A month ago I was driving the car and it sounded like a lawn mower (e.g. rattling engine). I checked the oil and it looked fine (I have always hated the oil dip stick - insanely hard to read IMO). Concerned I brought it into the dealer to check it out. Turns out it was down 3 quarts of oil!

They couldn't see an obvious sources of leaks so they did an oil change and it purred like a kitten again. We decided to wait and see. 1 month and 1K miles later I had to add a quart of oil to it. The rattle sounding engine has started to return (not as loud) so I brought it in and they still cant find a problem (no obvious leaks). They did a compression test and it is fine. They said they could open the engine and continue to look but were concerned about what they might find/what it could lead to. To save me some money on the whole thing (they are $135/hour) they suggested I take it to a local MINI shop they know to do the work that has a more reasonable per hour rate.

I only planned on keeping the car to 100K miles so maybe another year or so, so not sure if its worth sinking lots of money into it. I plan on taking it to the MINI shop this week, but wondered if people have had this issue with other MCS's... I wonder if I killed it driving it oil starved. I love the car (its more like a member of the family than a car) and it has been great so I am really not pleased. Any help would be great.

 

If there's no oil on the ground, there's no leak. Some cars burn oil. Check it every 500 miles (~ every other fillup) and fill as needed.

 

What year mini?!
Some do burnoil....others have leaks that result it itgetting blown back, and no real drips...looking under the car can give you a clue if it is oily, or just burning it.
Sounds like you need to learn how to read a dipstick better...pull it out, wipe it off, stick itin, wait a few seconds, pull it out, and read it....
could have been, still might have been a very $$ mistake....

 

Don't ignore the signs! Mine ran dry 4,000 miles after an oil change and the knocking was a spun rod bearing. The knocking got worse even with the correct oil level. I had to replace the engine. Keep a close eye on the oil level. If your low oil pressure light comes on or hear knocking, turn off the car immediately!