hey guys, so i am going to be doing my first oil change on my r56 but i will not be using minis oil. i know they have recomendations on there website but i want something that is better and lasts longer, im tired of after 3000 miles my clutch and everything feels like crap, im changing my oil 3,000 miles early, even though they have me set to get it changed every 9,000 miles i have read that some are using 5w40 in there minis and seems alot are using royal purple oil, any thoughts would be great please let me know as iw ill be changin it next weekend.

 

i use mobil 1 0w-40 or royal purple 5w-30 when it is on sale. i like mobil 1 better but to each his own. royal purple is good oil but i trust mobil more, its been out longer.

 

i change mine every 8,000. half of the factory 15,900 that my oil change light is set to.

 

Castrol makes the Mini oil to BMW Mini specs. I get it from my dealer in Orlando and it does not cost any more then Mobil 1 (another great oil) If I did not use the Mini oil I would use Mobil 1.
I change my oil myself between the long free dealer changes. My first change was at 3,000 miles and the dealer changed it at 8,079 one year in service. I need to change it now but this stupid cancer has me so tired I have not been driving the car to much lately. It will get done soon though.
I usually rotate my tires front to back (same side) every 5,000 miles but since I had to plug my left rear I don't want it on the front so I just won't rotate anymore until I get new Michelins on my car.

One thing good about using Mibile 1 is it is sold everyplace so if you ever are on a long trip it is easy to find it if needed.

 

GOM blend 10w-30 (gulf of Mexico)

 

OP, exactly what has the engine oil got to do witht he clutch?

THere is nothing "better" than Mini oil, there is different, and there is oil that doesn't meet Mini specs. Use of any oil that doesn't meet spec is that Mini can then deny warranty coverage for anything they think may have been caused by the use of the non-conforming oil.

As for how often to change the oil, how about you use science and technology to find out? Look at www.blackstone-labs.com and order a free oil sample test kit. When it arrives, take a sample of the oil, fill in the form, send it off, and get the results (cost is $22)

 

If warranty is a concern make sure the oil you use meets BMW LL-01 and ACEA A3 standards -- this if from the MINI owners lounge under "WARRANTY / MAINTENANCE / ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE"

The oils listed below meet MINI's Long-life rating and are acceptable for use in MINIs in the US market with gasoline engines.
Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market

• - Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
• - Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
• - Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
• - Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30

 

no need to send the oil out for testing, and no need to get all snooty, there are oils better than minis, and my service is up i do alot of driving and no offense cant afford to pay them 150 for a dam oil change, i saw what mini recommends, and was just asking, i see alot of people are using royal purple. and was just wondering what is the best besides mini oil, im not close ot a dealer and do not want to have to drive all the way there just to get oil.

 

what is the difference between 0w and 5w, i thought they recommended 5ws for the mini?

 

No need to get bent, everyone is just trying to help. You probably won't find "better" than Mini oil, but will find as good, cheaper and easier to get oils. Look a couple of posts up for what Mini recomends.
The Euro formulas can be hard to find. Yes they are different than the regular USA stuff. The 0W is supposed to be a true synthetic where the 5W may be hightly refined dino and called synthetic.
Change the oil around 5 to 7K, because that is really all the filter can handle. As for your clutch problems, I dunno, but the engine oil should have no effect on the clutch workings. I don't think the Mini uses a wet clutch system and if it does it is still seperate because the EC oils would cause problems.
YMMV

 

New oil won't make anything "feel" better, especially the clutch which the oil has nothing to do with.

Castrol (which MINI oil is) has a new "Edge" which is rated (says so on the bottle) for 15,000 miles. Possibly one of the better oils on the mass market and sold at every auto store.

 

All synthetic oil commercially available is based on dino oil - all of it. Some is refined more than others, but it all starts with the same stuff, just FYI.

To the OP, if you're looking for convenience and lower cost, Costco frequently has Mobil1 in both 0W30 and 5W30 seriously on sale in 6 packs, that way you have a spare bottle to carry in the trunk, just in case you need to top it off. Wal Mart also carries it at low, low discount prices!

I also change the oil twice as ofter as the computer recommends, at about 7500 miles. My last car had 65K on it and was as clean inside as a new engine following this interval, fwiw.

