Same here, Winnie went in for her first warranty oil change at 1 year/15,000 miles. (I had paid for two interval changes) When I started her up to head home, 10,000 popped up for the new service interval!

So I'll pay for another at 20,000, and get a free one at 25,000. It's not really the cost, it's the principle of the thing. Hopefully for less aware owners, it will get them in for changes more often, which will increase the life/reliability/aftermarket value of the cars.

BTW, a big shout out to MINI of San Diego! They really work with their owners and have treated me and all of the members of our club VERY well. They treat us more like an independent service dept would, like they want our business and are willing to work with us. Their regular price for oil changes (internet special) is under $70, and they have internet specials on other services too. Just sayin'.

And they have a Starbucks coffee machine that brews it while you wait, very tasty! And free WiFi of course. And MINIs to drool over....

 

I can tell you these cars might be able to go 10k between oil changes, but they all sip oil and if you don't check it every 3,000 miles to ensure it is at the right level, you are doing your car some harm and injustice! We have had 4 different MINI's since 2004, 1st Gen, 2nd Gen, MCS, Justacoopers and such, and they are all the same. Check your oil often and always have a bottle on hand for a quick fill up if you want to be 100% safe.

 

You should check it at least monthly! Absolutely! Oil level and oil change are two different topics. Oil level needs to be watched, no matter how new or old the oil is. Oil Change intervals can be debated, but no one should dispute that the level needs to be correct.

 

I have a 2008 MCS and basically just put only 300 miles a month. I live in an all year hot climate. What should be my interval?

 

Papote,

You aren't driving enough to change based on mileage. A once a year oil change should be sufficient.

 

I have a 2012 JCW that I bought in August 2012 and it shows 15k for oil change interval. Can I request that they change my oil at 10k?

 

No I tried that with my 11'. I just take mine to DT now.

 

my dealer is setting all minis to 8,000 miles

they claim that is the newest spec

scott

 

+1

 

It's just my opinion, but I think you should change it every year. I do that with my motorhome.

 

thanks, i guess i'll call my dealer and see what happens

 

I'm glad to hear this. my Mini didn't call for an oil change until 23k miles. I paid for an oil change myself before that. my guess is that most people don't, and because of this, there is no way that I would buy one used.

 

I just had my oil changed on Monday on my 08 MCS, and the interval remains set at 15k. I guess it is dealer dependant? Mine has the extended maintenance, so I will likely only get 1 more freebie anyway....

Mike

 

according to my dealer the change was diseminated in a service info letter to the service departments ... they said they get several a week ... maybe you need to seek out a dealer that keeps up with the lastest service info from mini

scott

 

Our Cooper gets about the same amount of use. When I realized how little it did get used (shortly after buying it) I checked the owner's manual and back in 2004 it actually says once a year if you don't reach the miles. Actually, hot may be better than cold because the car warms up faster. For ours I would worry about condensation in the winter.

On a new car I would change the oil at 500 to 1000 miles. I know that is old fashion but it can't hurt and it makes me feel better. On a JCW I would change the oil at about 5 to 7000 mile intervals. I would also talk to the dealer about why the interval is so long. On my 2012 S (picked up in 10/11) my dealer change the mileage to 10K for servicing when I took it in for its annual checkup.

 

OK this time the dealer reset it to 13,000 OH

OIL details
Click------>>>> https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...00-post13.html <<<------- Click

 

I think my '13 is a bit smarter than just 10k miles. It said 10k when I picked it up, but the interval has grown shorter since it has been cold. I'm at 6k miles, and she wants a change in 2800 as of the last time I started her. I changed the oil at ~3k miles and never reset the computer, so it's definitely not smart enough to be looking at the oil, but it has reduced the overall number of miles until it is due to be changed.

--Matt

 

So I tried to change the oil service indicator on my 2008 non-turbo. Even though ISTA/P did list it as an available retrofit (a few different shorter intervals), it would not take on my car. The oil reset interval never lowered.

The comment made earlier about it only applying to newer cars must be correct. Even though I updated my vehicle software to v47, the older coding index is keeping this VO change from applying to the DME and Kombi.

Frustrating! Oh well...

 

I laughed when mini said every 10K miles. I ran synthetic in previous tuned cars and changed it every 3500 miles. Hell my garage partner changing his plugs and oil every time he drags the car lol.

 

the mechanics at my dealership have a handheld tool that plugs into the OBD2 port that is only used to reset the service intervals/dates

it is not a code reader/reset tool

the mechanic told me that ANY mini with OBC maintenance tracking can be set to ANY value with this tool

scott

 

I have decided to do the 7500 mile interval myself, the dealer catches the 15k.
Just a thought on past experience, no one has discussed the type of driving between the oil changes. I would consider all city driving and short trips extreme use and change the oil more often. If you driving consists of longer freeway driving going longer should not be a major issue. In one of my older commuter cars that traveled 100 miles each trip I changed the oil (mobil 1) @ 25,000 miles. I sold that car @ 178000 miles and it still ran fantastic....

 

I kind of giggle to myself at the people making excuses for changing the oil at 9,10 even 15 thousand miles. The fact that you need an excuse, ie, "I run it easy, they are only highway miles...Ill be ok, right?" just shows that your not entirely confident. Ill change mine every 3500 and Ill have confidence in it. My family runs a custom engine shop for a living, the amount of moisture and sludge that will build up in your engine is unbelievable. The guys doing 10k+ oil changes may regret it someday :(
In our raceboat, we change the oil every race...essentially 60miles of hard running (very hard), and the oil is TOAST at the end of the day. Thats using Brad Penn Oil, which is the same brand used in Top Fuel Dragsters.

 

while i completely agree with you on the extended oil change interval, comparing race engines and race oil to street engines and street oil is misleading

the chemical makeup of racing oil is different than street oil and race engines are different than street engines

in particlular, your reference to top fuel dragsters ... they run a corrosive fuel and see a lot of piston ring blowby, contaminating the oil with the fuel

in general, racing oils are designed to protect the engine internals AND reduce friction losses to a minimum, longevity is not a concern and the additive pack used in race oils reflect that

it is an apples to oranges arguement that only confuses the issue

that said, i believe even the 8,000 mile mini interval is too long, so i do an intermediate change at 4,000 miles myself

both of my motorcycles are on 2,500 - 3,000 mile change intervals and both have been since new, each has over 120,000 miles, one since 1974 and the other since 1987

scott

 

Wasnt trying to confuse the issue, sorry about that, Top Fuels don't run valve seals either..more of a fill and burn method lol.
That being said, what wins on Sunday sells on Monday.In my sport, offshore racing, longevity is an issue. 60-90 miles at WOT and weve been running the same engine for 3 season, freshening it up this winter. The bearings look pretty good too. Im a firm believer in what is tested and proven on the course is good for the consumer.
Im right with you on the intervals.

 

That's ok, I giggle every time I read about someone running synthetic oil and using an oil change interval that is less than 10k miles because it makes them feel warm and fuzzy (or confident).