[Sashadog]

Just wondering if anyone has found them online yet? I'm assuming they will be widely available since the same engine is in a bunch of Chrysler stuff too.

My new EB-MCS has about 3.3k now and in my mind that's too far already. That first post break-in oil change is pretty important. I had to go across the country to get it so doing it on the road would have been difficult and I would have had to have been carrying a filter.

Thanks for the input and Cheers!

I emailed Moss Motors and Minimania about this on Friday evening. Have not gotten an answer yet but I plan to follow up with phone calls Monday. I will let you know what I find out.

[Sashadog]

Thanks. I think if there are several of us working on it a solution will pop up soon.

So far it looks like the same engine is/will be in European neons & pt cruisers.

The two places I've queried so far were both goose-eggs. I'll keep trying.

[ar75]

Is it possible to buy one from the dealer? The dealer here said it didn't cost much.

[Sashadog]

My local dealer does have them in stock and I guess I should have asked about the price but I'm assuming that they will be pricey.

I will pick one up Monday when they look at the cold-start problem, but I'm looking for a future source.

[karmuze]

They are reasonably priced at your MINI dealer. I got a quote of $7.50 at one and $8.50 at another. Buy a dozen and get a discount.

[Sashadog]

If I get the same price from my dealer I guess my concerns are unfounded. Thanks for the info.

Sashadog, I just called a dealer and bought two filters over the phone. They are shipping them this afternoon. The price seems OK (for a "German" British car)at $7.40 each.

Easy enough to do. Still looking on the net.

[ar75]

Since we can buy oil filters from the dealer and they are reasonabely priced, it is possible for us to change the engine oil and filter for our beloved MINI every 5,000 km. There will be no way to void the warranty provided we use engine oil recommended by the dealer. Let's do it!

I received an answer to that question two days ago from MINIUSA. Their position is that dealer service areas are prefered for any work done, especially the prescribed check-ups. However, they said oil changes done at lube shops or done by yourself using MINI approved filters and oil WILL NOT VOID THE WARRANTY. For most of us, this is a major step forward. See a thread I started on this subject in this forum. Lots of good info from posters.

It would be a good idea to document the non-dealer work and the type of filter and oil used. Castrol and Mobil 1 full synthetic, 5w-30 or 5w-40 are the approved weights for the oil.

I am going to change mine this weekend at 4200 miles. Seems like a good idea to get the breakin oil out of there. Also, does anyone really believe the 10k miles between oil changes is a good practice?

[Sashadog]

While I was at the dealer yesterday for a cold-start diagnosis I learned a couple of things.

Performing your own oil changes WILL NOT VOID THE WARRANTY. The service manager felt the same way I did about not letting it go 'til 10k and said that there was absolutely no problem doing it yourself as long as you use approved parts and were competent. I was also told this by a Mini Customer Relations person when I was verifying my vibration damper was OK.

They only wanted $50 to do an oil change, so while I was there I had them do it. They wanted $10 for a filter and synthetic oil is $4-5/qt. so I figured it was worth the $15 or $20.

It’s kinda nice out here now since there aren’t a lot of Minis on the road yet the dealer’s service dept. isn’t busy at all. I think I may have been the first one they had seen. The work-order I filled out was a faxed copy and I thought I overheard them figuring out how to put it through their system. They had a lot of time to talk and everybody was super nice. I think the whole dealership was only up and running for about a month and the service dept., just a couple weeks.

I’ll post what I found on the cold-start on the appropriate thread.