If you would have trouble removing it, someone else might tio. Problem is, shops are going to be in a hurry to get it done and may damage something. I only trust myself to do an oil change. However if your filter canister is that hard to access, and you don't want to do it yourself, the only safe place to take it is the dealership or a mini specialist. As everyone else said, only use oem filters.

 

I bought my mini at 25K miles and last weekend did my first oil service on it.

I used my Bavarian Autosport extractor and then pulled the drain plug - about 1 teaspoon of oil dripped out the drain, so next time I'll only go with the topside extractor only.

 

I'm in this camp. I have no interest in sucking oil out the top of the engine, I want to warm it up, drop that pan plug and see what's coming out. I feel much more confident that I'm getting everything out of the oil pan, and if there are loose pieces of anything, I want to see them. In changing oil on a lot of cars since 1968 (48 years) I haven't been surprised by debris often, but it has occurred.

I do like the idea of relocating the oil filter and making it a spin-on. Not hard to do, and it sure makes life less complex afterwards.

And BTW - I've never seen an engine that was in danger with a half-quart overfill. Grossly overfilling isn't good because of potential for contact with the crankshaft and whipping up the oil, but I haven't seen a car without room for a few ounces of extra oil.

 

I've heard that with our cars, it's better to be slightly overfilled than to run the risk of the oil going low.

I'm wondering how often the filter should be changed for those that use the Top-sider extractor--every other oil change? What do you guys do about the filter?

 

My level is at the top bump, and will keep it there if it needs topping up between oil changes.
What's your reasoning that the filter change interval would be different for those using extractors?

I'll be changing oil and filter between 4 and 5K miles.

 

The filter is accessible from the top. That's why the extractor is so handy, no need to jack the car up and deal with a drain pan mess. And even if you drain the oil from the pan you would never get all the oil out anyways. You will still have oil in the turbo and all the lines. I change every 4-5000 miles with Mobile 1 0W-40 European Formula.

 

For 40+ years I have changed filters at least as often as oil. On some cars where I have gone more than 10k miles on oil, I have changed filters at 5k intervals: 2 filters per extended oil change.

 

In reading some of the posts above, I got the impression that some of those who were using the top-sider weren't changing the filter every time--I might have misread the posts, but that's what it seemed like they were saying.

 

I hope not. Big mistake.

 

The OP was concerned with removing the filter. How the oil was to be drained was not the issue. If he couldn't get the filter out he was contemplating changing the oil every 5k and taking it to the dealer every 15k to change the filter. He takes it to the dealer for changes and lets them deal with everything.

I run the car a minute, to warm/circulate the oil, then draw it out the dipstick tube. While it's going I rotate the tires. I then slightly loosen the filter cap so the oil drains into the pan from the filter housing. This gets sucked out the dipstick tube so that there is no mess when I unscrew the cap and remove it from the engine bay. Replace filter and o-ring and screw it back on to torque spec. Add 5 quarts of royal purple, close everything up, and run engine for a minute checking for leaks. Repeat every 5-6k miles.

 

Here is an article for those wishing to change the oil on their R50/52/53 Cooper or Cooper S models.

http://new.minimania.com/Oil_Change_...-53_Cooper___S

Here's how to reset the Oil Service Reminder.

http://new.minimania.com/Oil_Service...___02_06_MINIs

 

Can someone verify whether the oil filter housing socket is 27mm or 32mm? I'm seeing conflicting info.

 

I use a 1 1/16" socket on my 2010 Cooper S

 

I use a 27mm

 

Amen! After figuring the cost...I also decided to stop by my local dealer and let them do mine also. Free coffee, pastries don't hurt either!!

 

I would do it at the dealer, but the closest one is almost two hours away!

BTW, thanks to DneprDave and MiniSean for the clarification on the socket size.

 

Changed my oil in my 2013 for the first time last weekend. It was tough; the turbo coolant hose was in the way but it can be moved enough to slide the oil filter housing out. Putting the housing back in was nearly as tough but it's possible.

