Oil Change Frequency with Synthetic Blend Oil

[sapacif]

My dealer here in San Antonio uses Castrol synthetic blend 5W-20 and recommends an oil change every 2500 miles. I asked why they recommended changing more than the owners manual recommendation of 5000 miles. They said it was because of the high temperatures here in San Antonio in the summer. Hmmm...maybe so, but it only gets to 100F here a few times a year. Is the 2500 mile change too frequent for this type of oil? Thanks.

[Rocket]

I use Motorcraft 5W-20 from Wal Mart and change the oil every 5,000 miles and the filter every 10,000 miles. I live in hot and humid South Carolina and the engine has not blown up yet and I have 80,000 miles+. I think that 2,500 mile oil changes are too frequent for any oil.

[switek]

2500 miles is not even required for taxis or other heavy use vehicles. It's just as hot in Florida and my dealer is only recommending 5000 to 7500 oil changes. That is with conventional oil (Formula Shell) as well.

I think your dealer is a crook.

[bgibb68]

they are trying to take you.....5k miles....and i was going by that interval before i switched to full syn, which is mucho beneficial....


edit: and check to make sure that it calls for 5w20.....but go either dino oil or full syn

[Davicho]

2500 miles!!! WOW
They are trying to rip you off!

1- Motorcraft #FL-2017-B
4- Motorcraft #XO-5W20-QSP

every 5000 miles for me!

[bgibb68]

if you go in at 5k and they give you crap about not getting it at 2500 and say anything about killing the warranty ask for that in writing and then contact mazda na about the dealership man....they sound as crooked as the one i bought my car from.....i wish i had done ask for what they told me in writing many times over

[sapacif]

I think your dealer is a crook.
I asked my dealer if I could wait the 5000 miles and not hurt the car. They said, "Yes." I asked why the 2500 mile recommendation and they gave me the "hot weather" answer. I don't think they will make any problems with the warranty issue.

I do thank everyone for their answer. I wasn't sure if there was something unusual about the oil type. I'm sticking with the 5000 mile change.

BTW, this issue came up when I was using this software (http://www.idriveonline.com/index.asp) to follow my vehicle maintenance on the internet. Maybe the 2500 miles was a default of the "idriveonline" software.

[AO928]

I use full synthetic (Mobil1) and prescribe to the 10K miles or once every year. I plan on doing a used oil analysis just to see how far I can push the oil and stay within the acceptable operating parameters.

[AO928]

BTW, The part synthetic oil is like the "beechwood aged" beer......the beer spends 18 days in huge aluminum tanks in a secondary fermentation near the end they toss in some beechwood chips (preboiled and processed to remove all flavor) which fines the beer causing all the yeast to fall out of suspension. Unless the synthetic mix states how much is synthetic it need only be a few drops in a barrel! It is all just marketing.......save your money and buy either regular oil or buy the real thing.

[07MZ5SA]

I use full synthetic (Mobil1) and prescribe to the 10K miles or once every year. I plan on doing a used oil analysis just to see how far I can push the oil and stay within the acceptable operating parameters.

Keep us up to date on UOA. I'm currently on the same OCI.

[AO928]

I had to get the pan resealed at the dealer. So I was unable to get an oil sample this time. Will do so on next oil change.

[OilGuy]

There is no definition of what synthetic or synthetic blend is - it's all a marketing term and tells you nothing about product performance. Don't get hung up on this term. If you look at what they are made with, pretty much any 5W-20 can be called a syn blend if they use the Castrol or ConocoPhillips(Motorcraft) definition as what they are willing to market as a syn blend.

Don't go to this dealer who is trying to get as much money as possible from you. Don't you think Mazda would note in their owners manual if a special requirement was needed for living in a hot area?

If you are concerned about heat, synthetics (Mobil 1) generally perform better at temperature extremes - both cold and hot.

[AIMWO4]

HOT = turbo... lol

2500 miles isn't much unless thats' over 4 months or more.

[Franzy]

I've had my 5 in Texas too. Simply put, If your using the Mobil 1, you should be running at least 5W30 or 10W30. with 5,000 mile minimum intervals. You are getting SUPER BS'd by your dealer. Mobil 1 will run up to 10,000 miles, YES EVEN HERE IN TEXAS. Unless your towing a lot or putting the engine under high stress (TRYING to race or quick off the red light's) you can actually go with the 7,500 mile interval. I just make sure that one of my oil changes is in June of each year here. That way I have a fresh start on the summer.
I happen to stick to the 3 month rule out here (for the summer only). I may be doing one extra oil change a year than I need to, but the other 2 are pretty much at about 5000 + miles.

[bulwnkl]

Franzy, your recommendations re: SAE grade and drain interval are both improper. A 20-grade is specified by Mazda (and Ford where they use this engine), and experience and extensive analysis shows that the cam phasing system and the engine in general perform better on a 20-grade. M1 is a poor choice no matter what you're running, and your proposed 10,000 mile drain interval proves to be far, far too long in many applications with these engines. I hope you're using analysis (and not BS labs) to guide you, and I wish you'd make such qualifications before posting this kind of information.

