also, for reasons I won't get into here, I opted to do the oil change myself instead of taking it in for the scheduled maintenance. This, of course, required resetting the notification in the onboard computer. I was able to do that using this video:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...626-post6.html

 

yes, i meant operating temp, but by the time i park the car, assemble the tools/drainpan/etc and remove the drain plug, the oil will not be that hot, it does not burn my hand thru a nitile disposable glove

the hot oil drains out very quickly (within a few seconds it is just dripping) and by moving faster, carries any crud with it ... also the hotter oil seems to drain from the filter better ... when i finally get to the filter, there is no oil in it, i don't spill a drop removing it

scott

 

Interesting. What do you do to warm it up? Do you let it idle in the driveway or take it for a spin? About how long does it take to get it warmed up?

I suppose you're right: By the time I get the car parked, everything assembled, and the car jacked up (there is no way I could get under there to loosen the plug with Hujan lowered on coils like he is), the oil will have probably cooled down quite a bit.

I second your point on using an allen instead of a socket for the drain plug, by the way. Mostly, I just didn't want to get any oil on my socket; not as easy to clean as an allen wrench.

 

i go for a motor on the backroads, a couple of easy miles getting out of town then use the boost! i have a ~10 mile loop i motor

btw, i have no temp gauge, but i put a thermometer in one of the mickey mouse ears and using sport mode with the temp selector on full hot, vent selector full clockwise and fan on 1 click (i have manual hvac), i notice that i get no pop/burbble until i am seeing the air temp above about 160F, takes about 3-5 miles in town driving very easy/light throttle/shift at 3,000 rpm/staying off boost... i figure my mini feels it is warm enough and i drive more agressively from that point

scott

 

Did you guys find a cheaper online source for the oil and filter or do you just get them from the dealer?

Thanks

 

I've always just gotten the filter from BMW but I never buy my oil from them, it's a lot cheaper at your local auto parts store.

 

Many thanks for this vid. Changed mine today using a Pela 6000 topside oil changer. It was very easy. The Pela is a great product.

 

Thanks 1big! I appreciate the guide. I did my first change on my '13 S-CTM, and it was very helpful.

Lemme ask you something before I go on: What led you to use 0W-40? The 5W-30 from the dealer is pretty much the same cost or less than Mobil 1, the last time I shopped.

I will confess that I pulled the car into the garage, and casually started the oil drain without any prior research. While it drained, I popped the hood, and immediately heard the echoes of motorers past who'd allowed as how the oil change on S models was more...involved than on justas. One peek, and I said "where the f*** is the filter?" Yeah, "involved."

My additional data points, such as they are are these:
1) I did fine with a ratchet and 6" extension with no wobble or u-joint. I've got small hands, so was able to work in the space between the intake plumbing and whatever's to the right (driver's side) of the coolant tank.
2) I just pushed the tank to the left.
3) My biggest obstacle was the rubber bumper/ring that's built onto the coolant outflow line from the bottom of the tank. The oil filter cap hits it on the way out, making loosening it much more difficult than an unobstructed cap (as on a justa), and WAY more difficult to reinsert the new filter/cap combination.
4) I always get the car to full temp before a change. Like Hujan mentioned, by the time I have everything assembled, the oil's warm enough to drain quickly but not so hot as to burn my hand.
5) I let it drain a good long while; actually I watched the vid while it drained. I was surprised that the filter housing didn't leak when I loosened it; I figure it's because I let it drain so long.
6) I always changed the Clubman's oil with it on ramps. I can get under this car without the ramps, and my drain pan is shallow enough that I can get my hand between it and the drain plug. What I do think I'll do next time is pull each front wheel up onto a 12" square outdoor paver (about 1.25" thick) to get it that much higher, and to get a little rearward angle on the oil pan to get a better drain.

Either way, I used more bad words changing oil on this car than the Clubman, and chewed my arms up a good bit more. I think it's a long-sleeved task.

