Changing oil in a CX-5 Turbo. Did the salesguy blow smoke up my tailpipe?

Avoidin Deer

Zoom Zoom, baby
Contributor
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Central Virginia
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2019 CX-5 Reserve
As I was test driving the CX-5 Reserve, the salesguy casually said "You can ruin the turbo if you change the oil and install an empty oil filter without manually filling it up first."

Is this true?
Has anyone heard of such a thing?
Did the guy invite me to go snipe hunting?
Was he trying to scare me off of doing my own maintenance?

You Tube videos of CX-9 oil changes have folks installing empty filters.
I feel stupid even asking this.

When I was working with the finance guy to finalize the sale, he tried to sell me a "discounted" service package. Dealer oil changes were done at the discounted prepaid package bargain price of $90 each, purchased in lots of 3!
 
As I was test driving the CX-5 Reserve, the salesguy casually said "You can ruin the turbo if you change the oil and install an empty oil filter without manually filling it up first."

Is this true?
Has anyone heard of such a thing?
Did the guy invite me to go snipe hunting?
Was he trying to scare me off of doing my own maintenance?

You Tube videos of CX-9 oil changes have folks installing empty filters.
I feel stupid even asking this.

When I was working with the finance guy to finalize the sale, he tried to sell me a "discounted" service package. Dealer oil changes were done at the discounted prepaid package bargain price of $90 each, purchased in lots of 3!

I never install a filter without oil in it, even on my Briggs 18hp lawnmower. That said, it depends on how the system is designed, but I doubt it matters, or we'd be reading about it from all the JiffyLubers by now with the CX9's.

Did find this on another forum, circa 2005:
Shop policy while working for Cat, and an independant truck repair shop, was not to pre-fill. Reason was that the little wear incured during startup on an empty filter is much better then prefilling and risking a piece of junk to get inside the filter and plug a cooling nozzel or oil passage.


Also, on vehicles I have owned previously, if you FLOOR it and then start it, there is an electronic cut that prevents fuel/fire, and the vehicle will just turn over and over and over until you lift your foot. This will build pressure before the turbo moves any, of course.

ALSO...the above was not with a DI vehicle, so I dunno.
 
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FAKE NEWS!

Tell me how many times you've seen mechanics do oil changes and stop to "lube" the filter......VERY RARE! It's a good practice but hardly anyone does it. No It will NOT destroy turbo lol
 
My shade-tree mechanic has always "lubed" the filter before putting it on, but he doesn't pre-fill it. All he does is dip his finger in the old oil and run it around the inner lip of the filter. The sales guy was just trying to scare you away from doing your own maintenance in order to sell you on dealer services.
 
As I was test driving the CX-5 Reserve, the salesguy casually said "You can ruin the turbo if you change the oil and install an empty oil filter without manually filling it up first."

Is this true? Highly unlikely.
Has anyone heard of such a thing? Not me.
Did the guy invite me to go snipe hunting? Sounds like it.
Was he trying to scare me off of doing my own maintenance? Maybe, or maybe trying to impress you with his "knowledge".

You Tube videos of CX-9 oil changes have folks installing empty filters.
I feel stupid even asking this.

When I was working with the finance guy to finalize the sale, he tried to sell me a "discounted" service package. Dealer oil changes were done at the discounted prepaid package bargain price of $90 each, purchased in lots of 3!

I never did that in maybe 16 oil changes on my Subaru turbo with no ill effects.

Altho it's a might be a good idea to prefill, I don't see how it could be harmful to not. Consider that many cars specify different oil capacities with and without filter change. That would imply installing an empty filter.

$30 for an oil change is a good price these days, if you're willing to let someone else do it.
 
$30 for an oil change is a good price these days, if you're willing to let someone else do it.

It would be a good price, but..

... discounted prepaid package bargain price of $90 each, purchased in lots of 3!

Meaning that each oil change was priced out at $90, but they would need to be purchased in groups of 3, costing $270. Considering that a 5L jug of full synthetic oil can be purchased for $40 or less, and the cost of a Mazda OEM oil filter and crush washer (~$10), one could very easily do their own oil changes for just over half the cost of this dealer's discounted package price for a single oil change.
 
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sales tactic...ignore them :)

You cant blow a turbo if you dont prefill oil filter. When you start engine it fills the oil filter almost immediately.

plus discounted oil change at $90 is very expensive I think. This is not a lexus or bmw.
 
Actually, I've noticed a difference when filters are positioned at such an angle that very little oil can be preinstalled in the filter before it is threaded onto the threaded tube. My rotary engine Mazdas each had the oil filter on top of the engine with the opening of the filter facing down, meaning no pre-lube.
However, since most engine wear does occur at startup, I ALWAYS prefill my filters. If the position of the filter allows you to prefill, why not take the 10 seconds to do it?
 
It would be a good price, but..



Meaning that each oil change was priced out at $90, but they would need to be purchased in groups of 3, costing $270. Considering that a 5L jug of full synthetic oil can be purchased for $40 or less, and the cost of a Mazda OEM oil filter and crush washer (~$10), one could very easily do their own oil changes for just over half the cost of this dealer's discounted package price for a single oil change.

$90 EACH is so outrageous that I didn't even "see" the word. Unbelievable.
 
It's B.S. However I always start the engine after an oil change and let it gently idle for a few moments while making sure nothing is leaking. That's enough time to fill the filter.

I would not change the oil and then immediately redline the engine. Nor would I immediately change the oil on a hot engine that's been just been worked hard.
 
Salesmen are morons. I've worked in several service departments for the better part of a decade and it's unbelievable how little salesmen actually know about what they are selling. It's great if you can fill the filter before installing it because the pump doesn't have to run dry, but it's no big deal if you don't. In many cases, it's not possible. Subarus have their oil filters mounted upside down, it would be impossible. And turbo/non-turbo makes no difference.

