Question about oil change

[jginnane]

Most modern cars could easily go well over 50,000 miles without causing the oil filter to go into bypass mode- they are changed far earlier for reasons of cheap insurance.

Exactly. Not having a roving testing lab, I change my oil when it's about the color and consistency of my morning cuppa java.

Where do you get this stuff?

The technician at K&N who was evaluating oil filters; direct quote.

Skyactive, Skytech, Skyline ... sooner or later someone will explain to me how an out-of-the-blue marketing phrase translates to a cohesive set of design and engineering guidelines. (Our family '67 Bel-Air proudly had "Body By Fisher". Nuff said.)

- if anything it could be considered a "low-bypass" design because it calls for a filter that requires a higher pressure differential before it allows oil to bypass the oil filter media (compared to conventional automotive oil filters).

Well, again you're referring to the point of failure of the item, not the point at which most people would PRUDENTLY choose to do a replacement. For me that always comes at at 5K, no more than 7K miles for the synthetic (blend) I use. I won't pay to put Amsoil or Royal Purple in a car that's a daily driver. Mobil One is not technically 100% synthetic oil. To me, that's less important than the fact that I can always get it, it's not much of a premium over dino juice, and it has predictable wear qualities. If I tried to keep a gas-powered car over 100K miles, I'd probably be more anal about it.

And Wix does make a Skyactiv specific oil filter for the CX-5.

Wix Part #57002 is only spec'ed for the 2.0 liter engine. Wix doesn't officially support the 2.5 liter (yet); same as K&N.

And it makes sense that Mazda would want an oil that is tailored to the needs of their Skyactiv high pressure direct injected engines because the durability of these engines over time will determine the outcome of the companies economic success or failure. The Mazda oils are produced by modern, well respected refineries in Japan to specifications that were developed working in conjunction with Mazda. It might be "penny wise and pound foolish" to choose a less costly alternative (to quote an old British saying).

I can have "respect" for a Sam Adams brewery but choose not to buy into their premium marketing campaign. There are probably no relevant specifications which are NOT encompassed in a SAE viscosity rating and the API (American Petroleum Institute) performance standard.

The other element is whether you want a shop to do all the work for you, or whether you want to inspect the underside of your car yourself. I'm not a big fan of employees who are generally relegated to the lube-oil-filter stall, and regard any visit to a service department as an invitation to pay to fix stuff that wasn't broken before I got there. I'll gladly pay $30 for oil and a filter, and do it myself twice as often as necessary. That's better than paying $60 and having somebody else change the oil half as often, and who may have a financial incentive to "discover" additional work for the shop.

 

[HandA]

Skyactive, Skytech, Skyline ... sooner or later someone will explain to me how an out-of-the-blue marketing phrase translates to a cohesive set of design and engineering guidelines. (Our family '67 Bel-Air proudly had "Body By Fisher". Nuff said.)

The link in this thread really explains it quite well: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...e-information-then-you-really-need&highlight=
They set a goal of 30% better fuel economy by 2015 and used the combined methods listed in the PDF to achieve the goal. The fact that they came up with all of that as a smaller car company that was struggling financially makes it even that much more impressive.

Sure it is a marketing term but most things are anymore. The thing is it was actually a group of changes to the way the cars were built to achieve a specific fuel economy goal.

and Fisher actually had some nice additions to car building in general and for GM:
1930 - Slanted windshields for reduced glare
1936 - Dual windshield wipers
1969 - Fisher's "Side Guard Beam" is introduced
1974 - Invented the ignition interlock system
1974 - Produced GM's first airbag

did the sticker saying that it was a body by fisher mean much to most car buyers, probably not but I think they were aiming for the 'intel inside' type thing with it. Something people would recognize and hopefully think of as a trusted name. Our 1970 Pontiac Bonneville station wagon had one of those stickers and one reason my parents bought it was the side guard beam.

 

[MikeM.]

Exactly. Not having a roving testing lab, I change my oil when it's about the color and consistency of my morning cuppa java.

