Oil Change

[ryguy]

So the manual says every 7500 miles. Seems a bit long. Are there reasons to do that earlier?

[GoProtege]

I'd never wait more than 4500 miles. Usually closer to 3000

[ryguy]

I'd never wait more than 4500 miles. Usually closer to 3000

Then why the 7500 mile recommendation???

[GrayZoom]

They usually recommend 7500 miles if you are driving mostly highway miles. Every 5000 miles if you do city/highway mixture. 3000 if only city.

When I had my Mazda3, I would change it every 5000. The dealership would always put on the windshield sticker to change it again in 5000 miles.

Highway - 7500
City/Hwy - 5000
City - 3000

[musicola]

I usually go for 5000 in my wife's cars (mostly driven around town, including the CX-9). When I do mostly highway miles in my car (not the CX-9), the car computer calculates about 7500-8000 per oil change. 3000 is excessive these days, in my opinion. Waste of money and oil to dispose of.

[GrayZoom]

3000 is excessive these days, in my opinion. Waste of money and oil to dispose of.

I agree completely!

[WaxiP5]

I just got our CX9 2 days ago. I plan to do an oil change by 1K, then at 3K and every 3K thereafter. It would not hurt to do it and only costs $30 every 3 months. I will be using Castrol Syntec.

[KRT-1]

Today's engines are built with very fine tolerances, and are not the engines of yesteryear that required a serious break in period and the discovery of fine metal shavings on the first oil change. That, combined with the advancement in oils and oil filters over the last 30 years, makes the 3K oil changes obsolete. You can easily go 5K between changes without any problems.

[CX9 SportOwner]

V6 Ill do every 5000. 4 Cylinder Id recommend 3000

[GrayZoom]

Why the difference between cylinders and when you will change the oil? I've never heard someone say that.

[sbtrinker]

When should I do my first Oil change?

[CX9 SportOwner]

4's work harder and rev faster. More strokes per mile than 6 and more wear.

[tool0830]

do what the manual says...

[PsyDoc]

Follow the manual and Mazda will have a more difficult time denying warranty related engine issues. I follow the manufacturer's service intervals until the vehicle is out of warranty, then I do my own thing.

[DashingMax]

According to owners manual, the severe maintanance schedule states every 4 months or 5,000 miles, except Puerto Rico which is 3 months/3k miles.

I did not see 3mths/3k miles anywhere for US and Canada.

Screenshot attached...

[PsyDoc]

The 5k interval makes sense as the new Ford vehicles (e.g., Edge, Taurus, MKZ, etc.) use the new 3.5 engine and that's the recommended interval for those vehicles as well.

[100$ GUY]

I have the same doubt, so when to change the oil?

Some guy said if mainly city driven, then at 3000miles
The manual says 4 months (5000miles)

so whats the answer???

Or maybe change at 4 months no matter how many miles????? ( I mean even if there are less than 5000) ????

[njerald]

Unbelievable..........

[100$ GUY]

Well , finally saw the manual, and it says to change it every 6250miles or 6 months, so I'll do that. Thanks manual! hahaha

[kosh2258]

I did my first oil change this last weekend. I don't know if the filters are all this way but, apparently, the filter gorillia was working the day my engine was built. The filter was on so tight I had to go to NAPA to get a special 3 jaw filter removal tool to get it off. A slick little device that grabs the filter tighter the harder you pull on the wratchet handle. It worked. But I had to crank on the filter so hard the clamping jaws deformed the filter's case.

The filter is only supposed to be tightened 3/4 of a turn after the gasket makes contact with the base and mine was easily 1 and 1/2 turns - WAY to tight.

Other than that the oil change was easy to do with the vehicle on the ground - no ramps needed.

Ted

[Lindyrect]

So I changed my oil a few days ago and I put in Mobile 1 full synthetic 5W-20. Not sure if it is me but the engine sounds smoother and seems to have a bit more umph. I would not think oil would do this, but call me crazy.

