I have read many posts that say their dealer overfilled the oil. This apparently is quite common with some dealers putting in as much as 5 quarts. I have taken all my cars except my MINI to quick change oil services like Jiffy Lube. Only once in the forty plus years they have changed my oil and filter has the oil not been almost exactly on the upper mark of the dipstick. These services deal with many brands and models and have to lookup the amount of oil to add and they charge far less than a MINI dealer. Since this is not a difficult thing to do, why are so many dealers overfilling the oil? The new MINI's don't come with the oil overfilled so it is hard for me to believe MINI is instructing the dealers to put in extra oil. I would appreciate knowing if there is a reason they purposely overfill the oil.

Morris, 2011 MC/ PW/B

 

Too many times, the folks doing the oil changes are young, droopy-pants clowns that couldn't care less about doing things right. In 25 years of driving, I've had someone else change my oil once, and that was because I had a vehicle stolen, and when it was recovered, my insurance had it changed as part of the recovery maintenance. Even if they had the sharpest tools in the building doing oil changes, I don't know what they are pumping out of that 55 gallon drum, I don't care who they claim "makes" the oil for them. It's been this way for yers in my experience. I owned a Prius for 5 years, and countless owners had theirs over-filled by .5 quarts. Jeeps? New ones hold 6, countless people getting theirs back with 5. People just don't care, or are in too much of a rush.

 

My 2 pennies. 1- Oil life is way too long. 2- All cars burn oil. 3- Owners don't check oil level. So, if they put more oil it wont run out of oil by the next oil change.

 

Never has the Mini dealer over filled my oil. With the coupon, a full synthetic oil & filter change is $99. Pretty much the same price as the quick lubes where I watched them open bottles of Royal Purple.

 

Your a lucky guy. Sacramento's Mini Dealer has always overfilled my Mini and their charge for oil and filter change for an R56 is $139+. After I got my first service on my current '12S, I inquired about their overfill and they said that they intentionally overfill because Minis use oil.

 

Here in lies the problem with MINI. Technically it is a British car which means it should leak oil as almost all do at some point in their lives, furthering the old saying "if there is oil in it there is oil under it". Since MINI is now owned by BMW it is now German and all German cars burn oil.

 

Lol reminds me of the quote: "The day is doesn't leak oil is the day you worry"

German cars burn AND leak oil, it's the car telling you it works. Ha.

 

A lot of Honda, Toyota, and Jeep owners will say the same thing about burning oil......

 

What side effects come from the motor being partly french?

 

It gives up too easily and never wants to start a fight.

 

Bam!

 

The oil capacity for an R56 is 4.5 qts.....rather than save the last half-quart dealers (and many owners, especially those that track/autox their cars) just dump the whole thing in. My dealer actually uses the quart bottles rather than pump it out of a drum....

Gary

 

zing!

 

Can't say my MCS leaks oil because there is never a spot on the ground. I never leave home without a spare quart because it is going to disappear, roughly shy of half a quart per tank of gas depending on velocity!

 

Similar to Land Rovers' quote - "if it's not leaking, it's empty"

 

When I got my 2013 MSC Roadster, I checked the oil level when I got home with it and the dipstick read about .25 quart low. I always check my oil after every fuel fill up and at 5,000 miles when I had the dealer do an oil change on my nickel, the level had not changed (Yes, I do know how to get a good reading with the OEM dipstick). When I got home from having my dealer oil change, I took a reading and it completely covered the top bulb on the dipstick. I now have 8,000 miles and it hasn't moved. I will make two assumptions from this, my dealer did overfill and so far my N18 doesn't burn oil. Not an assumption - it doesn't leak yet either.

 

yikes!

 

My 2010 MCCS with 32k on the clock was burning oil.

I took it in for the 30k service interval and mentioned the door seal wearing prematurely where the top corner of the window pinches. They had to order the part and had to come back. A week later i came back and they told me they topped off my oil because it was about .5 qt low.

About 2 gas tank fills later, i happened to be at the dealer and casually asked how to read the dipstick. While showing me the found i was about .5 qt low again, so they topped it off.

1 month and about 1500 miles later, i bent a rim. When i went to pick up my car, the SA mentioned he topped off my fluids. I didn't ask exactly what he did, but i just shrugged it off thinking it was still burning oil like the last couple times.

I just checked on Saturday (it's been a month since my last visit to the dealer) and it's actually overfilled by .5 qt. Not sure if they overfilled or if my car hasn't been burning oil?

 

Yikes is right! If you car is burning that much oil, you have a serious problem.

 

[QUOTE=Day177017;3686523]My 2010 MCCS with 32k on the clock was burning oil.

I happened to be at the dealer and casually asked how to read the dipstick.

What instructions did they give you for reading the dipstick? Was the oil level easy to see following their instructions?

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B