r56 mcs oil used/burnt

[witches70]

Just a question to save me tralling through lots of threads. Does an r56 mcs use/burn alot of oil? I just thought i would check mine as ive now had the car about 6 weeks, and nothing on the dipstick at all. So put 2 litres in and its now halfway. Whats the use in having an oil light or a min oil level if the warning light isnt going to come on. I shall check my oil again in about a week to see if its lost anymore. It definatly had oil in it when i bought the car, so would it really use atleast 2 litres in 6 weeks 3 thousand miles? seems alot to me, but it might be normal for this car, thought i would check with you guys first before i phone the dealer. By the way my car hs done 29,000 so its not high milege.

[drivinginstructor001]

mcs r56 oil consumption

My mcs 07 31k uses 1 litre every 600 miles.
My car went into the stealers last year at 23k for decoke and to fix high oil consumption but it still drinks it like pop.
If your car is still under warranty take it in to mini, sytner told me it should be no more than 1 litre max every 1200 mlies.

[JawsMC]

Good lord !
That is terrible ...
Bought the Mini cos I was lead to believe they are well engineered and reliable

That sort of oil consumption is, quite frankly, reminiscent of sloppy manufacturing engineering.
My bikes ( all high performance 180mph plus jobbies ) use not a drop between 8000 mile oil changes, my Smart fortwo Brabus uses not a drop between oil changes ( 9000 miles ) and even the wifes old Jimny does not need topping up between oil changes..

Got a sneaky feeling I will not be a mini owner very long !

[witches70]

Yeah i have a zx10R and that has never touched a drop and that is a high performance bike that revs high, and takes a good thrashing like a man. But the minim seems to be drinking it, it cant be normal. but obviously it is.

[DaFlake]

FYI, oil warning light is actually a low pressure light and if that comes on you have serious problems by that point. NEVER rely on it to warn you when it is low. Check your oil and add some when you need to by the dip stick.

[pilotart]

If you have been running high performance bikes, you should know how important it was to properly seat the piston rings early in 'break-in'.

If the MINI suffered a feather throttle and was driven for high gas mileage early in break-in, it will be an oil burner and nothing short of new rings, cylinder hone and proper break-in ring seating will fix it.

A liter every 1200 miles is what I would call an "Oil Burner", a mililiter would be normal.

[witches70]

I didnt buy my mini new, so maybe the original owner didnt break her in very well. My bikes have never ever used a drop, i have always run them in properly, but then that was my choice as i buy new bikes.

[JawsMC]

Must be honest, all my bikes are run in as in.. well its running.. so lets get it in !!!

After first few hundred miles I always get busy with the load switch.. seems to work for me ok

[Lawrothegreat]

I've had my R56 MCS from new (just over two years old) and up to 50,000 miles (80k km), between services, I didn't add more than 2 litres in total, equating to one litre per 25,000 miles. I suspect it might start to drink a little more now (did add some oil the other week) but I would expect consumption to grow with age.

[Martin F]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaFlake (original)

FYI, oil warning light is actually a low pressure light and if that comes on you have serious problems by that point. NEVER rely on it to warn you when it is low. Check your oil and add some when you need to by the dip stick.

The R56 does have a low oil warning light as well as an oil pressure warning light.

Although I think it is far better to rely on regular checks with the dipstick than hope the low oil level warning light will protect against disaster.

[DaFlake]

Quote: Originally Posted by Martin F (original)

The R56 does have a low oil warning light as well as an oil pressure warning light.

Although I think it is far better to rely on regular checks with the dipstick than hope the low oil level warning light will protect against disaster.

Really? None of the manuals have it listed. What is listed is a low coolant but not oil. The only oil light I could find was a low pressure light.

[ianfretwell]

Quote: Originally Posted by pilotart (original)

If you have been running high performance bikes, you should know how important it was to properly seat the piston rings early in 'break-in'.

If the MINI suffered a feather throttle and was driven for high gas mileage early in break-in, it will be an oil burner and nothing short of new rings, cylinder hone and proper break-in ring seating will fix it.

A liter every 1200 miles is what I would call an "Oil Burner", a mililiter would be normal.

Are you suggesting that the car should be driven fairly hard during break-in - rather than gently as the manual suggests - otherwise there will be high oil usage.

Doesn't sound quite right somehow ?

[DaFlake]

Quote: Originally Posted by ianfretwell (original)

Are you suggesting that the car should be driven fairly hard during break-in - rather than gently as the manual suggests - otherwise there will be high oil usage.

Doesn't sound quite right somehow ?

There are two schools of thought on this topic and no proof that either work. Some say drive it like you stole it from day one and others like the manufactures tell you to take it easy. Many think they tell you to take it easy so that you can get used to the way the car drives.

I personally think this is just a characteristic of the turbo car as my suby does the same. Even my 06 super charged will go through a liter or two between changes. Pretty normal...

Specs are so tight on engines nowadays that "seating rings" is almost a thing of the past so I frankly don't buy that one any longer.

[pilotart]

No need to abuse or violate anything in your owners manual.

Ring seating has nothing to do with "tight specs".

New (or overhauled) cylinders have a special cross-hatch pattern honed into them for the express purpose of seating new rings. This is true with any new engine, auto motorcycle, boat, lawnmower or airplane.

It is important to avoid constant speed cruising (or long idles), but to "vary your speed".

Best method is frequent, short accelerations from 2500-4500 RPM at 3/4 throttle, immediately followed by foot off the pedal deceleration back to 2500.

This will not only save those liters of oil between changes, but will give you a better performing, longer lasting and more efficient (economical) engine.

Just try to avoid driving for good gas mileage for those first few hundred miles.

If it's an aircraft, you are prohibited by law (Approved Pilots Operating Handbook) to use any economy cruise power settings before rings have seated.

[milllerr]

So I suppose the advice is not to push your new purchase too far or fast, but also not to poodle around in it and vary the type of journey - not all motorway and not just around tight country roads?