When, approximately are you supposed to have your first oil change?. Ron

 

10,000 miles

 

Thanks Tollag, very quick!

 

I have no life at the moment, so i spend much time browsing the web, and considering this is my home page, i come across posts frequently

 

Ok.. first off.....I am ~in~ love...........I just got ~tasha~ yesterday... siler/black combo standard Cooper...Sport pack , premium pack , sport suspension, leather seats.....

oh what a car.....but as I have thought and said elsewhere.........I feel like ~vincent~ in "the color of money" when he gets the balabuska sitck.......... I just passed the first 100 miles.. in which I was told to keep it under 2500 rpm and to not just stay at one rpm so the valves dont wear in a spot........all reved up inside.... but having to baby my BABY...

now on to the oil change.......

I understand all the worth of expertise the BMW corp has... but 10,000 freaking miles till the first oil change............anyone else have a reservation here...... how about like 3000 for the first one......

thoughts?

SW

 

Here's the thing... With the mini, you should only use synthetic oil... Synthetic oil is cleaner at the 3000 mile mark than fresh non-synthetic oils... "If it aint' broke, don't fix it..."

 

My BMW 323i went past 15,000 before it told me to change the oil. This isn't just synthetic oil this is super duper slippery sh**!

 

The car is preprogramed to tell you at every 15k that it needs an oil change. This does not mean that it is right. I do agree that synthetic oils are much better and therefore don't need to be changed as often. However I will probably be changing my oil at least every 7500 miles.
My Honda Prelude has an indicator for every 7500 to get an oil change..... I still get it done every 3k. With the power I have in my lude and the regularity that I play with it..... I wouldn't dare wait for 7500. Your asking for problems if you do.

IMO I wouldn't trust the computer that much. I would base your oil changes by how you drive your car, the conditions it lives in, and how it responds to your driving.
SW

 

In My Opinion

Letting any engine, on any oil, go 10k before changing oil, especially the first one, in just plain crazy. The post-break-in oil change is very important due to all the metal that will be in it.

There was a guy on the MINI2 forum who had his first changed oil analyzed and it showed that, according to certain characteristics, it was about 50% shot already @ 2,500. The trace metal content was also abnomally high.

I had our MCS's done @ 3,300 at the dealer when I had them looking at the "cold start problem". It was less than $50. When I was talking to the service manager he seemed to feel that 10k was too long as well. I think it's primarily an accounting issue since they're paying for all "scheduled" service.

My plan will be the same as always - post-break-in oil change, then every 3k.

Cheers

 

I agree with sasha on this one.....
The first oil change should be done within the first 3k.
Personally with my own cars (all standard oil) in the past I've always had my first oil change at around 1k-1.5k. Generally right after the break in period. After that I would give the car another 250-500 miles of breakin type driving. Of the 5 cars I've had and broken in this way, Not one has been to the shop for more than an oil change. Course they were all Hondas too.
IMO If you treat your MINI good early it will treat you good down the road.
SW

 

I just pass 3000 m and have an appointment next week for my first oil change...
I had a Grand cherokee limited for my other propouses, since new i put synthetic oil every 3000 m, with duralube every 9k; the last check of the truck at the dealer show a perfect engine and all the mechanics were amazed, now just pased the 110k and still run like new.
If you have the extra 50 60 bucks why not to invested in an oil change, it will be a long term investment.

 

Well, I have just got off the phone with two Mini service outfits in my area. One of them is 14 miles away. They want $100:00 to change the oil. The other is 60 miles away, and they want $75:00. So with the gas and time etc., I guess the closest one is the cheapest, or, should I say, the least expensive. They both said that you don't need an oil change until 15,000 miles. I asked them if the oil they used was over $100:00 a gallon, they both snickered a bit. What oil should I buy if I want to do it myself? Ron.