One recommendation I'd make is to buy the factory filter, I tried an aftermarket in my '03 and it twisted inside the container (yes, I lubed the hell out of the gaskets before I installed it), I've never had a factory filter do that. For no more than they cost, it's good peace of mind to me. Just call the dealer and have them ship you a few if it's too far to drive.....then you'll have them on hand when you're ready to change, plus the factory filter kit comes with the o-ring for the cannister and the seal for the drain plug.

 

You may want to check other Synthetic oils. I personally use Amsoil 10w-30 Dominator race oil. It is more expensive but ive used it for several years in my race cars and the engines are Spotless. In my Mini i change the oil every 7500 miles. Oil can be a subjective question on whose brand is better, but i went to independent ratings and Amsoil topped RP, Mobile1, And just about everything else.

 

Amsoil is good but how about Enos?
Here is their Euro website and their US website
http://www.eneos.eu/product/index.html
http://www.eneos.us/products

 

OP, the choice of oil and oil weight does depend on what you do with the car.

Real PAO synthetics have better hot stability as they are manufactured for a specific viscosity. These include Amsoil, Redline and the European oils such as Mobil 1 0W40 and Castrol 0W30.

The other recommended synthetics are OK for most street applications. These use more friction modifiers to get the desired viscosity and is not as stable in high heat.

0W and 5W refers to winter weight with 0W being thinner.

For track applications, I would recommend the PAO type oils because of high heat and engine stress.

 

Of course there is no "NEED" to have your oil analysed, but think about it. When you go to sell the car, at least you have a record of oil changes and samples, that show how the engine is wearing, and what contaminants are present. (at least up to the last sample). Plus, with analysis, you can find the optimum interval that the oil can last.

When I was a trucking manager for an oil company, we were able to extend oil change intervals out to 25K miles, with Caterpillar's approval. When an engine was torn down at 1 MILLION miles, it looked new, with no measurable wear. Granted, O.T.R. truck engines have a lot more oil capacity, and much larger filters, but the principle applies. We were able to identify problems (leaking injectors, coolant leaks, and contamination) before they became real problems.

 

On topics like this, I think my more nerd tendencies come out and I've spent a good amount of time reading information on Used Oil Analyses and alot of the back and forth on http://bobistheoilguy.com

There are alot of quality synthetics and the BMW/Castrol is quite good. On BITOG, there are quite a few UOAs showing very good numbers even after 10k miles.

 

Oil changes are good but won't help with that.

 

i just replaced my oil this weekend, i used mobile1 5w-30, bad choice? since mini recommends 0w-40, i plan to change it in 5,000 miles or so anyway or should i swap it out now? as for the filter i bought a mann filter from minimania, instead of the oem filters, also was that a bad choice? ive used aftermarket filters on other cars previous, but there seems to be alot of differences with the mini compared to anything else i have ever done.

 

I would stick with the OEM filter kit from MINI Mania. It is only $14.
Regarding oil, I go with Mobil1 5-30. That is a safe bet and I will change every 5,000 miles, resetting the maintenance reminders as described on MINI Mania.

Don't be too concerned. You can't go wrong with Mobil1 5-30. HOWEVER, filters are important and I would stick with the OEM. The price difference is very little. Otherwise you should be OK. Psychologically my car always feels smoother running and better after an oil change. Not sure it that is true or not, but it makes me feel better, if not the car.

 

 

I only pay $9 something for the factory filter, from my dealer.......

 

I pay $6.20 per quart for genuine Mini oil.

I paid $19.28 for my filter.

I really do not think you can do better then the genuine Mini oil. There are other brands that are probably just as good but I really don't think any one of them is really better.

I don't really know if i could buy a cheaper oil filter that is as good or better then the genuine Mini filter so I just suck it up and pay the $19.28 for my filters.

I change my oil myself between the dealer free maintenance changes. I don't want to really go a full year betwenn services.

 

Because of UOA's (Used Oil Analysis) I have read posted there - I would have no problem running our MINI out to 10K. But that's the limit for our MINI. It will probably see 6-8K in a year and be changed every year. If we ever did manage to do 10K before a year, I would get a UOA at Blackstone labs just for my own info on our MINI.

 

Castrol Syntec 0W-30 European Formula (Made in Germany) is supposed to be an ester based "true" synthetic oil.