The part number on the Mini branded 5w 30 is 07 51 0 143 829.

$6.25 from Pelican Parts.

 

OK, so for me the dealer is kind of far, so i prefer to go to autozone which is close by. I took the bite and got me some Castrol Syntec 0W-30 European Formula, hope it is OK? $6.29/quart. They were out of Mobil 1 0W-40, which was $6.49/quart.

 

OK, now I heard I could get the OEM oil filter for about $10/each, can't seem to find it, help anyone?

Thanks

 

MiniMania has them at about $17.00. Might check the dealer. I thought I bought them from MiniMania for about $10.00 last time. Maybe it was the R53 filters from the dealer that were about $10.00

 

You can find them for less at other places.
$13.00 at: http://www.minicarparts.net/
$11.00 at Moss MINI
Both are NAM vendors.

 

Hey thanks. I have bookmarked both locations.

 

I have 8200 miles, should i change the oil filter too, or just the oil? I am planning on getting my free oil change from the dealer, at about 16,000 miles and have them replace my oil filter.

 

It makes no sense to change the oil and not the filter. Add 4 quarts clean to 1 quart dirty and you have 5 quarts dirty.

 

I'd change the filter, or at least look at it. You really need to open it up to make sure all the oil drains anyway.

 

So it seems that the dealer charges around $6/quart for MINI OEM 5w-30 and Castrol Syntec 0W-30 at Autozone is also about that price?

 

The price of the MINI branded oil will vary with each dealer. At MINI of Mountain View I paid $5.40.

 

Another low-cost source for the R56 filters is Classic MINI, also a NAM vendor. They're less than $9 each with the NAM 20% discount. Classic Mini is listed in the "Vendors" section:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...play.php?f=118

 

I was wondering the same thing. My MINI dealer just emailed me and told me 5 qts of MINI oil and an OEM oil filter was $58? This dealer is 45 mins away and I have a BMW dealer in town. If I trotted down to the BMW folks and ordered thier 5w-30 synthetic I'd be curious to know if it's the same stuff as the MINI branded oil.

 

I believe that a simple test would be to make sure that the BMW version was ACEA A3/B3 rated. If it is 5W-30, A3 it should be just fine.

Since the BMW and MINI oils have different labels they are not going to have the same part number even if they are the exact same oil formula. Part numbers are for ease in ordering and managing different items. If they had the same number, a BMW dealer could end up getting MINI labeled oil, and a MINI dealer getting BMW labeled oil.

 

My MINI dealer handed me a quart of BMW oil for top ups. Yes, it's ACEA A3 rated.

 

Just out of curiosity, I surveyed the engine oils available locally in chain stores - Pep Boys, Autozone and Advance Auto Parts. I looked at all the full synthetics on the shelves, including Pennsoil, Valvoline, Quaker State, Castrol, Mobil 1, Kendall, Exxon, and a few others. Each of these stores had only one oil which meets the ACEA A3/B3 standard - Mobil 1 0W-40. Castrol Syntec 5W-30 was present in each store, but there was no indication on the bottles of European manufacture and no sign of A3/B3 in the Castrol specs. I'm presently using Mobil 1 0W-40 in my MCS because: I am confident that it protects the engine; it seems to have increased highway MPG over the Castrol I was previously using, from 38.5 to close to 40; and it is the only full spec oil readily available here in Harrisburg without making a visit to the dealer, 60 miles distant. As Robin Casady noted, when you look for the A3/B3 spec, it weeds out the choices quickly.

 

The only 5W30 I could find was Valvoline Max Life full synthetic.

 

Castrol Syntec 5W-30 has ACEA A1 and A5 ratings. A1 is just for mpg, and A5, like A3, is for high performance engines, but has a lower viscosity at operating temp than A3.

 

It seems like the trick to the A3 for 5W30 is that it is a higher viscosity than most 5W30's. The Valvoline Max Life has a higher viscosity than the Valvoline standard synthetic 5W30.

 

Just picked this up at the local AutoZone for 25.99 for 5 quarts (reg. $6.49/qt) which was about $13 dollars cheaper than retail after taxes. Not sure how widespread the deal is, but its not a bad deal. There is one catch though, they won't let you get it without the 'free' Bosch oil filter thats in with the deal. They told me to throw a filter away (IMO thats a joke, I hate WASTEFUL things) I just asked a person in the store if they would like a free oil filter and got it for them.

Again, just thought that you might like to know that at least in Baton Rouge, they were selling this for 5 for $25.99. Cheers!

 

I'll have to swing by my local store and see if they have that deal going here.

 

Just took the plunge and moved back to Mobil 1, 0W-40, European Car blend. I always like Mobil 1 because it is available everywhere, and I don't like to mix up brands of oil if I need to top off on the road. It has all the requisite certificates. BMW LL, A3 etc., that everyone here talks about.

I have to say this MINI is the easiest car to do oil changes on since my old air cooled VWs, but then those had to have the valves adjusted every oil change time too and they still blew up after awhile. I like the plastic oil filter cartridge a lot. It screws on easy, it isn't like touching hot metal, and when it hits bottom, that's it, it doesn't go any further. Seals very nice too!

DIY, you will be very HAPPY you did and can cut your intervals down a lot. I went 5K this time, but I have had a lot of driving to be doing the last couple of months.

 

Not wanting to make the joyless 140mi/rt drive to my closest MINI dealer to get supplies, I called my local BMW dealership and was quoted $9.30/qt for BMW 5W30 oil.....ouch. Out of curiosity, I asked them the cost to do an oil change in my '09 MCS......$160 + tax....outrageous.

 

$9.30 seems outrageous -- my local BMW dealer is $6/qt, and my not-so-local MINI dealer is $6.20.

 

Are you the Robin C from the PPBB