So at the dealership they told me the scheduled oil changes were every 10k miles, which i thought was absurd, having owned a turbo car in the past, i was on top of my oil changes every 3k miles.

my question is what is the best oil to use on the N18 cooper S motor, and im assuming every 3K miles is recomended?

 

10k is a lot but with the great synthetics we have available it isn't uncommon to see oil still doing it's job at 10-15k. I run amsoil 5w-30 on my JCW and the oil is still as clean as it was when I poured it in 2.5k miles ago. I am going to change my oil every 5k miles. 3k is a little over doing it if your aren't constantly tracking or beating the living snot of your mini.

 

Oil thread?



I se the MINI recommended oil for summer - 5W30 A3 B3 and have found that 0W30 A3 B3 works well in deep winter for those cold starts.

Make sure you use the correct specification for warranty retention...
E

 

Thanks for the advice Wii!

 

I use MINI brand synthetic, purchased from the dealer. I get a 10% discount due to my membership in the local MINI club. The price is about the same per quart as any other synthetic oil purchased at a retail outlet. I also change the oil every 5000 miles.

Dave

 

+1 at 5,000 and MINI recommended in addition to rotating the tires. Do it at every 5K turnover on the odometer so I don't have to keep track of odd numbers.

 

You can't go wrong with a top of the line oil like Royal Purple, Mobil 1, AMSoil...etc. You're not going to get your warranty voided by using one of them. Always use BMW oil filters though. That's a more tell tale sign. The aftermarket ones are pure crap.

 

I use Mobil 1 European car full synthetic which is 0w-40. Change every 5k miles and always use the mini filters from the dealer. The oil at the dealer is not a bad price but I found 5qt jugs of the Mobil at Walmart for $20 so that's hard to beat

 

We use the mini branded synthetic oil from the dealership and the mini oil filter. The oil from our dealership is the same price (maybe a bit cheaper) as any of the other off the shelf synthetic oils from an auto parts store. We change it every 7,500 and have done used oil analysis of every change since new. No issues here.

 

if you are going to change at 5K you may as well use cheaper DINO oil . . .

I mean heck, you are already ignoring the company spec's aren't you?

JIFFY LUBE and the oil companies LOVE you .....

the manufacturer says the oil is good for 10,000 plus and THEY convince you to change at 1/3 of that . . .

BTW ... your brake pads are only good for 3000 miles ... change 'em now ....

those tire wear bars .... nonsense .... tires are only good for 10,000 miles .. PERIOD

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waste your money !!!!! Why do I care????

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I drove my 02-S for over 100,000 miles, changing the oil when the computer said (average 12,000 interval) with Mobile 0-30 after the dealer coverage was gone. Always used OE filters.

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on my 7-S ... I change it once a year and drive less than 7,000 a year.

 

LOL @ this post. Use DINO oil in your turbo mini, see how fast the heat breaks down the lubricant...
Manufactures are going towards the trend long intervals.. to help save on maintenance cost people whine and complain about.
Like for instance the life time rear diff oil in my M5, you think I'd believe that?

I've done UOA on amsoil 5w-30 when I used it on my Subaru STi, after 8k miles the oil was showing fatigue already. I still decided 5k was a safer bet and peace of mind.

 

Just changed my oil last week after my 1k breakin period. I use pennzoil ultra 5w-40.

Little pricey comparing to Mobil 1, but that's the oil I have been using since my first mini.

 

You can find the European blend in big jugs? I can't. Cheapest I find that blend is $8 a quart at Pepboys.

 

Just saying, with everyone listing their oil of choice, you can argue tooth and nail, but I at a minimum stick to making sure its an A3 B3 rated oil as it should be.... any synthetic of similar weight that adhere's to the A3 B3 rating should be fine. Just food for thought: I looked at every single synthetic on the shelf at AutoZone and the ONLY one compliant was 0w30 Castrol Edge......

 

Checkout "The MINI Parts Store" http://www.theminipartstore.com for oil & filters, they have them for a great price. 5W-30 oil part number is 07-51-0-143-829. 2nd gen Cooper S oil filter part number is 11-42-7-622-446. I change my oil every 5000 miles and use the factory filter, it comes with the o-ring and crush washer for the drain plug.

 

$6/qt at O'Reily's for Oct in the stores in the NW.

 

it's pretty common knowledge based on various oil sites on the internet that m1 5w-30 and royal purple are on the thinner end of the 30w range and do not hold up their viscosity for very long, now you're in the 25w range on your turbo motor after a couple thousand miles, no thanks. syntec 5w-40 non energy conserving is where it's at. resource conserving oils are on the thinner end of the spec to reduce rotational friction to improve mpg's, but that doesn't benefit the components or for hard use. check the round circle on the back of the containers, if it says energy conserving, put it back


synthetic only, your turbo journal bearings will thank you later.

 

Do you believe everything on the internet?(Some insurance commercial)

 

Since you have a 2013, it's under warranty. Use the MINI oil; it will make for fewer hassles if you ever have to make a warranty claim. And, as stated, it's not that expensive for synthetic oil.

After the warranty is up, use whatever floats your boat. I'd personally stick with a synthetic, especially with a turbo motor that they deliberately keep running on the warm side.

General consensus around here is that the factory oil change intervals are too long, despite Capt bj's sarcastic reply. The factory interval used to be longer, on the order of 15K miles, but it was changed to ~10K miles last year. Many people, myself included, go with 5K mile intervals for the peace of mind. I am paying the dealer to do the not-included changes, because it's easier for me and it's close to the same cost as the oil and filter. Plus they keep the records for me, and we develop a working relationship.

Whatever you do, check your oil level religiously! (Every Sunday would work, hmmm... Maybe I meant that more literally than I thought I did? ) Turbos in particular are prone to eating oil, and the MINI engine relies on oil pressure to help maintain the tension on its timing chain. If you run the engine low on oil for a while, you can help cause the infamous "death rattle"...

 

when multiple oil analysis that are posted on various forums prove it, yes, i do.

 

Yeah surprisingly Walmart has the 5 qt jugs for cheap, at least in central CT

 

Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5w30. 5k interval.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using IB AutoGroup

 

On most modern synthetics, especially with the proper heat/long life ratings, even 5k is no sweat. I do mine at 7 and don't get worried. 3K even on a typical conventional oil is nothing more than an oil company/service station ploy for money. Any conventional should even last 4-5K these days.

 

Bmx045 is right... Shell Rotella 5-40 all the way, extremely resistant to fuel dilution and the higher zinc content favors wear resistance. Great oil for DI turbo engines..many oil anaylst over on the MS3 (speed3) boards will show this..they are DI turbo as well.

 

I was a major advocate for Rotella back in my E30 days as well. I haven't looked into anything Rotella for my Mini but man that 20w50 in the E30 was wonderful.

My first concern though, with your 5w30 recommendation is in colder climates, I can see that being a tad thick for these cars through winter.