I've done some searching and no one seems to have asked this before.
So my 03 MINI is at 110k miles and I need to perform an oil change on her soon.
With this many miles should I use a synthetic oil specifically formulated for high mileage vehicles?
What kind of oil would you recommend for a car with 100k+ miles?

Thanks!


(Yes, I know I misspelled "Recommendations"....I just caught it a little late!)

 

Nah, just stick with standard synthetic oil.

 

I've been using Redline or Royal Purple, with a WIX (NAPA Gold) filter. Good luck so far at 211,000 miles.

Jim

 

What grade are you using now... 5w-30?

I would use Mobil 1 10w-30, which is actually quite thin for that grade but is more stable. For SF, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

They are both 30 weight so why change?

 

Ooops... meant to say M1 10w-40

 

yup 5w-30 for my Mini now, what benefit would I get from switching to a 10w-40? I understand it's heavier when cold, so does that protect a high mileage engine better than 5w-30 during start up?
also does running a heavier oil change up the feel of the drive too much?
Thanks for the input!

 

Don't change from the 5-30, there will not be any real benefit unless you are in a very high heat area. Even then get 0-40 over anything with a 10 weight.

If you want high mileage protection get a syn SN API oil. The newer formula has all of the seal swelling properties of the high mileage oils with all of the cleaners and modifiers you could ever want. The seal swelling agents are about all the high mileage oils have that other oils don't have (or did not used to have).

 

You asked for a HM oil, so I recommend one. However, Mobil 1 has 3 grades for HM... 5w-30, 10w-30, and 10w-40. HM oils are usually advertised to have better anti-wear additives and seal conditioner (to help minimize leakage).

Reasons to use a thicker oil are A) your engine is burning oil and/or seals are leaking. B) high ambient summer temps.

The best to way to tell which oil is most suitable for your motor is to use it and have the oil analyzed. Also don't forget that thicker oil sticks better to the cylinder walls and crank/camshaft journals when the engine is turned off.

Thicker oils are less popular these days because auto manufacturers are trying to improve fuel efficiency for a marketing edge or to meet government standards.

 

Just put Mobil 1 high mileage synthetic 10w 30 in my wife's MINI yesterday. It's recommended for engines over 75k and was the same price as regular Mobil 1 so I decided to try it out.

I would assume that any modern Mobil 1 oil is ok to use in an '02- '03 MINI, right?

Val

 

Not to get too far off the OP's topic, but would it be a valid assumption that BMW/MINI could have just as easily specified regular dino oil if the on board computer were calibrated for more frequent oil change intervals? (Assumption based on the fact that the S-model supercharger is sealed...and, thus, does not benefit from from the main advantage--heat absorbtion--of synthetic in the crankcase anyway.)

Also, for those who say they'll "try" a different weight oil; or have had "good luck" with a certain brand oil, ...are you having some kind of a problem that you hope "trying" a different weight might solve; or do you have any reason to expect any different kind of "luck" with a different brand?

Specifically, if you're not having some kind of oil-related issue--consumption, slow-leaking seals, etc, what are you "trying"? ...Also, what might you expect the difference to be--specifically relating to any certain brand-loyalty--over the life of the car (over, let's say, Walmart-brand oil...assuming the same API rating)?