so as in most situations on forums, right and wrong will boil down to people giving their two cents with no experience on the subject at hand or down to individual preferences.

so my problem...

changed my oil today on my new to me '02 mc, and there was a spring loaded filter installed; but i did not know this prior to the change. the one i purchased from my local foreign auto parts store is the same filter pictured in this write up- https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showpost.php?p=53561&postcount=1.

long story short, the spring loaded filter would not come out. not even with two grown men pulling at it. so i destroyed it to get it out. removed the spring and perch as the old filter material was stuck to the perch. i kept the spring and perch but it would not all go on together with the filter i purchased. so i just pushed the filter on the block and proceeded to replace the canister back where it belongs. and everything is fine. i drove 50 plus miles today after the change, no leaks, no low pressure, no noise. but after such an odd install; i got back on here and am reading both "wrong filter" horror stories and that "it will be fine" posts.

so, my Q is... should i be purchasing a filter made for the spring or forget about it?

 

I always use OEM filters in my Mini, BMW, Touareg. That is the ONLY OEM part on my cars. There have been several cases of aftermarket filters colapsing in on themselves. I looked at the pick on the link you provided and that looks like the one I have. The filter is always a PITA to get off the spring but you should still use it. It's there for a reason. Now, as I recall R53 motors dont have the spring or it was a MY change. Can't remember......

 

Wow. So you are pretty into modding, then. I still have all my OEM body panels, subframes and block.

 

for what it is worth, my 2006 S did not have any spring with its oil filter.

 

i searched for about an hour, cus i hate when people dont do that. and it seems no mcs should have ever had a spring loaded filter. and it was only on early '02 mc's, then it was changed. im just wondering if the new filter style just fits in the canister with no need for the spring such as i did. but, i didnt come up a positive yes or no...

 

I wish I could help, the only thing I don't do on my car is change the oil and other fluids...I hate to have to dispose of them, so I go to a mechanic I trust for that.

Mine is an 03 R50, and I just have the OEM replacement filters I ordered from Mini Mania...and my mechanic had no trouble putting the new one it. So, you may be on to something, that they changed the filter. I wonder if the threads to the housing are the same and if you can just replace the housing/canister to the newer one and just use the more readily available replacement filter cores when you change your oil. Might cost a bit up front, but once you have that part, you will have an easier time doing your oil changes in the future.

 

Funny....

 

Mine is an 02/03 build and like I said I have a spring....

 

i didnt make a change in my canister and the store i bought my filter from assured me it was the only filter they had listed for my year and make... i guess come monday i can call a service dept. and see what they have to say.

 

All of the "S" s had a different style of filter/housing, etc... Later in production of the MC non-S, they were changed to the same style as the S. I don't think the change was made until about 04.

 

The MC oil filter housing changed in July of 04. http://www.lonestarminiclub.com/foru...read.php?t=411

 

My 03 mc has the spring also. It is a PITA to remove. It goes with the canister, not the filter. How long since your last oil change? I change every 4-5 k and it has always come off with some pulling and wiggling.

 

i changed the oil the week after i picked it up. the only thing i had to go by was the service mileage number on the speedo which read around -14k. the oil wasnt in bad shape. definitely have seen worse on cars that are to have their oil changed every 3k miles. so im sure it was changed, just not at the dealer after the warranty ran up.

and to continue the saga... i finally heard back from another local-ish dealer today. and this makes 3 answers from 3 non affiliated businesses and all answers are the same. and my findings:

-only 1 person i talked to even knew there was a change in the canister through the years before i told them.

-they all sell the exact same filter and use the same procedure but the local foreign parts place that also services mini's had not a clue what i was talking about...

and their answer (paraphrased)-
if its working properly (with no warning lights, no leaks) they wouldnt hesitate to drive it. if there was a problem the oil pressure light would come on indicating the filter was not properly secured thus not allowing the oil to circulate.

the dealers agreed that the spring perched version was a hassle but had never tried not using it.

my theory-
the spring is obviously there to keep continues pressure on the filter to keep it snug against the block. but in my canister there is a slot were the spring is installed and when compressed will sit flush with the inside "top" of the canister. when the old filter was installed, when fully compressed, it didnt stick out of the canister any further than the filter i installed without the spring. this makes me think that when fully tightened the spring may become useless. compressed to the point at which it is relieved of its duties and is only there for the initial installation of the canister/filter to the block keeping the filter centered and snug so it does not move while being tightened.

so im going to keep a close eye on it and if the cost isnt too large, i may see if i can purchase a later model canister as ,stated earlier in this thread, to avoid this all together.

 

My sister and my girlfriend both have Mini Coopers (both Non-S). My sister's is an 03 and my g/f's is an 04. Both of them have oil filter canisters exactly like the RIGHT hand side one in this image:



EXCEPT that the filters that I buy from the dealership look like the filter on LEFT of that same image. I have never even seen that other type of filter.

Point is, both of their Mini's are apparently pre-July 04 build cars, and those filters are a HUGE paint in the a** to remove.

Does anyone know if it is possible to purchase the POST-july 04 canister and use it on PRE-july 04 cars like blue_bomber mentioned?

 

i think the best thing you can do is call a dealer and hopefully youll get someone that knows a thing or two. i had no such luck with the two near me. but before my next oil change ill be getting to the bottom of that one and hopefully making a swap for easier changes in the future. good luck

 

blue_bomber,

Be sure to post up your findings.

Quick question, which style filter do you normally get from the dealerships? Because i have never seen that one with the black rubber looking thing on top....

 

the filter i took out of my car was the black rubber one and the place i bought the new one from only caried one kind which is the other shown in the pic above. and this was my first change so it was all new to me.