It was straight forward thanks to several DIY posts with pictures.
However, getting the oil filter out was messy. My advice to those who have not done it yet is to unscrew the oil filter housing cap and let it drain before taking the cap/filter assembly out. I took it out because the oil had stopped draining from the oil pan I thought it would be safe to take the filter out but a lot of oil was still held in the filter housing and oil dripped down all over the engine and surrounding area. It took me several minutes wiping down as much oil as possible with several sheets of paper towel.
I thought the design of the drain plug was bad also. With the oil dripping out the drain plug gets covered with oil and being a allen bolt type the edge is round and it makes the job a lot harder compared to hex bolts like other cars because it gets sooooo slippery that it is almost impossible to turn it with latex gloved hands. I don't use the wrench when the oil starts to come out because I don't want oil all over my tools.
I am also concerned about bending the hoses on the coolant reservoir when getting the reservoir tank out of the way. Won't the hoses crack when the car gets old? It would be a bummer to crack a hose while doing an oil change on a weekend and not able to drive the car until the hose is replaced but the parts shop doesn't open until Monday and I will have to drive my wife's car to work and wife will not be happy. Will the hoses crack? The car's new now and the hoses are very flexible but I am just concerned for the repeated bending in the future.
The engineers should have made the engine to hold 5 quarts even. I buy 5quart jugs of oil because it is much cheaper that way. However, getting 4.4 quarts in is time consuming as I have to be careful not to overfill it and have to constantly stop pouring and check how much is left in the 5quart jug. 0.6 quart of oil is also going to get wasted every time. If 8 MINI's got together for an oil change the 8th car can get enough leftover free oil for an oil change. 0.6 qrt x 7 = 4.2 qrts.

 

Or every 8th oil change you do is free......

 

7000 miles x 8 = 56000 miles..... at 12000 miles/yr I would have to collect for 5 years. Too much trouble.

 

Yup, loosening the oil filter and allowing it to drain reduces the spill considerably. I still had a couple oz. of oil in the pan I put under there, but better than the full contents of the filter housing.

Yes, side plugs are easier to handle. I suspect there were design considerations that forced it to the bottom. Because it is on the bottom, it needs to be low profile so a rock can't break it off and drain your oil while driving. I use a torx bit for a socket wrench. I release it from the wrench and use it as a handle for the plug.

If the hoses get brittle enough to crack, you should be replacing them anyway. What is worse, being grounded in your garage, or out on a freeway somewhere? Learned that lesson when a hose blew on a VW Rabbit halfway between Santa Cruz and Watsonville.

Don't know if the MINI is going to burn or leak oil, but with my Inegra (used 4.5 quarts) the remaining oil was just about the right amount to add 2/3 of the way to the next change.