Dear lord . . .

Thanks for your opinion, but your characterization of this as a 'very simple oil change', notwithstanding my descriptions and pictures of the plumbing configuration in my car, which not a single responder has identified as similar to theirs, and which therefore appears to be extraordinary, indicates a continuing misunderstanding. And for that I'll accept responsibility.

Yeah, I'm new here, and new to MINI, but I've changed oil all my life, and know the difference between a tight fit and an obstruction. The picture angles are somewhat deceiving as I went from the bottom up. My cap is obstructed, and the hoses do not have much play. I'll muscle them to the point I think I'll do harm, and then back off and use thy lord's name in vain.

It is not, to me, beyond the realm of possibility that the same tech who overfilled my crankcase by more than 1/2 quart could have been the same one who routed the coolant system recall retrofit hoses directly in front of the cap in an effort to finish up before quittin' time.

I do - m'lord - appreciate your attempts to help, and your opinions, but please save the condescension for your kids. This ain't my first rodeo.

I'll drain the oil, attempt to remove the cap, and if I can't get it off, will spin it back on, re-torque, refill, and after another 5K miles take it to an 'expert' who is perhaps 'easily capable' of re-routing the hoses to proper spec so that future changes will indeed be very simple.

Thanks

 

Dear lord...

Your plumbing isn't any different than anyone else's. It looks like everything is in the same place as mine but for some reason yours looks even more open than mine. Yes, once it's fully unscrewed there is some finagling to get it around all of the hoses, but it WILL come out. I actually had a harder time getting it back on that I did getting it off. It's just at a weird angle but it's really not as hard as you're making it seem. Everyone's frustration with you is your insistence that your car is different. It's not. Just get out of your head, get into the car, and get it done.

 

That's where I'm coming from. I even find there is little room to position a wrag around and underneath the filter housing to catch the little bit of oil that will come out of the filter when you pull the oil cap upwards toward you, it's a one hand operation to position the wrag.

There is no aditude with me, I'm only trying to help you and if I see that it's really starting to frustrate you before you even attempt it, of course I'm going to suggest that you not do it and have someone else do it.

You act like your Mini is the only one that has a small, tight amount of room to perform an oil change, join the club. That's about all that can be said, enough said and good luck.

 

This is precise and what I've been hoping to hear - thanks.

OK - I misinterpreted. I do appreciate the help.

 

Hope you find it possible when you try. This car is the easiest oil change I've done because if you draw oil out the dipstick tube you don't have to go under the car for the filter. You can change oil in a parking space with no jack, mess, or worry about replacing a crush washer. That has been my experience. Good luck.

 

I'm going to use my extractor next time as well. I have a Pela 6000 and it rocks!

 

With our dealer being 50 miles away I just started to do the oil changes.

The first time can be intimidating with the lack of space.
Once you have done it a couple times, it's not hard to do and you know what to expect.

Just take your time.

 

Thanks!

 

Shove the stuff out of the way, get the filter housing seated, rotate in reverse to catch the threads, torque it on. The filter is sort of obstructed, but you can go in on an angle just fine.

 

So did you change your oil yet?

 

Ha, thanks for asking!

Yep, oil has indeed been changed, and will be changed every 5K miles on this car - AT THE DEALER!!. After I moved things around and busted my knuckles for a half hour or so I realized that the dealer's $69.99 special was quite the bargain, so I put it all back together and "point, click and shooted" my way to a first-call appointment. I'm neither a glutton for punishment nor a martyr to the cause.

I've changed the oil in 20 different cars over the years, from above and below. This one just ain't worth my time and trouble, and if something's going to break from bending and twisting, that too ain't worth my time and trouble.
70 bones every few months isn't gonna kill me.

So I drank their coffee, used their internet, and 'shot the *****' with the sales and service guys for 45 minutes before going to work. They also documented the brake component thicknesses, tire wear, etc. and did a pretty thorough inspection of the car to boot.

Clean hands, pride still intact.

But consistent with my non-martyr aspirations, I did indeed spring for the Craven dipstick.

