Appx 4 weeks of Connecticut's temps fluctuating below freezing up to 50's + a lot of short trip use on 09 MCS w/ 30k. This is what I sucked out of BSH OCC after first 4 WEEKS of installation. My take is that if you don't run one, you probably should!

Other side of PCV system & intake manifold are blocked w/ OE style plugs. There could be at most 1 oz of extra contamination from oil bottle I poured into and/or some residual brake fluid in vac bleeder reservoir, the rest of it is pure Peugeot/Mini/BMW latte.

 

Amen!

I have a BSH OCC with PCV block and have very similar results!

I drain mine nearly weekly when I wash the car.

 

Don't get too excited. You're naturally going to have more condensation in the can as the weather gets colder. You only caught a small quantity of oil. You can see it settles on the very top of the mix as a dark brown film. The rest is condensate that rapidly collects in the catch can because of it's large volume and temperature difference. I would still pull the intake manifold on any MINI over 30K miles to check for carbon buildup regardless if you have a catch can or not. They catch very little oil in the grand scheme of the N14/N18 engine and the only true fix is cleaning it out manually, which is much more effective. I know that the holy word of MINI Gods is it's better than nothing, but at the same time +$200 for a crappy can could be spent on oil, brake pads, rotors, brake fluid... etc.

 

I did the media blast at 42k, then installed the OCC. I have just over 2k since and have not used one drop of oil...used to use a quart about every 3k.

 

I already have a blaster wand, snorkel, media, & intake gaskets waiting for a free afternoon come spring! I wrote BMW service back during the engine campaign of the late 80's for intake valve deposits so I am well aquainted with the issue. Unfortunately it doesn't look like Mini will step up the same way since there is no good way to prevent redeposition in the future, so I am resigned to blast it myself. Looks like a relatively simple job.

I'll save next summer's "going out of warranty" battles for timing chain/tensioner issues as those are not nearly as easy or cheap a project to do on my own. Cold startup sounds like a UPS truck/diesel generator starting but it seems to run well & does quiet down to an arguably reasonable clatter once warmed up. I need to listen to other MCS of same vintage to gauge whether it is unusual or not.

 

I knew mine was bad when it sounded like a chain being dragged across the guide. Yes, the N14/N18 sounds ever so slightly diesel-like, but when it sounds harsh, ratchety, and terrible it is defective.