Hey all,

need help here, I had to add two quarts of oil before the 10k mark, and Mini won't see me until my service time, should I be concerned?

I check it at every fill up and so far so good.

Sorry if this has been covered before, also what would cause my mileage to go from about 28 hwy to 21.5 it seems like over night. No I have not hadthe recall although I live in CA. and am scheduled to have it done Jan 18th. That is how far my dealer is backed up.

Thoughts??

PS, what are the symptoms to the Cold Start Problem, I have read people have it, but what is it?

Thanks
Dennis

 

Are you sure it needed that much oil?? that doesn't sound good to me, but as long as your 100% sure you did not overfill it, you should be ok til your next visit. good luck

 

if you are checking your oil at every fill up you may be getting a wrong reading due to the fact that the oil is still flowing thru the heads and internal channels...best is to do it after the car is sitting for at least 10 min....just my .02

 

Our MCS has used 3/4 of a quart in the first 900 miles (not unusual during run-in).

Yes, make sure the oil is up to operating temperature and allow at least 5 minutes for it to drain back before you check it......otherwise you run the risk of over-filling (also bad).

Also, if you typically do lots of short runs, where the oil doesn't always reach operating temerature, then normal loss of oil may be partly compensated for by moisture build-up i.e. it might seem that the oil level is pretty static. Going for an extended long-distance drive, or driving aggressively e.g. on the track can cause the level to plummet as all the moisture is driven off.

If the car is run-in properly, then oil useage after the first 1000 miles or so should be pretty minimal.....personally, I think it's nigh-on-impossible to see the oil level on the dipstick; bad design or just my eyes ?

 

My MC has had to be topped up with about 1/2 a quart of oil after three oil changes and 35k miles.

 

The inability to start your car on the first try in the morning (starts fine on its second attempt)

 

I have trouble seeing my dip stick too, so I place the stick on a piece of paper towel, and take the reading from off the towel. At least this way I can see the oil!

 

These dip sticks are hard to read.

dconte007, make sure your on level ground, wait 10=15 min. before checking, record mileage between checks, use the above method for reading oil level, type of driving you do i.e. stop and go or open road see if you can determine how much oil you are using over the next 1,000 miles. See how many miles it goes to get half a quart low. Hold back on doing any Mods untill you get a handle on this so your warrenty can take over if a fix is required. This is not a common problem thats reported here.

 

The fact is that all cars use oil... period. They have to. If the oil control rings removed 100% of the oil from the cylinder walls, the cylinders would be unprotected. The oil that is left on the cylinder walls will be burned during the combustion process. The oil that is burned is replaced by contaminants; soot, water, ash, etc. That is why oil needs to be changed: to get rid of the contaminants and replenish the additives in the oil that get "used up". Oil does not "wear out". If you are lucky, the oil that is burned is replaced by contaminants at the same rate and your oil level will not appear to go down. But this is variable due to weather, driving conditions, oil condition, and driving habits. The general rule among most manufacturers is that oil consumption is not "abnormal" unless it exceeds one quart per 800 miles. That seems to be high, but that is the generaly accepted standard, and most manufacturers will not authorize any repairs unless your consumption exceeds this amount.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

Still pondering my mileage issue, and I don't appear to have the Cold Start problem, yo-yos when letting off the gas yes.

ALways count on the folks of this forum to provide feedback, thanks again.

dc

 

It is normal for gas mileage to drop as the weather gets colder. Have you had a cold snap in your area?
Also some areas require that fuel be "oxygenated" during the winter months. This fuel usually results in lower fuel economy as the computer senses the extra oxygen and interprets it to mean that the car is running too lean and so enriches the fuel mixture. Just one of the benefits of having legislators, who don't understand how the emission systems that they require actually work, deciding what additives should be put in fuel!

 

Two quarts does sound excessive to me. I'd make an appointment with the dealership. It should be covered under warranty.

 

Two quarts of oil used in 10K miles is not excessive by any standard I have ever seen. Below 1 qt/1000 miles is usually excessive for road driving (but not for racing).

In my experience (about 40 years of driving), most of the cars I've owned that have used oil at a rate between 1000 and 3000 miles per quart have had the strongest performance compared to their power rating.

As haskindmh stated above, ALL piston engine motors consume some oil!!!

 

DR,

It's a NEW MINI, not a vehicle with 75,000+ miles on it. If there is oil consumption to the tune of one quart for less than 5,000 miles on this new an engine, it is abnormal. I have not had to add oil ever between changes (I do so every 4,000 to 5,000 miles) and I drive my MCS pretty aggressively. This should be checked out it is not something that should be occuring with this new an engine.

p.s. dconte007 doesn't specify if he has an MCS or MC. If its a MCS, maybe the first thing to check is the intercooler, to see if there is an excessive amount of oil in it.

 

I have a MCS and picked it up in July.

now have over 11450 on it and the earliest I can see my dealer is Jan 18th well past the service mileage of the car.

dc

 

Your engine should not be using that much oil. Unless you're misreading the dipstick or something, I would think you have a problem.

 

To repeat my earlier statement "all engines use oil". The apparent consumption will rely on many, many factors; temperature, driving habits, humidity, altitude, and many more. So a blanket statement that a car should use a quart of oil in "X" miles just cannot be made. Most, if not all, manufacturers agree that oil consumption that does not exceed 800 to 1000 miles per quart is "normal" and no repairs should be attempted. In my humble opinion a car that did not appear to use a quart of oil in 5000 miles would be suspect. I would be concerned that a detrimental quantity of contaminants was collecting in the oil preventing the apparent oil level from dropping. That said, before checking the oil level, make sure that time is allowed for oil in the upper part of the engine to drain back into the pan. The most accurate way to check the oil level is to check it prior to starting the car in the morning. That way the oil will have had plenty of time to drain back. Overfilling the oil can be more detrimental than running the car a quart low.

 

I agree with Haskindmh...........I'd be more concerned if my car wasn't consuming any oil; especially when it's relatively new.

 

All of the former British cars I've owned leaked oil and would make your driveway look like an oil refinery. This is how Triumphs and MGs mark their territory, I'm told .

Have you checked to see if the car is leaking oil? Put a big piece of cardboard under the car at night and check it for stains in the morning. Your oil "comsumption" could be something as easy as a loose oil pan bolt.

Good luck, tell us what you find.