2018 JCW now has just over 5K miles. (Since Dec. 27, 2017).

I have booked the car in Wednesday AM for a 5K mile oil/filter service. This will be its 3rd oil/filter service. The first was at around 600 miles, the 2nd at around 2K miles.

At some point between 600 miles and 2K miles an oil level check found the oil level down about a quart. Since the 2K mile oil/filter service I have been checking the oil level about every 300 to 400 miles and the engine does not appear to be using any oil.

At 5K miles the engine is pretty much broken in. While I don't beat on the car I do give it the whip once in a while and the engine takes to this like a duck takes to water, the engine pulls with plenty of vigor. Impressive for a 2.0l engine but of course I recognize the contribution turbo-charging makes.

Gas mileage has "settled" in at around 28/29mpg. I think it could be higher but darn it it is hard to not give the engine the whip once in awhile it responds so brilliantly.

A minor negative: The run flat tires continue to underwhelm me. But I'm not replacing them until they are due.

Have a Thinkware F800 dash cam to install once I get some time. Debated doing a hardwired install vs. just using a convenient power plug but I think I will at least initially not elect to have it hardwired in.

(Might mention I have had one of these cameras in my Dodge Hellcat for a month or so and the camera is fantastic.)

Guess like with the Hellcat I'm just reluctant to really mod the car even if it is only to hard wire in a dash cam.

Oh, with warmer temperatures upon the area it is nice to report the car's A/C system appears quite capable of keeping the cabin cool with no signs of any effort. I use the auto mode and set the temperature controls to 72F.

Have not taken the car on any extended road trips. Not what I bought the car for, though I believe it would be quite up to the task.

Primarily the JCW is my work commute car and gets me the 30 miles to work in the AM and then gets me home again in the PM. Then on the weekend the car sees errand duty which primarily consists of just a grocery store run then I use the car to go out to eat Saturday and Sunday.

So if it not clear let me make it clear this is one fine automobile and I am very happy with it. An added bonus is the nearby dealer (it deserves a plug: East Bay Mini in Pleasanton, CA) I have elected to make "my dealer" (I bought the car at an approx. 100 miles distant dealer and having the car serviced at where I bought the car is not feasible) appears to be a superb dealer and having the car serviced there is a joy. For oil/filter services the service department gets the car in and out again in just under an hour. Servicing costs have been quite reasonable, around $80 or so for the oil/filter service.

Once I had to leave the car -- when I had a cracked tail light lens that had to be replaced -- and I got a loaner (an S) at no cost, in fact didn't even have to bring it back with the same amount of gasoline as I was told this was being waived because the loaner car department was unable to wash/clean the car before giving it to me to use. I didn't abuse this though I only drove the car 10 miles to my house and used my 2nd car then when time to pick up my car I drove the loaner just 10 miles back to the dealer, not even using 1 gallon of gasoline.

So there's the 5K mile update. Only good news to report which is good news but what I expected.

 

What is your point to change oil 3 times in 5K. I may miss something.

 

Sounds like the car does everything for you except when you want a crazy fast powerful hellcat.

When do you actually have time to drive the Hellcat?

 

It's definitely good to change the oil after the break-in period (which is 1200 miles), as the initial oil is different than the nomal oil you use in the car.


3 times in 5k miles is a bit much. I did an oil change after 1200 miles, then again at about 6k since I had done two track days (and I needed new brake pads anyways).

 

New engines typically shed lots of trash, mainly in the form of fine metal particles.

(As a journeyman machinist -- in a previous career -- I can tell you just rubbing one's hand over a freshly machined surface, even one finished to a pretty smooth finish, can have one's skin showing a good amount of fine metal particles on it.)

Also new engines generate a lot of blow by -- and turbo-charged (super-charged) engines are even worse in this regard -- and the oil gets contaminated with combustion byproducts. Water is a particularly nasty contaminant. It lowers the oil's viscosity and combines with other combustion by products to form acids.

Another component of what engines can shed is any excess sealing material used during assembly that gets squeezed out. This stuff is applied by a robot like machine and the application is generally just right but still there can be some of this squeezed out and this stuff breaks loose and ends up in the oil.

The filter catches all the debris/sealant fragments but if there is a filter bypass if this is "activated" -- as it might be on a cold start or even at very high RPMs -- unfiltered oil can get fed to the engine.

The best way to deal with the particulate matter and water/acid build up is to drain the oil and replace the filter.

At 500 miles is as good a number as any. I have pics of the filter housing oil and filter element from my new 2008 Porsche Cayman S when I changed its oil at 750 miles and the oil had a very visible amount of metal "flake" in it, aluminum I'm sure. The filter element had caught a number of pieces of the block and camshaft cover sealant used to during assembly.

So, the JCW oil got changed at around 500 miles (580 I seem to recall) then again at 2K miles, the end of "break in" or maybe a bit after "break in". With 3 new cars since Dec 17, 2017 I get confused as to which car has what break in period in miles.

Then I decided to have the oil changed again at 5K miles (3K miles after the previous change). This gets the car on "schedule" to then get an oil/filter service every 5K miles going forward.

I used this same 5K miles oil change schedule with my 2002 Porsche Boxster (317K miles), 2002 VW Golf TDi (149K miles), 2006 Pontiac GTO (49K miles), I lost the Cayman S at 2200 miles due to an accident (not my fault!), and the 2003 Porsche 996 Turbo (161K miles).

None of the above cars developed any engine trouble related to oiling.

The Boxster experienced a failed VarioCam solenoid/actuator at over 250K miles but this was not due to oiling issues just miles combined with a slightly sub par solenoid/actuator -- the other cylinder bank's solenoid/actuator were still working just fine when I sold the car.

Since I plan on keeping the JCW a good long time and driving it a good number of miles I want to give the engine every break I can and a few early oil changes and regular oil changes thereafter can go a long way to ensuring the engine also goes a long way.

(The Hellcat engine is getting, or will be getting the same treatment. Its mileage is only up to around 3K miles and it just had an oil change at 2K miles. Its next oil change will probably be at 5K miles.)

 

Oh, I could drive the Hellcat every day, using it to commute to/from work (a 60 mile round trip), but I try to drive the JCW at least 3 days a work week and the Hellcat just 2 days to keep the battery topped up and circulate the the car's fluids (and my blood!) to keep the car in good condition and help eliminate any negative effects from lack of sufficient use. My experience is cars prefer to be used regularly. So I'm doing my part with both of my cars.

Have to tell you I don't go any faster in the Hellcat than I do in the JCW -- well, with one or two exceptions. I have briefly had the Hellcat up to speeds that while the JCW could obtain them it would take it more time and more road.

The JCW is a "beast" of a car in its own right and can get up to speed and then some in one big hurry.