[didget69]

Franzy, your recommendations re: SAE grade and drain interval are both improper. A 20-grade is specified by Mazda (and Ford where they use this engine), and experience and extensive analysis shows that the cam phasing system and the engine in general perform better on a 20-grade. M1 is a poor choice no matter what you're running, and your proposed 10,000 mile drain interval proves to be far, far too long in many applications with these engines. I hope you're using analysis (and not BS labs) to guide you, and I wish you'd make such qualifications before posting this kind of information.

Interesting post, bulwnkl - What's the problem with Mobil 1 full-synthetic oil? The Miata guys I run with all use M1 full-synth oil (have for the past 10 years in Miatas with NO ill effects on 5k oil changes & factory filter) & I've always run M1 in my Miata & 2007 5 Sport, with ZERO issues on cars that I'm not gentle on... interested in hearing your scientifically informed / diagnosed stand on M1... enlighten us, please, with proven evidence, not anecdotal musings.

Bryan

[mazdaspeedster3]

I would say have the analysis done at least once a year or every other year. Will help give you a REAL good idea about how far you can go with oil change intervals. I will say however, 5k is my max. Simply put if you do some how think or find that you can go 7500-10k miles and oddly you get a slugde problem or something else you will not be able to prove your maintenance (as you wont have any) and the problem could likely not be covered under warranty. Run synthetic if you can afford it (buy your own oil and filter at walmart, Penzoil Platinum or Mobil1 and have them change it, $15 labor and $30 in supplies. Cheapest Syn change you can get) and have it changed at 5k to be sure!

[bulwnkl]

The Miata guys I run with all use M1 full-synth oil (have for the past 10 years in Miatas with NO ill effects on 5k oil changes & factory filter) & I've always run M1 in my Miata & 2007 5 Sport, with ZERO issues on cars that I'm not gentle on... interested in hearing your scientifically informed / diagnosed stand on M1... enlighten us, please, with proven evidence, not anecdotal musings.

Text redacted

What I have is information from text redacted thousands of engines and used oil analyses over the course of years. And numerous publicly posted UOAs on various free-access websites (such as, but not limited to, BITOG (bobistheoilguy.com) and NASIOC(.com)). And an understanding of what some of the differences between labs' analytical methods and capabilities do to impact results for comparative purposes. And the independent lab testing of M1 which has recently been published for all to see. Check Jobbersworld (IIRC?) for that testing.

M1 doesn't meet the sequence IVA test requirements, and it's not even close. It hasn't for quite a while now (as measured in years and months). Hopefully, XOM has reformulated quite recently and is now compliant again and no longer allowing excessive iron wear. However, even if they have, I will neither give them my business nor my recommendation because of how long and how significantly deficient they were. Even now, there's no acknowledgment of the problem. There's just a renewed ad blitz to try to get people to buy the product.

[bulwnkl]

Here's a Jobber's World link:
http://www.jobbersworld.com/March%2020,%202009.htm

This article is not specifically about the original challenge to Mobil, but it includes a bar graph down a bit from the top. The bar graph's un-labeled oil on the left is M1. Search older issues of Jobber's World for the original article on the M1 deficiency.

[TheMAN]

the mazda5 comes with an oil cooler, reducing any need for such short oil change intervals... 3000 miles is what you'd probably want to do with conventional oil instead

also, running 5W30 is OK for this engine and will NOT hurt it
the overseas versions come with this as factory fill due to the lack of CAFE requirements... the engine internals are the exact same so there's no argument over any engine differences

5W20 might gain you some gas mileage improvements in exchange for some increased engine wear

[bulwnkl]

Be advised that most current engines' need for shorter OCIs stems from damage to the oil from fuel dilution. If you're not monitoring your oil through analysis, you're a blind person making a WAG estimate in the dark.

As to 5W20 vs. 5W30 in these engines, volumes of hard data show lower wear with the 5W20, so there's no argument over what works and protects best in this app.

[wmzda5]

the mazda5 comes with an oil cooler, reducing any need for such short oil change intervals... 3000 miles is what you'd probably want to do with conventional oil instead


Then how come here in Canada oil change interval is recommended at 8k km? With regular motor oil.

[Kojack]

hell in my truck i change every 25000 miles. I only us amsoil oils in my vechiles, where amsoil don't have an oil filter app for the 5, i have to change the oil every 10,000 miles.

[Zenderfall]

Guys, we seem to forget something when it comes to changing oil:

THE FILTER ALSO GETS CHANGED.

Meaning this: Whether you get good oil, bad oil, cheap oil, expensive oil, is only part of the equation. Filters are not all the same, and whether you pick a .99 filter (they exist) or a 14.99 filter changes the outcome. Some filters probably only last 3000, and some may last 20,000 (I really don't know)

For this reason, if we ever have to do comparisons between vehicles at the 200,000 mile mark, and check engine wear, if the two vehicles are using two different oils AND two different oil filters, nothing can be compared.

