I am a new owner of a 2008 mini cooper S and I am receiving conflicting information about oil changes. I was told that oil changes need to be done every 5K miles but a dealer told me that it only needed to be done once a year or at 15k miles. Does anyone know the truth?

 

Mini recomends and only pays yearly/or at 15k intervals (covered maintenance)
I pay to have mine changed or change myself at the 5K then let mini do the last one

 

It seems to me that even WITH the 5w30 synthetic, any oil ran in a turbocharged engine gets dirty before 15,000 miles. Is this some "cop out" in the maintenance agreement? I agree that the Jiffy Lube 3000 mile interval that the quickie shops recommend seems excessive, but 15,000 goes too far. The only drawback to changing the oil too soon seems to be spending a little more money up front. Runny any engine on dirty oil can and often does result in clogged oil passages and the buildup of sludge. An engine will probably not show any ill effects of oil change neglect until AFTER the warranty expires. This 15,000 mile interval is a crock.

 

I changed at 5K/10K then let mini change at 15k
even at 5k the oils pretty dirty

 

Thanks for this info. The dealer told me, every 15k miles too.

 

Oh no, 15,000 miles for the first oil change? I have the same question for the dealer and they said the maintenance and warranty would not cover the cost for oil change, if the CBS does not have the oil change signal on.

However, what worries me most is, what if other parts of the car are damaged because of this blizzard requirement. Are there any lawsuit or outstanding complaint related to this?

 

glad i took a look at this, the dealer i went to also told me 15k and i thought that was a little much regardless of oil type! every 5k sounds a little better!