Exactly.

 

The point of this ENTIRE thread....
Pick an oil that meets (or exceeds) the Specs the motor needs..since the motor and the specs are from 2002, that means most ANY oil (synthetic, only as required) is OK for normal engine oil change intervals, or simply use a BMW LongLife approved oil for extended drain interval, and you will be fine....

If it is a quality oil, and says synthetic, you are gonna be fine. Reports of engine damage from bad oil from folks that have the full 5 quarts of oil in their car are simply not there (in the gen1 MINI anyway)......

 

Recommended Oil Kits.

Click here.
OEM MINI Oil
http://www.ecstuning.com/ES2497572/


Motul 8100 X-cess


Liqui Moly


Total Quartz 9000 energy


We also carry redline & royal purple just not in complete service kits.

Thanks

 

I hope it doesn't become the norm where we are having a discussion and you come in and try to make a sale.

 

Exactly my thoughts lately....
the extra info on a few posts can be nice but sometimes it is kinda outof place...
Sure, all the above oils are bmw longlife oils, and may not be "mainstream" bigbox consumer oils...and good stuff imo, but other than an add, does ecs tuning have ant expertise or experance to add to the discussion?!

 

Sorry , posted really quick here and did not get to discuss. I usually do.

I really like these oils because they do meet the BMW LL-01 and also I currently run the the Motul 8100 X-cess. Have used Motul, and Genuine MINI Oil in the past with no problems.

* I have about 208,000 miles on 2005 MINI Cooper Convertible, ( all of them since I bought it new ) which I believe I am the current highest for a R52 convertible. * I change my oil with the OEM filter and replace the drain plug almost ever time so it will not stick to the oil pan which happens something.

Cannot say enough about changing oil on a MINI and also checking your oil in between changes.
Another tip : When it comes to changing your oil, make sure when you seat the oil filter housing gasket on correctly. When you screw on the cap for the filter housing improperly, they can sometimes get spliced from the inserting the housing cap with a dry seal.


The Total Oil and Liquid Moly ( Made in Germany ) have been well respected with the MINI crowds in Europe and I really like them outside of the OEM Genuine MINI Oil and Motul.

Thanks

 

Not to burst your bubble, but they are not really well respected, they are just the cheaper option. Having lived in Germany for 4 years and been part of the MINI scene there for 2 + of them, I know a little about it. They aren't bad oils, but there is nothing special about it. But I do agree that other oils can meet or exceed the LL-01 rating. There are a lot of options out there for oil even if MINI USA don't recommend them.

 

Pennzoil 5w40 Euro Synthetic. Used by Ferrari. And I don't have to pay for it at work :p

 

Always a plus!

 

Once out of warranty, I go with whatever decent OTC synthetic that's on discount - Mobil 1, Pennzoil, Valvoline, NAPA.

Currently using NAPA Syn 5w30 (made by Valvoline) but I had Mobil 1 5w30 for 32 months and 10,658 miles for the previous interval. Here's the UOA...

 

if you skipped past this quickly

the sample was sent in at 10658 miles interval and the recommendation for next time is 13,000

............

Jiffy Lube hates this one!!!!!

 

If you want the very best, Amsoil is the only choice. Screwy marketing scheme but their products are top notch. Then Redline. Royal Purple is over rated. Mobil 1 is excellent but not quite up to Redline or Amsoil's levels.

 

Amsoil is the best

 

Amsoil is the best. Well Mobile 1 0w40 is good enough for my MINI.

 

Synthetic oil was created by German scientists during the 1930's and 1940's to supplement the need of crude oil in various military applications. During the 1950's and 1960's synthetic oil reached a further customer base by becoming of use to aviation enthusiasts. Finally, during the 1970's the synthetic oil formulations were offered to consumers for automotive use. It took nearly 40 years for synthetic oil to make it from theory to your auto parts shelf.

So much for Amsoil creating it.

 

I've used castrol titanium full synthetic without worry for a few years. Lasts fine to my regular 5k mile change

 

Who said Amsoil created it?

 

Ok - late starter here. 3 MINI's and 3 assorted BMW's in my garage. Total miles well over 800k km. They all get whatever the handbooks say at half the regular interval.
BMW LL-01 in the Mini's. Magatech or 'Modern Engine' in the others - All Castrol.
I'm sure there are more expensive oils out there but good quality regularly changed will always keep your engine happy. Track days - another matter to consider.

 

Royal Purple makes me a lot of money. Wipes out cams in the AJ motors real nice. Great marketing though, people think its great.

 

I use Amsoil 0-W30 Signature oil.

 

Actually, the very early work on synthetic oils was going on concurrently in Germany and the USA. The first real synthetics oils came out concurrently in Germany, the UK and the USA. Amsoil, while not the first to market and sell synthetic oils, was the first synthetic motor oil in the world to meet American Petroleum Institute service requirements.

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

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

 

Like I stated above.

 

'Just sayin' it wasn't just the Germans.

 

This is a very helpful thread. I followed an Amzoil link and discovered that they have a product that meets BMW LL-01 specs, important for me as I follow the 15k/countdown oil change interval. Can anyone verify that the European Car Formula has been tested or approved or whatever it takes?

Thanks-

Val

 

I just use their regular top of the line oil. You can't get better.