Hey all,

Im writing this thread to gather some knowledge and to seek some advices on what to do.
Here is my dilemma, I bought my MCS back in summer 2010, its a 2009 model ; bought it from a dealership from another province (Iam in Nova Scotia,the car came from Ontario)
Love the car, everything was perfect, apart from a chip in windshield and some screeches on the door the dealer didn't tell me about...anyway, I dealt that with them. $$

The car had 14K when I got it in summer 2010.

March 2011, Iam at 18876km and Iam told to do a oil change. BMW couldn't take me and was quoting me over $200, therefore I went to a local shop, that was advertising a good price.
Everything went well, don't know a lot about this,so I continue on with my life and modding the car

August 2011, 22141km, Iam starting to notice the car was making a weird noise in the engine bay, looked online and read stuff about the timing chain that could be the issue. Called the dealer and told them if I could bring it in cause my engine was making knocking noises.
Dealer assessment :confirmed engine noise due to level of oil being very low,only 1.5liters in the pan. Found that the oil filter was aftermarket and didn't fit properly.
Redid a new oil and filter change ... without telling me 1st about it... price tag $160

My experience with cars ' engine is limited but I can do math and 3265km in 6 months is not a lot of Km compare to how much oil is left there.
Since BMW empahised it was because I went to a local shop,that they put an aftermarket filter,that even maybe they didn't put the full 4.6 quarts.
Anyway, I got back to the other shop and after hustling, I get a refund,definitely they weren't happy; I was only going on what Mini was telling me,that I had loss of oil (nothing on my garage floor),that I was told it wasn't a proper filter...They guy was saying that the dealership was bashing small shops and so on, he was telling me that something was wrong with the car it self, that my exhaust(which I had change to an InvidiaQ300 meanwhile) were way too black, I was therefore burjhng too much oil. Again, don't know a lot abut that so I let it go,telling him that Mini will look into it and I let him know.

February 2012, 24992km,Received a letter from Mini for a recall on the water pumps, therefore when I booked my appointment, I tell them that I want the oil to be checked as I have noticed the noise coming back a little and that my exhaust tips were amazingly dirty...
Result: (quote again) Had oil change as oil was too low,had been changed incorrectly.
Inspected on customer request and found oil to be low by 1 litter (again from August 2011 to February 2012 the car only topped 2851km)Inspected and found turbo line leaking oil. --> they will order the parts and said it would be free.

Now here is why I turn to you all since you had Mini before I do (its my 1st car too) and you most probably have more experience that I have in this field.

Should Mini have found this problem when they did the proper oil change back in august 2011 ?

if its leaking, and its not on the floor, where could it go ? the Motor it self ??
is it why exhaust have been so dark, because the oil is leaking and burning more oil?

Doesn't Mini have some kind of responsibility there and should reimburse me for the oil change they did back in August? the problem already existed, no one really investigated and just refilled the oil.
I mean, the part is under warranty, would they refill the oil after and still be free ?

Could it be something already existent and the former dealer never told me ?

Any inputs or experience with this kind of problem would be appreciated..
sorry for the loooong description I wanted to give details so ppl would get the idea

Thanks !!

 

When a dealer goes to change the oil they are not looking for other issues. The oil filter was wrong and the oil was changed by a mechanic who wasn't familiar with Minis. Mini's are also known to burn a little oil. So they had no reason to check for other issues. I would not blame the dealer for not knowing about the turbo line leak.

Having said that you really should be checking your own oil regularly. You should be checking it after every other fill-up or once a month. Most of the severe damage and expensive repairs result from low oil conditions. If the oil is 1/2 qt or more low you should be adding more oil.

It wouldn't hurt to learn how to properly change your own oil and oil filter. Not only would it save you money but then you can do it more often (every 7500 miles or less) and extend the life out your vehicle.

 

Hope this helps...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...il-change.html

These cars are sensitive to the oil level and it would be good to check it regularly. A search on NAM will show that the general opinion is that the stock Mini oil filter should always be used. When it is filled, make sure that it is filled with the 4.5 quarts that are required. That half quart can make a difference.

$200 for an oil change seems really high...my dealer is advertising a $65 special here in states. It is an easy DIY job.

As for burning oil...if they do, I have not seen it by any oil level drop over 5000 miles on any of my Minis.

Hope all is well with your car.

 

Thanks - I agree with you, I should maybe learn on how to change properly the oil and oil filter my self. Im definitely going to check regularly now, you lean along the way

However, I described the noises coming from the engine back then,maybe resulting in the timing chain having a problem(read some mini from 09 had that issue), they automatically checked the oil and saw the oil being low and just changed it. You saying they had no reason to check for other issue, however they looked more into it this time (oil was again low) and found a leak.
if its leaking, where could it leak go since there is no trace on my floor ?
my only worries is that it leaked in the engine and something worse could actually happen.

