Hi,

Need your opinions. Looking at buying a 06 JCW with 10k miles. Turns out there has been about 2 oil changes, but with just normal oil, not synthetic! Do I touch this car?!!?!?

 

I would hazzard to guess what else the previous owner may have done....

Any chance they used the JCW MINI as a boat, or to transport 10K lbs of gravel, or maybe to pull a 5,000 lb horse trailer.....

So, I guess that would depend but probably ok. May have more actual wear than listed. Climates the car was driven in, frequency of the trips, distances regularly travelled, viscosity used, would all be factors and if there are any noises frm the engine when running.

If I was dead set on buying it. I would put a fresh change of oil into it, then after about 100 miles or so, maybe give the engine a treatment of seafoam. Then change the oil again soon after.

One more thing. I would make sure that the previous owner documented that fact in the bill of sale in the event there are some engine problems soon down the road. Doubt there will be but always good to cover your bases.

 

Since it just got off of free maintenance.....I would hazard to say the car has never been back to the dealer.....Why?
Oil changes are free..even on an extremely low mileage car, at one per year for the firsts 3 years!! Heck....It is overdue for a brake flush, radiator flush, and who know what else......The tires are likely pretty dried out....The battery is likely junk...
Very low miles....but 2 oil changes is 4+ years....I would worry about internal corrosion, rust, etc. Then again, if the price is discounted enough to cover the risk.....
How did you find out it had Dino oil in it?! That seems like something than an owner would not normally point out!!

 

looks like the owner is not a mini enthusiast ......didn't know about the 3/36 maintenance until I just pointed it out and he saw it on original paperwork. good point about the other things, low mileage is not always good mileage!!!

He had the mechanic next to his office do oil changes, because it was easy, ugh!

He doesn't seem to know much about his car, just drives it every sunday!??!!

mmmm

 

I'd rather have a car with 2 oils changes before 10k than one going in for it's first just after 10k.

 

False alarm, it was synthetic, but he has had no other maintenance on the car. Phew, I could not get past the synthetic oil thing. I think this car needs some proper care!??!!?

 

Change the oil and then use seafoam....change oil again before you going another 500 miles.....that should help.

Must be it didnt come with an OM ?

 

In that case.....
I would just buy it cheap if you like it...it is basically new, and get an INSP 2 done...get it current on all maintenance....and it might be a great find!! I still would do a short term oil change...just to be safe...but it may be a find!!
JCW's can be sweat cars...and 06's are the best of the GEN1's.....
I would still get it looked at....but it sounds like a good car if it checks out.

 

That is what I am thinking. I have got him at 18k, built at 42k. What is an INSP 2??? You were right, never been back to the dealership which is close by!

 

The inspections on gen 1 MINI's are oil change then insp 1 (with an oil change), oil change, then insp2 (with an oil change), then an oil change, then inspection 1 again.....(I personally recommend doing 2 oil changes about 7500 miles apart, rather than the one mini recommended 15,000 mile/1 year oil change).
Most 2006 MINI's on the road are getting inspection 2 about now depending on the miles...the insp 2 is pretty much just a pretty through going over (to catch any problems that may have been caused by lack of use....it will include things like air filters (commonly found to have mouse nests in little used cars), cabin air filers (activated charcoal is likely dead, and likely the filter is musty after 4+ years, etc).....If you have a local MINI centric garage, the price is actually not too bad. This is being extra conservative with the intent of saving money down the road, and improving reliability by catching any items that may have problems due to lack of use. IT IS NOT 100% required!!
But you said he did drive it ONE time per week, so perhaps it is perfect, as that is just about the right interval to keep things loose and working on a stored car.
If you are going to have to go to a dealer...it might be a bit to much $$ to be worth it, and I would just do an INSP 1, and they may chose to do a supercharger belt, radiator fluid change (dependent upon its build date), and brake flush to get those items caught up.
If you got to the dealer....it is kinda $$, just due to their labor rate. but local shops that work on MINI's commonly charge 50%-75% what the dealer charges for labor, and less for parts too!! They call them stealer-ships for a reason. Once most MINI's are out of warrenty...I think few cost concious owners go back to the dealers for much unless they are on a prepaid maintenance contract, or have no choice.

Good luck, and don't let me scare you off from buying this car....it would likely be fine with just the radiator fluid change(depending on its build date), and brake flush, if money is tight....it sounds like a great car...one that I bet will likely be vary easy to sell used someday!! It is after all a JCW, and an 06!!!!

 

Zippy knows his stuff especially when it comes to maintenance.......it's his forte'

 

Zippy, thanks so much for your time and info! I couldn't take pulling answers out of the buyer anymore. Days and days of back and forth. Probably a great car like you said, but I think I just got fed up pull info from this guy. Plus, trying to coordinate airfare etc. I just gave up. Someone will probably get a good car. I really like the first gen and miss my 02 S. Oh, well!!! Thanks again!

 

Hey folks. it's not like Dino oil is poison. I know Porsche and Ferrari owners that don't use Syn. Having said that I use syn on all my cars: GP/Subi Forester/Chevy HHR and 2 cars before that and even on my long gone Jeep ZJ after 25k or so. But if the owner has done regular changes with good old Petro oil it should be fine.

 

+1

 

My '87 944S doesn't use synthetic, which will seep through the seals.

