I've owned a bunch of old Porsches and they were all air/oil cooled. You guys have it easy with Minis! The pre water pumper days for Porsche force you into a routine. You can check the dipstick to make sure there is oil in the oil tank (they are all dry sump) then you have to make sure you are parked on a dead level surface, then if you are warmed up, and only then, will you get an accurate reading. Oh and don't miss the sleeve in the filler hole our you'll be spending hours with a coat hanger fishing the dip stick back out. They did fix this by the way in the 90's my 964 has a small tube in the actual engine compartment and not in the oil filler but you now have a 4 foot long dipstick that you'll never get back in the hole unless you are in bright sunlight.
Luckily for me both of mine have oil gauges that work. Porsche people say never trust the gauge but I've compared mine against the stick for years and I know where a quart low reads. Did I mention they take 12 quarts? So one low isn't too big of a deal.

My point, my mini is super easy to check, but I can definitely see how annoying it can be when a manufacturer doesn't fix known problems.

 

This is a Link that everyone with a newer Mini should click if you don't understand the dipstick problem:

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

 

I would have read this thread but it soon bored me.... I've installed so many mods the I have lost count... oddly enough, my MINI works.....

 

That was a good read, I have never had an issue reading my dipstick, or it being inaccurate. I thought everything they explained in that post was common sense. I find it slightly comical that people would actually think the wet bulb on top would be indicating the level.

 

I agree.. Good read.

 

I wasn't offended. I was sort of joking. I've had my Mini for 4 weeks. I tried checking the oil every time I fill up, can't can't really see the oil level on the crummy dipstick. I thought maybe the oil was too clean to see it. I ordered a Craven one today.

My wife and I are used to driving Japanese cars. My wife's idea of checking the oil, is getting an oil change!

 

I figured you were being sarcastic. The line about japanese cars in interesting since most of the best cars come from japan.

 

Thanks. I put 45k miles on my last car. An Infiniti. And never added a drop of oil b/w oil changes.

 

My MA stressed before and after the sale that MINIs can consume oil and that it is important to check the oil level frequently. I guess not all of them are snakes.

 

I agree that common sense covers most of the best practices when taking care of your car and insuring the fluids are maintained. A quick common sense average oil check performed on a MINI (2011-2013 and other years perhaps) can easily produce a false positive reading.

Not everyone that drives a new MINI changes oil themselves and as such will not have a good starting point for the oil level in the motor. I completely understand how to get a good reading on the OEM dipstick and I know how to get false readings several ways that most drivers of Japanese cars would never see. Of the six cars I own (3 German, 1 MINI, and 2 Japanese) only the MINI has a curved dipstick path that alters the amount of oil transfer to the stick. The general public at large is conditioned to not think about motor fluids and many don't ever check levels at all (themselves). It appears to me that common sense is less common today because the Japanese motors have made it "normal" to not think about oil.

 

OceanMini2,

My Honda Accord V6 has a curved dipstick path. Honda's dipstick has a flat section of metal attached to the end of a wire cable. The flat section is designed to move through the dipstick tube without binding and because of the wire cable it is very easy to push in and pull out. It is also very easy to see the oil level. This another example of how this problem can be solved.

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B

 

I was getting bored with this threads repetition until I read that ^

Yeah, the car knows when the oil is low and it warns you by spinning a bearing, throwing a timing chain or eating a valve and spitting it out the turbo blades and exhaust pipe, as you tell your shotgun rider, hear that awesome pop and burble!

If that doesn't get your attention, then just look for tears when you see the puddle of oil under your baby when you get out to see what happen.

Blahahaha...

 

Can't remember the last car that I had to regularly check & top off the oil. Maybe a 76 camaro. I love my S but it goes through oil like a Harley!

 

Question: how much oil is "normal" for a Cooper S to consume between oil change intervals at 5-7K miles?

 

Did he show you how to check the oil? In the '11 and '12 minis, when you pull out the dipstick and clean it and replace it, the reading will always show overfill. I found out that my car was a half quart low after using a Craven dipstick. The OEM dipstick was only readable when the oil was really dark.

 

I completely agree that the problem is solvable with a better design.

Mini wants to be different and does not want to be normal. OK, I understand,,, I like my Mini and love that it is not an average car but it worries me because my confidence in the parts and motor longevity is not high. The Mini demands attention and I enjoy caring for it but I hope it does not fail me as many other Minis appear to have for other Mini owners. Sill it is really fun to drive.

