Oil Choices
- Thread starter zoomzoom9
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There is a lot of metal running around in a new engine as it breaks in. If you look at the oil in sunlight it's metallic. Kind of like pad and rotor bed-in the bearing and such are wearing in to the surfaces they touch.
I change all my new car oils at 500 miles then again at 1000 miles. The only car I didn't was my Honda's because they use a very high molly oil at 1st for break in.
I change all my new car oils at 500 miles then again at 1000 miles. The only car I didn't was my Honda's because they use a very high molly oil at 1st for break in.
Wow...I didn't change my oil until the 5k mile mark. I considered doing it at 3k, but didn't even think of before that. I really broke it in slowly though, and since I do mostly highway miles, I wasn't overly concerned.
I suppose it's up to personal preference, but I'd say you can go at least 3k miles before your first change. I wouldn't go past 5k miles though.
DarkSideMazda2
Member
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- 2011 Mazda 2 Sport Auto
dealer told me to go for my first oil change at 3k miles, but as someone pointed out, a lot of metal shavings will contiminate the oil during the break-in period... as for oil, the car uses synthetic oil? damn.... gotta read the owner's manual
Not sure if it requires it, but I highly recommend it if you plan to keep your car for a long time. Longer oil change intervals, better for your engine, and supposedly better gas mileage. I only use all-synthetic unless the car requires otherwise (I think the RX-8 falls in this category). You'll probably save some money buying the oil yourself instead of at the shop. Recommended: Amsoil or Mobil1.
Sorry to bring this thread back to life but I stopped by the dealer to pick up some oil filters today. They asked what oil weight I used and I said 0w20 per the manual...at least while it's under warranty. The dealer stated I could use 5w20 synthetic though it could impact the mpgs a bit. I was tired and not thinking else I would have asked about anything Mazda documented stating 5w20 was okay. I'm a bit cautious about oil filter brands (oem) and oil weights (per the manual) due a fight I had to get an oil port issue covered under warranty for another vehicle brand.
It's always made sense to me that 5w20 wouldn't cause any issue. It's much less expensive than the 0w20 weights and if the mpg difference really isn't noticeable then why not.
It's always made sense to me that 5w20 wouldn't cause any issue. It's much less expensive than the 0w20 weights and if the mpg difference really isn't noticeable then why not.
I've heard of at least one dealer locally who just uses 5W20 on every vehicle that comes through their shop for an oil change, regardless of what the manufacturer recommends. There's *probably* no risk in using that in the 2, but if you do decide to go that way, I'd suggest at least using synthetic oil. I'm going to stick with 0W20 partly due to the added fuel economy, and also because it's no more expensive for me (Mobil 1 synthetic, $6.50 per quart) than 5W20.
Also, I did my first oil change at 2,000 miles, then again at 5,000. I'm going to stick with 5,000 miles between changes, and when I'm at my next change (15,000 miles) I'll take a sample and send it off to Blackstone for analysis. I suspect it'll show results that are very similar to the ones I've seen from our Mazda 3.
Also, I did my first oil change at 2,000 miles, then again at 5,000. I'm going to stick with 5,000 miles between changes, and when I'm at my next change (15,000 miles) I'll take a sample and send it off to Blackstone for analysis. I suspect it'll show results that are very similar to the ones I've seen from our Mazda 3.
Chain part store had 0w20 for almost $8.50 the other day (sold out). I'll use synthetic but good grief, 0w20 has a large profit margin since it's typically just sold to the hybrid owners. I also do 5k changes since there are 4 cars in the driveway and it's hard to keep track of 7500 mile intervals. I'll probably try 5w20 since after reading several forums (some hybrid) many people didn't see a noticeable difference.
Sure it can.
The first number is about low temperature viscosity. The lower -- the more fluid the oil is when the engine is cold (e.g. when you start it in the morning). Less viscosity when cold - better flow and better protection at start. As most of the wear happens when engine is started, that is important.
That said, the difference between 0w20 and 5w20 probably isn't going to matter in most of the places in the U.S, where the night temperature is rarely in the single digits F.
The second number is about high temperature viscosity. Here, lower doesn't always mean better in terms of engine protection - on the contrary. But -- it provides better fuel mileage (almost for free).
All that talk about newer engines having (whatever they now have) -- it's all about newer engines being able to handle lower viscosity oil without breaking down (and it's a cheap way for manufacturers to improve gas mileage). It doesn't mean that 0w20 is necessarily better for the engine than 0w30.
One more thing: if you look at those oils for high-mileage engines, they're all higher weight. Why? Because worn engine needs thicker oil to hold the pressure. Therefore, sticking with 0w20 might be a nice plan, but it probably worth to revise it once you hit some decent tens of thousands. Because it's important for the manufacturer to provide you with good gas mileage and that the engine lasts for the warranty period. After that -- who cares?