 

i use the mobile 1 0w40 because i can buy it cheaper than the mini oil when it is on sale (which is often) i buy it by the case

i buy filters at the dealer, 6 or more at a time and they give a large discount

when i change the oil, i remove the drain plug, then loosen theb filter cap which lets the oil drain from the filter

then i rotate the tires while letting the oil drain

after the tires rotaion, install new filter, replace drain plug, fill oil DONE, total time about 1 hour

scott

 

Thanks for writing this.

I used O'Reilly brand filter and full synthetic castrol 5-30. Also using a suction oil extractor instead of crawling underneath.

 

I just had mine in for its first service, and I noticed that they leave the car idling while they have it on the lift for the inspection, presumably to warm the oil up. I was impressed, it's the first time I've seen a dealer service tech do this.

 

Thanks for posting this, I've always wondered how long it takes for the engine to get fully warmed up. I used to go by the "hot air in the HVAC" method, but then was told that only tells you if the coolant is up to temp, and that a better method would be to monitor the oil temp. I was also told that it takes a good 20 minutes driving to get to operating temps, which seemed a bit excessive to me.

I do plan on getting a Scangauge II (with MINI extensions) to be able to monitor water, engine and engine oil (not sure what the difference is as both are listed), and auto transmission oil temps.

 

FYI: A 1-1/16 inch socket is a perfect fit on the oil filter housing. Couldn't find my 27mm and found the 1-1/16 inch fits perfectly.

Also, 25Nm = 18.4 foot pounds(221 inch pounds)

 

I use Scott's method, but before I pull the drain plug I loosen the filler (not to be confused with filter) cap which seems to make the oil drain faster (not unique to this car), and I also loosen the filter cap as Scott does after the drain plug is off. Scott, why am I not surprised to hear that you are involved in aviation?

I also use an allen key similar to Scott's, and I can also verify that a 1 1/16 socket will work on the oil filter cap.

I've always thought there's another reason to have the engine thoroughly warmed up (I try to drive at least 15 miles first) before you pull the drain plug. I was taught that much of the crud and contaminants will liquify when hot, and will drain from the engine with the oil.

I can also verify that a 1 1/16 socket will work on the filter cap, and the least expensive source for Mobil 1 that I've been able to find is Walmart ($7.98 per quart, and $28.68 for a 5 gallon bottle no matter which viscosity.

As for filters, if you are an Amazon Prime member they have Mahle (pretty sure they are one of BMW's OEM suppliers) OX555 filters for $8.50 delivered.

 

How do I reset the oil change reminder on the Navigation Console? I was able to reset it on the Tach but not the Navigation.

 

It took some lurking and poking but I finally found a list of oil filters for our 1st Mini. A new to us 2016 Countryman S All4. Though I'm not a big fan of Fram, it's the only one I can find locally - the Fram CH10066. I suspect that the most expensive one is the preferred one - MINI 11427622446 but 30 clams seems overpriced when the other majors are 1/3 to 1/2 that price. Any thoughts will be appreciated. For now I'm grabbing the Fram and 5 qt of Mobil 1 0w40 European Car Formula since either the previous owner or the dealer we purchased from overfilled it and I have no idea what oil they used. I'm sending an oil sample to Blackstone since the Status indicates the last reset was January 2019.

List from AMZN....

MINI 11427622446 $29.99
Magneti Marelli by Mopar 1AML00023A $18.87
Autopart International 5001-228229 $17.99
K&N HP-7024 $15.48
Autopart International 5001-239537 $14.99
MAHLE Original OX 555 $13.03
Bosch 72258WS $11.83
Mann-Filter HU711/51X $11.27
K&N PS-7024 $11.02
Purolator L15830 $10.97
Wix 57512 $10.86
Ecogard X5830 $10.30
Fram CH10066 $10.07
PG PG5830EX $9.99
Vaico 240021 $9.49
Beck Arnley 041-0820 $9.49
Pentius PCB10066 $6.87
Hengst E44H D110 $6.20