did my performance just improve??

After I hit the 1200 mark, the engine seemed to run quieter, shifting seems smoother and I seem to be getting more consistent power out of the gears.

Prior to hitting the 1200 miles, I was considering taking to the dealer to have i checked out. First gear was jerky, car would lurch at shifts and would sometimes bog down in 3rd.

Im wondering if this is somehow programed into the car??? Or am I just driving it better

 

im not sure, but mine did the same thing

 

Mine loosened up as well... There was a marked difference

 

+1 for me. Everything seemed to improve, including gas mileage. I would guess that this is just process of the car becoming a "well oiled machine" rather than something that is programmed in.

 

I don't know about Minis, but some cars have different ECU mapping with a richer mixture during the break-in period.

 

Mine started getting a lot better mileage for sure.

 

well my break in is running well, 2nd tank of gas got me 400 miles.. . .

 

Lust a suggestion. Don't wait till 10,000 to do first oil change. do it at around 5,000 miles.

 

Mine loosened up too with a noticable improvement in performance and fuel economy. It happened for me around 2100 miles.

Rawhyde

 

Ive been thinking about that. Will MINI charge me for a 5K oil change?

Ive seen a few threads regarding the oil and think its a good idea. Im sure there are metal chips ect floating around in it. Cant be too good for the engine I would think.

 

Your Mini will get smotther and faster as time goes on. I have driven 2 minis to just over 40K miles each and they just get better and more powerful. Don't know why, but they do. I had a BMW 540i station wagon and it was the same way, the more I drove it the smoother and powerful it became. I think it's an inherant BMW trait that has somehow been transferred to the Mini brand.

Rack up the miles... It's very easy to do in a Mini. I actually make up excuses to go driving.

 

Oh Yeah.... Forgot!!!!

Try using Amsoil Synthethic. It's superb stuff but a little bit pricey.

 

I did my first oil change at 1000miles. I filtered the oil through a paper towell and cut the filter apart with a razor. I found all sorts of grit and shiney metal particles and actually copper turnings.

I changed again at 5500 miles and didn't see any of this stuff. Sure am glad I got all this stuff out of there.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that when the oil pump sucks up oil from the oil pan, only part of that oil goes to the filter, the rest goes to the bearings etc. So oil can go around and around many times without ever going through the filter.

The oiling system is like a tree. The ground under the tree is the oil in the oil pan. The trunk is the pump and main line. The oil filter sits out on one branch. When the oil goes out to a branch to lube and cool whatever is there, it then drips and runs by gravity back to the ground where it starts all over again. Sorry to be so simplistic here, but I talk to lots of people who think that 100 percent of the oil is filtered all the time.

good luck

YD

 

Is that not what the OIL FILTER is for
Changing the oil before the recomended time seems to be such a waste.
But whatever makes you sleep better at night.

 

It's a BMW, thar ain't no metal chips and stuff floatn round in thar!

 

It's a Puegot engine. But, that's besides the point. All engines will have microscopic shavings, especially when new. I don't think the extra oil change would be necessary in any case, but, if it makes you feel better. MINI says "scheduled" maintenance is included, so I doubt they'd pay for it.

 

my mini drives much better. i hit over 2k now.
but is it normal for the oil change service mileage to go down? O.o
mine was at about 9000 and now it's at 7000. is it the way i drive? i only floor it here and there. maybe couple times a week.

 

I think my car did the same thing here. Also sweet car Stewie!! Almost identical to mine. Check my gallery.

 

I did not notice a sudden change, but the car did get smoother. I am also gettign better and better mileage as time goes by. According to my graph, I was getting just over 21 average at 13k and now at 29 k I am getting a littel over 22 MPG. Yes, I get terrible mileage, but my commute is only 6 miles.

 

Hmm it started at 9k.. After you drove 2k it went down to 7k.. sounds just about right to me.

That counter tells you how many miles are left until you are due.

 

The MINI will smoothe out as you put more miles on it. After I did my break in I changed the oil and I took a road trip from WA to Vegas 2500 miles round trip. I put the MINI thru the paces......used the cruze control....and hit the rev limit a few times on the open hiway (no I did not take I-5). Since then the only problems I have had is the SES came on due to the gas cap and I had to replace a horn, I guess because I use it too much here now in the Seoul City traffic.

But confession ...my 2004 MCS has only 15500 miles on it, most of it is from Seoul city driving and track time. My MINI is still new and not yet broken in yet

I would not worry about quirks with your MINI now. Just drive it and enjoy it.

 

I am at ~2,500 miles right now and definitely noticed all the improvements mentioned after I got out of the break-in period.

On the early oil change, I was concerned about the scheduled service not being until 10,000 miles, so I read up here on NAM. There seem to be two schools of thought, with lots of "evidence" on both sides.

I ended up siding with the early oil changers and so paid to have the oil and filter changed when my MCS was recently in at the dealer for other work. At my dealer (MINI of Sterling), it was about $90 to have them do this after the DC Metro MINI discount. What pushed me over the edge was when someone on here mentioned that BMW includes low mileage oil changes for some of their higher-end cars, but doesn't do this for MINIs obviously (not necessarily a bad business decision!).

Since I plan on keeping this car for a long time, I didn't want to take any chances. It may just be a sleep better at night thing, but that's not bad either.

 

Oh Yeah!!! Nice ride. What are your interior specs?
Im working on some exterior mods. Clear side indicators and a black/silver checker sunroof graphic. There are a few of us CR/S with the U stirpe around. Ive seen another U stripe not too far from me and Dave the admin had one, but he removed his stripe. They are both Solar Red.