Hi Guy's,
I have a 2013 R56 JCW with 30k 'on the clock'. I usually do around 5,000 miles per year. I change my oil every 12 months/ 5000 miles.
Currently, I use Mobil1 ESP 5W30 oil and have to top up around 1 litre every 5,000 miles. I don't think my car burns oil as I don't see any blue smoke out of the exhaust. My car is rarely driven 'hard'.
I've been told that if I want to reduce my oil consumption, I should change to 5W40 oil, is this correct??
What I'm looking to achieve is keeping my engine in top condition for as long as possible. (it's my pride & joy)
I've been recommended Fuchs Titan Race Pro S 5W40 ester oil.
Does anyone use this oil or have any advice regarding this oil?
Thanks for any assistance offered.

 

You know, you're opening up a can of worms again regarding "the great oil debate". Most name brand syn motor oils on the market today have overall ratings higher than anything available previously. However, I caution you with the viscosity of the oil you use as the cam advance mechanisms in our engines don't like the heavier oils. These mechanisms also like clean oil. My suggestion to you is: Use the wt oil your Owners Manual recommends and change it as often as recommended. You can accelerate the change interval if it makes you feel better but don't use a heavier wt oil.

 

The Mini owners manual suggests viscosity grades: 0W40, 0W30, 5W30 or 5W40. Approved oil grades: BMW Longlife-01, BMW Longlife-01FE or BMW Longlife-04. So it looks as though these are all 'safe' to use.
What I'd like to know is will I need to top-up the 5W40 as much as I do my current 5W30?

 

All of the "recommended oils" have similar flash/burn-off temps. You should not see any perceivable differences in oil consumption using any of these oils as you might with using a mineral based oil. BTW, syn oils for the most part are ester based. The terms are used interchangably.
Oil consumption can be caused by many factors. If further warranted, start by cking plugs and doing a leak down test. Also, ck for any visible external signs where oil loss might be occurring. Keep in mind, all internal combustion engines use oil by design....some more than others.

 

I use Castrol Full Synthetic 5W30. This is the only one to meet the full specs of the manufacturer. Mobil does not. I change oil and filter (always OEM) every 5000 miles and my car is now 68K. It doesn't even take a quarter of a quart between changes and I never have to top.

A liter of oil every 5K is excessive. You have something wrong somewhere.

 

I spoke to a tech guy at Mini service and he claimed topping up 1 litre every 5,000 miles was perfectly acceptable.
It's weird, because in the actual Mini owners hand book, it states: 'The engine oil consumption depends on the driving style and conditions of use, for example the engine oil consumption is significantly increased with very sports-orientated driving style'.
I've read that some owners rarely top up their oil and others top up far more frequently that I.
I get differing advice from everyone I ask!

 

Yes, you are absolutely correct on this. Thanks.

 

No.
That's excessive, for any car particularly one with 30K. I have 55K and like Dube53, maybe add a quart between changes.
Dealers make their rent money in the service bays, not the sales room. His answer, perhaps misinformed but more likely gaslighting, comes as no surprise.
Goes right along with "Sealed for life®!" and "Maintenance Free!®"
All lies.
Checking the usual suspects is in order- valve cover, pan,sensors, filter housing, etc.

 

No oil leaks anywhere. I always park on my drive and I've never had a drop of oil left on it. I always park in the same spot at work too, no oil marks on the floor there, either.
The car is due for it's MOT at the end of April. I'll get my local garage, who does my MOT, to check underneath more thoroughly then.
Cheers for the input, much appreciated.

 

Mobil 1 vs Castrol Edge.....that debate can be found on every car enthusiasts forum....and the winner is "always".......BOTH! Both are considered leading syn automotive engine oils available to the general public. The fact of the matter is, when was the last time you heard of any automotive engine failure that occurred using syn oil because the oil itself failed to perform as the manufacturer recommended? I've been at this game for more years than I'd like to admit, and I can't think of one.

The information below has been copied from Bimmerworld.com. The oil consumption data was obtained directly from recent BMW publications.

BMW Oil Consumption
BMW engines are designed to consume some oil and there are factory-authorized guidelines for how much is considered normal. In order for the oil to reach critical areas it's normal for some of it to make it's way into the combustion chamber and be burned up with the air/fuel mixture. If your BMW engine is consuming/burning oil, do not panic. It could be normal operation. Side note: Leaks and consumption are not the same thing. Oil leaks may also be a "normal" fact of BMW life but they should still be properly repaired or diagnosed. Below is a table outlining accepted oil consumption for BMW engines (data is from BMW):

BMW Engine Code Normal Oil Consumption:
B-series turbo engines (B46, B58) 1 liter per 1,500 miles
N-series 4/6-cylinder turbo engines (N20, N55, etc) 1 liter per 1,500 miles
N-series non-turbo engines (N52, N62, etc) 1 liter per 1,500 miles
N-series V8/V12 turbo engines (N63, N74, etc) 1 liter per 750 miles
M-series non-turbo engines (M54, M52, etc) 1 liter per 750 miles
S-series Motorsport engines (S54, S55, S65, etc) 2.5 liters per 1,000 miles

- Match your oil to your engine spec and mileage.
- Recommended oil change interval is 5,000 miles.
- Perform a regular used oil analysis to observe internal engine wear as well as oil compatibility.