 

The turbo oil line may not have been initially leaking when the dealer first inspected the car. I would keep a close eye on your oil level week by week. I'm betting you have an R56 that drinks a little too much oil. Some R56s have no problems with this and others out there guzzle oil like a diesel. Just don't assume the oil level is fine all the time. This is a well documented occurrence with the 2nd gen MINI Cooper S.

 

My 07 MCS eats a lot of oil. I check my oil level every 1000 km and I got couple of bottles of 5w30 in my garage.

I notice after I install my oil catch can, oil definitely burns a lot faster. I don't understand why though.

 

this worrrys me becuase the closest mini dealership by me is three hours away i usually just have a local dealership(not mini) change my oil.

sometimes if i dont drive my car for a couple days and i turn it over it starts clicking like a lifter tick or something. it goes away though within 5 minutes..

im assuming its just oil needs to run through the car alittle bit while its warming up. but if my car is about to explode please someone let me know

hopefully its not becuase of a oil filter thats not made for my car

 

Gtecko, i've changed my oil in the mini before - next time you need it changed, let me know and i'll give you a hand. It's not hard to do yourself once you know how / what you need.

I always buy my filters from Mini.

Also, I'm getting my car back in 39 days! Can't wait. Before i put it away I noticed one of the oil lines going to the turbo was brown, almost like rust, but I think they are stainless - It seemed like there could be a small oil leak and the oil was getting baked on. What do your lines look like?

 

Another thing to remember when checking the MINI's oil is that the dipstick is off to the side of the engine, rather than in the middle like most cars. The car should be on a level surface when checking the oil, even a small slope will give you inaccurate results.

Regarding black exhaust, My MINI does that and from I've read on these forums most do.
It is from the computer feeding the engine a very rich fuel/air mix when the engine first starts when it's cold, and the catalytic converters are not up to temperature yet. It is not an indication that it is burning oil.

Dave

 

This might be a stupid question but how do you read a mini dipstick. The 11 cars I've owned so far in my 20 years of life, none of them had a dipstick like the minis. To read that the car is good on oil is it just the oil level is at the top of the orange thing at the end if the dipstick

 

Here is a really good thread on checking the oil. Scroll down to post 70.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-2011-a-3.html

Dave

 

Thanks llewellyn - we ll do that once they call me up and can fix the car lol

It is true, it could maybe not have been leaking or it could have we ll neve know.
I only want to have it fix and hopefully not run into engine problem.

So it is normal to have the inside of your exhaust tips very black ? I know the tips are bigger than my 2nd edition stock ones, however they never were to be this black.

As I can read from here, and thanks guys, I need to be more careful with my oil, definitely not something I was worried before.

 

If your Mini is losing lots of oil they should also be checking your timing chain adjusting bolt. If it backs out you can lose alot of oil at one time and it'll blow out behind the car.
Again, you need to check the oil weekly, especially an S model because if you drive them hard they will tend to use an average of 1 quart per 1000 miles.
Changing oil and filter on them is relatively easy, just take your time. Get some ramps and drive up on them just enough to get to the drain plug and be able to place a drain pan underneath. I would imagine the filter is in the same position as previous years which is just under the coolant bottle. You have to take 1 screw out of the bracket on the bottle and move it out of the way (carefully) to get to the filter.
It's a cartridge and not a spin on.
One more thing, the exhaust tips will get black on Mini S's.

 

Good idea drsimmons
As soon as the part is ready and I ll drop the Mini, I ll mention that to them.

might be a stupid question, but can Mini say something if you change the oil yourself all the time ? Iam sure its a stupid question lol

 

I don't think it matters as long as you keep a record of when you change it / keep your receipts, but it probably wouldn't hurt to ask.
It's possible to reach the drain plug without jacking the car up or anything - thats how i've done it before.
And yeah, my tips are usually pretty black inside.

 

Could be the fuel injectors. These direct injection engines sound like a diesel when they are cold; lot of rattle. This is normal. However, it could be the timing chain issue that a lot of the earlier Gen IIs had. If that has not been updated, you might want to think about it.

Use a Mini oil filter and they will never know. With the synthetic, there is no point to changing it at less than 5000 miles unless you track the car.

 

Your oil level should be between the two bulges.
You should try and keep it just below the upper bulge.
Also, make sure car sits 1/2 hour and check it.
Pull stick out and wipe it off.
Re-insert it and then pull it out and check it.
If it's still hard to see or determine the oil level, lay the stick on a paper towel. You'll be able to see where the oil is.

 

Every R56 owner I know has black soot in their exhaust tips. The engine naturally runs a tad rich so you're naturally going to get a bit more soot with that mix.

 

I know they get to turn black, maybe I need to take a picture lol its like thick black coat of dirt haha

as someone posted before, this is an awesome "tutorial" for the oil check, really help !