 

Exactly what I was getting at...sometimes the good old stuff is just what the Doc orders, and Syn isn't an option.

 

Yes....Dino oil is not poison...but in the context of "was this used 4 year old, car that has only recieved 2 non dealer oil changes properly cared for".....it does help tell the tale.
If an owner disregards the manfacture recomendations on a brand new car...one can only wonder what else they have/have not done.
The fact that the car was also not brought to the dealer for any free matainance also makes one wonders about the previous owners priorties.

 

Like say.......putting normal power sterring fluid in instead of CH11. These are the things that should be looked at. But with that low mileage, everything should be okay.

 

I wonder what oil Chrysler recommends for the PT Cruiser, which uses the same Tritec but 2.4L engine.

 

The factory in Brazil (all tooling and equipment) was actually disassembled, and moved to China. The BMW/Chrysler partnership ended quite a ways back. Also the basic Tri-Tec engine that was in the MINI was was used in some NON-US market Chrysler products, but that basic engine disappeared several years ago, and is out of production...like I said the tooling was crated and moved to China.....but if you know of a 2.4L tritec that will fit in a MINI...do tell!!

The PT Cruiser/Neon of the era (non-north American market) that shared our motors was not offered by Chrysler in their export markets in a supercharged version, and Nothing even approaching 210 HP like the JCW. They were all basic, low hp cars like the standard cooper. The 2.4 motor is an entirely different motor...from a different factory, different tooling, and different engineers. Good thinking though!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritec_engine

BMW's contract with Tritec expired in 2007 and it terminated the joint venture with DaimlerChrysler in July. DaimlerChrysler passed on the engine factory to the Chrysler group when the two split up and Chrysler was sold off later in 2007.[2]

In February 2006, the Chinese auto company Lifan bid to purchase the factory after 2007, when the current Tritec engine is no longer needed by BMW and Chrysler. Lifan's plan calls for moving factory tooling to China where it would produce a derivative of the Tritec engine by 2008

1.6

The 1.6 L (1598 cc) version uses the same 77 mm (3.0 in) bore with a longer 85.8 mm (3.38 in) stroke. Output is rated at 66 kW (90 PS; 89 hp) and 140 N·m (100 lb·ft) in the Mini One, and 85 kW (116 PS; 114 hp) and 149 N·m (110 lb·ft) in the Mini Cooper.
Applications:

• MINI One and Cooper (until 2008).
• Chrysler PT Cruiser (in non-US markets)
• Chery Flagcloud and Windcloud.
• Lifan 520

1.6 SC

The 1.6 SC uses a Roots-type Eaton M45 supercharger with intercooler. The compression ratio is reduced from 10.5:1 to 8.3:1. Output was initially rated at 120 kW (160 PS; 160 hp) and 210 N·m (150 lb·ft) but has since been increased to 125 kW (170 PS; 168 hp) and 220 N·m (160 lb·ft). The 1.6 SC won the "1.4 L to 1.8 L" category at the International Engine of the Year awards for 2003. It also won Ward's 10 Best Engines award for 2003.
Applications:

• MINI Cooper S

 

Sorry to hear that you are backing out, but it is always a risk to buy a car from far away...heck maybe the car was only driven on Sundays for 10,000 miles....all auto-cross and track!! You would not have know about it till you saw it!! By then, the plane ticket, etc would have been all for nothing!!
For the money, you should be able to get a really nice "S", 05, or 06, and have money to mod it to make more power than a JCW. It will still be cheaper, and the only minius will be it will not be a JCW...but that is not the end of the world!!
Good luck in your search!

 

Just my two cents here, but even modern dino oil is much, much better than the oil of 20 years ago. The 3000 mile oil change is pretty much a myth these days. With dino oil, I'd cautiously say that you could even go to 6000 miles without a change. Now in the case of a high revving supercharged engine, this may be disputed. However, I don't see it as being much of a problem if it were quality dino oil.

I even know engine builders that swear by using dino oil to break in motors, then switch to synthetic.

As far as the Porsche and Ferrari quote eariler in the thread, I always ran Castrol GTX 20/50 dino in my air-cooled 911SC. Of course, that engine was designed to burn a quart of oil for every 1000 miles driven. The oil change interval is also much higher as the car holds 12 quarts of oil.

Now, if I put synthetic oil in that engine, it would begin to leak like a sieve due to the tolerances in the motor. To put it very simply, synthetic oil is thinner than dino oil so that it can work with the much closer manufacturing tolerances of modern engines. As an engine ages, the clearances between parts begins to grow due to wear of moving parts.

On a MINI, I don't think it will make much difference if you suddenly switch to synthetic. Is the engine leaking at all?

 

Thanks Zippy. Actually, he stated he use to drive it on Sundays to pick-up milk!!! How did you know?!?!?!?! The car was most likely perfect, but warranty is up at the end of April and his ignorrant attitude killed it!!! Ridiculous, no respect for my time as I was swinging alot to get this deal done. Oh well! Like your attitude!!!! And thanks for your info!!!

 

Free oil changes from dealer in the warranty period is in incriments of 15K miles. Will they do it sooner by month/date ? Like 15K miles or one year which ever comes first ?

 

If you don't hit the 10k first service before a year in service you still get a free oil change. Same goes with the 25k service.
1 free oil change a year if you don't hit each mileage interval.