 

It is a little tighter in the N18 engine, than the N14 engine.( I have both)
In an N14 it comes straight out. In the N18 you kind of have to wiggle it around and tilt it at an angle to clear that one coolant hose mount. (The transmission shift arm get's in the way also.)
Do you find that the coolant reservoir leaks, not matter how you try to position it? It doesn't leak on my N14, MCS, when I move it out of the way, but on the N18, JCW, it does.



I like the MightyVac concept, and we do use them at work for another process, but it's still pretty easy to lift the car up and let gravity do the work.. I rotate tires at the same time I do oil changes, so for me, the car is already up in the air anyway.
I do my oil changes at ~5K intervals. I never bought into the condition based maintenance oil change concept, especially on a turbo charged car. Turbo's are hard on oil.

The closest dealer to me is 35 miles, not bad, but still too far to drive just to have oil changed.

 

I noticed the transmission shift arm was in the way too. I didn't know what it was and had to ask here. It took me a while to figure out that it could be moved.

I didn't notice my coolant reservoir leaking when I moved it.

 

Let's resurrect a 7 year old thread...

Decided I'd change "Barry's" oil myself and bought some of that fancy dyed Liquid Moly from our sponsors along with a Mishimoto magnetic drain plug and the Hengst filter. Checked out some videos to be sure I knew what to expect.

Barry is a N18 and, yes, removing the filter cover is more difficult than the N14 because that coolant hose is in the way. I moved the reservoir up towards the turbo and took the side return hose off the top to help locating it. I found holding the coolant reservoir from underneath in my left hand made unscrewing the filter housing easier. I also discovered that the shift linkages move(!) and getting them over to the right is essential. I did freak a bit when moving the reservoir when a bit of coolant leaked out the bottom connection but others have noted that too. Gentle application of force and positioning the return line so it doesn't keep puking coolant everywhere is the trick.

I was expecting an 8mm hex for the drain plug, nope it's a T50, nope only have a T40 in the box, so off to Harbor Freight. Had the previous oil change done by a local mechanic and I suspect he applied a lot more than 22ft.lb tightening it.

Question: How much of the old oil is left behind? My order of attack was remove cap, take off drain plug, fight the filter. There was probably 30 minutes or so for the warmed oil to drain but there was still some dripping from the oil pan when I put the Mashimoto in. Hey ECS, it would be helpful to note in the listing that the Mashimoto head is a 24mm so I could have gotten a 24mm socket while at HF. I used a ring spanner to tighten it, but may go back and torque it properly when I acquire a 24mm.

Another question: Is that a crush washer on the Mashimoto plug?

The cursed dipstick. I have the Cravenspeed, having got so frustrated trying to read the original. The Cravenspeed is still too ambiguous for my liking. My Honda Pilot is a piece of cake in comparison, pull dipstick, wipe end, reinsert, pull out and get a clear reading. I've seen all the threads on the various ways to read the dipstick too. I believe, after adding about 3.7 liters of the new green stuff, that I am about 6/10 on the dipstick so could add a bit more. I don't want to overfill.

Oh and my new T50 is still firmly stuck in the old drain plug...

Current price for an oil change at my local place is now about $120 for synthetic (supposedly). The old filter I pulled was a no name, made in China brand. I used to think that it wasn't worth the aggravation to do this myself, but having gone through the procedure once it will be easier next time.

I suspect there's some weeping from the crank seal so we'll see if the green stuff shows up there in due course

cheers
MacMini34

 

One thing to note about moving the reservoir: Eventually the plastic T fitting will crack from the bottom where you can't see and the resulting coolant leak will leave you stranded somewhere. People have replaced it with a copper piece and ECS sells a kit. Forum thread linky My car is a 2012 so I know I'm on borrowed time at this point.
I think if you change your oil every 5k mi/8k km any old oil shouldn't be a problem. If you are tuned it is recommended to change every 3-5k mi/5-8k km as the engine runs real rich at higher boost. EDIT: found this post a bit further up this thread: how much oil is left after sucking (TLDR: ~1 tsp after topside extraction)
From the website the washer appears to be a reusable Dowty oil seal
I'd refill at least 4 liters of oil but even that might be slightly under. I put 5 qt/4.7 liters every oil change for 75k miles and haven't had a problem
I haven't touched my drain plug since the last free dealer oil change since I suck it out the top. Not having to go under the car for oil changes is so nice IMHO.

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