I have an 2011 mini cooper countryman S. I have noticed that after 4 months that my oil levels had dropped and I was getting the check oil light. I have no oil leaks that I can find under the hood and nothing on the ground when I park it. During my last two hour trip, oil shot out from the cap, and when I stopped there was a white smoke that was coming out. Any ideas

 

How many kms/miles since your last oil change? I'm just a newbie here, but I think the response will be that you need to change the oil more frequently than MINI recommends, especially if driven hard or for short distances regularly.

2009 MC CR/B Automatic

 

+1 what kurtsunn said. Most change their oil every 5K. DO NOT ever take it to a quick lube type shop. Find a reliable BMW/MINI independent shop in your area, other MINI people or a local MINI club can direct you. Besides changing the oil for you, he'll notice other little things you should be aware of. These cars are not drive 'em and forget 'em appliances. You should be checking all your fluid levels an a regular basis. Proactive is the operative word.

 

What do you mean "oil shot out from the cap"? Under what circumstances? Do you mean the crankcase was pressurized?

 

Welcome to the forum

and don't just look for drips, when cold, wipe a scott towel around the heads and block. some times the oil is clear enough you might not notice it.

 

Since you have the infamous Prince engine you should be checking oil regularly as stated above, I recommend once every other fill up or once or twice a month depending on how hard you drive etc. These engines do use up oil, some faster than others. When you say shot out from the cap, did you open the oil filler cap when the engine was running? If so don't do that and if oil is coming out while the cap is fastened I'd buy a new cap. Also, look along the bottom/base in the front of your valve cover, that's likely the first place for an oil leak to start if you have a possible leak.