[Scott P]

I send my opil off for analysis to see what interval works best for me. I'd rather rely on science than some made up oil standard that has been around for decades. If the manual calls for 7,500 miles, tehn why doubt it? Hell, I run 12,000 miles in our Envoy and still get a great analysis report.

I run a full synthetic oil like Mobil 1 and use Lube Control, so that gives me a cushion and measure of comfort.

[Lindyrect]

BTW, when cleaning my oil plug I noticed some small metal pieces. Very small, and this is the first oil change, so I think that they are just residual pieces from assembly.

[23jam]

They is alot of factors that go into oil changes. How is it driven, temperature, and what type of oil. To me if your using a synthetic you can go longer between oil changes, compared to conventional oil. To me these all factor in to get the oil change at the right time.

[Force-1]

Manual says to change oil every 4 months/5000 miles if one of the following conditions exists:

- Repeated short-distance driving
- Driving in dusty conditions
- Driving with extended use of brakes
- Driving in areas where salt or other corrosive materials are being used
- Driving on rough or muddy roads
- Extended periods of idling or low-speed operation
- Driving for long periods in cold temperatures or extremely humid climates
- Driving in extremely hot conditions
- Driving in mountainous conditions continually

Since none of these really apply to me I will stick to the 6 month rule.

[CX9 SportOwner]

Change the oil according to mileage, not time. And use the weight specified in the manual. If you use the wrong oil and have a problem, goodbye warranty service. Also, the oil a manufacturer recommends a certain weight based on the engineering of the engine, particularly things like hydralic lifters, etc.

I took a previous vehicle to an oil change place ONE TIME, and after they put the wrong weight in the lifters ticked. worse, after changing out the wrong oil, the problem never went away.

[Force-1]

Change the oil according to mileage, not time. .

This doesn't work for everyone if you stick to the owner's manual. There's no way I will see 7500 miles in 6 months (maybe 5000), so I'll stick with 6 months per manual.

[100$ GUY]

This doesn't work for everyone if you stick to the owner's manual. There's no way I will see 7500 miles in 6 months (maybe 5000), so I'll stick with 6 months per manual.

Exactly.

[Force-1]

Had the dealer change the oil in my CX-9 last week. Today I checked the tire pressure in all 4 of my vehicles, and the CX-9 had anywhere from 41-44 pounds in each tire! The service department must have done this when they did the LOF, as I check all of my vehicles at least once a month. WTF?!

[CX9 SportOwner]

Except, TIME doesnt wear out and contaminate the oil. Miles do.

[l-miwa]

If you drive only short distances, the initial startup and the heating / cooling cycles put a lot of crud into the oil. And if you drive such short distances that the engine never gets up to operating temperature, it's even worse.

[ShoreCX-9]

removed post

[sreddos]

To anyone who changes their own oil, what is the size of the drain plug?

[sbmrinaldi]

I use synthetic and change my wifes every 5k or twice a year, whichever comes first.

[supradupe]

I just did an oil change myself, using a Mityvac oil extractor. I extracted only 4L out. To make sure I got everything out, I also opened the drain plug, and there was very little that came out (may be a few fluid ounces). Then I dropped the oil filter. There, I got another half a liter of oil out. So total oil I got out of the 2010 3.7L engine was about 4.5L which is far less than what the manual says of 5.2L. Anyhow, it doesn't bother me. Now I know that I can just use the Mityvac to do oil change and not to have to mess with the oil drain plug. It really sucks to do oil change on Japanese cars as their oil filters are at the bottom. They need to learn from the Germans and put the oil filter on top! I can change oil on my bimmer without crawling under the car.

[dmitrik4]

I It really sucks to do oil change on Japanese cars as their oil filters are at the bottom.

on some cars, sure. definitely not on all of them.

i think the CX-9's filter location is perfect; don't even have to jack up the car to change the filter, and i don't need to fit my hand in past hot engine parts to reach it. *shrug*

[supradupe]

I also switched to synthetic. 5 quarts of Royal purple 5W20 and BMW 5W30 made up the rest.

