I have a 2013 N16 (non S) that made a lot of noise that I thought may have been they early signs of a timing chain issues. I posted here and inspected the chain/guides and didn’t see any issues but installed an updated tensioner while in there. The belt, water pump pulley, tensioner and that friction wheel (an engineering abomination) were also replaced.

I bought the vehicle with 98kkm and now I’m at 121kkm. The “ticking” was always there until I did some research on oil additives - wanted to try the liqui molly but it wasn’t available locally. I ended up trying the Risoline ans was shocked with the results. To be clear - I never researched additives before as I felt they were marketing hype (no way any add over could resolve a mechanical issue).

I did rev the engine at 3000rpm for 2 minutes and took a 30 minute high speed run on the highway after adding it.

The lifter tapping sound is GONE. Even the next day starting it cold - the sound is gone.

All this time I’ve been thing I had a timing chain issue....


I’ll be adding this with every oil change going forward...my try Liqui molly if I can find it.

 

Hi 2cati, Did you add the whole bottle with the Mobil 1 ? ( if that's the synthetic oil that you use) I use Lucas in a lot of my vehicles. I might give the rislone a try ....John

 

I use the liquid moly one every oil change and haven't notice a difference in lifter noise.
Definitely going to try this one this afternoon (I'm 2k from an oil change, so.. shall let this sit in there a while)

 

I thought I replied - I guess I never finished posting it! - Yes I used the whole bottle - again I can’t stress how much of a sceptic I was however I did see some youtube videos were it made a huge difference and others where there wasn’t any difference.

Hopefully it works for you guys as well - it Is a really inexpensive thing to add every oil change for me. I’m a believer.

 

Im going to Liqui Moly route myself. I did email them about my oil burning and the drop or 2 of oil, if she sits and hasnt been driven for awhile. One of the engineers from Germany emailed me back, i expected some sales guy. They suggested the engine flush, which i was going to do, their 5w-40, motor oil saver, and jectron in the gas. I know this is a lot, but i think at 153,000 miles it might be time for the flush, you can see the build up on the springs through the oil cap, and 3k on the oil its getting dark quicker. There is over 500 miles of hard driving in there, MSSD, so im sure that has something to do with it. My car runs great, just trying to keep it that way. And yes i can get back or start a thread on it when i do it, looking like i wont have any rain wednesday or thursday.

 

What liqui-moly additives would be recomended? I know there's a few, and I think I can get my hands on them. Mines always been rather noisy, but for me it's the oil consumption. 140,000+ miles on the odometer. Not suprised at heigher oil consumption, but mine chugs it like it's going out of fashion sometimes. I just got the oil changed, hopefully that'll resolve some of the consumption. Got it changed at an independent shop near my home, as I'm a bit wary of dealers after one almost destroyed my car, seemingly on purpose to bring in more money. Long story short, I've had better experiences at this local spot than the dealer, the dealer has since gone out, and Motor City MINI is a bit of a drive away, anyways. I digress though.

TL;DR: What liqui-moly additives would be best for oil consumption and/or high mileage MINIs?

 

Ok sorry I didn’t get back on this. So I did the flush, followed their instructions and let everything drain out, I had nothing dripping at all when I put the plug back in. Used mini oil filter, liqui moly 5w-40 and motor oil saver. Car ran smoother and oil was hard to check on dip stick up to about 1500 miles. This will be what I’m doing every 10k on my n14. The 5k in between will be just and oil and filter change, using liqui moly 5w-40. Feel free to email liqui moly, they will get back to you within a day or so, was only a few hours for me. I also changed my fuel filter and plugs and that seemed to knock her down a few db’s as well. She wasn’t running rough, just prevented maintenance, is it spring time yet?

 

Ah gotcha. I'll be sure to look into it.

I wish it was spring, I just wanna open the moonroof and windows. Mainly so I can do the mini wave easier. And so I can keep my car washed and cleaned. Mines had a rough life before we got it. Side swipe, got rebuilt, bought it on a salvage title. We put more into it than we bought it for, but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. It also got my dad to get an R59 S Roadster. 2 minis side by side in the garage is a beautiful sight.

I'll be sure to try contacting liqui-moly. Hopefully I can corral a few more horses back into the engine too with some additives.

 

I went to their website did some hunting around then hit the contact us and asked away. Just tell them everything you can about your mini and they will help. I think the engineer that emailed me back stated that he had a mini as well.

 

I started use the Liqui Moly engine flush and their Leichtlauf High Tech Engine Oil in a 2002 BMW 330i to combat stuck piston rings about eight months ago. (Carbon buildup on the piston rings is a common issue on the BMW M54 engines.) The stuff is amazing and has cut my oil consumption in half. Liqui Moly makes good products. I had only used AMSOIL European formula synthetic in the engine before Liqui Moly, so it wasn't like I was using cheap oil.

I just picked up a 2012 R56 and will be trying the Liqui Moly products in it as well. I'll post back to this thread when I do.

-Jeff

 

Did you change your oil after 100 miles and if so, was the lifter noise still minimized?
Thanks