 

I gritted out three oil changes on our R53 before realizing our local independent shop would do the deed for $60.00. This includes an inspection and test drive by the shop owner. Is it worth the miniscule additonal cost for such great service? Indeed it is! It only costs 10% more to go first class.

 

Hey, at least you gave it a shot. I'm guessing you haven't had to use 'service mode' yet? I haven't either but that goes to show you how cramped the engine compartment is. Next up for me is changing that plastic water pump out before it leaves me stranded somewhere. Thanks BMW!

 

I use an oil extractor. Easiest car I've ever done a oil change on.

 

I

 

I used to do the R56 changes my self on my 2007 and 2009. But on my 2011 (N18) I hand it off to the dealer for their $69 special. On the N18 the hose that attaches to the overflow resevoir is not flexible. So to get to it it needs to be drained and removed.

 

That is interesting. I haven't seen this in person but I find it odd that MINI would engineer the car to require the expansion tank to be removed drained and re-installed for an oil change.

Does you bill reflect a charge for this or show how much coolant was replaced?

Or do they absorb it in the price of the change?

The goal of the service Dept is to turn over riders as quickly as possible. This would definitely slow them down.

 

Flyinace2000, I feel your pain. The coolant reservoir doesn't move quite far enough out of the way without a few drips of coolant coming from the hose on the bottom of the reservoir. I am just used to that happening by now. Never more than a few drips, and so far (knocks wood), no leaks upon re-mounting of the coolant reservoir.

 

don't know how many dealers use them, but topside oil change systems are pretty fast and painless. Probably saves them on time and labor.

 

Topside units won't take care of swapping the filter. Still have to get to that cap. I have thought of trying one of those so I wouldn't have to crawl under the car.

 

Well since this topic has come up again, I'd like to gauge interest in a solution to this problem. I'll admit filter changes aren't the most enjoyable thing on the Gen2 cars - mine included. So I developed a filter relocation set-up for my car. It puts a spin-on oil filter on the drivers side frame with super easy access. Once you're under the car to drain the pan, it takes another 30 seconds to spin off the old filter and thread on a new one. The parts take an hour or so to install but can be done by anyone with a moderate amount of mechanical aptitude. Cost would be around $400, but it doesn't take too many $70 oil changes to realize a payback. PM me if you'd be interested and I'll look into making more.

 

^Ok, that is a pretty cool solution. Also, choice garage.

I've watched this thread develop and (not counting N18, with which I have no experience), I just don't understand the issue, either with filter removal or dipstick reading.

I've done a good 10 oil changes on an R56S and Justa, and it takes about one minute longer than on any other car (and many cars are far more annoying).

On the S, I trained my mother (her car) to fill the oil all the time, so she was an expert at reading oil level, and on the Justa the dipstick is easy to read (and so far has consumed barely any oil over 20k miles).

I'm no ASE Master, but I'm used to working on complicated used German cars where you have to remove 10 things to replace one item. Maybe that's the difference, I'm already a masochist and most Mini owners DIYing oil changes haven't embraced this yet

 

Looks like a really well made thought out solution. I'd however be more inclined on my car to want a quick disconnect coolant overflow tank. That would be my desire, then I could stay above the car, as I'm too old and achy to be crawling underneath.

 

I am not a big fan of topside oil services. On a boat, or something like that, I get it. But I like to get as much crap out as I can. The only way to do this (in my opinion) is to warm the engine up to operating temp, putting all the nasty stuff in solution/suspension, and dropping the oil out the bottom, through the drain plug hole while still HOT. Plus, I have a neodymium magnet superglued to the inside of my oil pan drain plug that catches any magnetic engine debris, which should be very minimal. If I see a bunch of metal shavings on that magnet, I will know right away that something seriously wrong is happening in my engine.

 

papawhiskey---GREAT solution! Makes an oil and filter change a walk in the park! I honestly hope you can sell many of these relocation kits. I think it may actually help oil cooling as well. As long as that spin-on is located far enough away from potential road-debris damage, this is a winning idea!