What kind of motor oil do you use?

[arkenzo]

Just switched over to 10w30 Valvoline SynPower , I shall experiment with this oil.

 

[DaveMS307]

He said the factory told him it can cause problems, and mazda will not honor their warranty if you use synthetic.

Thoughts?

-Pete

I've heard that same story personally and from others at the Mazda dealer. I actually switch dealers for this very reason and the new dealer supports syn or syn blend only for MS3. In fact, they do a syn oil change at the same price as standard for the MS3 and MS6 ~$24.

I think you have a tech that only paid partial attention in Mazda class. I do believe the RX-8 is not recommended to use syn because it actually burns oil by design. Had a friend that had one and it would burn a quart every 3k or so.

Short version - don't worry about using syn it's better for a turbo motor than conventional. Audi now recommends syn only for all its turbo motors.

It will make a noticeable difference in how well/quiet the engine runs.

 

[DreSEL]

*****

 

[matsuda]

I talked to the service guy I have been dealing with and he said NOT to use synthetic oil. He said the factory told him it can cause problems, and mazda will not honor their warranty if you use synthetic.

That is a bunch of crap.

Tell him that you want it in writing. That should be interesting...

 

[MikeHTally]

i currently have 0w-20 in (it was a stupid mistake), shud i change that ASAP? Or will it be ok for a few thousand miles?

YES!!! The 30 weight is for the turbo.

 

[MikeHTally]

Interesting thread development -- I'm pretty sure my dealer told me to switch to synthetic after a short period (non-specific). I had planned to anyway, due to the better heat resistance of synthetics. I figure to let her use dead lizards until 10K. I've read that number on many other forums on different vehicles.

 

[Peter B]

Ok
I called the dealer I actually purchased the car from ( 1.5 hours from my house) and asked their service guy. He said go ahead and use it and he had never heard of it causing a problem.

So **** the dude who told me avoid it. Every chemistry, physics, and materials course i took in college told me the science behind synthetic should work. But when the words "voided warranty" come up i get un-nerved.



On a side note I talked to a guy at autozone. He is actually graduating from the same school I went to as a chemical engineer. He seemed to know his s*** about motor oils too. He said re recommended the M1 over PP because PP has a wax in it that can cause build up, especially at higher revs. Anyone know anything about this? I was set on the PP as it seems to give a bit better performance people have been saying on this forum and on others.

-Pete

P.S. Thanks to everyone for helping on this thus far.

 

[arkenzo]

Anyone know anything about this? I was set on the PP as it seems to give a bit better performance people have been saying on this forum and on others.

Get Valvoline SynPower 10w30, I used M1 on my previous car and it was a 4cyl NA engine, I think the turbo on our 4cyl requires a more...refined oil, which is why I went for valvoline. pops recommended it, i trustee my father (butt)

 

[ericrapp]

My dealership put synthetic of their stock... Castrol maybe, when I asked. I can't imagine its a warranty voider!

 

[oaklandopen]

has anyone asked any of the speed6 guys what they used? seems like a reasonable question seeing how those engines should have more miles than ours

 

[mazdaspeed32007]

i uised M1 for about 3 oil changes then switched to royal purple and the car seeemed to run smoother. just the hear and feel test so not as accurate as im sure poepl would want. im guessing the PP has some good raves then? me thinks im going to do some rresearch on what the hell im puttting in my car next becauase with RP at 6.70 a quart and PP at 22 bucks a jug....well, id hope my RP is pulling some good stats.

 

[speed3se-r]

taken from the Mobil One website:

"Myth: Using Mobil 1 will void the warranty on my new car.
Reality: Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Extended Performance will not void new car warranties, with the exception of the Mazda rotary engine (Mazda does not recommend any synthetic motor oil). Mobil 1 exceeds the API and ILSAC motor oil service requirements for all new vehicles, both import and domestic. If in doubt, always check your vehicle owner's manual or contact your vehicle's manufacturer.

Since most new car warranties call for shorter service intervals than those enabled by Mobil 1 Extended Performance, ExxonMobil recommends you follow the recommendations in your owner's manual while your car is under warranty."

I think its mainly for rotary engines, but isnt the MZR of Ford design?

 

[Benior]

My roommate has an RX-8, and the manual specifically states not to use synthetic oil. If the MS3 were the same way, the manual would say so.

 

[Peter B]

Another update.

So I showed up on Saturday morning with my MS3 and 6 quarts of M1. I went with the M! for now because I have heard the rumors of PP and the wax. Since I could not seem to figure out if that was an issue anymore I opted for the M1 for now. It has been great so far in all my other cars figured it is more then good enough for now. Anyhow I asked the service manager the warranty question, as he was not the same guy i spoke with before. He said mazda used to not allow synthetic oil under warranty, but have recently changed their policy. He seemed to think it was recent (last 2 years or so) and because of the MS3 that they made this change. He said the only one that cant use it is the Rx-7/8.