[ceric]

That is because CX9s have Ford's engines.

[petoria]

Hey everyone,

I just took my CX-9 to the dealership to switch my oil over to amsoil synthetic, the vehicle only has 1900 km on it, just picked it up last month. The service writer called me and mentioned that the shop foreman said changing to synthetic before the first 8000km is not recommended because apparently the engine hasn't broken in yet. Goes on to say that the synthetic oil will not allow the seals to seat properly and I'd be looking at leaking oil in the future if I switched before the "8000km engine break-in". I only want whats best for the new car, and apparently I wasn't taking the right approach so I'd like your opinion on this.

Thanks guys.

[ceric]

First, Mazda manual does not forbid use of synthetic.
However, it does not allow longer change interval with synthetic either.

Second, BMW vehicles come with synthetic oil and required to keep using it.
They don't have seal problem? How so?

[jabba]

I've heard of this so-called "myth" of keeping the original factory oil for several thousand miles so that the seals are broken in, something about the oil having special additives (i.e. a break-in oil). I don't personally believe there's a special additive, I do think there is some silicon gasket sealer from the factory assembly, which is why your oil analysis might read high on silicon the first time you do an oil change. I'd be more worried about keeping the factory oil for thousands of miles, the wear metals don't really wash out until the next few oil changes. But there's a lot of debate on that too, where people spout data about engine wear decreasing as oil ages....

[Veilside1]

In years past there was some truth to the Factory Fill being used as a "break-in" oil. Small amounts of molybdenium were added to the factory fill oil in order to polish internally lubricated parts. In recent years this has become less important as casting and forming processes have improved significantly.

I do not believe that any manufacturer currently uses a break-in oil. And as for the post about Synthetic causing the the seals not to seat properly, that is simply a load... Ignorance at its finest. I'm not sure i'd be taking my vehicle back there for service. Keep in mind, Synthetic Oil is factory fill in many performance vehicles including Porsche, Benz AMG, Camaro SS, and Corvette, among many others.

I just drained the factory fill on my CX9 at 3500mi ( so i would not be changing my oil in the dead of winter. ) Mobil 1 0W-20 went in along with a Pure1 filter. And my next oil change will be in 10k miles or before next winter, whichever comes first.

[chumanji9]

Question on how many quarts of oil I should put in...
I recently change the oil from my brand new CX9. What came out was only 4 quarts. So, should I be putting back 5 quarts or 4 quarts?

[supradupe]

Question on how many quarts of oil I should put in...
I recently change the oil from my brand new CX9. What came out was only 4 quarts. So, should I be putting back 5 quarts or 4 quarts?

did you pull the oil filter also? That will drain another 1/2 quart or so. If you got 4Q out, then put 4Q back in and Use the dipstick as your guide to reach the proper level.

[helbigtw]

It really sucks to do oil change on Japanese cars as their oil filters are at the bottom. They need to learn from the Germans and put the oil filter on top! I can change oil on my bimmer without crawling under the car.

I miss my 97 VW Passat VR6. Yeah I had to crawl underneath, but the housing was at the bottom of the engine, and was not horizontally mounted like some vehicles. It had a plastic oil filter housing with large nut built on to it for a wrench, had a paper filter inside the housing, and the plastic filter housing had its own oil drain plug. It was the easiest oil change of any car I've ever changed. Didn't even need a paper towel...unless it was windy when you let the oil drain from the pan.

[zoomzoom_fan]

First, Mazda manual does not forbid use of synthetic.
However, it does not allow longer change interval with synthetic either.

Second, BMW vehicles come with synthetic oil and required to keep using it.
They don't have seal problem? How so?

