Hi everyone, about a month ago i purchased a 2009 Mini Cooper Base with 37k miles, one owner, no accidents and full BMW/Mini service history. The service history shows regular maintenance every year with the usual oil/filter, brake fluid flushes and spark plugs at 36k.
I had it checked out and everything's in great condition with no leaks or anything, the only thing mechanically that needs doing are the rear struts. There are some issues like the sunroof not working and the passenger side vanity mirror won't stay attached and the paintwork is peeling in places but mechanically it's sound.
It will be driven less than 3k a year so i was wondering from peoples past experience here, what could i expect in the way of problems or maybe what if any preventative maintenance i should consider doing?

 

Non turbo has less issues normally, change the oil filter every year normal maintence, the oil filter housing has issues maybe less so with no turbo
eventually they leak as the water pump I believe.

 

Good to know, thanks. I just had it serviced, just over 12 months since the last one but less that 500 miles.

 

The CVT transmission. If it fails, you're done. It cannot be repaired.

 

It doesn't have the CVT, it has the steptronic automatic transmission.

 

Replace all fluids (coolant, brake, engine, trans) to get a baseline. Replace engine oil religiously an check levels frequently.

 

Make sure you're running 91 or 93 octane fuel only!!!! Fail to run premium fuel & you get this & a very large repair bill.



It's an '09 so get a scan gauge 2 or 3 and install it. You can get the mount from Craven Speed. You'll want to keep an eye on engine temperature. 221 deg F is normal. If engine temps get too high, you get dropped valve seats on the N12 engine. If it gets really hot, the seats can crack, break into pieces, and rattle about in the combustion chamber.



Scan Gauge: Scan gauge 3 shown; Scan Gauge 2 is less expensive.



Also suggest running Valvoline's new oil Restore and Protect 5W/30 fully synthetic oil. This oil is API/SP certified; it will help remove deposits from the oil rings on the pistons, providing a better seal, and reducing oil consumption. .

Avoid the 5 min lube places; they use very inexpensive Chinese filters; use MANN filters.

Don't forget to service the transmission every 60k miles. Most owners neglect their transmissions.

Only use OEM supplier spark plugs, ignition coils, and O2 sensors. BERU plugs, Eldor coils. Bosch O2 sensors in this year and engine cause problems.

Go to realoem.com to get part numbers when service or repairs are required.

Welcome to the community.

 

Thanks to all for the replies and recommendations, much appreciated.
I have only owned it for about a month, i had the oil and filter changed using Castrol Edge Euro Car 5W/30 fully synthetic oil and a OEM filter and a full inspection which revealed no problems other than the rear struts need replacing.
Going forward I'll use the Vavoline restore and protect oil.
I have a OBDLink MX+ to monitor oil temp and read codes.

 

i would never use any oil additives. Just the Edge 5w/30. Use premium fuel, change air filter, regular oil and oil filter change every 5-7000 k. change the oil in the transmission plus the filter every 90-100000 k. change the fuel filter maybe once every 2 years. I have a mini r50 2002 which I gave to my son to drive. it's sitting at 350,000 K. No work on the valves/ head or any other mechanical engine part. same deal regular oil change. My current car is a r56 2012 turbo Auto sitting at 170,000 K Nothing done to the engine. actually the R50 is using 15W/40 oil. oil consumption went down dramatically.. but I did have a transmission failure on the R56 so fitted a second hand with 17K when removed . it's like a new car. No issues whatsoever and no coding required. Put it in myself. Something else I'm a licensed Aircraft Engineer so I treat my car like an aircraft. no short cuts.

 

There is no oil temperature sensor, the value is a calculated estimate.

Regarding engine oil: make sure it meets (or better, is certified by BMW that it does) BMW/MINI Longlife-1 (LL-01) specification. This is what BMW/MINI prescribe and it is the only benchmark set by BMW/MINI to verify suitability.

All LL-1 oils can be used at all climate conditions, irrespective of viscosity. I think all currently approved LL-1 oils are either 5w-30 or 5w-40. Note: this does NOT mean that any 5w30 or 5w40 oil is suitable!

Marketing bs like "euro grade", "european specification" etc. are of no use and may even come with risk of damaging an engine. Different engines have different and potentially contradicting requirements for their lubrification. There is no such thing as a "one-fits-all" engine oil, nor do all european engines fall into one category.

PS: If only fuel meeting EU fuel regulations is used, Longlife-04 (LL-04) may also be used alternatively.

 

According to Lake Speed ... The motor oil geek, and yes I talked with him on the phone about BMW's LL-01 rating. The Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W30 oil is an API/SP is suitable in the MINI N series engines. He also said there is no direct comparison between BMW LL-01 standard an API standards because they are different standards, but he did say an API/SP oil will be just as good or better than the LL-01 oil. As Lake says "application dictates the oil."