Modern engines are good at lasting into low hundreds of thousands, but after that -- it's really your problem, and manufacturer had already moved on, no warranty, the engine is not produced anymore, the car is not produced anymore... Who cares if your engine could've lasted 500K miles but lasted only 120-180K?
But then again, most people don't care for engines which last over 150-200K miles anyway (they're bored with the car after 5-6-8 or so years, the paint is chipped, the interior smells, a lot of things have been replaced and need to be replaced again ...), so it's not worth it.
The first number is about low temperature viscosity. The lower -- the more fluid the oil is when the engine is cold (e.g. when you start it in the morning). Less viscosity when cold - better flow and better protection at start. As most of the wear happens when engine is started, that is important.
That said, the difference between 0w20 and 5w20 probably isn't going to matter in most of the places in the U.S, where the night temperature is rarely in the single digits F.
The second number is about high temperature viscosity. Here, lower doesn't always mean better in terms of engine protection - on the contrary. But -- it provides better fuel mileage (almost for free).
All that talk about newer engines having (whatever they now have) -- it's all about newer engines being able to handle lower viscosity oil without breaking down (and it's a cheap way for manufacturers to improve gas mileage). It doesn't mean that 0w20 is necessarily better for the engine than 0w30.
One more thing: if you look at those oils for high-mileage engines, they're all higher weight. Why? Because worn engine needs thicker oil to hold the pressure. Therefore, sticking with 0w20 might be a nice plan, but it probably worth to revise it once you hit some decent tens of thousands. Because it's important for the manufacturer to provide you with good gas mileage and that the engine lasts for the warranty period. After that -- who cares?
Modern engines are good at lasting into low hundreds of thousands, but after that -- it's really your problem, and manufacturer had already moved on, no warranty, the engine is not produced anymore, the car is not produced anymore... Who cares if your engine could've lasted 500K miles but lasted only 120-180K?
But then again, most people don't care for engines which last over 150-200K miles anyway (they're bored with the car after 5-6-8 or so years, the paint is chipped, the interior smells, a lot of things have been replaced and need to be replaced again ...), so it's not worth it.
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The shop telling you he can't get 0-20 weight is like someone saying he can't get water. 0-20W is a synthetic oil. The disadvantage is it costs a lot more than regular oil. The advantages are the car will start much better in the winter and with my Prius 2 I only change the 0-20W every 10,000 miles.
the techs over at tustin mazda insisted that my car would run fine on 5w-20 Dino oil and refused to change my oil with full synthetic unless I paid extra for the synthetic. they said that my car would still be warrantied and that all I would lose is maybe a little mpg
I know I sound like a broken record on this forum, but I just don't see what everyone is talking about then they say, "5-20 is cheaper than 0-20." Here in MD, when I go to Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, etc... every synthetic oil is priced around $8.50/qt. regardless of weight. And when they run the 5qts and a filter deal for $29-$35 (depending on the brand and filter), I almost never have an issue getting that deal on the 0-20. In rare cases, I have to press a little and maybe ask for a manager, but I've never left the store without getting the deal.
I just don't see it. If Mazda is marketing a car based on fuel economy, how can it be acceptable for a Mazda service manager to say, "the 5W-20 is fine, you just might loose some MPGs"?
I just don't see it. If Mazda is marketing a car based on fuel economy, how can it be acceptable for a Mazda service manager to say, "the 5W-20 is fine, you just might loose some MPGs"?
Well, the service managers aren't always the brightest people on the block. And car enthusiasts who care about the type of oil -- you know, they're PITA for those service advisers -- it could be that the service advisers would rather drive you away from the dealership then bow to all of your "outrageous" requests?
"They want to know what oil do we pour in their cars? What's next -- maybe they'd like to go into service bay and see how it's being done?" Most of the general public don't care about such things -- for them if dealer changed the oil, that's good enough.
I myself trying to overcome my laziness to do my own oil changes. There's nothing exciting or challenging in the operation, just a bit of messiness. The only real satisfaction is about the job done right. Especially seeing as the people doing oil changes at the dealership aren't always the most sophisticated mechanics (most likely the contrary).
As for the price -- deals at Autozone are one thing, but it's not like the dealer is buying oil at Autozone at retail prices. It might be that 5w20 is cheaper for the dealer when they're buying bulk in those big drums, and they might just skip stocking 0w20 if majority of the public don't care...
Folks if your owner's manual says use synthetic oil, use synthetic oil. It will cost you more, but in the long run it will be cheaper. My manual says it wouldn't hurt the engine if you use regular oil one time, but go back to synthetic oil on your next change. Using synthetic oil is the best way to go if you keep your vehicle for long periods. If you sell it in three or fewer years the buyer will have to decide.