[TheMAN]

Then how come here in Canada oil change interval is recommended at 8k km? With regular motor oil.
there should be 2 different maintenance schedules.... one is "normal" and one is "severe"... probably 1% of all owners out there fit "normal"... everyone else has to follow "severe" based on where they drive and the conditions its driven in... you don't have to drive the car hard to even make it into "severe"

[shpankey]

Text redacted

What I have is information from text redacted thousands of engines and used oil analyses over the course of years. And numerous publicly posted UOAs on various free-access websites (such as, but not limited to, BITOG (bobistheoilguy.com) and NASIOC(.com)). And an understanding of what some of the differences between labs' analytical methods and capabilities do to impact results for comparative purposes. And the independent lab testing of M1 which has recently been published for all to see. Check Jobbersworld (IIRC?) for that testing.

M1 doesn't meet the sequence IVA test requirements, and it's not even close. It hasn't for quite a while now (as measured in years and months). Hopefully, XOM has reformulated quite recently and is now compliant again and no longer allowing excessive iron wear. However, even if they have, I will neither give them my business nor my recommendation because of how long and how significantly deficient they were. Even now, there's no acknowledgment of the problem. There's just a renewed ad blitz to try to get people to buy the product.

Hmm, interesting. I have to agree I've always noticed higher iron wears than other oils too. I made this connection in my mind but never really thought too much about it, until now.

I know 0w-40 M1 is in a class of its own in regards to other M1 oils, so I wonder if even the mighty 0w-40 has high iron wear too (?).

I'm using PP 5w-30 now but I have 10 quarts of GC on standby and after a couple UOA's on them, if all is well, that's what I'm sticking with. Along with OEM filters.

[MD5]

I've put over 600k miles on several personal cars and I always use M1. I had a 1995 Honda Civic with 140k miles on it when I broke a spark plug off in the head.

The mechanic I took it to removed the head to have it machined and called me to ask how I maintain my car. I told him M1 every 4k miles and he said "that explains it". I asked "explains what?", he replied that the head and cams looked new. There was no discernable wear.

Simply put, I've had good luck with that regime, and I'm not about to fix what isn't broken.

I've got 90k on my 5 now, and I'm about to take a 1,600 mile road trip to Colorado Springs tomorrow.

[mpvue]

it simply amazes me the amout of discussion and misinformation motor oil is resposible for.
it's very simple:
if your car is under warranty, DO WHAT THE MANUAL SAYS. so, stick w/ 5W20/5K.
if you are out of warranty, well, experiment if you like.

why complicate matters?

[bulwnkl]

The M1 0W40 may well have remained a good fluid despite the 5W30 (and, IMO, likely other grades) being a dog with fleas. The data that's publicly available is specifically to do with the 5W30, and the UOAs for some of the other grades look pretty poor to me, too.

[Haggerty00]

I change my oil in the Speed3 every 10k or so. I used to use 5w30 Mobil 1 or Amsoil, but now I use 5w40 Turbo Diesel Mobil 1 oil for the smoking issues the Speed3's have. I plan to use 5w30 M1 every 10k in our new Mazda5 with first change around 2-3k.

[was98strat]

given that the manual requests 5w20 oil wouldn't 5W30 decrease your fuel economy and be a potential warranty issue if you ever had an oil related problem?

Oh, and from what I've been told by MAzda the 5w20 they use is already a synthetic blend.

[rscottg]

it simply amazes me the amout of discussion and misinformation motor oil is resposible for.
it's very simple:
if your car is under warranty, DO WHAT THE MANUAL SAYS. so, stick w/ 5W20/5K.
if you are out of warranty, well, experiment if you like.

why complicate matters?

It's simpler that way.

I run Amsoil 5w20 because it's API certified unlike the 0w20 full-synthetic I run in my Honda. When the engine is off warranty in a year, I may or may not change to something else.

[mars1100]

ok, here it is right out of the 2009 Mazda 5 owners manual:

Schedule I (USA):

6 months, 12K KM or 7.5K miles = replace engine oil and oil filter.


Schedule II: (Canada, Puerto Rico and as I read "extreme conditions")

4 months, 8K KM, 5K miles = replace engine oil and oil filter.

REcommended oil:
Use SAE 5W-20 engine oil (USA and Canada)

(Mexico) if 5W-20 is not available use 5W-30.

My opinion(not as a professional):
I have always used M1 on all of my newer vehicles(1998 and newer models) and have never had so much as an oil leak in any of my engines all have had over 100,00 miles. My older vehicles which I did not use M1 in have all had oil leaks as well as other engine issues.

I say use the recommended service interval in the manual whether or not you use synthetic.

Just my contribution to this aging post.

[georgecastaneda]

i have a 50.000milles and im using castrol full synthetic 5W30 is that ok?