18 replies to this topic

[Mini_Magic]

I'm currently using 10/40W oil in my daily drive Mini, doing about 16 miles a day to and from work. The oil appears to be pretty low even though it had an oil change just a few months back. Now I'm considering doing another oil change to fill it up again and change to 20/50W as I've heard this is better for Minis. Should I just top up the 10/40W or change to 20/50W now, bearing in mind that I'll be using the car everyday during winter for work. Thanks.

[Matt]

id replace it rather than mixing.

[Mephiston]

ive heard somewhere that during the winter its better to have soemthing liek 10w than 20w as it warms up quicker and helps prevent more engine where when starting from cold (which during the winter you will do alot) but i would do a full change not just top up - and please people of greater knowledge correct me if im wrong

[Ethel]

the thinner 10 / 40 may well be a better option if it only does 8 miles from cold - especially in winter.

[Sam]

Isn't 20/50 actually thinner hence why he might want it for winter

[Ethel]

Is it? I was pretty sure it was the other way round.

Oh no, have we unwittingly unleashed another lengthy oil debate

[Mini_Magic]

I always though 10/40 was thinner than 20/50, some people say 10/40 is too thin for A-series engines.

The engine seems to be pretty smooth at the moment, even on cold start, but the gearbox is a bit snatchy and not very smooth. Could this be because of the 10/40 oil?

Edited by Mini_Magic, 05 September 2007 - 03:04 PM.

[Mini_Magic]

Arg! Help!

[Mr Duck]

I was told that it's better to use 20w/50 for Mini engines as the gearbox lasts longer due to the shared oil. Can anyone recommend any 20w/50 oil for Mini's?

[steveobennet]

20w50 is thicker than 10w40 the clue is in the numbers. the higher the number the more viscous the oil. 20w50 is what alot of mini owners use and what many recomend. duckams is a good 20w50 oil. if you've had no problems on the oil your using now, the stick with it over winter, as it will warm up quicker than 20w50.

[Mini_Magic]

if you've had no problems on the oil your using now, the stick with it over winter, as it will warm up quicker than 20w50.

Other than a bit of a snatchy gearbox, no.

[steveobennet]

what do you mean by snatchy? hard to put into gear or, just on the bite of the clutch? the best way to preserve the minis engine/gearbox is regular oil changes. some say 3000miles is too little (what i shall be doing) but i'd say at most only go 6000miles between each oil change.

[Mini_Magic]

It's sometimes hard to put it into gear (1st and 3rd are usually a problem, 2nd will crunch if your not careful). I was planning to do an oil change every 6000 miles as it's a daily driver.

Edited by Mini_Magic, 05 September 2007 - 07:30 PM.

[steveobennet]

sounds like you need to see guessworks, not an expert but i'm guessing you should be ok. has she got high millage?

[Mini_Magic]

The mileage is currently at 58,200