Appologies if dead horses are being beaten, but is there a favorite oil/weight among Mini owners? I'm getting close to placing my order for probably a 2007 non-turbo.

 

I believe the consensus is Castrol 5W-30 Synthetic. You can read through this thread on where to buy the oil and filter, and this thread has step by step instructions including pictures for changing the oil. But yes, as you've said, this is really a dead horse with multiple opinions that have been sometimes gotten rather hot.

I hope the links help.

 

It has to be a full synthetic 5-30 weight. The official recommendation is Castrol Syntec 5-30, but many feel that is merely a marketing endorsement, not a judgement based on best quality. Some prefer Mobil 1, others prefer AMSOIL. I don't recall any comments about Royal Purple, or Red Line.

 

I like the Rachel Ray Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I like the taste, and the fact you can use it in a multitude of ways. To cook with, on a salad, as a marinade....What's that? Oh, motor oil. I missed something somewhere....
jasn

 

The BMW/Castrol 5w-30 oil that the Dealer uses is quite good and a reasonable price for synthetic. It's not the same oil as the over the counter Castrol Syntec.

 

Napa Valley Naturals Organic Extra Virgin for me.

 

I wasn't aware of that. I'd like to hear more. What is the difference? Can you only get the BMW version through a MINI dealer?

 

I've always used Mobil 1 and will use it on my MCS...

 

Werd. You can get 5 quarts of Mobil 1 at Wal-Mart for $20!!!

 

Is Amsoil probably the "best" of the not-at-your-local-Pep-Boys oil?

 

Yes. And Amsoil doesn't use extra unneeded detergents. Its the only oil company IIRC meets every manufacturuer rating as a substitute oil..However Royal Purple provides the least friction(sometimes a bad thing)..Tranny/LSD.

 

Royal Purple is available at some of your local auto parts stores, making it more convenient than most of the not-at-your-Pep-Boys stuff. I get it at O'Reilly's here in the Houston area.

I used Mobil 1 exclusively until they changed the formulations a year or so ago. I can't get the heavier weights that I needed for the older cars, so I've gone to Royal Purple.

 

I use Castrol 5W-30 Synthetic in my MINI as well as my other vehicles. Castrol has been in my garage for many years and has always given me the mileage and protection that well exceeded my wants and needs.

 

When would this be a bad thing?

I wonder which oil is best suited to the turbo heat?

 

If you get Mobil 1, you should get the 5-40 oil, not the 5-30 since Mobil rate's it's oil on the thin side, comparted to Castro. The Mobil 1 5-40 is actually about as thick as the Castro 5-30. Unfortunately, the 5-40 is much harder to find at non-auto parts stores.
If you want the original Group IV Mobil 1, then you have to get the "Extended" Mobil 1, which is suppose to be what Mobil 1 was before they dropped it to a Group III oil to compete with everyone else calling a Group III oil synthetic... which, unfortunately, is legal in this country. I'm sure Big Oil has a lot to do with this.

 

Some clutches and differentials have bands or friction plates that, even though they're submerged in oil, still require a certain amount of friction to work properly.

The clutch is more of an issue with motorcycles, because not only do most of them have "wet" clutches, those clutches share the same oil supply as the engine, so using a super-slippery oil for the sake of the engine has been known to cause clutch slippage.

 

As often as some people change their oil, I think they probably *could* get by with olive oil in their engines...

 

Am I right in thinking that there are no such systems that use the engine oil in the MINI? So, there shouldn't be any problem using a slippery oil in an MCS, right?

 

You're correct - the MINI clutch is a "dry" clutch, and the transmission and differential have their own oil supplies. Actually, I think the manual transmission and differential may use the same oil supply, but in any case, it's separate from the engine oil.

 

Now you tell me. I just changed my oil and used Mobil 1 that I picked up at a local auto supply. It says, "Fully Synthetic," SAE 5-30, ILSAC GF-4, API SM, SL/CF.

 

"full synthetic" unfortunately doesn't mean that it's a POA group IV stock like Amsoil, etc.
You can thank Castrol for that.

If you are really concerned, send your oil samples to Blackstone labs and find out what it's doing.

 

i will be changing my oil this week and ill be using motul 300v 5w-30

 

I wonder if, even though Amsoil and Motul are "better", Syntec is just as good (but easier to get and less expensive) for someone (like myself) who will be changing it every 5,000 miles.