This thread has been mind-numbing. After careful consideration, I have decided to wait on deciding.

 

OK, thanks. Yeah, I will definitely call first. MINI's are few and far between here and I wouldn't want to get that look like I have three heads when I drive in and ask for an oil change.

 

They're not going to have the filter, and any dealer's hourly rate is going to be unusually high. I'd order the filter online (buy a few from Chicago or Morristown to keep shipping cost down) and go to a good independent shop. You can print instructions from the thread here on NAM to be safe.

 

Then how do you explain the Mobil 0W-40 getting BMW's approval (and MB, and Audi and Porsche)?

 

They may have BMW's approval, but MINIs have 'Castrol' stamped on the bracket next to the dipstick and on a label right on the engine. They pay for that, just like Coke pays for Simon Cowell to have a Coke cup sitting in front of him on American idol (even if it's filled with Mobil 1 vodka).

 

You should send a sample of your brain in for analysis so you will know the right time to decide.

 

That I won't argue with.

 

Simon Cowell is filthy rich. He goes through exotic cars like I go through my toilet paper.

 

I just had my first change at just over 12k. The mechanic laughed at me when I brought it in after break-in to change. He said the rings or pistons (whatever supposedly produce the metal specks) are sealed by ceramic somethings. As you can tell I didn't pay much attention, but just remember him saying it was a whole new engine nothing like the 06 and definitely did not need to change.

 

Me too!

 

FWIW, we've had our MINI about 2 weeks, 1,500 miles. I'm going to change out the oil + filter soon with full synth 5W30. I'll run the 2nd oil fill till the odo reads about 5,000 miles, pull a sample and send it off for UOA. I don't think there's much point sending the factory fill in for UOA after 2,000 miles because as pointed out in another thread, it's going to show assembly lubes, break-in metals and other things which are kind of expected. If you really want to go nuts, you can change out the oil + filter 3 times and send a sample of the 3rd fill for UOA after running it for a few thousand miles. The interesting data will be what is going on inside the engine AFTER all the expected crap is flushed out.

 

I just read this in another thread, has anyone else seen this amount of debris in their 1st oil change?

 

I did mine at about 3,500. I didn't do a real careful inspection, but didn't see anything unusual in the oil or filter.

What I was wondering was how the hell you could get the filter out without moving the coolant tank? Even with it moved, I had to squeeze my hands in to get the cap and filter out.

 

If there is enough debris in the oil for you to see I'd be taking my car to the dealer & asking what's up. No way, no how should you be seeing pieces of metal in the oil & filter. IMO something is very wrong.

 

I spoke to Flow Mini in Winston-Salem, NC this morning. I've got to take the car in for something else and asked about the oil change. They said it was unnecessary and didn't recommend it.

At $80 one has to wonder why they would make this recommendation unless it was indeed completely unnecessary.

 

Because dealers don't always give the best advice. And, now you think they are honest and straightforward, so when your car is out of warranty, you'll be taking it to them for expensive repairs and procedures.

They just made a smart investment, and it only cost them $80.

 

Good point!

 

Interesting. I also took mine in for something else and the service manager asked me if I was going to do a post-break in oil change. I asked him if he thought it was necessary and he said it would probably be a good idea, although it was up to me.

 

at the same dealership?

 

No, I'm in Ohio. I was just noting that all dealerships aren't saying the same thing!

 

Which Ohio dealer?

 

"Rough Oil?"
Is that an oxymoron?

Hard to believe. Where did you read that?
Not to be a wise guy, I just find that to be curious reading.

I believe people should do what they find comfortable.
Changing one's oil often certainly can't hurt (until I believe differently), so I opt to use Mobile 1 it and a new filter every 5K miles, and changed it at exactly the first 1000 miles. What does it cost me to be comfortable? $30 and an hour for my piece of mind.
That makes me feel comfortable.

 

Well, I just got the analysis results back from Terry Dyson. I don't know how to post a .PDF here, but I'll give you the raw numbers:

The oil had 9,000 miles on it, the car had 21,500 miles total, and the oil was the bulk Castrol 5W-30 synthetic that the MINI dealers use.

Wear Metals (in ppm):
Iron 18
Copper 15
Tin 3
Lead 9
Chromium 2
Nickel 4
Aluminum 4
Titanium 0
Silver 0

Additive metals: (in ppm)
Calcium 1729
Magnesium 18
Zinc 1051
Phosphate 840
Barium 0
Molybdenum 160
Antimony 0

Contaminant metals: (in ppm)
Silicon 5
Sodium 24
Boron 53 (This is actually an additive in the Castrol 5W-30 oil)
Potassium 0
Vanadium 0

Viscosity (40 degrees C) 76.7
Viscosity (100 degrees C) 12.2
Total Acid Number 3.78
Flashpoint 300
Oxidation 19
Nitration 14
Karl-Fischer Water 405
Total Base Number 3.5
Fuel Dilution 1.46%
Soot 0
Glycol .09
vndx 156
Sulfate by-product 24

I can't post Terry's actual analysis, since it's proprietary, but the long and short of it was that it's time to change the oil. The wear metals were slightly elevated over what Terry would like to see, the additive metals were still in good shape, and the contaminants were either normal or slightly elevated. The big problem is the fuel dilution. The air filter (oiled foam filter that comes with the DDM CAI) is keeping the dirt out of the engine, but it may not be allowing enough air in.

The flashpoint was too low, and the ratio of Total Acid to Total Base is too high, probably all a result of the fuel dilution.

So, after 9,000 miles in the car, the Castrol 5W-30 is about spent, largely because of the fuel in the oil. The viscosity actually held up well, and the additive package is still going strong, but between the flashpoint and the Total Acid number, I'm not going to leave it in the crankcase any longer. Not a bad lifetime for the oil, but the onboard computer is telling me I still have 8500 miles to go before I "should" change the oil.

I'm switching to a different brand of oil that Terry recommended, and I'm going to check the air filter and see if I can't get a little more air into it.

I'll pull another sample when I have 5,000 miles on the new oil. It should be around the end of January or so.

 

Do you think this could be different than stock, because of your CAI?

Can you say what brand? Or, is that proprietary as well?

Thanks for posting the results.

 

Well, I looked at the results of the analysis on the factory-fill oil, when I still had the stock airbox and filter. That oil was in the crankcase for 12,500 miles, and had similar Total Acid, Total Base, and fuel dilution numbers. Not totally spent, but definitely near its end-of-life.

For that first analysis, Terry thought the fuel dilution might have been because of the engine break-in, but it's still there, even though the current oil wasn't put into the car until 12,500 miles. I really wish I could see analyses from other MINIs, just to see what the typical dilution percentages are on other peoples' cars.

As for the oil that Terry recommended, it's Biosyn 5W-30, by RLI (Renewable Lubricants, Incorporated). He actually recommended their 0W-30, but I ordered the 5W-30 by mistake. Terry said that their 5W-30 is fine as well, and if we get good numbers using it, there's no reason why I couldn't stick with it.