What is an acceptable oil consumtion per 3000 miles on a 07 mini s? Ive heard minis burn alot of oil but whats the average?

 

Burn, no; leak, yes.

 

BMW MINI acceptable oil consumption tolerance is, 1 litre per 1000 miles, this on average tends to be on the high side of consumption.

 

High side? I would say so! My '08 MCS with 51K on it just now has used some oil. 1/4QT after 6K (my normal change interval).

 

I've an 07 S and I have YET to add a drop of oil . . . and I DO check it regularly

oil has been changed by computer - or in other words - once every 12 months due to low miles . . .

I drive around 10K a year but that keeps me well w/in the factory cuts . . .

 

09 Cooper S: zero burn after 3 oil changes and 35000 miles.

 

Ok cause im loosing about a quart per 1000 miles...

 

I don't think anyone knows what the average oil consumption is. One quart per 1000 miles is likely greater than average, but within the "acceptable range" according to many manufacturers.

There is a recent extreme oil consumption thread where the OP is getting less than 300 miles per quart.

 

Ya well im glad im not in that boat haha. I dont mind it but its the fact that im using mobile 1 synthetic and a 5gal jug here is 40$. So in between oil changes im paying like 70$ for an oil change and upkeep. (oil for oil change, filter, 1qt every 1000miles)

 

If you are having to add that much between changes, (2-3qts), you probably don't ever HAVE to change the oil. Change the filter every 5K and it's all good.

 

Full synthetic Mobil 1 for $2/quart? That's a hell of a price. Unless you're talking about the five-quart jug, but that would be $8/quart, which seems a little high.

 

Ya true that i wouldnt have to ever really change oil and just the filter but it almost worries me. And im pretty possitive the mobile 1 is 40$ for a 5 quart jug. I said five gallons before. My bad lol

 

On my 07mcs I would use about a quart every 3 to 5k miles depending on how I was driving.

 

A quart per oil change isnt bad though

 

just curious, I thought mobil 1 0w-40 is not available in 5gal jugs?

 

I meant 5 quart jugs lol. and mini specs for a 07 MCS are 5w-30 i believe.

 

I'm going to ask a dumb question here, so please humor me.

How much oil do you start with? 4 1/2 quarts per the ownwers manual is top off. I know this is an oddball number, so just asking. If you start with 5 quarts, and have to keep topping to 5 quts, you are really burnigng off exess oil. If this doesn't apply, please just disregard and carry on.

As for the original question, I change at 8K and don't use enough to be noticed on the stick.

 

Mobil 1 5W-30 does not meet the MINI requirement of BMW LL-01 nor ACEA A3. You should use one of the following:

MINIUSA approved oils:
Castrol Syntec European Formula 0W-30
Mobil 1 0W-40
Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra 5W-30
Valvoline SynPower 5W-30
MINI or BMW branded 5W-30 (made for BMW by Castrol)

I have used the MINI branded 5W-30, but switched to Castrol Syntec European Formula 0W-30 because it is a true synthetic (most are highly refined dino oil), and it is easily available at Autozone.

I've never needed to add oil between anual oil changes (approx 5,000 miles).

 

I rarely ever need to add oil. Occasionally it will be suddenly low and I need to add about 1/2 a small container, but that's quite rare.

 

I change my oil about every 5000 miles on my '09 R56 S. In 47,000 miles of motoring i've never had to add oil between changes.

I'm sorry to say, but these engines sucking down a quart every 1000 miles might as well be certified lemons. I understand tolerances in manufacturing but sucking down a quart of oil every thousand miles in a turbocharged commuter car is madness.

 

I've got 65k on a '07 JustACooper and got the oil light rounding a sharp corner today. It looks like I've burned about 1.5 qts in 6500 miles since the last oil change. (That's assuming it was full after the change - you know how hard it is to read that stick with new synthetic on it.)

I would question the wisdom of just adding oil, never changing it, on high-consumption vehicles. Usually that oil is getting burned up either because it slips by the rings or valve stems. Either way, if the relatively thick oil can go into the cylinder, then the thinner high-pressure combustion gas can certainly leak into the crankcase. My understanding is that combustion gasses contain carbon and sulfur and letting them accumulate in the pan doesn't seem like a good idea. As an example, sulfur and moisture (from sitting overnight) can cause an acid. I'm not a chemist, so if someone knows better, chime in. But for me, I'd change the oil on a regular basis anyway.
Dave

 

I don't think anyone would seriously consider just continually adding oil without periodically doing a full change as well (if for no other reason than to change the filter.)

Regardless, you make a very good point. I don't know if it's still true with the R56, but "fuel dilution" (combustion products or even raw gas making it past the rings into the crankcase) was a problem with the first-gen cars. When I was having oil analyses done regularly, I'd often get 1-2% fuel dilution of the oil, which is a significant amount, long before the oil would be "worn out". You could tell because the flashpoint of the oil would drop by 100 °F or more, and the viscosity would sometimes be lower than it should have been.

 

I do 5000 to 7500 mile oil changes. I typically have to add a half quart between changes. Basically I buy 5 quarts of the MINI official oil, put in 4.5 with the change, then add the .5 at about 3500 to 4000 miles.

 

Ya ill actually do oil changes but that's expensive. If i change the oil every 5000 then I have to buy two jugs in order to use for that oil change and then the second jug for the oil i have to add btween changes. and you guys see+ to be doing way better than i am. Im going to go to the deqler and see what they say

 

Ok so I cAlled my nearest mini dealer and the way I was explained when I told him about my oil consumption problem was the valve cover actually recirculates the oil vapor to the cylinder to burn. If the valve cover gasket goes bad then it could suck up good oil to burn.. estimated $1000 to fix..odd..