i changed my oil this weekend for the first time without the dealer, i am not paying an arm and a leg for oil. i purchased mobile 1 5w-30 oil, i know mini recommended 0w-40, will this make a big difference? i do not plan on going 10,000 miles till my next change, will change between 3,000-5,000 miles. can someone help me, will i be fine until i change the oil again in 5,000 miles?

 

Should be fine

 

5w30 is the correct oil. That what we use in all our customer cars, and that's what the dealer puts in when they do services.

 

We've had a couple people in our local MINI group use 0w-30 in the more extreme winter months here in Michigan because of its lower viscosity, but it is not absolutely necessary. Royal Purple 5w-30 would be the next step over Mobil 1. Such good stuff!

 

i wanted to get royal purple as i have seen alot of people using it on here but i didnt want to pay the extra money for it, tight on cash as it is. as long as i would be fine with the mobile 1 5w-40 for now them i am good, will upgrade at next oil change. is there that big of a difference between mobile1 5w-30 and mobile1 0w-40 that mini recommends?

 

The Mobil 1 0W-40 may net you better MPG, certainly better protection for cold starts. You will be fine to 5K with 5W-30 in there, even though it is not rated for the MINI. I run Mobil 1 0W-XX "Advanced Fuel Economy" oils in everything.


http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...l_1_0W-40.aspx


http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...l_Economy.aspx

 

Just any oil is not okay you need to use one of the following specific brand and weight oils from MINIUSA.COM


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

 

5K miles is not a long time on any oil. Most def if running it 10K+ you want the specified oil(s).

 

I agree, but just "any oil" is not recommended by the manufacturer.

Why skimp on using an oil that could void your engine warranty?
Why NOT use the LL-01 oil?

I love saving money, but to me this is one place, especially if you have the turbo, is not a place to be penny pinching (and the price difference is about $10). Use the recommended oil, use the recommended premium gas, use the BMW/MINI spec coolant.

 

I agree - But this thread is not about saving money - it's about inadvertantly using the wrong oil.

And why anyone uses Royal Purple in anything is beyond me.

Mobil 1 0W-40 or the oil the MINI parts counter hands you is the best bet.

 

You're right I got off topic!

For the original poster, you did use the wrong oil. It maybe okay, but it is the wrong oil.

 

I don't know how important the difference is, but Mobil 1 5W-30 is not an extended life oil, and is only rated ACEA A1/B1 which is an gas mileage rating. It doesn't even make the ACEA A5 for lower rating for high performance engines. The oil MINI uses meets ACEA A3 which holds a higher viscosity than A5 at engine temps.

Next time look for a BMW LL-01 or ACEA A3 rating on the oil. Castrol Syntec 0W-30 European Formula, and Mobil 1 0W-40 are the only ones from those brands that meet those requirements. I believe Penzoil and Valvoline make a BMW LL-01 rated oil, but I don't recall the names.

As far as expensive goes, what did you pay for the Mobil 1? Amazon list it at $8/qt. Castrol 0W-30 goes for $7.50/qt at Autozone. Based on oil tests, I think it would be safe to run it for 8,000-10,000 miles after the wear metal levels from break-in taper off (somewhere around 10,000 to 20,000 miles on the engine). If you figure the miles and filter, I doubt you are saving $$ on the Mobil 1 5W-30.

Yea, but not all 5W-30s are created equal. This one isn't even an extended life oil.

 

I was not looking to save money on anything, i was just stating that royal purple is expensive as to why i did not buy it. and i am not using extended life cause i do not agree with minis waiting so long to change the oil, my warranty is up anyway so not like it maters on behalf of that. i am going to re-drain my oil of the 5w-30 mobile one, it only costs me 7.50 a qt and put in the mobile 1 0w40 oil. i have also noticed a mpg reduction while using the 5w-30 and it is drastic. i have never had a high performance engine so i did not think that it would make a huge difference

 

RP 5w30 is 8.29/qt. vs. M1 0w40 @ 7.49/qt at my local Advance Auto. There must be some variance based on location given that some posters perceive the RP as so much more expensive. Yeah, 11% more expensive, but only $4 for 5 qt. worth.

I'm surprised there would be a noticeable difference in mpg using the M1 5w30. Will be interested to hear whether the change in oil fixes that.

 

Mobil 1 is often on sale for $5-$6 a qrt.

I would think 40W would be harder on MPG than 30W. That is something I will check after the 3 years "free" service is done. Free my **** - it's included in the price, and all in the plan to earn our future service work.

 

Rumor is that Mobil 1 0W-40 and Castrol Syntec 0W-30 are actually more similar in weight than the numbers indicate. Something about Mobil using the lower end of the rating range and Castrol using the upper end. I know this to be true, because I read it on the internet.

 

--There is a Castrol European formula (made in the u.s.a) and a Castrol European formula (made in germany). The one made in germany performs much better to protect the engine.

Any of the synthetic oils from Mobil 1 and Castrol mentioned in this thread will be ok though. It's more of a good, better, best oil thing.

Your Mini won't explode due to it not having the best oil in it. Don't let our enthusiast members scare you. =)

~p

 

There's the BMW/Mini LL-01 5-30 and then there's all the other 5-30's...


Really 'tho, it's a tough call; on the one hand, only the 0-40 Mobil 1 actually meets Mini's requirements, on the other hand, Mini says you only need to change your oil every 18k miles (if they have to pay for it)

 

I was at the auto parts store yesterday and was overwhelmed by all the different varieties of Mobil 1 oil. After spending an inordinate amount of time reading labels, I began to wonder if some of the variety is more a marketing strategy than a substantial difference. I ended up buying Mobil 1 5-30w extended life, rather than the 0-40w, based on the fact that I live in the California Bay Area where temperatures are moderate and the dealer sells 5-30w. Yes, good, better, best...and the lines between these are very small in some cases. IMO...

 

All you need to look for on the label is "BMW LL-01".

The 5W-30 oil you bought does not meet BMW's LL-01 standards. The 5W-30 that the MINI dealers sell, does meet LL-01.

 

If i'm not intruding, why is your 09 MCS out of warranty?

 

Has to be high mileage..........

 

Or the NOS bottle bolted in the boot.

 

 

My point is, I'm questioning whether something not being rated LL-01 means that it is necessarily inadaquate. I'm not sure Mobil nor BMW would be interested in testing every formulation against every spec. Why should they - if I were in their shoes, once I provided a list of approved oils, why would I keep spending resources testing every new formulation? Yes, Mobil 1 0-40w is approved and meets LL-01. But does that mean that NO other Mobil 1 oil is adequate, or is necessarily inadaquate if it isn't stamped with LL-01?