Mini Cooper Oil Change Service

You might think working on a Mini, especially one made by BMW of all companies, would be a massive pain – there are some quirks for sure but on the whole, surprisingly, it’s not too bad. An oil change is remarkably easy. If you were clever about it, you might be able to use nothing but a 13mm socket, slim 36mm socket, one ratchet and one torque wrench, and that’s it for tools! For me, I’ll be jacking the car up and the previous mechanic not only used the wrong sump plug but also used a 10 foot pole to lock the filter cap on so I’ve got some extra tools too. 

So first up I’m getting the car up off the ground, I’m doing some other work so this’ll be useful for that too. Once it’s up, you’ll want to place a drain pan on the floor in line with the sump plug, which is facing the rear of the car. You should be able to unscrew it by hand, but if the last oaf used the wrong plug and washer and got 1970’s Arnold Schwarzenegger to tighten it, you might need to use an impact to spin it loose. 

Let the oil drain out, then use the proper sump plug you can buy at euro car parts for like £4 which includes the rubber sealing rings built onto it. Thread it in by hand, then use a torque wrench to tighten it to 30 Nm, then you can head to the filter housing which is in the engine bay at the back side. You’ll need a short 36mm socket to get it off as there isn’t much space between the filter cap and the bulkhead. 

Annoyingly, my filter cap was almost impossible to remove so I had to use my long breaker bar to crack it free, but once it’s loose you can unscrew it fully making sure to place some towels below it to catch any spilled oil, then lift it out of the engine bay. The filter just pops off, it’s a good idea to inspect the filter for any serious issues like metal shavings trapped in it. 

Your new filter will then just pop in. You’ll want to replace the o-ring seal on the cap – your filter should come with a replacement anyway. In my case I was able to get it off by hand without much difficulty, but you might want to use a pick instead if you are having trouble. The new o-ring can slide on, making sure to lubricate it well with oil before fitting. You’ll just want to gently work it down into the groove your old one came from, then you can reinstall the filter and cap. The cap gets torqued to 25 Nm.

Finally, fill up the oil. This Cooper engine is listed as 4.5L with the filter change so drop in about that, check that the level is at least at minimum, then start the car. Let the filter housing fill up and the oil pressure build, then switch it off and check the level again. It’s likely to be low so add a touch more oil then that’s pretty much it.

To reset your oil service light, hold down the odometer reset button in the gauge in the centre while you turn the key to the first (accessory) position. The odometer display will read “51A” on the top left line, let go of the button, then hold it down again until it says “RST”. Let go of the button then quickly press it once and that’s the service life reset.