I'm going to change my oil this weekend and was wondering about the oil filter. My dealer is 100 miles away so it's out of the question to drop by there and get an oil filter. Advanced Auto has an oil filter for the MINI so I was wondering if it should be just as good as the OEM filter. I don't know the brand name.

This may be a dumb question but I would like to know as this will also be my first time changing the oil myself.

 

Purlator Pure One oil filters are the only filters out there that meet and beat the quality of OEM oil filters. If you are still on your 36k main. go ahead with a cheaper filter, it will be changed out when you get your next service done.

 

Thank you. I just found on their website that it is the Purolator. Part number L15465.

 

FYI,
I did my own oil change and had a problem getting the paper cartrige to seat far enough on the engine block boss and I couldn't catch the first threads on the spin-on housing. I had to push the cartrige on first then thread on the cover housing. If you have the same problem this way might save some cross threads and grief. Good luck.

 

RSpeed has oil filter and oil kit. I've used it.
http://www.rspeed.net/mini/item.asp?...p;prod=M70-001

 

Don't get the purolator. Someone posted here (months ago) that they had one collapse on them.

I'd mail-order a half-dozen or so if I were you, and just have them on-hand when you need them.

Jeff

 

The oil filter that I just picked up at the Mini dealer was only $7.50, buy a bundle of them and you won't have to face this problem again. No more quessing about the quality of other brands too.

 

>>I'm going to change my oil this weekend and was wondering about the oil filter.

Classic Auto campus is another good source of MINI oil filters and they offer a discount.

Don't forget to review the DIY instructions on the oil filter change:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...amp;file=index

Have fun.

 

Regarding the oil change procedure. Here is my question. I know it sounds stupid, but the DIY oil change never says, is it the front or rear wheels that go up on the ramps?

 

>>Regarding the oil change procedure. Here is my question. I know it sounds stupid, but the DIY oil change never says, is it the front or rear wheels that go up on the ramps?


It's the front.
:smile:


R.E.

 

Raise the front end.

As for filters, I got 4 off of Ebay for $19.

 

Great point. Order from them - they'll ship 'em to you. Order a lot.

 

>>>>Regarding the oil change procedure. Here is my question. I know it sounds stupid, but the DIY oil change never says, is it the front or rear wheels that go up on the ramps?
>>
>>
>>It's the front.
>> :smile:
>>
>>
>>R.E.

Why are you being mean to the man. It is a well known fact that for rear wheel drive cars you raise the front of the car, and for front wheel drive cars, it is exactly the opposite. I don't understand why you would want to make someone work twice as hard.......

 

I'm in a similar situation, about 200 miles from the dealer. I ordered a couple of filters through Classic. They took my credit card # and shipped them to me, no problem.

I might be taking on this project this weekend, if I can fit it in.

 

Anyone tried one of those cans with a bicycle pump where you change the oil top side? Just wondering if they work well and how come I don't see/hear people talking about them.

 

>>Anyone tried one of those cans with a bicycle pump where you change the oil top side? Just wondering if they work well and how come I don't see/hear people talking about them.

Dirty oil has solids dispersed in it. Gravity pulls them down to the bottom of the pan, when u use one of these pumps, you are basically leaving all the bad stuff inside the engine. Best way to drain oil is when it is hot, and it needs to be drained, not pumped out. Messy but it is the only way. Now if madam treasurer would just let me buy that lift the nice site sponsor has for sale, i would not have to grovel all over the floor to get at my various filters.....I have given up on the Probe, it goes to Jiffy Lube.....the F-350 is a bear but fun..... :smile:

 

Some motors are designed to be sucked out. All Benz motors and virtually all other motors can be vacuumed better than drained because of the drain thread bosses. Try it both ways, I did, and vacuuming wins. But I agree with warm oil. The real trick is whether the engine builder extended the dip stick guide tube to nearly the bottom of the oil sump. Benz and others do. Many don't. I have a Tacoma race truck that has a short tube. Then the bloody vacuuming tube wants to coil up rather than making intimate contact with the bottom of the sump. Tube tips are cut at an angle to help this process.

 

Another top-side oil change fan here! I've been using a top-side system for the last four years on my BMWs and now I will use it on my MINI.

With the BMWs, I was actuall able to extract more oil (again, when oil was warm/hot) on a consistent basis using the top-side systems than using the gravity drain technique. Don't quite know whats up with that. Perhaps with the gravity drain and just the front end elevated, some oil is "caught" by the tilt? It might be interesting to compare the quantity of oil extracted from a gravity drain on a lift versus just the front end elevated.

I have yet to do a similar top-side/gravity drain comparison on the MINI. However, I did record the oil level and amount of oil extracted when I did my first (and only) oil change at 2000 miles. I used the front-elevated gravity drain technique for that one.

FWIW,
Theo

 

>>>>>>Regarding the oil change procedure. Here is my question. I know it sounds stupid, but the DIY oil change never says, is it the front or rear wheels that go up on the ramps?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>It's the front.
>>>> :smile:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>R.E.
>>
>>Why are you being mean to the man. It is a well known fact that for rear wheel drive cars you raise the front of the car, and for front wheel drive cars, it is exactly the opposite. I don't understand why you would want to make someone work twice as hard.......
_____________________

You can't be serious about this. Have you tried doing it with the rear of the MINI up a ramp? With the FRONT wheels up on the ramp you are safer because only a small portion of your body is under the car and besides the oil drain plug is near up front anyway.

 

so...where can you get one of these top-end-vacuum-oil-changer thingies?

and how much?

 

http://www.bmw325i.net/maint_oil_extractor.shtml

There are other ones other than the one from Griot's Garage...do a search for 'oil extractor' in Google...or check out marine shops...that's how they do it for boat engines.

 

Just thought I would add this for future reference.

What happens to a Purolator on an "S"Oil Crush

 

>>>>>>>>Regarding the oil change procedure. Here is my question. I know it sounds stupid, but the DIY oil change never says, is it the front or rear wheels that go up on the ramps?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>It's the front.
>>>>>> :smile:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>R.E.
>>>>
>>>>Why are you being mean to the man. It is a well known fact that for rear wheel drive cars you raise the front of the car, and for front wheel drive cars, it is exactly the opposite. I don't understand why you would want to make someone work twice as hard.......
>>_____________________
>>
>>You can't be serious about this. Have you tried doing it with the rear of the MINI up a ramp? With the FRONT wheels up on the ramp you are safer because only a small portion of your body is under the car and besides the oil drain plug is near up front anyway.
>>
>>
>>
HHmmmmm......