Carlube Triple R Fully synthetic oil

[cruncher]

Hello,

I've recently purchased a 2003 Mini Cooper. Its due a service so I'm just doing some research on the oil I need to buy for it. I've noticed that Wilkinson are selling 4 litres of Carlube triple R fully synthetic 5w30 oil for £15.18. It meets the following specifications ACEA C3 API CF SM but not the BMW LL-04 (which is not necessarily a problem as I intend on changing the oil every 6000 miles).

I can't post urls yet but you can find the oil on the wilkinsonplus web site.

Cheers,
Paul.

[Cooper S Jon]

the 5/40 would be better as it stays slightly thicker when it's hot than the 30 weight..

i use 5/40 in mine..not this oil..

[MINIAC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cooper S Jon (original)

the 5/40 would be better as it stays slightly thicker when it's hot than the 30 weight..

i use 5/40 in mine..not this oil..

MINI recommends using 30 weight.

[mab01uk]

0w/30 or 5w/30 fully synthetic oil is recommended by MINI, a thicker oil like 5w/40 is not necessarily good for modern engines not designed to run on it.
eg. My classic Mini's are best run on a the now rarely used 20w/50 oil but I would never put that grade in my modern MINI engine!!

[Cooper S Jon]

Quote: Originally Posted by MINIAC (original)

MINI recommends using 30 weight.

oil i'm using has got the BMW LL-01 spec,that's 5w-40..

uk owners h/book says ok to use LL-01 spec..

[Buzzark]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cooper S Jon (original)

oil i'm using has got the BMW LL-01 spec,that's 5w-40..

uk owners h/book says ok to use LL-01 spec..

True, but it's LL-01 spec in 0w-30 they mean.

5w-30 would be a closer match than 5w-40.

[Cooper S Jon]

it can be 0-30/0-40/5-40/5-30 etc as long as it meets bmw LL-01 spec or any of the other bmw LL specs it's ok..

[Buzzark]

I'm interested in this as my handbook states that if the correct grade cannot be sourced, LL-01 is preferred as an oil to top up. I assume this means as you're saying, any of the LL-01 grades.

However, the correct rating specified for a full oil change is 0w-30. The thinner oils in modern motors are specified for two reasons;
1. To meet fuel efficiency standards - less resistance means better fuel consumption. This is more for the manufacturers published specs than it is the owner, but saving fuel helps.
2. Tolerances. Modern engines are built to tighter tolerences and if that engine is designed with a 30 weight oil in mind, a 40 weight oil will suffer more shear during normal running. It will lubricate fine but will degrade quicker.
Molecules in the base oil for a 40 weight are generally larger than those in a 30 weight, however I say generally because it depends on the oil manufacturer. Some may use the same base oil and extend it's viscosity properties chemically using a thickener instead.

The short answer from me is, I'd use a 5w30 of reputable quality, but probably not a 5w40 unless I was changing earlier than planned intervals.

You are free of course to put in whatever oil you wish and for the most part, these oils will pretty much do the job they're supposed to do as long as they meet decent quality specifications.

[cruncher]

In the end I decided not to use the Carlube oil, I went for Castrol Edge 5w30 fully synthetic and a genuine Mini oil filter. Sorted!

[Buzzark]

Good stuff. I've been doing some digging around since this discussion started, I have to say I'm quite confused with MINI's oil spec.

All other manufacturers allow a range of oils to be used (as per what Cooper S Jon was saying) and anything that falls into those quality and SAE ratings are fine. This allows tailoring for differing conditions, temperatures etc if required.
These are normally listed in the handbook.

MINI for some reason seems to be deliberately obtuse for suitable oils to use, specifying MINI oil only and other LL-01 etc just for top-up.
This could just be a marketing/servicing gimmick as research seems to indicate the engines were not designed for such tight tolerances as to actually require 0w-30 and in fact, 0w-30 (the proper oil) might result in high oil consumption, which apparently can be a problem on the engine.

One half of me says - ooh, there must be a reason why they're sooo specific about the oils.
The other half of me says - it's an engine, block, head, crank, pistons and valves. They're all roughly the same, the best engine oil gives the best protection - and that would probably be an ACEA A3, 0w-40. (With 0w-30, 5w-30 and 5w-40 all being perfectly good as well).

One clue is to look at the Chrysler Neon, which shares the same Tritec engine (for the 1.6) and oddly doesn't have the same secretive extra special oil specifications.
That means I'm changing my mind and agreeing with Jon, as while the other oils aren't to MINI's specs, I don't think those specs are based on actual engine requirements.

[Cooper S Jon]

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/t2-technical-info.aspx