When purchasing an engine oil for your MINI don't fall to marketing blitz. Keep in mind that oil manufacturers must develop their oils to do more than minimize engine wear. They must also meet emissions and fuel efficiency challenges to name only two. The final product will always have compromises. Mobile may compromise in one area where Castrol may compromise in another. Whichever brand you choose, rest assured, it will not shorten the life of your engine over choosing the other.

Good luck!

 

Sadly (and obscenely) it would appear you are correct. Not only for BMW but other marques as well.

Excessive Oil Consumption deemed 'normal' by car makers

Atrocious.

 

Cheers for the input, fellas.
So, what I decided to do is: I checked the specification of the oil that is recommended by BMW, in my owners handbook.
I purchased some Fully synthetic Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 which is classed as both BMW Longlife-01 and ACEA A3/B4.
Now, I'm hoping that being 5W40 rather than 5W30 my vehicle will not consume quite so much, even though it's well within the 'oil usage' specification as quoted by BMW.
I was told that as 5W40 is slightly thicker, this may remedy my oil usage 'problem'. I'll wait and see......

 

Bad/Faulty PCV system can also cause this.

 

^This^ I'm with you on this one.

 

I made a post asking about this earlier. Would you mind explaining this further. For me, the manual recommends 5W-30 but then says to only use 0W-30, 5W-30, 0W-40, or 5W-40. I've seen elsewhere someone recommend NOT using higher than 5W-40 because the engine bearing tolerance is built for that spec but they doesn't make sense to me since these engines run a lot hotter than normal operating temps. A 5W-30 only acts as SAE30 at around 100°C so wouldn't it make more sense to use a higher operating weight to compensate for hotter engine temps, especially with a turbo?

 

Lets see if this explanation might make sense. A few years back I read a brief written by an automotive engineer explaining why a vehicle manufacturer will recommend more than one multi-viscosity oil as an "approved oil" to run in their engines. This is not my opinion so...take it for what it is worth.

When a newly built vehicle passes its final assembly line inspection and heads out the door, it might be headed to a dealership across town, or to one across the country. The climates for our many states vary greatly from the bitter, cold north...to the dry, hot south. Before leaving the assembly plant the manufacturer attempts to load the engine with a multi-wt oil which they feel will be best suited for any climate where the car might be sold. You, as a smart consumer can make an educated choice when the first oil change of your new vehicle is due as to what engine oil you would like to refill the crankcase with while staying within the manufacturers recommendations. Someone living in the hot south might benefit by using the 5W-40 recommended oil, whereas someone living in the great north might benefit by using the 5W-30 recommended oil.

Each manufacturer publishes Data Sheets for every oil they sell. Below is a sample Data Sheet from Castrol.com for their Castrol Edge Extended Performance 0W-20 oil.

Typical Characteristics
Name Method Units Typical Values
Density @ 15C, Relative ASTM D4052 g/ml 0.856
Appearance Visual - Clear & Bright
Viscosity, Kinematic 100C ASTM D445 mm²/s 8.86
Pour Point ASTM D97 °C -42
Viscosity, CCS -35C (0W) ASTM D5293 mPa.s (cP) 5800
Viscosity, MRV / Yield Stress -40C (0W) ASTM D4684 mPa.s (cP) 23690
Viscosity, Kinematic 40C ASTM D445 mm²/s 47.41
Viscosity Index ASTM D2270 None 170
Noack Volatility ASTM D5800 % wt 10.9
Viscosity, HTHS 150C ASTM D4683 cP 2.65
Flash Point, PMCC ASTM D93 °C 220
Viscosity, Brookfield Scanning ASTM D5133 °C 10484
Product Performance Claims
ACEA A1/B1 API SN Plus/SN ILSAC GF5 Meets Ford WSS-M2C947-A

 

Is the OP continually topping up the oil so that it is always at the full mark? If so, don't. Let the oil burn down to the low point on the dipstick and then change it.

A N18 with properly honed and sized bores will have oil consumption quite a bit lower than 5K/quart.

In the grand scheme of things 5K/quart is not bad for a small highly turbocharged engine, especially one built by BMW!

Historically BMW has been really sloppy fitting pistons to bores across their entire product range - at least that has been my experience across almost 40 year driving their motorcycles and cars.

If the OP does start using 5W40 they can expect to pay a small penalty in fuel consumption, likely around 3% based on my experience.

Something else to consider, very low miles per year suggest a lot of cold starts, that will drive up oil use.

 

Hi, thanks for the input.
Yes, I did always top my oil up the the max mark on the dipstick, when required.
In all fairness, I had read that it was highly recommended to keep the oil topped up on the N18 engines.
I have also now changed my oil to fully synthetic 5W40. It'll be interesting to see if this makes a difference to oil consumption.
Out of interest, I have a question. You say very low mileage per year suggests lots of cold starts. Well, if I did more miles per year, that would be the same amount of cold starts, I'd just be driving longer distances.
For example: I drive 20 miles per day to and from work. Now, if I drove 50 miles per day, to and from work, that would be the same amount of cold starts?
I'm a little confused here!!