Slippery subject.... Hey check your oil folks!!! Most all cars use some oil. It is just the way things are & IMHO it is not a big deal, as long as one checks the oil. Some cars use more oil & that is where the gotcha lies. Many owners, MINI owners included fail to ever check the oil in their cars engines. If ones car does not use much it is OK, if not it is a sure way to ruin the engine & cost yourself large $$$$. If folks are OK with 10,000 & 15,000 intervals at least be checking the oil. The other problem with longer change intervals is oil breakdown & sludge build-up. It is possible to have a car (MINI) that uses no oil yet is full of sludge. Yep that sludge will also kill an engine although it will be a slower more drawn out death. My cost to do an oil change is about $42 & 20 minutes of my time. Cheap insurance for sure. Now everyone go out & check the oil. :biggrin5:
Do you Merkans not get 'condition based servicing', where the display in the tach tells you when to do various service activities? In Yurp, BMW proudly say that the computer works out what servicing the car needs, depending on how it's driven. My R57 justa Cooper did 21,000 miles until it asked for its first oil change and then did 20,000 miles to the second. But it does get a nearly ideal use with plenty of 30-40 mile trips and very little under 5 miles, which is not the same for many Yurpeen users - here the Mini is the affluent housewives' fashion choice and I bet there are lots that regularly don't get up to full operating temp from one week to the next. I guess oil life is very different between Death Valley and here - personally, with a fully synthetic oil going in my non-turbocharged car, 20,000 miles between changes sounds right. If it was ordinary mineral oil, 3,000-5,000 miles might be right but I haven't seen an oil change period as short as that since my 1960s Morris Minor.
Yes, it is the same, however most Merkans completely ignore it and do what they have been doing all their lives. Time, does NOT always, march on. :lol::lol: Jim (Sorry everyone, but I just had to say that and you would have been disappointed had I not. :cornut
I just called my local dealer and the new interval applies to at least my 2011! This works out perfect for me because I'm at around 11k and was going to change it before MOTD.
Yeeee Haaa..... I'm aproaching 12,000 miles on my 09..... going in for my 3rd freeeeeee oil change soon...... Yup, the BMW bean counters are not making any extra on my deal..... Ha Ha, counting the original fill, that works out to 3,000 mile oil changes handled by BMW..... Expect a mainframe meltdown soon at BMW headquarters.....
Update on the oil change interval. Got to MAG this morning and found out that the new interval only applies to cars with build dates of 3/1/12 and after. I left a little frustrated by the fact that I was told that my '11 Clubby was included in the interval change and not willing to pay dealer price for an oil change. When I got back to the office I called the service manager and he explained what the official service bulletin states about the interval change and that he will make sure that the SA are all aware of these details to prevent mis-information getting out to other customers. He is going to give me a copy of the bulletin, so I'll post it once I get it.
Indeed, my 2/27/12 built MCS is dutifully counting down from 15,000. I took delivery on 3/28, now at 2100 miles, service indicator showing 13,000 to go. I'm on the change-it-myself-more-often program anyhow. I'd echo Nathan's post early in this thread: oh, to be the person on the phone answering questions about this! "Wait: my car was built two days earlier, and somehow it can have 33%/50% more miles between changes than a car built two days later? Are the bearings different? Is the filter different?" yada yada. Not fun, I'm sure.
Why worry about the interval? With the oil consumption problem MINI is having with this motor, my mechanic was told by a dealer mechanic supervisor, that it is not uncommon for this motor to use a pint of oil in 700-1000 miles :crazy: Pretty much have good oil all the time, just change the filter once in awhile......just kidding.... But not about the consumption problem. I am aware that the 2012 refresh motor has fixed the dreaded timing chain debacle, but beleive they have not addressed the oil consumption problem? We need to check our oil on every 3-4 gas fill up.
A trusted source at the dealership told me they are seeing these engines come in 3 quarts of oil low at the time of the oil service. It appears checking ones oil is a lost art.
Crash, I think people stopped checking their oil, when there were no more gas station attendants to ask if you wanted them to check it for you. :lol: Jim
So very stupid, for the lack of spending 2 minutes of time folks kill their engines. If folks do not want to check there own oil all they have to do is go to the full service island & buy some gas. Check the oil please, simple isn't it.
Thing is, people are not used to checking the oil in these generation cars. 1st gen MINIS, R50-R53, don't use oil, this motor eats it? People coming from Honda, Toyota,.....ect., are just not used to checking oil.
Guess their Paw didn't learn them right. :crazy: Ya know we MINI owners are lucky, at least our cars have dipsticks we can check unlike BMW's.
Alas, using a quart of oil per 1,000 miles and still being considered "acceptable" is not limited to MINIs.