Hi all, New Aussie member here. Ive finally bought my dream car a second hand late 2011 R58 JCW Coupe. I plan on servicing it myself (since its already 4yrs old, I have always serviced all my cars) but am really frustrated. Its so hard to find anything that relates to my engine. Ive tried looking everywhere. Ive got my oil filter sorted, thats about it. A lot of people here may just say get the original MINI oil. I just want to set that aside for a second because there are still some great oils out there like Penrite, Mobile etc. My engine is an N14B16A. There are different variations of the N14 engine too, like N14B6A and N14B16CD but whether they are actually different from eachother I dont know. Ive searched for recommendations online for what oil I can use in my car but they like to make it more frustrating by saying 'this is the oil you need for your R58!!! Then in brackets (R58 N18B16A) :mad2: Then I'll check N14 engines......'this is the oil you need for your N14 engine!!' then in brackets (for R56 and R57) :mad5: My simple question is, if a certain recommended engine oil says its for an N14 engine, does it matter what N14 engine it is? [I know the R58 came out with the N18 engine in Sept 2012 so I have a feeling thats why they just class the R58 as having a N18 engine overall. Im guessing Ill just have to go with the R56/R57 engine oil recommendations]
Do a quick check on realoem.... Put the last 7 digits of your VIN just to verify your engine... http://www.realoem.com/ Mine is a 2009 R56 JCW and it has a N14B16C..... I'm not sure what the difference with your N14B16A engine, perhaps something to do with the operating temperature for Australia.... You have the S with the turbo.... The most important part is to use 100% synthetic for the turbo bearings... Also it's very important to not let the oil level get low... Keep it towards the full mark.... I change mine every 5,000 miles.... Some go longer.... Oil is relatively cheap when looking at replacement costs for a new turbo... Oh... And welcome to M/A...
Welcome to Motoring Alliance !! When asking about which oil is best you asked the mother of all hot topic questions on a automotive forum, but you received a great answer. Good luck with your new ride.
Welcome to the only MINI forum you'll ever need! I started out with MINI oil, purchased at the dealer, it cost the same as other recommended synthetic oils. When MINI changed oil suppliers from Castrol to Shell, I went with Mobil 1 synthetic 0W-40 because that was recommended by MINI and I didn't have to drive 30 miles to the dealer to get it. MINI recommended Mobil 1 with BMW approved european formula ll-01. Last year Mobil 1 stopped having ll-01 on their label. After a little research, I found that Mobile didn't change their formula, MINI just decided not to pay Mobil for the advertising on the bottle. I still use Mobil 1 0W-40, just as I did before. The N14 engine was used on all turbocharged MINIs from 2007 to 2010 and JCW MINIs for a couple of years after that. The important designation is N14, all the other numbers and letters just designate minor differences in the countries they were made for, the oil is the same for all those engines. I could have gone with Castrol synthetic, but I can get Mobil 1 synthetic cheap at a big box store near me, so I went with that.
Wow you guys are awesome!!! Thankyou so much, that has pretty much hit the nail right on the head for me. Certainly I read about the importance of true fully synthetic oil only, also changing the oil more frequently for the turbo version (thats been set in concrete at 8000kms (or 5000 miles) or every 2yrs for me. Ive heard about how great Mobil oil is and thats good to know about the removal of ll-01 off the label ill keep that in mind. The closest MINI dealer for me is 110kms (70 miles) but any excuse to go for a drive is a good thing I did the VIN check and i got a whole page on the specs of my car, from its options all the way to where it was built (Oxford). Its an N14 for sure with 155kw, built 19/11/2011. Some good info there. Another thing is the sump plugs. I heard theyre just normal, not magnetized. Certainly on the prowl for a magnetized replacement when I do the oil change next year and im pretty sure its an M16x1.5 thread. Shame thats the case especially with the turbo'd engines. Anyways its been a long 7yr wait to be a part of the MINI family but its great to be here thanks again all
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Sweet thanks Steve, found the sump plug I needed and ordered the Dimple® M16X1.5X12 07'-Present, Mini Engine Drain Plug from them. Bit costly for us Aussies with the $15USD shipping but like Metalman said earlier "Oil (or in this case, a Magnetic plug) is relatively cheap when looking at replacement costs for a new turbo..." Appreciate the help there.
I mistakenly wrote 20W-40 Mobil 1, It should read 0W-40 Mobil 1 motor oil. I've edited my post above. I use the other weight oil in another vehicle.