To whom it may concern. In the past 6 month's I have switched between 3 different oil brands and I wanted to share my experience with them.

Castrol full Syn 5w-30 - What Mini recommends and what I have been running in my car since I bought the car with 88,000 miles. Consumed about a quart of oil every 600 - 750 miles and from what I've read this is about normal.

Mobil 1 full Syn 5w - 30 - Wanted to give this a try since it was on sale at Costco and thought to myself that since it's the same weight and full synthetic then it should do the same job. Wrong.... It burned through a quart of oil within 450 miles.... Which is absolutely outrageous. Decided to keep topping it off with Mobil one until I hit 4,000 miles and have had it.

Liqui Moly full Syn 5w - 30 - One of the least mentioned brands (At least to me), harder to find and more expensive I decided to give it a try before switching back to Castrol. Let me tell you... When I opened up my hood to check my oil 500 miles later I had the biggest grin on my face. It didn't move at all and the oil was still a light brown color (Where the Mobil 1 was black). Since then I won't run anything else in my and am a strong believer in this oil.

I'm no rocket scientist but I think it's clear which oil I've had the best luck with. I'm sure others have had luck with different brands. Just my two sense! Hope it helps someone. Car currently has 110,000 miles on it

 

Some info on year and model may be helpful. N14's are known to consume oil at an alarming rate, sometimes. Others report different findings. I have a 2011 N18, and I see less than 1 quart loss between 5000 mile oil and filter changes. I use Mobil1 0w40 and MINI genuine filters. From initial purchase at 21k to my current 72k, I have never seen any appreciable loss of oil. No leaks, no real issues with oil being burned off either.

 

I've also used only Mobil 1 0W40 but with Mann filters since purchase of my 06 R50 ...I bought it with 26K on it and we've now got over 144K on it...It has never burned any oil and is always spot on when I check the stick. Oh..I change my oil every 7500 miles. I recently bought the Castrol full Syn 5w-30 just to see for my next oil change...due in a few thousand miles.

 

Fyi Castro syntec 5w30 doesn't meet BMWLL01. Their 0w30 and 0w40 do and I think 5w40 do. Also if the only requirement of oil was to keep it from getting consumed, just run the thickest weight you can find. I'd say oil sludge should work. :p

 

I have a 2011 MINI R60 s All4 (N18 engine) and I used Mini's Oil, Then Mobil Euro 0w/40 and since October 2016 Liqui Moly, 5w/30 Euro Full Synthetic and you can't pay me to run anything else. I also use Mini's Oil Filters.

The engine feels better, got better responsiveness, sounds less like a deisel engine and dropped my oil consumption from half (1/2) a quart every 600-800 miles to a quarter (1/4) quart every 1800-2200 miles (depending on how you drive and driving conditions). I am a very spirited driver, when I can, but I live in NYC so driving at 10-20mph in traffic is normal due to lots of people on the roads in NYC

I've also seen a bump of about 0.5 MPG on average as well even in the crappy traffic

At my last oil change (after 8,000 miles March 5 2017) it looked like the oil could of gone another 5,000 miles easily and with no stress.

Yes, the oil is a bit more costly than your readily available oil at your local Auto Part Store or your local Jiffy-Lube, LMC or where you get your oil change, but it is well worth the $$

AND, if this hasn't been said enough Stay away from Fram Oil Filters. ever since my Jeep I just avoid this like the plague in the middle of a leper colony

 

Good To Know
looks like an ebay order coming up!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LIQUI-MOLY-5...0AAOSwkNZUiNzI

 

GREAT and INFORMATIVE Thread!

I've been running the Mobil FullSyn 5w-30 as has been recommended by the Dealer and past mechanics, and I have to say, I'm not really impressed with it. I'm about 3K since my last change (Necessitated by replacing the oil pan seal and valve cover at the same time) and it is already pretty much black. I had expected it to stay in the honey range a bit longer even with the turbo cooking it everyday because I add about a quart of replacement every 550-600mi or say every tank and a half of gas. I have been thinking "that's just how it goes," but if the LiquiMoly is doing better than that at ALL, I'm game to try it out.

My Clubman is an '08 and was so abused and poorly maintained by the PO, that I'm planning on doing 3500mi oil changes for awhile until I feel like it's healthy again. I've replaced almost all of the typical N14 problem components since I got it last summer, so a little oil is pretty cheap insurance compared to the "what can go wrong" issues. If the LiquiMoly stands up longer then it is probably cheaper in the long run anyway because even the Mobil isn't free...

 

Thanks for the post. I only drive 5-7 thousand miles per year and have changed the oil in my N12 once a year since I bought the car new; the dealer used Castrol while under warrantee, I have used the Mobil1 Euro 0w/40 since then. The car was broken in gently. I now (at 55,000 miles) add about a quart every 2000 miles. The LIQUI MOLY 5W30 may be worth trying at my next oil change in April. I will report my findings here if I decide to use it.