When I say I can get a good reading using the OEM dipstick I forgot to say how much research I did to learn how to do it. My hope is that every Mini driver in the world will benefit from threads like this and learn how to solve this problem in a way that is satisfactory.

One time I was at the Mini dealership and a customer was at the service counter. The SA was saying, "your oil level is 2 quarts low....." The customer said, "No it isn't, I check it and I saw oil on the stick." The argument wet on for some time. The customer appeared worried and disappointed anticipating the worst but feeling he was not cause of the problem.

The car company can't prevent every driver from being careless however it is important to satisfy the customer's needs if you want replete customers. Mini ranks high is customer satisfaction but low in reliability categories.

 

A big fat ZERO on my 2012 MIni Cooper non-aspirated! I never have to add oil between oil changes; currently on my third change-out. I still check it every few fill ups, but it never changes, so mine uses no oil at all between changes.

I "think" the oil consumption issue even on the "S" is more related to a worn out engine or lack of regular maintanence, but I have never owned an "S" so I could be wrong on that assumption.

I'll let the "S" guys and gals comment on their experiences...

 

JoanieB,

This is a picture of a Honda dipstick that is designed for a curved path. It has spherical ends to guide it through the curved dipstick tube and a flat textured surface for reading the level. The end is attached to a wire cable that is very flexible and makes it easy to insert or remove. The reading area is quite a bit below the upper spherical end so that oil wiped off the dipstick tube doesn't get in the reading area. It is very easy to remove, insert, and read.

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B

 

A flat surface dipstick will only bend perpendicular to the flat surface, thus it can handle one bend in any direction (just twist until it matches), but if there are two or more bends they must all be on the same plane; always perpendicular to the flat surface of the dipstick.

I don't know how the Mini dipstick tube bends internally???

If someone wants a quick and easy way to "help" in reading the OEM dipstick, just sand the reading area with sandpaper to make it very dull. This will allow you to see the shinny oil easier. But it's best to eliminate the lower bulb if you are so inclined. Even the Craven dipstick appears hard to read with clean oil in the photos that others have posted.

I think Mini realizes the somewhat difficulty in reading the oil level and will insure the new 3 cylinder and 2.0L 4 cylinder engines coming next year will not have this issue that many seem to struggle with. We'll see...

 

neither my dad's 09/2011 built 2012 cms all4 auto nor my 03/2012 built cms all4 use any oil between changes IF (BIG IF) the oil level is at 1/2 or below on the dipstick, anything over 1/2 is burned/blown out the pvc system/disappears by magic within 200 miles or less

by refilling with 4 quarts at oil/filter change, the level is at 1/2 after running briefly to fill the new filter

both cars will then go 4,000 miles with no consumption (4,000 miles is 1/2 of the mini OBC service interval as set by my dealer of 8,000 miles)

scott

 

So this issue is exclusive to the 2011+ Minis of every trim? Seems like a few people other than that have had issues

 

I think the answer to what's the normal consumption for a turbo charged Mini has to consider how hard you drive it. I tend to use more oil on high speed highway motoring...

 

Checking your oil religiously is the easiest service you can do to prolong the life of your motor.

 

The only issue exclusive to the 2011+ MINI's is the 2011+ dipstick. This thread on the 2011+ dipsticks was intended to make as many MINI owners aware of the problem as I could. The following link explains the problem and gives solutions. The difficulty in reading the dipsticks has been a problem with all the 2nd generation MINI's. I don't know if it was a problem with the 1st generation MINI's. Some of the MINIs consume more oil than others. It is dependent on how often the oil is changed, how hard the MINI is driven, and whether it has a turbocharger. Because of the difficulty in preventing oil loss in a turbocharger turning at over 200,000 rpm, the MCS tends to use more oil than the MC.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-dipstick.html

Morris, 2011 MC, PW/B

 

my evo's turbocharged but doesn't consume a drop of oil, checked regularly for any consumption - obviously the motors are very different etc., not that one design is better than the other. 4g63 is a very old motor. Also, there is a possibility for the turbo to be consuming oil rather than the motor

interesting - can't use the pre 2011 dipstick? i've actually never seen a dipstick like the one in the Minis before lol, all my cars have had dipsticks there were just a long thin piece of metal with two notches for low and full, and for the Evo I always kept the oil level right in the middle of those two