Don't buy anything the finance guy tries to pressure you into. The finance guys can be real snakes. Tell them you just want to buy the car, you don't want any pinstripes, or Scotchgard or Ziebart or service packages or third party warranties. You just want the car and nothing else. You can always buy the factory backed extended warranty when your original warranty expires. No rush to buy anything else now.
 
They suckered my mother in law into getting an extended tire warranty *facepalm*. I was there to talk her out of the service plan but she wouldnt listen to me on the tires.

Finance guy asked why we didnt want to pay ahead for service, and I said its becuase Im doing the maintenance. But youll void the warranty!

I was not a fan of that dude.
 
I've usually done my own oil changes, and while I lube the seal, I've never pre-filled the filter. I put in the amount called for when you change the oil and the filter, then start the engine and let it idle for a minute or two to fill the filter. I turn off the engine, let it sit for a minute or two, then check the level. That being said, I see no reason to NOT pre-fill the filter. I just see no compelling reason to do it.

There were a couple of times when a reasonably pleasant sales process got marred by this type of stuff. Had I been in the right mood and thought about what he was telling me, I would have told him to be more careful as to where he damaged his credibility.
 
They suckered my mother in law into getting an extended tire warranty *facepalm*. I was there to talk her out of the service plan but she wouldn*t listen to me on the tires.

Finance guy asked why we didn*t want to pay ahead for service, and I said it*s because I*m doing the maintenance. *But you*ll void the warranty!*

I was not a fan of that dude.

The most egregious part of my process was that wheel/tire plan he tried to sell me. The "recommended plans" were on a tablet, and you would slide them to one side to accept and the other side to reject. The graphic for the wheel/tire plan had a schematic of a front end, with the various repair costs pointing to specific components: shocks, struts, etc. I asked the guy "What's with the drawing of the suspension and all these costs? I thought this was just coverage for the rubber and the rim it mounts on." "Yeh", he said, "I'm not a fan of that drawing." *sigh* So there's the picture of the implied complete front-end coverage of a dozen components on the tablet that will go blank the moment your transaction is concluded.

My first sales guy (the "you'll shoot your eye out if you do your own oil changes" guy) was their "sales coordinator," and when I went to pick the car up I got a formal sales guy. He kept talking about how much he liked the interior/exterior protection service that included twice-a-year detailing at a "reduced rate" of $50. He made a post-sales call a couple of days after I picked the car up, and again started talking about how much he personally liked that service. So I asked him "The GT Reserve has coated leather seats. Exactly what protection are you gonna put on it for my money that's actually going to do anything? Besides, the brochure you gave me for this service has a dead web address on it. I can't even tell if the maker of that product still exists." He stuttered a bit and said he would email me the right web address. That was last Wednesday, nearly a week ago. Haven't seen it.
 
My dealer charges $69 for an oil change and tire rotation. So yea.. $90? Are you in LA? /edit/ rural VA? NO.

Also changed the oil on my turbo Saabs and never pre-filled the filter. Never heard of such a thing.
 
My dealer charges $69 for an oil change and tire rotation. So yea.. $90? Are you in LA? /edit/ rural VA? NO.

Also changed the oil on my turbo Saabs and never pre-filled the filter. Never heard of such a thing.

Keep in mind that the $90 is a DISCOUNTED rate for a pre-paid program. I wonder if that comment regarding filling the filter wasn't meant to scare me off of having anyone but the "experienced dealer" do routine maintenance and to prime me for the pitch from the finance guy.

Until a couple of years ago, I had a Volvo 740 Turbo Intercooler (nearly 200,000 miles on it). I did my own oil/filter changes with no problems. The only reason I'm not still driving that Volvo is an encounter with Bambi's dad one foggy evening a few years ago.

But I do have to admit that the guy got me wondering if all this tech might turn a simple task into an expensive mistake. Man, what a nasty way to make a living.
 
They suckered my mother in law into getting an extended tire warranty *facepalm*. I was there to talk her out of the service plan but she wouldnt listen to me on the tires.

Finance guy asked why we didnt want to pay ahead for service, and I said its becuase Im doing the maintenance. But youll void the warranty!

I was not a fan of that dude.

Yep, same thing when my Dad bought his CX-5. The actual salesman was decent, the finance guy was a bastard. He kept pushing a third party warranty on my dad to which I rebutted "It's a CPO, it's still got 2 years on the bumper to bumper and 5 years on the power train." He kept coming back with "sensors and complicated computers...blah blah blah." He kept bringing it up until I finally stepped in and said "say it one more time and we're walking out that f***ing door and we'll buy one someplace else." He didn't bring it up again.

Same thing with the finance manager at the dealership I currently work for, he's a bastard, I don't even like to look at him. If he walks in the room, I leave.
 
$90 for an oil change is highway robbery considering you can get a 5qt jug from walmart for around $25. A Mazda filter for under $10 (if you have a good source), or comparable Wix 57002 filter. And a new crush washer for $1 or less.

As for filling the filter, I do, but I know plenty don't, so I don't think it's going to matter really.
 
$90 for an oil change is highway robbery considering you can get a 5qt jug from walmart for around $25. A Mazda filter for under $10 (if you have a good source), or comparable Wix 57002 filter. And a new crush washer for $1 or less.

As for filling the filter, I do, but I know plenty don't, so I don't think it's going to matter really.

What sucks is I bought from this dealer who is 20 miles up the road rather than the next nearest one who is 50 miles the other direction so as to have some sort of long term relationship I could count on.

Silly me for using the words "relationship" and "dealership" in the same sentence.
 
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