 

To the enthusiasts of Liquid Moly 5w-30,
I am ready to try this oil and have found plenty of choices from Amazon and others (nothing local)... but... the choices are bewildering. There seems to be 3 or 4 different types of 5-30 alone and the descriptions all seem similar. Do I buy the expensive one ($55) or, how do I pick one?
I used their web site helper and typed in my car (R55 N12 Cooper) and got nine of their products to match up, including some of the 5w-40s)
My main concern is engine longevity and consumption, currently at about a quart every 900 miles. I'd likely still change it twice a year unless this really slowed down the consumption rate and looked good.
Anyone know which oil container is right for our R56, etc.?

 

The costco mobil 1 doesn't meet mini spec, so dont use it. I use royal purple 5-30, no problems.

 

Personally I used the 5w-30 4200 longlife (orange) along with there oil saver the first two oil changes since switching to Liquid Moly. Currently have a R56 with the N14 engine 110,000 miles.

 

Thanks for that tip, Sharmadaven. I'm going to order some from Amazon and try it for my next oil change.

Any advice on filters? I always let my independent garage pick one; I'm not even sure what they use.

 

Not meaning to step on any ones toes but how black your oil gets or how little your car uses, is not a definite sign of oil quality. I certainly don't know everything about oil but I know that its a complicated subject. Looking inside your engine and getting a oil test is really the only way to know. I built quite a few engines, not Mini engines, but a variety. One of my engines I have to rebuild every couple of years because of the hp and severe use. I've used different oils in that motor. The oil I use now turns dark some where in between others I've tried. But there is no doubt that with that oil it wears my internals less in that motor. Keep in mind that oil has to clean the surfaces of metal (bearings, etc.) and suspend the dirt which usually shows as black. Inversely, if the oil is not good it will break down and turn black. That's what makes it difficult to judge without oil testing and internal measurements.

 

Go with Mini's filters, I've also used Mobil's filters

 

personally never really put too much thought into the brand of oil filter🤔 I just tend to put in a Fram one since it's avalible

 

My oils:

Castrol Edge 5w30 (all year)
Motul 8100 X-cess 5w40 (preferred when oil change is done starting the winter)
Castrol Edge 5w40 (preferred when oil change is done starting the summer)

Always with MANN oil filter

 

Been through most oils out there on the three Mini's I've had. Best I've found so far is Liqui Moly 2332 Leichtlauf High Tech 5W-40. I paid $36 for a five liter jug on Amazon. Lowest oil consumption, least carbonizing and the engine is far quieter than with any other oil I've tried. I stick with Purflux oil filters. They're the OEM for BMW MINI branded filters.

 

looks like the 5w40 is one so disregard the first link and see this one


http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Liqui-Mo...1YymHM&vxp=mtr

 

your oil consumption is not normal, even bmw will start to replace things if it's over 1 quart per 1000 miles if it was still under warranty

I wonder if something was gummed up and changing oils to something with more detergents helped, looking at you mr valve cover

 

Just changed the oil to the Liqui- Moly5W-40 along with a clean out with EPR. Will report on the results


https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/engin.../#bg-product-3


https://kodiak-bgproductsinc1.netdna...4+12%3A26%3A13

 

I just love how people on this forum are so willing to take advice on the type of oil to use in their MINI from someone who uses anecdotal evidence of oil quality based on their own very specific oil color and extreme loss. Oh and he uses Fram oil Filters! SMFH

 

If you read above then you would see that I wrote "to whom it may concern". I've had better luck with this setup and wanted to share my experience. When you have actual evidence on why fram oil filters are bad then I would to hear it. In other words if you have nothing to add on besides calling others stupid then leave. Happy motoring

 

and no UOA going off color lol

 

In my R53, have seen similar oil consumption with the Castrol Edge and MINI Castrol Fully Syn.

Haven't had the opportunity to use the Liqui Moly yet. About 9 yrs ago, around 55K miles, I started using Amsoil 5w30 Full Syn. After switching, oil consumption was nil, engine runs quieter/smoother.

Now at 230K miles and running strong. Totally agree on OEM oil filters...for the 2nd gen style, it has a zig zag pattern providing 10% more filtering area. If you were to straighten out that OEM filter it would be longer..and if changed regularly, the filter material will not break down, pass through your oil system and clog up the micro screens of the solenoid valves. Seen most if not all the aftermarket oil filters do this = $$ Repairs.

 

When I change my oil next Ill be going with . It's only a bit more per qt than the 5 liter Liqui Moly and I've trusted their stuff for years. Further, I read this morning that Liqui Moly doesn't actually use MbSi2 in their oils anymore.