when i had my oil changed at the dealership and tried to check the dipstick, the oil was so clear that i had a hard time telling the oil level. and i change my oil every 5k miles and it's color is clear golden brown every time i check the oil level.

 

Thanks for pointing out how the Mini oil pan was designed to hold sludge. I don't understand why any engineer would design an oil pan like that. As far as topside draining goes, you could pull the hose out too soon or not insert it far enough and miss some oil. I was thinking the dealer (if they used topside) could have missed an entire quart somehow.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...l-changer.html

 

I know I’m late coming to the party but Schatzy’s right. If you change oil in your car and then drain it, it won’t look like what came out of bottle.

The engine is “dirty” and draining the oil will leave it dark.

Not saying your dealership did or didn’t change oil, just saying it’s hard to make that comparison based on was just mentioned.

HTH’s,

Mark

 

I've overfilled on an oil change before. I ran the car for maybe 20 minutes before I drained the excess out through the drain plug. It did not look like "new" oil in the least.

When draining the oil, it's not easy (or advisable) to get all of it out. That definitely doesn't help with the appearance of the oil once the engine is started.

 

I think they changed it but didn't change the filter..........

I'm letting the dealer change my oil for the first 3years...if the engine goes....it's goes....I'm sure it won't be because I didn't change the oil enough

 

so i had my oil tested by blackstone. they said the oil was probably changed. and that the darkness is caused by the residuals from the old oil. but either way, crevier mini gave me 5 qts of oil and a new filter, and i changed the oil myself. ive put 500miles on it and the oil looks golden still. im thinking that maybe the fact that they overfilled it, they didnt adequately drain it, or maybe that they didnt change the filter caused it to be so dark so fast. /shrug.

 

I agree that they may have not gotten all the oil out.
I am glad that they gave you supplies. I hope you are happy----er? I am not sure I would be.

If the dipstick was easier to use it may have helped?

Thank you very much for sharing. I know that this was a difficult experience.

 

First, I am not a car dealer and am not invested in any segment of auto sales or repair.
You, mr. greasy peanut, have started a totally, unwarranted, and irresponsible assessment of the retail auto repair industry. You're lucky that someone doesn't sue you.
I have seen many examples of this behavior on the internet. Its so easy when you do not have to face the accused.

 

Sorry....your little soap box means nothing to those of us that HAVE been ripped off. Not all dealers are sleezy, but if you are suggesting that they are pure as the driven snow, then I would think a CAT scan is in order for you. I think these forums are a wealth of information that are meant to help others not to protect the guilty. I faced the "accused" and the record was set straight.

 

Thanks SoCal MCS.

I don't think the Dealer was sleazy in this case but the car's body was damaged (repaired) and the oil was over filled. Sleazy is when someone intentionally uses poor quality materials and charges full price. This dealer is not being accused of being Sleazy. I don't think they are above making mistakes or charging top rate for parts and labor however. The dealer (as stated in the O.P.'s own post) repaired the damage to his car. If the dealer was sleazy they would say, "Not our fault."

The O.P. definitively is justified in feeling that he was not taken care of properly as far as the overfilling goes. The damage to the car is unfortunate and I know I would be hurt if I had the same experience. I expect that a well run dealership should out perform any local mechanic or jiffy lube place. Overfilling is not out performing.

If I take my Mini in for the Mini USA provided 3 year maintenance I am going to tell the dealer NOT TO OVER FILL the motor oil. I am getting that on the work order. I am going to tell them upfront that I am going to check the level before I drive off. If the level is even the slightest bit over filled I am not accepting the car. If the dealer tells me that they don't need me as a customer I will thank them and motor off with a smile before I wast any lift time with them. I think this should be the norm for enthusiasts. I have a great relationship with all the skilled people I trust to work on my cars and to be truthful I do allot of my own work because I don't trust that many people. When great people work on my cars I treat them well.

Again, thank you O.P. for sharing.

 

I am not suggesting that all car dealers are pure. But the subject dealer in this conversation did nothing wrong and the OP found out thru an outside source that the dealer did change his oil.

 

My comments were directed at the comment that posting negative or unsatisfactory experiences with dealership service is slanderous and we "better watch out". I'm saying that due diligence must be performed if statements are made about an experience with a dealership. That's what I did, and I'm saying that if it's the truth, then post it so others can learn and not burn (sad attempt at poetry).

Additionally, to the statement "look the accused in the eye" which I did, and with a lot of documentation and a whole lot of pressure on my part, I prevailed and things were made right.

Just one more point....If a service is screwed up but after some discussions the wrong is righted, you need to think if the screwed up service has already caused something else to be comprimised that doesn't show up until later.....say after the warranty is up. Then you are totally screwed. This was my point with the dealership and that's why I pressed and had the factory warranty extended for many years and miles.

Peace.

 

how is it unwarranted. i was dissatisfied with their service i got from a dealership and i wrote about it. my original post was asking for opinions if they changed the oil.

they may have changed the oil but i still feel they did a poor job by probably not draining it adequately. and the only reason they gave me new oil and a filter (rectifying the issue) is because i gave them a bad rating on their customer service rating which triggered their cust rep to contact me. and regardless of the oil being done properly they still scratched and dinged my car which had me in a loaner car for almost two weeks, i was told my car would be done on a certain day and 4 days later its finally done. i even had to call them at the end of their working day just to check if it was ready. to make matters worse the paint repair job they did or whoever they sent the car to was not done well. theres a brownish tint to the areas that they blended. most people wouldnt notice, but i can bet that anyone who washes their car and actually cares for it would notice the difference if it was their own car.

and i did face the accused face to face, about 2 times extra regarding the oil and an additional time for the door ding. wasted time and gas money.

