2005 Mini Cooper Base

[Dumc87]

Hey everyone, girlfriend just got an '05 MC

it's got just a tad over 50K on the odo, and I'm curious what would be typical maintenance on the MC at this stage.

I was thinking spark plugs (brand?), MMO piston soak, oci of Castrol Edge EP 0w30 + Wix filter, PCV... and clean any electrical connections I find. Would like to Deoxit all the connections, considering the moisture we see here in Florida.

Car runs great, and is a fun little thing, just want to see what the thoughts are on it.

PS I tried to sign up on a few MC forums, but none went through for some reason. Weird.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Congrats on the babes new ride.

If you have maintenance records from the PO then just go from there. If there are no records, change the oil and filter immediately. Our Mini base model has been a model of reliability and yours should be too.

Good luck.

 

[Dumc87]

I told her I want to see ALL the paperwork, so we'll see what she comes up with lol

She did say the salesman told her to change the oil in 3k miles, but I'm more partial to just changing it ASAP and knowing it's good

 

[Dumc87]

I guess the plugs/wires will be NGK's and the Castrol would actually be a 5w30

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: Dumc87
MMO piston soak,

What's that needed for?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Dumc87
and the Castrol would actually be a 5w30

You want an oil meeting the BMW LL-01 spec. From Castrol's lineup in the US, it'd be either 0w-30, 0w-40, or 5w-40.

 

[97tbird]

unless it's the BMW branded stealer Castrol

which is 5w/30.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yup.

He initially mentioned Castrol Edge EP 0w30... not really sure what product he was referring to here.

 

[97tbird]

I got nothing for Castrol EP 0w-30 on google - just the Edge stuff came up.

 

[Dumc87]

Yeah I got my EP and Syntec mixed up lol

The Edge EP is a 5w30 but they have a Syntec 0w30 that might work.

I'm more partial to the EP 5w30 considering Mini/BMW recommends 15K OCI's... which I'd feel more comfortable doing 5K or 7.5K on the EP then changing it out.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Dumc87
The Edge EP is a 5w30

What the heck is Edge EP???

 

[Dumc87]

The latest bottle of edge titanium 5w30 I've seen had "extended performance" on it

Thought it might be a new formula too

 

[Quattro Pete]

Oh, I see. But the 5w-30 grade doesn't meet LL-01 spec, does it?

 

[Dumc87]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Originally Posted By: Dumc87
MMO piston soak,

What's that needed for?


Just saw this reply lol

I just thought it might be a good idea to clean up some carbon over the last 50K miles. Seemed to help out my 300ZX NA motor... blew out a ton of white smoke, then the motor seemed to run/rev smoother.

I did just put some MMO and Berryman's in her gas tank though. Might be enough?

--

In terms of the BMW spec oil, I read several threads concerning the Castrol Edge 5w30 being fine. IF the 0wX weights will work, that'd be nice. IDK if a 0w40 is required though, for an NA motor with 50K on it?