'04 Mini Cooper S JCW - 5w30 or 5w40?

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Any mini people out here? We are the second owner of an '04 Cooper S JCW. The original owner said it has always used 5w40 Synthetic , but I see that both 5w30 and 5w40 are recommend for this. A quick internet search showed a couple of Mini parts sellers highly recommending 5w30 oil. What is actually ideal for this car? Should I be using a 5w40 or 5w30? To complicate things even more, Castrol (the intercooler cover says "Mini Recommends Castrol Oil) oil selector recommends 0w30. So now I'm even more confused...
 
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Viscosity is less important than oil that meets the BMW LL-01 spec. Mobil 1 0w40 and German Castrol 5w30 have been popular choices. I've used those and Motul in my two R52's over the years as well as MINI oil. ECS tuning and Pelican Parts has a lot of options on their websites to peruse.
 
LL01. Looks like they have that Castrol at Walmart. That will work. I like something with easy access. I could have sworn he said he ised Castrol 5w40 but maybe that doesn't even exist? I'm fine with the Castrol, as long as that 40w is the right option.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny248
LL01. Looks like they have that Castrol at Walmart. That will work. I like something with easy access. I could have sworn he said he ised Castrol 5w40 but maybe that doesn't even exist? I'm fine with the Castrol, as long as that 40w is the right option.

There are two LL01-Approved Castrol 5W-40 oils. Castrol Professional OE 5W-40 (Gold Bottle) and Castrol Edge 5W-40 (Black Bottle).
 
Sae40!

If you are constantly confused about your oil choices...maybe its about time to sell that car
grin.gif
try to use bus instead of your car!
 
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This abomination of an engine will run on any junk you fill it with.

Abomination because the timing chain will eat itself anyways if you follow the recommended service intervals.

Much more important than securing the holy oil from derr wienerschnitzel is replacing said oil every 5k miles and checking for top off every thousand.

Both 30 and 40 weight have been speced LL01. You only need magic oil if you believe in 16k mile oil changes. And fairies.

PS
BMW can go...
 
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Originally Posted By: DdDd
This abomination of an engine will run on any junk you fill it with.

Abomination because the timing chain will eat itself anyways if you follow the recommended service intervals.

Much more important than securing the holy oil from derr wienerschnitzel is replacing said oil every 5k miles and checking for top off every thousand.

Both 30 and 40 weight have been speced LL01. You only need magic oil if you believe in 16k mile oil changes. And fairies.

PS
BMW can go...


Yeah, horrible. I've seen the beast eat itself in as little as 300,000 mikes following those insane OCI. No fun to drive either lol.

BTW, what do you base your option of the motor on?
 
Originally Posted By: DdDd
This abomination of an engine will run on any junk you fill it with.

Abomination because the timing chain will eat itself anyways if you follow the recommended service intervals.

Much more important than securing the holy oil from derr wienerschnitzel is replacing said oil every 5k miles and checking for top off every thousand.

Both 30 and 40 weight have been speced LL01. You only need magic oil if you believe in 16k mile oil changes. And fairies.

PS
BMW can go...

Mommy used to say that if you don't have anything nice to say, keep it to yourself.

Why don't you tell us what you drive so we can sh!t all over it?
 
Originally Posted By: DdDd
This abomination of an engine will run on any junk you fill it with.

Abomination because the timing chain will eat itself anyways if you follow the recommended service intervals.

Much more important than securing the holy oil from derr wienerschnitzel is replacing said oil every 5k miles and checking for top off every thousand.

Both 30 and 40 weight have been speced LL01. You only need magic oil if you believe in 16k mile oil changes. And fairies.

PS
BMW can go...


It was the 2nd gen turbocharged S engines that had some timing chain issues (specifically the tensioners), not the first gen supercharged models.

Since you're in Michigan - most Meijer stores have LL-01 approved oils (Castrol and Valvoline if I remember correctly) for reasonable prices. Mobil 1 0w-40 no longer has the LL-01 cert.
 
Originally Posted By: DdDd
This abomination of an engine will run on any junk you fill it with.

Abomination because the timing chain will eat itself anyways if you follow the recommended service intervals.

Much more important than securing the holy oil from derr wienerschnitzel is replacing said oil every 5k miles and checking for top off every thousand.

Both 30 and 40 weight have been speced LL01. You only need magic oil if you believe in 16k mile oil changes. And fairies.

PS
BMW can go...


Lmao

This engine has 195k on it. Doesn't leak a drop of oil. I've yet to see it show any measurable consumption of oil, is quiet and smooth as can be, and rips through the gears with 12lbs of boost. I don't know a whole lot about it other than it may be some sort of BMW/Chrysler joint venture, but I can say that I'm impressed by it.

I put a flywheel and clutch in it at 190k because the release bearing exploded, but otherwise it's solid. You would never know it has almost 200k on the odo.
 
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Originally Posted By: BobFout
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Well some days you just get lucky.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Castrol-EDGE-5W-30-Full-Synthetic-Motor-Oil-5-qt/34039135

That is NOT the oil he needs for his car.


LOL of course it is!


It is not the correct oil for his engine. He would want Castrol Edge A3/B4 5w-30 if he wanted a compliant Castrol 5w-30 oil.


So now that I have the BMW Spec down, and there are available options, is there a preference for 30w vs 40w with it? As I mentioned, the car has a 195k on it without any leaks or burning from what I can measure. With the higher mileage should I lean toward the 40w option?
 
Originally Posted By: cadfaeltex
Originally Posted By: DdDd
This abomination of an engine will run on any junk you fill it with.

Abomination because the timing chain will eat itself anyways if you follow the recommended service intervals.

Much more important than securing the holy oil from derr wienerschnitzel is replacing said oil every 5k miles and checking for top off every thousand.

Both 30 and 40 weight have been speced LL01. You only need magic oil if you believe in 16k mile oil changes. And fairies.

PS
BMW can go...


Yeah, horrible. I've seen the beast eat itself in as little as 300,000 mikes following those insane OCI. No fun to drive either lol.

BTW, what do you base your option of the motor on?


I replied with how terrible this engine is lol but I forgot to just compare it to the '08 Beetle 2.5l 5Cyl we have. That engine runs fine I guess, but it has less mileage and age than the Mini, and I leak so much oil it's insane. It is to the point where I said screw it either VW's recommened oil. I've been buying 2gal jugs of SuperTech 15w40 for it. It would cost me so much money in top off oil just trying to get through a normal oil change interval. This 15w40 isnt spec'd for the engine, but it's cheap. There is a night and day difference in engine quality between this Mini and the VW. And the mini is a blast to drive.

I've heard that the newer Mini Peugeot engine might be nice and Turbo'd, but reliability and longevity aren't there compared to the Tritec engine. I'm not a huge enthousist , so I'm not super knowledgeable, but that is what I've heard. So far nothing but good things to say about this little car.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny248
So now that I have the BMW Spec down, and there are available options, is there a preference for 30w vs 40w with it? As I mentioned, the car has a 195k on it without any leaks or burning from what I can measure. With the higher mileage should I lean toward the 40w option?

There honestly isn't really a "thicker" option; most, if not all, LL01 oils have an HTHS of 3.5-3.7.

Castrol 0W-40 is currently the best balance of affordability and availability. In my opinion, of course.
 
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