Well 'Bluey' is going in for Major Engine surgery next week.......
Engine rebuild needed due to the excessive carbon build up and the previous owner's complete lack of any proper maintenance, if it got an oil change ever it must have with the direst quality 'oil' around. Sadly this 'oil' is being used daily in a major dealer....
I did give it regular proper oil changes but it was all in vain as I was too late, the damage had been done.
This rebuild will be highly expensive
and it could have been easily avoided if it had got regular proper oil changes etc.
So if you have an R56 MINI, be it a ONE, Cooper or an S, I strongly advise you to immediately start to look after your car, properly.
The MINI 'condition based servicing' where the car tells you when it needs to be done should be completely ignored and you should change the oil, with decent 5W/30 Castrol, Fuchs etc etc every 8000 km's Minimum.
I'm looking forward to getting my Cooper S back to full health as it will be fantastic no doubt.
Ger wrote a great thread on the problem here :
R56 Cooper S oil use and carbon build -up
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4058