-Pete

 

[CamelFilters]

I have 24,000miles and have never used anything except regular oil (castrol GTX) 5W30. So far so good no probs and car runs like a champ and I drive spiritedly. I change oil every 2000miles. I have also changed the tranny fluid to Redline MT-90.

I do all the regular maintenance myself for all my cars.

 

[BlackJack]

Before I have been using Royal Purple for a long time, but since money got to me, I decided to switch to a jug of Castrol Syntec 5W-30 mixed with Lucas Oil Stabilizer.

Easily the best oil and stabilizer so far! Will continue using this.

 

[CWPspeed3]

Since its no longer the 1960s I dont think we have to worry about penzoil causing a wax problem.

 

[dandydaniel]

This is a bit off track but it does have to do with oil changes...

I've been doing my own oil changes on all of my previous cars and this is what I want to know... Since I do my own changes, I don't really have any proof or record of doing any changes. Say that I want to sell my car later on private party, wouldn't this be a bit complicated? If I were a private party buyer, I would want all records of all services done on the car (especially oil changes). How do you guys go about this situation (those of you who do your own oil changes)?

 

[oaklandopen]

This is a bit off track but it does have to do with oil changes...

I've been doing my own oil changes on all of my previous cars and this is what I want to know... Since I do my own changes, I don't really have any proof or record of doing any changes. Say that I want to sell my car later on private party, wouldn't this be a bit complicated? If I were a private party buyer, I would want all records of all services done on the car (especially oil changes). How do you guys go about this situation (those of you who do your own oil changes)?

i've been told by numerous technicians who have worked for dealerships that as long as you keep receipts for the oil filters you should be fine with resale. this is from a trade-in standpoint, maybe not for a private party sale.

i guess it makes sense if you keep receipts for filters because if you get a filter, you're more than likely changing the oil as well. can't really say that if you have records on buying the oil, cuz that doesn't really mean you have changed the filter. also, it's more black and white with filters because if you're buying those, you're probably changing the oil on the car it belongs to. if you're just proving you're buying oil, maybe you're doing it on another car. at least filters are more car specific than oil is

 

[FrequentFlyer]

i've been told by numerous technicians who have worked for dealerships that as long as you keep receipts for the oil filters you should be fine with resale. this is from a trade-in standpoint, maybe not for a private party sale.

i guess it makes sense if you keep receipts for filters because if you get a filter, you're more than likely changing the oil as well. can't really say that if you have records on buying the oil, cuz that doesn't really mean you have changed the filter. also, it's more black and white with filters because if you're buying those, you're probably changing the oil on the car it belongs to. if you're just proving you're buying oil, maybe you're doing it on another car. at least filters are more car specific than oil is

IMO, you're wasting time keeping any of that stuff. So you have a receipt to a Mazda3 filter. You're "probably" changing the filter on your Mazda3, but then again, when it benefits the dealer, you're "probably" not. Maybe you have a friend that works for Mazda and gave you a bunch of receipt paper from the parts department so you could counterfeit receipts. If you don't have service receipts from a licensed mechanic with your VIN number on it, it's worthless in a court of law, if that's what you're concerned with. Then again, they've gotta prove you didn't change your oil and the manual says nothing about having to get it changed by a licensed mechanic. It's just recommended, although it may say something different in the fine print of our warranty, which I have yet to see or read.

As far as having proof of maintenance for someone coming to look at your used car for sale, I'm big picture. If I go look at a used car and I get there and it's beat to hell, the interior looks like the floor at a Taco Bell, the engine bay looks like noone had popped the hood in the span of ownership and more importantly, the seller is a nutball or has a bad attitude, I'm not going to buy that car. I've been a car fanatic my whole life and if you were to come look at my car for sale, you'd know that I took care of it. Granted, anyone can spit shine a car up to look presentable for sale or trade in, but you can tell whether or not someone is the type to take care of a car and if that person handed me receipts to random parts they may have bought online, I would be thinking, "Ok, so?". Would it be icing on the cake? Maybe, but again, I can tell when I look at and drive a used vehicle if it was taken care of and pieces of paper that may or may not be legitimate are probably not going to sway me either way.

I for one take just about ANYTHING someone at a car dealer tells me with a grain of salt. Whether it's a salesman, service manager, technician, you name it, in my eyes, they're all crooks until I see it in writing. Sad, but there was a day, way back when I was young and stupid, where I actually did trust them and I've learned since then. All they're concerned with is moving cars and making money and I guarantee that your stack of oil filter receipts in the heat of the battle aren't going to mean jack squat when the dealer claims you haven't maintained your vehicle in accordance with the owner's manual. That's business at a car dealer. Doesn't mean you can't stand your ground, get a lawyer, fight it and win, because you most likely could and they'd most likely back down, but if they want to give you a hard time, they will. If a technician told you that and you get your car serviced there, ask him to put it in writing.