I was just curious if this was more geared towards owners who live far from their dealerships?

 

No this is geared to everyone who thinks the service intervals are too long. I mean BMW will give you all of 3 oil changes at most given the 36K service warranty.

 

and geared for folks who want their car to be happy & fully functional should be getting oil changes AT LEAST every 5k miles, not 12k

 

I don't know about you guys but in Germany we only get a 2 yr 24mos warranty. Although when we take the car to the US the standard US warranty applies. The offset is that German mechanics are much better than wrenches in the US dealers (IMHO).

 

Nah, just varies with the brands carried by the store... Do you have Krogers in "Paradise?" Where IS "Paradise" anyway? Can think of lost of places I'D pick...

 

No Krogers. We have Safeway, and a few others that have changed owners and names recently. Then there is Trader Joe's...

I'm in Carmel Valley, California. Not far from here:

 

OK, I'm goin' in!

This is a great thread! I'm getting oil and a filter at my dealer and will do the oil change over the weekend. First oil change (~6,000 miles) on my '08 R56.

For those that have gone before me on the same vehicle, is the socket 1-1/16 or 11/16? Seems to be a little confusion (though now that I think about it, the close-up picture of the socket showed 11/16). Torx T50 still right on the drain plug? It looks like the OP changed the oil sitting flat on the garage floor?

Any other advice? I don't want to run into trouble like some folks have.

 

The oil filter socket is 27mm, which is close to 1-1/16".

 

Castrol 0w-30 satisfies these requirements. It has "European Formula" on the front of the bottle. Obtainable at the local PepBoys (east coast)

 

Thanks for the info folks.

I'm going to the dealer anyway. I know it will be more expensive, but I do not want them to make any claim while I'm in the warranty period that I used non-spec products.

 

You can't go wrong with the MINI OEM oil. For the record, MINI recommends their own oil, or Mobil1 5w30 or Mobil1 5w40. Many NAM posts reference specific European oil ratings, but these are not required or recommended in the MINI user's manual. Also, use of MINI brand oil is not required during the warranty period. I use Mobil1 because I've always been satisfied with it's peformance, and it's relatively inexpensive for a synthetic oil, and readily available at any auto parts store.

 

The European spec. of ACEA A3 is not mentioned in the USA version of the users manual because the American standard API SH is used.

The UK version of the manual does specify ACEA A3. This is a narrower spec. than API SH. So, not all SH oils meet A3.

The engines are not different between the USA and the UK. I suspect that using the broader SH in the USA is a marketing decision. There would be probably be complaints, and possibly bad reivews, if they required some #$%@ furren spec. and a difficult to find oil.

You wont be voiding your warranty by using Mobil 1 5W-30 or 5W-40, but you wont be meeting the spec that is required in Europe. Your choice.

 

Robin, I agree that the European spec calls for an oil that must meet stricter wear and longevity specifications. My oil change schedule is every 5k miles, and for me Mobil1 5w30 is an acceptable substitute. I also agree that MINI probably didn't spec a hard-to-find Euro-spec oil for the U.S. market because of availability issues, and because of differences in the U.S. / Euro-spec ratings systems. MINI USA has also found Mobil1 5w30 and Mobil1 5w40 to be acceptable substitutes, which is why they're recommended in the owner's manual. If I ran my MINI 15k-20k miles on the same oil, I'd spring for the extra bucks and use the OEM oil.

 

The Euro spec thing doesn't only mean longer service intervals. ACEA A3 has a higher shear strength. For a turbo engine, I'd stay this is more important even with shorter service interval. But that's only my opinion.

 

How about torque specs for filter cap and drain plug?
How much oil do you add when drained and a new filter is used?

 

18.5 ft/lb on Filter Canister and 22 ft/lb for drain plug, BTW T-50 Torx is a loose fit,
the correct tool would be the 8mm Hex (Allen Wrench).

 

...and 4.5 quarts for a fill with a filter change

 

If you don't drive over 5,000 miles in the first year, is the first oil change then performed based on the 12 month time aspect?

 

I looked all through Sears today for a 8mm hex on a 1/2" bit I could use on my torque wrench.

Am I missing something? The Allen Wrench will be fine for getting the plug out, but if it has to be torqued to specs, the Allen wrench won't work to put it back in.

For those interested, there is a good how-to-do article posted in the first issue of NAM Alliance: https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/alliance (see past issue #1 on bottom right).

 

My 8mm Hex is a 3/8" drive (about $3 at Advance Auto Parts) and I used a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter for the torque wrench.

27mm is a 1/2" drive and don't get the 'deep' version,
with the normal depth, you don't even need to move the coolant tank on just'a-Cooper,
on the MCS you must move the tank and use a six inch extension to clear the TurboCharger.

 

Yes. My 2009 OBC shows both the number of miles and a date before service is due. Whichever comes first is when you should go in for the service. I already changed mine at 1,275 miles with Redline 5W-30 and will continue to change every 7,500 miles, but I won't pass up that free service, either. While I much prefer Redline, the Mini oil is OK as long as you change it way before the OBC tells you.

These are the only oils I would use in my MCS:
Redline 5W-30
Amsoil 5W-40 European Engine Oil
Mobil 1 0W-40
Mini Brand 5W-30

-C

 

Now see, that's what I was looking for at Sears yesterday, but I couldn't find it. Although Sears still has a great selection of tools, they've gone to a lot of package deals--in some cases, hard to get single tools; now have to spend $40 on a multi-pack. I'll stop by Advanced Auto today. Thanks pilotart!

 

Get a set of ratchet adapters / reducers. Sears has a set for around $10. It lets you use a 3/8" socket with a 1/2" torque wrench. Also has a lot of other size-to-size adapters. It comes in a small clear plastic bag with a snap front closure. You'll find it with the other socket sets. They also have a set of hex sockets for around $10.

 

Yes

 

People , unless you've never tightened a screw before, putting a drain plug back in is not Rocket Science. You can still perform the Oil Change without a Torque Wrench.
A simple rule of thumb, if your hurting your wrist to insert a fastener or plug, your over tightening it.
I'm not trying to dismiss this out of hand, but certain actions don't require being **** over torque specs like an item such as the oil plug.