 

Greasypeanurt....

See, here's another angle that those throwing stones don't realize....

Your reprainted door will be noticed by either a descering private buyer (if you sell privately), or certianly the used car salesman's used car appraiser that will knock off at least $2k off the trade in price no matter what your story might be.....they are thinking "sure" the dealer dinged it and that's that. It won't be on carfax as th dealer won't enter it as an accident but those who know what to look for will.

Reminds me of my Lexus I had that the dealer "dropped" something on the roof and didn't bother to tell me when I picked it up. Of course I saw it when I picked it up and they fessed up and fixed it. When they were done, I asked for compensation on its resale value and they laughed. So I had them appraise it. Then I had it appraised by three other dealers (all Lexus) and guess what, they all saw that the roof was repainted and didn't care what the story was. The average mark down was $3200, and that is what I demanded from the dealer that did the damage. I took it all the way to the owner and got the cash. Persistence and sound logic will always win as they knew I would take it to small claims court....and win even more.

So, you have a check coming to you if you decide to push it.

 

While its in our best intrest to stay away from these kind of threads, I feel obligated to speak my peace. I have changed more oil in MINI's than most, and I can assure you that oil that has been in a 2012 for 50 miles should come out of the car damn near the color it went in. Yes engines can blacken oil fast however your car is BRAND NEW. the amount of sludge it would take to darken oil that quikly would be astronomical. It's hard to tell from the picture due to the fact that your pan is black, but when you were draining the oil it should have been perfectly clear weather or not it was new.

However, the one caveat that would negate clean new oil is the filter. Techs love to leave filters in. The whole audit ordeal that the "foreman" was talking about is bogus. There is not a single tech that hands in oil filters back to parts.... period. Have you ever met a parts person? do you know what they would do to your wiggly bits if you tried to hand them a used oil filter? The fact is MINI maintain's the right to request any part for inspection at random. On paper the idea is to simply provide a "randomized screening process" to ensure quality repairs. So when a tech claims that a part is broken he must return it to parts. Then MINI can ask for the part back and decide weather or not the part needed to be replaced. If it is deemed undefective, or damaged to to unwarranatable issues "customer spills coffe on radio" the warranty claim is returned and the dealer recives nothing for the repair. Now if they wanted to MINI could call up every oil filter in the world, however there is just no reason to, this goes for almost every basic repair. The only time something is called back is becuase MINI has a reason to, it's just that simple.


I don't mean to drag on, so Ill make this as simple as I can. there is a very easy way to answer your question.
1. What color was the oil when it came out? if you have driven 50 miles it should be new looking, not dark or darkish ... new

2. remove the "new" filter you will be able to tell IMMEDIATELY if the filter was new (post pictures if you would like I will be able to tell)

 

I agree. I've changed my oil right after changing the oil. Both for a leaking oilpan (not the mini) as well as every now and then I do what I call a flush change. Change it, then another 500 miles change it again. Maybe your oil should not be exact like in the can but certainly what you have there is more like old, used oil (in my opinion of changing oil now 30 years).

Also, I do not think there is **that** much sludge in the bottom. I pour in
half a quart of oil (with the plug off) when I change oil to just let it drain out
and flush out the sludge (did not know about that high spot I have been doing this
30 years as well). It turns honey colored fairly quickly.

 

Yikes, oil change paranoia lives! The easiest thing to cheat you on would be to not change the filter, just wipe it off. Cheating on the oil is small change. WRT to the "overfill" issue, they're supposed to put 5 quarts in there even though it goes a bit over the line on the dipstick. That's not overfilling it at all (but many have noted it).

 

I don't agree that 5 quarts is healthy for your R56 motor. Extra oil in the crankcase can cause more dirt/muck on the valves. Surplus oil will get blown into the air intake manifold, from there it gets to the top side of the cylinders and valves where it is burnt. This can cause the car to run poorly and eventually fail valve seats. Extra oil can damage or destroy the catalytic converter. Ideally, the oil level in your engine should be somewhere between the "min" and "max" marks on the oil stick. If you overfill the crankcase with oil, it will allow the moving parts (crankshaft) to foam the oil up and create air bubbles. These air bubbles (and even foam) will reduce the amount of oil getting to friction parts and cause them to overheat and fail in addition to clogging the oil pump. It is not uncommon for engine seals to fail with motors that are overfilled. It is possible that timing chains could fail sooner if the oil foam clogs the pump.

Quote from the MINI technical service document that lists oil capacity by motor..

R50, R52 and R53
W10 (2006 MINI Cooper) – 4.50 liters / 4.7551 quarts
W11 (2006 MINI Cooper S)– 4.80 liters / 5.0721 quarts

R55, R56, R57 and R60
N12 (2007+ MINI Cooper) and N16 – 4.20 liters / 4.4381 quarts
N14 (2007+ MINI Cooper S) and N18 – 4.20 liters / 4.4381 quarts

Includes filter

I told my dealer's SA that he failed. GRADE F Then told them, "I am not letting you do an oil change on my car."

 

I did my first oil change at 1.1k about 6 months ago. Just checked it today at 3.1k and the oil on the stick is still clear and golden.