The Mini and MINI thread

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Jameshow

Veteran
YES !! Someone who completely gets it.

I always think of my 4-5k oil change intervals as insurance and assurance…...

Mini supercharger is different in that the oil afaik is self contained.

Therefore less likely to implode like a turbo.

Regular oil changes are recommended though!
 

Jameshow

Veteran
Put a litre of oil in the mini.

Looks like it likes it's oil!

Anyone use mannol?

Or should I use Castrol edge etc??
 
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Drago

Drago

Legendary Member
Mannol very well respected and good value.

German, I believe. No nonsense packaging and a direct distribution business model keep the price down, and the product itself is top drawer.
 

Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
I've had quite a few Minis over the decades, either Austin Mini, British Leyland Mini or my last one which was a BMW mark 1 Mini D. The first Mini was a 1965 Austin. It was the first car I owned, after I bought it for £90 after passing my driving test in 1978. I've had British Leyland Minis ranging from a way under powered rust bucket
1974 850cc, to a 1977 Clubman 1275 GT that looked a bit like this one, though It had a black vinyl roof. Which was so 1970's! :becool:

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My memories of those British Leyland Minis include a fear of a rotting sub-frame, my dad nearly every Sunday morning covering the car's rusted body holes with fiberglass resin (I loved that smell!) and frequent visits to the nearby scrap yard to get parts like windscreen wiper motors that always seemed to conk out. Cylinder head gaskets also seemed to be a problem with BL Minis.
 
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Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
This is my last Mini. As you can see it's a 2006 BMW Mini, also a Mini One D. I never felt comfy in a Mini run off diesel. Not only was it a bad starter in winter, but it just didn't seem right, with it being powered by bus/lorry fuel.🤔 It had a great interior, far better than those B/L plastic/vinyl ones. Loads of leather, chrome, glass dials etc, but was/is it proper Mini?🤔

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Jameshow

Veteran
This is my last Mini. As you can see it's a 2006 BMW Mini, also a Mini One D. I never felt comfy in a Mini run off diesel. Not only was it a bad starter in winter, but it just didn't seem right, with it being powered by bus/lorry fuel.🤔 It had a great interior, far better than those B/L plastic/vinyl ones. Loads of leather, chrome, glass dials etc, but was/is it proper Mini?🤔

View attachment 687713

I thought that too.

A mini that chuggs however fast does seem right tbh. Same with the 4x4 ones.

An early clubman I could live with - only if I could get a bike in the back taking just the front wheel off?
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
By what measure?

I’m not saying it isn’t, or is, but I am interested in how such plaudits are earned.

As a Mannol user, I agree.
It is very well regarded, but by who and how I always wondered ?

At the end of the day, according to industry measure, as long as the correct spec is used, any oil should be OK, and as Mannol is keenly priced, thats probably what drives people's choice.

Add the fact I like to change oil twice yearly, and uncertainty is diluted greatly.
 

sevenfourate

Devotee of OCD
There’s no such thing as ‘shoot’ oil these days, it's the spec and grade that matters. There's probably only half a dozen manufacturers - it's just branded under different names to appeal to different markets. Example: there isn't a Halfords oil refinery - they purchase from Comma.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
There’s no such thing as ‘shoot’ oil these days, it's the spec and grade that matters. There's probably only half a dozen manufacturers - it's just branded under different names to appeal to different markets. Example: there isn't a Halfords oil refinery - they purchase from Comma.

I seem to remember reading cheap oils will degrade quicker, particually as heat takes its toll.
Even if that were the case, it wouldn't strictly stop me using it (particually if I had an older car) based on personal driving styles. I don't hammer a car therefore don't stress the engine / lubricants....and I change oil preferably at 6k miles. Both of these should minimise the cons of cheaper oil.
 

sevenfourate

Devotee of OCD
I seem to remember reading cheap oils will degrade quicker, particually as heat takes its toll.

A quick Google shows a few ‘Oil change vendors’ ; and some sellers of more Premium Brands purporting that; but my same quick search didn’t find that fact clearly stated in any independent studies.

This study was reasonably interesting. Although primarily ‘based’ on 4K Oil changes (In terms of the Subaru engine studied) in relation to the little difference in protection offered across the Brands:

***Although I fully understand the composition, use, testing and comparison is an absolute minefield. At best 👍

https://jalopnik.com/why-expensive-oil-is-a-waste-of-money-1797241527
 
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Drago

Drago

Legendary Member
There’s no such thing as ‘shoot’ oil these days, it's the spec and grade that matters. There's probably only half a dozen manufacturers - it's just branded under different names to appeal to different markets. Example: there isn't a Halfords oil refinery - they purchase from Comma.
Indeed. The bulk of oil sold in the UK, regardless of brand or label, is actually supplied by Hunting Lubricants, so choosing one oil over another because of some snazzy advertising claim is daft. It either meets the necessary spec, or it dose not - its a binary choice for us consumers, but some buyers like to make it complicated for themselves.

On a more directly MINI related note, the paint sealer I applied yesterday seems to be working.

IMG_20230501_082426055.jpg
 
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sevenfourate

Devotee of OCD
……And now think that car engine oils only lubricate and protect the engine. Having separate gearboxes and dry clutches.

Motorcycles of course typically rev much higher (16000rpm for a 2023 Kawasaki ZX4-RR for example: and the same oil lubricates and protects engine, gearbox and oil soaked wet clutch simultaneously 😳

Perhaps why these often do feel like ‘liquid Gold’ when purchasing……🤣
 
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Drago

Drago

Legendary Member
Although motorcycle oil is a bit of a crock too. In terms of formulation - mainly the need not to contaminate a wet clutch with friction modifiers - it is very close to a fairly basic diesel spec oil. Yet manfucaturers shove it in fancy packaging and charge a kidney for it (wrote a thesis for my masters about lubricants - fnaar - used in aerospace environments so can get a bit anal once I'm started.)
 
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