 

Wow, your dealers want a lot for an oil change. I was expecting the same and was astonished ours wanted less than $50. Their retail price for "Mini Synthetic Oil", which is repackaged Castrol Syntech 5/30, was only $3.99. This was also surpising, since Schucks wants $4.89 for Syntech. I think, for the next change, I will get my next filter and oil from them and do it myself.

Cheers :smile:

 

Hi Ron;
My Cooper S has about 2600 miles on it, the Mini Dealer I purchased it from never said it had breakin oil in it, but I'm changing mine the first time at 3000 and using Mobil 1 Oil.
Mark

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Just a note Castrol Syntec is not really synthetic oil. It is highly refined petroleum oil that has some synthetic qualities but it not a real synthetic. I have used Amsoil in both my cars and never had a problem with it. They recomend that you change their special Amsoil filter at about 12,000 miles or one year and then after another 12,000 miles you change the filter and the oil.

When using this program the oil should be sampled and analyzed and the drain interval adjusted accordinly. I change the oil in my car at about 10,000 straight up because the car has about 120,000 miles on it but I have never had a problem with it.


The way those oil change lights work is based on a computer program. They don't have sensor to test the oil in the engine. The program estimates when the oil should be changed using a mathmatic formula that factors in several variables. The variables are time at speed, temp, RPM, driving style, time at idle, time at redline etc. The program is fairly advanced but it is not nearly as accurate as having the oil sampled and analyzed. The program is also limited in that it assumes you always use the type of oil that is programed into the system. If you change the oil you use then it is no longer accurate.

My shop charges about 55 dollars for an oil change using the Amsoil oil and an ordinary filter thats good for 7500 miles. Using the Amsoil filter increases the price to between 63-66 dollars depending on the type of car. 75 dollars is outrageous even considering the increased cost of labor at a dealership since castrol oil is much less costly then the Amsoil. We sell the amsoil at about 5 dollars a quart to customers.

 

Castrol isn't real synthetic? I thought it was, and Castrol Blend was the half-and-half stuff. Maybe I'm wrong; I don't know too much about this subject anyway.

I'm thinking of changing my oil every 5k miles, using Castrol or Mobil1 synthetic.

 

Mobil1 took Castrol to court sometime ago trying to force them to remove the synthetic reference from their oil. The problem is that the definition of a synthetic is much too broad and the court ended up throwing out the case. The castrol oil does have some synthetic qualities, higher film strength and reduced coefficent of friction then conventional oil, but it does not have these qualities at the level that a true synthetic does.

I used to have some of the hardcopy info on this I will see if I still do. If not I will ask my friend where some of the info is archived on the web.

 

Just recently changed the oil and filter (4k miles) in my MINI. MINI recommends Castrol (says so on the valve cover). Either Castrol Syntek or Mobile 1 will work just fine. Of course you could always buy hte MINI synthetic oil which I understand is made for them by Castrol. Well, whatever.

The new filter is a little tricky to install as it is the same as the "S" filter.

I couldn't stand the idea of going 10k before changing the oil. Oil doesn't really go bad, it just gets dirty and a brand new engine will dirty it up pretty fast, even one designed by BMW. So going 10k before changing seems crazy.

All I know for sure is the little car responded to the fresh oil very well.

 

As it has been slightly touched on already. The first oil change that you should have performed, is just after the break-in period. The engine has just finished mostly adjusting at that point. Most cases if you sift through the oil carefully, you may find little metal shavings/debris in the oil from the internal movement of engine parts.
On brand new vehicles, I do the first one right after the break-in period, and then follow the next one around the same time frame as the break-in period. After the break-in oil change, you're most likely now going to have a little fun with the car, because it's been broken in. Being that this will be the start of the engine having to operate at higher rpm's and such, I'd give it around the same time you waited to break in the car before doing the next oil change. Consider it a break-in period for running around like a madman. It's the car's first time running that hard. Being that it's not used to it, I'd give it a change after a couple thousand km's, AFTER the first break-in period. Do some ripping around, go through all the gears up and down, do some hill climbs, and hard corners and such. Don't abuse her too much, but have a little fun. After a while of that, I'd be very tempted to change the oil then, due to it basically completing its engine-adjusting stage. It'll then be its first time stretching her wings. Then after that second one, go to regular changes. So in all, I usually do 2 changes of oil within the first 4000km's of use on the vehicle, just to be safe, and to keep the car's blood running clean. Peace of mind I guess. So maybe I'm a little over protective with my cars. I just like to take care of them. And for a few bucks more, what's another oil change? It's not going to hurt, and I'm sure your engine will thank you for treating her well for the first few thousand km's/miles.
Cheers,