In my opinion that whole oil change saga boils down to money. Car industry=dealers just want to see you every 3k miles and charge $50-$100 for oil change, plus using the opportunity to sell bunch of other unnecessary consumables and tweaks.
My other car is Audi A4 2.0T and similarly to your BMW it requires new oil once a year or every 10,000 miles. Needless to say it runs on syntetic.
Many new cars in Europe nowadays require oil change every 25,000 km i.e. 15,000 miles. Go and figure.
I think changing the oil every 3k is just wasting of monies without any real benefit to the engine. I would be hesitant to push the 15k mark, but 8-10k intervals for syntetic oil seem like a safe bet.

[ALAN553]

Amsoil oil and synthetic filter, 15,000 miles or 1 year, been doing that for years, between me and the kids i have three cars at the 130K mark, no oil burning, no adding between changes, no nothing other than saving time and money.

[helbigtw]

Just went to get my supplies for my first oil change since buying my new-to-me CX-9. Ended up getting a Mobile One Extended Performance oil filter, which feels alot heavier than the Motorcraft paperweight. (I have always used the mobile one filters in the past on other cars too). And then purchased the Mobile Super 5000 oil, which I guess is the remake of "Clean 5000." Oil has really gone up. 32 bucks for a 5.1qt container of fully synthetic Mobile One fully synthetic advanced performance oil. I think I'll just stick with the 5000 oil, which seems to be a quality oil compared to the 55 gallon drum that those oil change places use which likely have rust flakes, bugs, and who knows what else in them. I would never go to one of those places.

[jediwebdude]

Just went to O'Reilly Automotive where they have 1 gal jugs of Mobil 1 on sale for $19.99. Loaded up on 4 gallons.

[nuru]

Got some from Advanced Auto 5 .1 quarts of Mobil 1 and the Mobil 1 filter for $32

[nuru]

Got some from Advanced Auto 5 .1 quarts of Mobil 1 and the Mobil 1 filter for $32

Oil change complete, used my mytec pump and pulled 4.8L of used oil from the dip stick. Loaded same plus 1/2 qt back into the unit, no leaks. Oil filter was very easy to take off. I will let you all know if my mileage goes up a little :D LOL!

[shodanusmc]

My wife drives a BMW 135 Very in the nice months. BMW pays for the maint, so they say one year or 15,000 miles. Some have had 18,000 miles put on in less than a year, and no oil change as long as you are under the SERVICE due. To me, too long. I get it done every 6 months regardless and the car has never seen bad weather or snow. Now if BMW was not paying for the oil change, they would most likely say every 3 months. It came with Synthetic in it. I will get the Mazda changed every 6 months or 3,000 miles.

[ceric]

ex-BMW owner here.
The trick is too let BMW pay for every other oil change.
Youself pay for the other ones. That way, you cut the cost by half.
Do not reset lights when you do the oil change yourself.

[nuru]

Oil change complete, used my mytec pump and pulled 4.8L of used oil from the dip stick. Loaded same plus 1/2 qt back into the unit, no leaks. Oil filter was very easy to take off. I will let you all know if my mileage goes up a little :D LOL!

Hmmm, Mileage has gone up. I have hit as high as 26mpg on a one way trip, then averaged 24 mpg for the trip - combo street and highway, with mostly highway. For the week, I average 22.8 over 338 miles of same terrain, and if I did not dog it one day, I would have averaged a bit higher. I had 1/4 tank left after 5 days of trips to work. before the oil change to full synthetic, I would have less than 1/8 of a tank left on the gauge. I am running K&N air filter and Mobil 1 full synth oil and Mobil 1 oil filter.

I will run it a bit further this week and let you knww the results.

[georgecastaneda]

i got a swapped motor i dont even know how many miles does it have, im using 10w40 mobil 1 fully synthetic with a can of engine restore every 3500k miles.
Is it ok for a vehicle that is driving almost 10 hrs a day? (I work doing auto parts deliveries)

answers would be appreciated

thank you