mini cooper - 15,000 OCI

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A buddy just bought a Mini Cooper and is planning to sell his Suburban due to gasoline prices. The fill cap says Castrol. The dealership told him it only needed oil changes at 15,000 mile intervals.

Just thought I'd bring it up for discussion, not that I'm going to make any recommendations to him other than what the dealer told him. He'll probably sell it for a diesel Excursion when he gets tired of being cramped up in that little car. Probably before the first recommended oil change.
 
His does have a manual tranny. Maybe they all do, I don't know. FWIW, his 02 Suburban has around 100,000 on it. His only problem was brake wear, but I think that is pretty common in burbs. And, yes, I think the mini came with synthetic factory fill and will use synthetic for the 15,000 OCI.

Of course, he used the burb for a daily driver and regularly hauled stuff, such as business supplies, furniture, etc....

This guy has also had in the past few years an F350 Powerstroke which he traded for an F550 with a flatbed gooseneck set-up (a trailer tow specific vehicle for his business, and a trailer set up as a business shop - all are sold), a Lexus for his wife, the Suburban - soon to be gone, a Motorhome, and an Envoy XUV - to pull behind the motorhome. Now the mini cooper.

For hauling the supplies, etc.. he has vans at his business he will use when needed.
 
quote:

Originally posted by nanney:
FWIW, his 02 Suburban has around 100,000 on it.

No wonder he went from a suburban to a cooper. 50,000 miles a year
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quote:

Originally posted by vvk:
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Suburban => Mini

The 1.6l Chrysler engine is a gem


I've always seen it as the low point of the car. 25/32 mpg with premium fuel in an economy car? Heck the 200hp Malibu gets that with regular fuel. Now the Cooper S I don't mind.
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-T
 
quote:

Originally posted by T-Keith:
I've always seen it as the low point of the car. 25/32 mpg with premium fuel in an economy car? Heck the 200hp Malibu gets that with regular fuel. Now the Cooper S I don't mind.
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-T


EPA fuel mileage for the Mini is 28/37 mpg. The numbers you mention are for the CVT version. CVT kills the whole concept, IMHO. Having said that, I agree that GM extracts amazing fuel economy out of their overhead valve engines. Pitty you have to take the car apart to change spark plugs
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The 1.6l engine reminds me of the old 1.6l Honda engine in the first generation Integra. Similar specs and the same feel of flexible power. Later Integras completely lost that wonderful smoothness of power delivery.
 
15,000 factory OCI's??!!! Wow. I'd trust the manual long before I take a dealer's word as gospel...what does the manual say? Better get a first-rate synthetic for that kind of interval.

"He'll probably sell it for a diesel Excursion when he gets tired of being cramped up in that little car."
A little off-topic social commentary here, but I'm not sure why only a figurative "aircraft carrier" would have sufficient room for a driver, unless the guy's regularly hauling loads of stuff or a bunch of kids. For those complaining about high gas prices, they only need look at the 15 mpg SUV in their driveway for the cause. Good ol' supply and demand.
 
The owners manual probably "qualifies" this interval though. I bet it doesn't say to do this with any SL oil.
 
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Suburban => Mini

I think your buddy may surprise you. Mini is a very special car. Unless he got the stupid CVT version that greatly diminishes the fun, he should fall in love in no time. There is plenty of space even for very large people. It is a BMW, after all.

I am not sure about the new Getrag gearbox, though. The old Rover unit was very good, with perfect gear spacing and very good shift feel. The 1.6l Chrysler engine is a gem, with good usable power throughout the rev range. Very easy to drive and lots of fun. And very comfortable with standard wheel/tires. The run-flat tires ruin the ride somewhat.

Free dealer maintenance sweetens the deal. 15k miles on euro-oil should be just fine.
 
At least he won't notice the terrible build quality coming from a GMC.
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FYI, the engines are still made in Brazil by Tritec.
 
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