hi,

so does everyone use the recommended Castrol or no.

if not what are some other good brands besides RedLine to use.

 

Well I had a very interesting thing happen to me after my last service. They did the oil change for me, but on the way home (3 hour drive 90 degrees) I noticed my oil temp was running at or slightly above 120 C (250 F). I called the dealer the next working day and they said it was normal. I have been running Mobil 1 oil for about 20 years in all of my cars. The MINI would never get above 100 C with Mobil 1 in it. I decided to take the stock Castol out and replace it with my Mobil 1, and guess what.......temps are back to where they were before. Not sure I want something that runs that much higher in my engine.

 

Mobil 1. Only because when I was a kid my dad put in his 87' Shelby GLHS. But he is a mechanic too.

 

Use Mobil 1. About 20years ago we were using Castrol GT "Dino Oil" for our 4-wheelers, motorcycles, etc. Well we bought a case and was opening the bottles and large amounts of particles that looked like sludge came out. I'm sure this was some of the detergents that had settled at the bottom but I've never had this happen to Mobil 1, Chevron Delo, or Havoline. By the way I think these 3 oils are very good. For the Mini that uses synthetic definitely use Mobil 1. Never had a problem...

 

i'm not questioning your tech smartness or not, but doesn't it say right on the engine CASTROL recommended.

so what should i use.

 

Mobil 1, German Castrol Synthetic, Redline.
I currently use Mobil 1.

 

Auto companys recommend what ever they get the best break ($$) on (advertising or whatever)....Use what is best for you (but 100% synthetic)They also recommend (and provide FREE) oil changes at 10,000 mi! Not for me thank you. WHAT ABOUT THAT FILTER!!!! I do mine at 3-4000 mi and for the HUGE investment of $21.00 for the Mobile one + $8 for the filter...I am comfortable, and the filter is always messed up which cannot be too good for the engine oil flow.. I hear Redline is also very good stuff!

Personally I have used Mobile One for years and also in my old Porsche...No complaints. With that said...I do not think you would go wrong with the Castroil either!


Good Luck
Jeff

 

ROYAL PURPLE - MY OIL OF CHOICE - second would be Redline

 

yes. i agree. i'm doing my changes with in my MINI every 5,000 km. its coming up soon.

but i just wanted to do the major difference between what they recommend and what others use (Mobil, Redline etc...)

k thanks

 

Just like the oil itself, the filters have changed over the years. The OEM filter is more then capabile of filtering the oil for 15K+ miles on our modern engines. This topic was even covered in a Motorweek epside. As long as you replace them with OEM spec filters, you are fine.

How is it messed up? Did you test the filter's flow rates and filtering capability?

 

Has anyone used Rotella??

 

I like to use Synergyn 3w30, lasts well and helps free up the internals. Plus, on a dyno, I had it gain 7hp over Mobil 1

 

I use Vegetable Oil. Seems to run fine, and after 10K miles, I have oil to fry chicken in

 

Redline for many, many years with excellent results. Its been in my Mini since 2250 miles.

 

If you have some free time go here http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/...?ubb=forum;f=3 and
here
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com

Tons of information. Almost too much sometimes.

 

I have seen dyno results of 2-3 whp with Redline over dino oil.
Really have to question +7 hp over Mobil 1

 

Costco sells Mobil One in our SAE weight so - that's what I use.
I always go with what Costco recommends.

Pablo

 

I would use Castrol till your warrantee is over (maybe even changing it more often)

Changing back and forth would be of no residule benefit. (some additives are different)
also ... could you imagine the reaction you would get if you had a warrantee issue and MOBIL 1 came out ... from what I hear you would be paying.

Once the warrantee is up ANY GOOD oil changed frequently would work.

I now run redline due to great past results in karting, 4 x 4, and, motorcycles.

I worked for many years in the auto industry and have first hand knowledge of some oils being "clay extruded" (kind of like a second pressing for olive oil ... if that helps)

IMHO synthetic is the way to go

 

Is it even possible to tell who made the original oil once it's been run in an engine for a few hundred miles and would a dealer even bother to go through the trouble of analyzing the oil?

BTW, I did my first oil change today using Mobile 1.

 

Mobil1 silver cap exclusively on all my cars.

 

Mobil 1 every time!

 

The MINI's come with Castrol Synthetic from the factory. And no, the dealership can't tell what brand of oil you use. Unless of course you leave an empty quart bottle in the boot........!

 

so what is the reccomended weight for a 2002 MCS? The local walmart is now carrying Royal Purple in 5w30 for $6 a quart, I might want to stock up.

 

Recommended weight is 5-30. 0w-30 is fine and a thin 5w-40 would probably be fine as well (especially if your racing). Back when we had our free service, I was doing a change in-between dealer services with Mobil 1 5w-30 and continued using it up to around 47k miles. I began hearing some things about Mobil 1 such as the fact that it shears down pretty quickly. With the long service intervals of the MINI it made me worry so I decided to give German Castrol 0w-30 a try. That's what I'm currently using. Now, it looks like Auto Zone (the only place that sells German Castrol) is not stocking it anymore so I'm seriously contemplating the switch over to Redline. If I were to go back to Mobil 1, I'd go with the 0w-40 as it has the BMW, MB, VW certifications that the 5w-30 doesn't have.

Really, if you don't plan on keeping the car for a long time, pretty much any good synthetic oil should work. The MINI's engine doesn't have a history of being a sludge monster and as long as you keep a realistic drain interval, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. The only reason I'm thinking about going to Redline is because I plan on keeping the MINI for well over 100k...150k...200k... miles. With my 8k mile drain intervals, I feel Redline won't have any problems keeping the engine clean.

 

There was a post on "Bob Oil Guy" about someone with a Cooper S using German Castrol 0w-30 and his iron wear numbers weren't that great as compared to his his previous BMW Castrol LongLife 5w-30 test numbers (5K interval for both). FYI, the BMW Castrol 5w-30 oil is not the same one you get at WalMart, AutoZone, etc. Notice the moly and additive package numbers on the BMW oil is very high even after 5K miles on it. It could probably go past 10K intervals if it weren't for possible fuel dilution issues.

http://www2.propichosting.com/Images/450001341/11.jpg


BOB link:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/foru...&Number=853636