possible explanation for 10,000 mile oil change

[brez]

just bought 3 oil filters, for mini, from mini. was told that casrtol makes oil for bmw [usa] if i was to change oil myself, to use castrol syntec [not the blend] WELL.....wouldn't you know that on the front label of the oil they tout the fact that it contains an ingredient which dissolves those small metal particles, of which we are all afraid. this explained to me where bmw is coming from. obviously they have put their faith in this new oil technology to protect the engine from particulates. what do you think out there?

[gromit]

But if the chemical can dissolve small metal particles, wouldn't it dissolve big ones (like bearings and pistons) too?

[brez]

food for thought. that makes sense, what you said. my mechanic has suggested switching to regular oil changed faithfully every 3000. he says the engine will live longest that way and that the long life oil and fluids leave a lot of residue buildup, over time.

[zwoman]

Quote:

Originally posted by brez
my mechanic has suggested switching to regular oil changed faithfully every 3000. he says the engine will live longest that way and that the long life oil and fluids leave a lot of residue buildup, over time.

Your mechanic - unless you change your oil yourself - gets paid three or more times as often if you change your oil every 3K vs. the manufacturer recommended. I'm no engineer or mechanic, but I have to believe that BMW knows what they're doing and wouldn't recommend something that would tear apart the engine. I don't think any car manufacturer would get away with it. It's just technology working for us consumers!

[erazo]

I find nothing in the Castrol literature that claims Syntec "dissolves" anything.

They do claim to "neutralize" harmful particles (change their ionic polarity to keep them in suspension).

Aside from auto mechanics and makers of engine oil, few automotive experts recommend 3000-mi oil changes in non-diesel engines. But the "Pay me now or pay me later" ad campaign kept this myth alive. I trust the BMW engineers.

[jbkone]

We all seem to forget that (in the USA at least) the MINI comes with 3 years free maintenance and is only warranted for 36000 mi. SO, if they use an oil that leaves buildup over time but they only have to "give" you 3 oil changes, I wouldn't put it past them. So over the life of their 36000 mi "free" maintenance program they've got to spend a whopping $90 US on oil for you instead of (36000/3000=12*20=) $240/3=$80/yr. add that up over 20,000 MINIs and you get ($80*20,000=) $1,600,000 US annual savings (the first year, every year after that there will be more than 20,000 MINIs on the road). Now you can see why they'd use a less than optimal 10,000-15,000 mile oil change. I, for one, will be changing it at least twice that often and with a different oil if it is true that Sytec dissolves metal particles.

[zwoman]

Quote:

Originally posted by jbkone
We all seem to forget that (in the USA at least) the MINI comes with 3 years free maintenance and is only warranted for 36000 mi. SO, if they use an oil that leaves buildup over time but they only have to "give" you 3 oil changes, I wouldn't put it past them. So over the life of their 36000 mi "free" maintenance program they've got to spend a whopping $90 US on oil for you instead of (36000/3000=12*20=) $240/3=$80/yr. add that up over 20,000 MINIs and you get ($80*20,000=) $1,600,000 US annual savings (the first year, every year after that there will be more than 20,000 MINIs on the road). Now you can see why they'd use a less than optimal 10,000-15,000 mile oil change. I, for one, will be changing it at least twice that often and with a different oil if it is true that Sytec dissolves metal particles.

I have a 97 Accord and the dealer only recommends I get an oil change after every 7,500 miles. If greed fueled these intervals, I'd think MINI would want an oil change every 1,000 miles because unless they're planning on the car falling apart at 36,001 miles on the odometer, they'll end up doing a lot more oil changes if they went ahead and said change the oil every 3,000 miles. Honda is the same way - just took my car in 5K miles ago and the dealer told me not to come back until 7.5K have passed!

I sincerely believe technology is getting better - engineers are designing engines and/or engine oil that can withstand 10,000 of typical driving. It's not just MINI but all manufacturers are bumping up their intervals. As erazo said, mechanics and oil changing places seem to be the only ones remaining that say we need to change our oil every 3K. These are probably the same people that are warning you your 2002 MINI will rust if you don't have the anti-rust protection. Almost all cars nowadays come with a 7+ year warranty against corrosion...they're just not making cars like they used to

Also in MINI's defense, the owner's manual says rough-driving may warrant an oil change earlier, etc. I'll adhere to the warranty...when I get my MINI that is

[minimatt]

doesnt really matter anyway, cause we've all got unlimited mileage warranty for years anyhow!

[chiph]

If going to 10,000 miles really bothers you, why not split the middle and change it every 5,000 miles? You'll pay for the intermediate oil changes, not MINI, but if it gives you peace of mind, it won't hurt anything to change it more often.

You'll find that after the intermediate oil change that the service indicator will increase somewhat (the sensor will recognize the fresh oil), so you'll have to track your mileage yourself.

Chip H.

[Mini1380]

P.S. If you are going to change the oil yourself, don't put the wrong stuff in, or let Jippylube use their standard oil, which is only suppossed to last 3000 miles.