With my MINI out of its free maintenance warranty it’s now time to do things myself, and this weekend was my first time changing its oil. Though I’ve done the relatively simple procedure many times before on my previous car, I always take my time and double-check each step the first time I do any work on the mini.<\/p>\n
\nI had prepared well ahead of time and I think for the first time ever starting a project, had everything I needed. A MINI oil filter\/gasket kit, a huge 36mm socket, 5 quarts of Mobil 1, and the usual remaining tools. Of course a semi-insulated garage certainly helped when it was 30 degrees out. Additionally, at the recommendation of many others, I took the opportunity to install a Fumoto oil drain valve<\/a> to replace the often-stripped oil plug.\n<\/p>\n \nEverything went well with the only tough part was rethreading the filter cover. It took about ten tries before it would continue past a quarter turn. The MINI was much easier than on my previous car, where I had to crawl completely under the car and needed three elbows to snake my arm to the oil filter. With the MINI, you don’t really need to get underneath–the plug is about two feet from the front so I just pulled it up on ramps, and could reach under the bumper. With the fumoto valve, there’s no need for a wrench so I won’t even need ramps next time.\n<\/p>\n