Hi, me and my girlfriend have an 02 cooper S. She uses it on a daily basis and averages around 300-350 miles per week! I give the car a once over everyweek and find my self putting in around1/2a litre sometimes 3/4of a litre of oil every week. is this normal for the MCS or should i be worried?????/ [&:]

 

You should be worried, you MCS is either burning oil at the rapid rate, or losing oil somewhere. I would check for oil leaks, around the valve cover, or the oil filter. You could have a oil filter gasket leak, or possibly a oil pan gasket. You really need to look under the engine for oil leaks, but you'll need a lift to do that or put your car on jack stands. Something is definitely not right here. Give your local Mini dealer a call and talk to a service representative, and run your situation by them, and see what they tell you. But a MCS comsuming that much oil every week isn't right. I have an 03 MCS, and I don't have that issue at all.

 

I went 7500 miles and really didn't use any oil , I'm assuming that there is no grey /black smoke out the tailpipe ????

 

If you have grey or black smoke, then your definitely burning oil, possibly due to bad piston compression rings or oil rings. If this is true then gummy oil is collecting in your valve cover, and oil vapors are collecting in your intake manifold and intercooler. You really need to have someone take a look at your car, you could be damaging your engine due to oil starvation, inadequate oil circulation.

 

I have'nt looked to see if the exhaust fumes are grey or black but will have a look. i am almost certain there isnt an oil leak as i have never noticed any when the car has been stood.

It gets worse . my girlfiend was on her way home tonight and the car cut out on the motorway. she got it started again but said the yellow dash light which looks like a tap came on, i have had look and it is on. i believe this means a deterioration in emissions!!!! is this a sign that it is burning oil????????

 

tap iscoolant ... Have you looked in the radiator ??? Does it look good or like bad coffee , maybe the oil is getting in the coolant

 

If I was you, and you have the money, have the car looked at by mini service tech. This will give you peace of mind. You don't have to take to a mini dealer, but to a shop that works on mini's. You need to figure out what's going on with Mini. It's only going to get worse if you don't fix it.

 

i took it to the garage yesterday, they seem puzzled by it and have never come across a mini burning oil. they topped the oil up and took the mileage and we have to take it back next week so they can have a good look at it. it is covered by warranty which i purchased with the car. thanks for your help though guys much appreciated!!!!!!!!

 

oil consumption is common on many cars on the road today and def more so on bmw/mini engines. depending on how the engine was broken in and how the veh is maintained will provide you with the answer to your question. as for you adding oil that often id lean towards an external leak,heavy blow by or its being burned from bad rings or valve seals/guides. these engines are common to have seized rings ( upper ) mainly caused from heat due to oil loss and prone to deposits from the wonderful gas we have on the market. id narrow it down by checking for external leaks....heavy oil build up in the intercooler ( blow by ) or checking the plugs to see if there getting oil soaked.

 

This is clearly an old thread, but i have a 2008 Mini with the exact same issue with Oil consumption.

It can go though a 1/2 quart per week! Yes I see grey smoke coming out the back end. Other than that it seems to run fine.

Is there anyting I can use to 'de-gunk' ? or does this mean a valve or ring job is necessary?

-M