I've been using the Valvoline restore and protect oil in my sister-in-law's 2013 N16 MINI for over a year; she's on her third oil change now. Valvoline states you need to run their oil for 3 oil changes with 4000-5000 mile between oil changes for a complete cleaning. Right now, we're about 1000 miles from the end of the 3d oil change. We've already noticed oil consumption drop to half of what it was compared to when we purchased the car. With each oil change, I've sent a sample to Blackstone Labs for an oil analysis and the results look good. I've been trending the oil usage since with switched to the Valvoline oil, and I'll publish a video with our results once the full engine cleaning is complete. Subscribe to @superk4562 on YouTube to get notified when that video drops.

See attached report (after the 2d Valvoline oil change); only the last 2 samples were Valvoline oil; aluminum is elevated; the Lab states (see comments in the report) this is probably higher than previous samples because less make-up oil has been added. Make up oil dilutes the sample.

 

Who is Lake Speed and what scientific methods do they adhere to when creating such knowledge?

Do they have any direct (sales, investements, etc.) or indirect (ads, page hits, social media followers, etc.) interests in any of the information they propagate?

Do they assume liability (personal or corporate) for any of the claims they make?

And even if everything is fine: why take any risk when one can eliminate all of it by simply making sure that the manufacturers specification is followed? Are LL-01 (certified or declared equivalent) oils in the US so rare or expensive that one would need to choose among lubricants whose producers make no claim about whether LL-01 requirements are met?

 

https://www.youtube.com/@themotoroilgeek

 

Not stated.

Yes and yes.

Unstated, possibly (likely?): No.

A quick search on Amazon USA came up with a BMW certified (!) LL-01 engine oil from a major brand for about $5 per qt (5qt container). Why would anyone using their Mini as intended need anything more expensive and/or without LL-01 certification?

 

George, all good questions, and I'm not the expert. So, I contacted Lake suggesting he produce a video that compares European oil standards to API.

Here's his reply:

"Mark, thanks for the email and the video suggestion. We do intend to cover ACEA (and Euro OEM) spec vs API in a future video.
Lakd Speed, Jr
STLE - CLS & OMA I"

STLE (Society of Tibologists and Lubrication Engineers) CLS (Certified Lubrication Specialists), OMA (Oil monitoring Analyst)

I'm subscribed to his channel, so I'll post the link as soon as the video is uploaded.

 

I'd rather see measurements of wear on actual, real life engine parts. Any claim like "oil x or oil specification y is better for engine z" would need to be backed up with long term wear results showing clear benefits. Preferably with statistical significance.

It is this kind of data which an engine manufacturer has access to (along with them having to stem the cost of blown engines if they recommend wrong fluids) which makes their recommendations so much more valuable compared to claims by people without such data (and possibly a conflict of interest).

 

Well, here's an oil analysis report from a 2009 MINI N12 engine that I rebuild in 2024. I was originally using Mobile 1 oil and then switched to Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W/30. I used the Valvoline on the last two oil changes. I agree, there's not substitute for actual data when it comes to analyzing engine oil. As Lake says "Science not speculation." Mann filters used.

The most recent oil change is in the left most column, with the break in oil change (500 miles) in the far right column.

 

Assuming that all information in the report is correct, it:
- is for an engine in a car which has barely run 14k miles
- does not contain any information on running conditions (like loads, environmental, etc.) of this particular engine during this mileage
- does not contain any information on previous running conditions of this particular engine (engine lubricants used previously, previous service intervals, loads, environmental, etc.)
- assumes (without proof) that aluminum abrasions found originate from piston/bearing wear (excluding any other potential sources like e.g. the famous metal camshaft seal rings the N12 came with from factory).
- contains no information on how the data obtained applies to any other actual (equivalent) engine in a different car.

How can one derive actual long term wear data of individual engine parts which are applicable for the majority of engines of this type from it? It is simply too specific (in range) and vague (indirect) for any scientific conclusions.

I will not deny that such oil analysis reports may in certain (specific) circumstances be of use. But the way they are being used (and sold!) by "experts" on the internet makes me rather feel that making money is the primary drive there.

Again, I much rather see actual wear measurement data on engine parts than rely on any unverified conclusions about long term benefits drawn from non-scientific interpretations of very limited, insufficient (for this purpose) data points.

PS.: Here is a video by a german car magazine which tested (drove) a Hyundai i10 for 60k miles, tore it (completely) apart and took measurements of engine and other wear. While still not statistically significant, it allows more relevant conclusions of long term wear to be drawn than any oil analysis report.