Hey all,

After reading about some of the R56 engines bricking themselves due to low oil, I decided I had better check mine. It's been a month or so (guilty.) and it appears a little low. Checked it cold and it was right above the "Low" mark, and warm it was right on the "Low" mark.

I'm about halfway between scheduled oil service. I picked up a quart of Castrol GTX meeting the specs laid out in the owners manual. My question is, how much do I add? I'm terrified of over filling after doing that on a motorcycle that resulted in an expensive repair/cleaning bill (oil in the airbox, etc.)

Thanks in advance!

 

Figured it out, mods feel free to delete:

 

Make sure the oil you are adding is FULL SYENTHIC.
castrol gtx is not, and does not meet mini specs.
Generaly one quart from the bottom of the fill line to the top.

 

Damn it. I didn't even notice! I just matched the weight and the other number, and the fact that it says "mini recommends Castrol" on the engine cover.

I added about 3/4 of a quart to get it up to just past halfway between Min and Max. Should I be worried?

 

I would say you should not worry as both oils are compatible and will not have an adverse reaction to each other. But you should be very careful not to make that mistake again. Synthetic oils are much MUCH better than what you put in. More expensive too. And I would suggest you top it to the Max line when cold. Extra oil helps cooling and in this case really couldn't hurt.

I use only Mobil1 0-40 Euro oil. I have also used the 0-30 Euro Castrol but it is not easy to find any more. There are other good oils out there and I am sure that some opinions will be forthcoming.

But it is not worth worrying or doing an oil change to get it out. I have also found that the Mini uses more then it share of oil without leaks so you should check your oil levels regularly. At least every 1000 miles.

Rich

 

Thanks very much! Certainly a lesson learned, I foolishly sort of assumed everything was synthetic these days, and the bottle doesn't mention one way or the other. I will likely get an oil change at the 1 year mark rather than wait another 14,000km, the former coming up in just a few months.


I started the car and went for a quick drive, no warning lights and nothing burst into flames, so I guess I'm okay for now.

 

They are compatible, but you did just shorten your change time. I wouldn't try to run that oil for the same length of time that you would run synthetic.

 

Typically on most dipsticks the distance between the low and high points is exactly one quart. YMMV so it is always good to pour and check to make sure. Any oil level up to the full mark is fine.

 

Do you figure it'll be safe for a couple of thousand KM?

 

I would think it is fine.

It's not like your running it 10K.

 

So does non synthetic just break down quicker? Is that the main difference?

 

Take a look at this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil

This is one of the few references that isn't a commercial stating, "Our brand is the best and all of the others are junk."

The next time you are shopping read the label carefully. Synthetic oils are clearly labeled as synthetic. Most of us consider the additional cost as cheap insurance.

 

You can run that for a few thousand with no problems, just don't use the normal intervals that MINI recommends for your next change. Dino oil breaks down faster than synthetics and can start to sludge up. Just change it early and then get back on your regular schedule.

 

Excellent, thanks for all the help everyone! I'll certainly be more diligent in the future, and I'll schedule an oil service well before the next one indicated by the OBC.

 

If you didn't put an entire bottle in, it shouldn't be enough to make any significant difference in the oil change interval.

For your future reference, Castrol Synthetic oil = either Castrol Syntec or Castrol Edge.

 

I'm suprised that your oil was low, i'm guessing whoever changed the oil didn't fill it all the way. I have the same model year R50 and have NEVER seen a bit of oil loss in the 19K-20K miles that i've owned it and I check it every 3-4 weeks. Great engine, this.

 

Not a good practice. This could get you in trouble. I check mine every week. It keeps me in tune with my Mini's oil usage and will prevent the "My engine blew up" thread.

But to each his own for sure. Happy Motoring!!

But if you only drive 50 or 100 miles I guess it wouldn't matter. Most folks drive a whole lot more than that.

 

I am with PatM on this one. I was shocked to see my R53 use oil at a rate of about a quart every 3K miles or so, which I thought was extremely excessive. Yet I could find no evidence of any oil leaks by 3 different MINI mechanics so I accepted that this engine consumed oil at that pace. While your engine sounds nice and tight and that is a wonderful thing, there is no guarantee that anyone else will have the same fortune. It is always best to check your engine oil regularly with these cars, at least until you can establish a pattern of usage.

 

You must have not read my whole post. Like I said before, my engine has NOT used/burned/leaked any oil in 20K miles of usage that i've owned it. In other words, I never had the need to pour any oil into my engine other than during oil changes. The oil never moves on the dipstick line, its almost boring to check it since I never see any change haha j/k! So no real need to check any more than I already do. And you are right, it mainly depends how much you drive a week/month too. Looks like you have an R56, I would check my oil as much as you if I had that engine too.

 

I read your complete post. Still does not matter in my estimation.

Weekly is better.

Motor On!

 

My r53 burns through about a quart in 3k miles too. I'm not thrilled with that fact, but since I see no leaks I guess there's not much I can do besides check it regularly and keep Mobile 1 on hand.

 

I agree with PatM here. What happens if it does start to eat oil? You won't notice it for 3 to 4 weeks and by the time the low pressure light comes on the damage is already done.

Check it every other fill up and be safe.

 

It seems to me that we are all on the similar page here, since my every other fill up is every 3-4 weeks.

 

Glad for your post.
Looking thru endless notes I've made, There's no note of how much to add, etc. in the event of oil useage. Good to have just in case. Thanks for this info.
I've been a diligent oil checker in everyway, especially since a round of repairs to the oil pan gasket. Three gaskets in under 1 year. I've owned the car almost 2 years. The oil line has never changed on the dip stick. I look at the drip under the car, count and record the days in between drips, check the size, color etc., take it in, they do the work under warranty again and again and again.
Since last fix (third gasket) one month passed, no drip. 4 days later a drip, same area, color etc. Now, 5 days later, second drip. I know the routine by now. Called the mechanic. No problem, he says to bring it in. Knowing by now that it will be some time sitting at the shop, untill it drips again, for them to see, I'm thinking of going out of warranty to another shop and I'm having big doubts about the mechanic who has done all of the previous gasket fixes. It's got to be a very tiny leak, all these times, because the dip stick mark has never fallen.
Sorry to have made this post so long but what do you all think and how would you go about handling this?

 

Wow, that's alot of oil pan gaskets. That doesn't seem right. It sounds to me that the mechanic isn't cleaning/prepping the pan and block for a fresh gasket install hence the constant leaking. Maybe get a new mechanic? Or maybe the Mini gasket is pure garbage and you've just been very unlucky, but 3 gaskets in two years sounds VERY excessive. Sorry to get off topic, but I wonder if anyone has used RTV sealant instead of the Mini gasket for the oil pan.