 

Castrol is synthetic but the Type III base stocks are what's required by the API for minimum certification. Type III base stocks are highly refined petrolium oils. I personally would not go past 7500 miles with that. Now on my Miata I use Amsoil 0W-30 (the non type III, they sell both type iii and IV) The regular 10W-30 is guaranteed for 25,000 miles and the 0W30 is good for 35,000 miles. I use oil analysis only because this is my business and I use it to show there is less wear metal with Amsoil (100% synthetic) than with any other at these mileages. You still need to change out filters at the recommended interval or like Azwed said the Amsoil filter is guaranteed for 12,500 or 6 months. It has more to do with filtration and the oils ability to not burn off, to keep a high TBN (Total Base Number) and the ability to retain it's viscosity over time at varying temps...
The benifit of using a high quality synthetic? (including transmission fluids) The life of your vehicle more than doubles, you save money, prevent engine damage such as problems that occur from a busted cooling system, and reduce waste.

Now, Amsoil does have a type III to compete on the retail level as they cost less to produce so don't be fooled by a type III that's $6.00 a quart, but I would warn the TBN and volatility levels of the Castrol put it at the bottom of the class. I have a new article about this on my site you can read. I hope I don't get in trouble with Mferguson for this. I planned on emailing them to see if they are looking for sponsers. I'm not trying to sell anything, just want to show people what synthetics really involve... you can also see my mini on the links page!

Type III synthetics classification (includes Mobil 1's suit against Castrol):
http://www.syntheticwarehouse.com/news_xl_7500.htm

Oil analysis:
http://www.syntheticwarehouse.com/analysis.htm

Theory:
http://www.syntheticwarehouse.com/tech_data.htm




_________________
It's a Savage Nation

 

So I have read a bunch of threads on oil change but didnt find the answer to a question I have. Does the computer reset itself when you do an oil change your self or do you have to take it in to the dealer?

 

I am leaning towards Castrol or Mobil 1. My parents bought a 1984 Fiero, back in 1984 and always used Castrol GTX. Then the Cam shaft Gear broke (1991) the engine was rebuilt and had NO SLUDGE in the engine what so ever! Then again he changed the oil every 3K! Dad used Mobil 1 in his Caddy and Dodge MINIvan those were V8 and V6 respectfully.

I am surprized that no one has chimed in on Royal Purple or Redline.

 

One can use MINI synthetic too, which is similarly priced to mobil 1, at about $6 quart, or BMW Synthetic (both of which are castrol i think).. I think it using MINI OEM filter make sense, no real reason to go looking for a better filter in my opinion... any thoughts by people on using a different grade than 5w/30 for summer or track use? Seems 5w/30 is better suited to the artic, but I don't know if a supercharged engine needs that grade... In the way back, BMW used to recommend 20W/50 in summer and 5W and 10W for cooler temps, i remember...

 

The computer is not "self-aware". It does not have the ability to tell that the oil has been changed; if you want the counter to be re-set, you (or the dealer) have to manually reset it.

 

couple q's with oil change
1) have to use fully synthetic right? im asssuming this is what mobile 1 is
2) is computer reset needed? i mean if ur resetting the computer, doesnt this then further delay ur next service? ( or is this the point ?)

thanks