Bad idea. I thought everyone knew that oil color is a very poor indicator of when to change your oil. That's why there are service schedules.

The technician at K&N who was evaluating oil filters; direct quote.

Then the K&N engineer was misinformed. Wix released a filter last year specifically for the Mazda 3 and CX-5 with their Skyactiv high flow lubrication systems. The difference in the new WIX filter is that it requires a higher pressure differential before going into bypass mode.

 

[JoeSakic19]

Hey guys.. The mazda dealer did the 16K KM oil change on my girlfriend's 2013 CX-5 and they messed up baaaaaaad.... We were going for a 500+km trip last week-end and guess what? The car ran out of OIL! As soon as the lights came on we parked the car on the side of the road and turned it down but I am affraid it was too late... The engine was knocking bad... really bad. The dealer will check it tommorow and I hope they will replace the whole engine but I doubt it..... They will find an excuse somehow... Remaining Oil was dripping on the towing metal plate.

What can they have done wrong when doing the oil change ? Any ideas ? Which parts of the engine maybe affected? I want facts to force them to replace the engine.

Thanks

 

[MikeM.]

They forgot to tighten the oil filter or drain plug? Inexcusable. In my opinion the dealer needs to install a new engine and provide an equivalent loaner until it's ready to go.

 

[jginnane]

Hey guys.. The mazda dealer did the 16K KM oil change on my girlfriend's 2013 CX-5 and they messed up baaaaaaad.... We were going for a 500+km trip last week-end and guess what? The car ran out of OIL! As soon as the lights came on we parked the car on the side of the road and turned it down but I am affraid it was too late... The engine was knocking bad... really bad. The dealer will check it tommorow and I hope they will replace the whole engine but I doubt it..... They will find an excuse somehow... Remaining Oil was dripping on the towing metal plate.

What can they have done wrong when doing the oil change ? Any ideas ? Which parts of the engine maybe affected? I want facts to force them to replace the engine.

Thanks

My stepson did this on his car one time ... did not remove the rubber gasket with the old filter, and tightened the new filter (with its gasket) on top of the old. Really bad move! Smoke and oil squirting everywhere. Problem for me was, he did the oil change in my driveway. Took a lot of work to clean up.

If it's similar, your dealer owes you at least an extended warranty on the engine. Depends on how long the engine ran that way. I agree that a new engine is safer, and might actually be cheaper for the dealer in the long run. (You may need an attorney on this.)

 

[frz]

OP: If you drive the piss out of your CX-5 it's worth doing a Blackstone UOA. They can tell you whether you're changing oil too early, what the engine condition is, and much more. Going by uneducated forum guesses isn't going to help you.

 

[Chas]

Synthetic oil

Its synthetic oil. You could realistically go 10-15k miles without issue. Dont go less than 5k miles. It wont do you a bit of good.

Just out of curiosity, where do you find the spec on the oil? The manual does not specify synthetic, just the latest API spec 0w20, although they mention the partnership with Castrol. The salesman tells us they use synthetic blend, but you know how salesmen are....

 

[Chas]

Another newbie question.

I thought the CX5 has a MID or Mazda equivalent of such a multi information display that tells you when to change the oil, rotate the tires, etc.?

At least that is what I thought I read in the pdf manual. It uses engine computer and other sensor data to determine when to change the oil. On my other car the MID gives you a count down for oil changes, and lets you know when the various other things, filters, etc need changing....but except for engine oil, the other things are based on time and mileage (no sensors I imagine)...e.g., if you are doing lots of towing, you need to follow the severe driving schedule fluid changes for tranny, differential, etc.

hello guys,

Is it ok to get the oil changed earlier than every 5,000 miles? I just got my 2014 cx 5 in february and I scheduled an oil change for June sometime. Because its a new car I want to make sure everything is going properly if that makes sense. I dont think I will have the tires rotated because thats too early but definatley oil change etc. What do you all think?

 

[nizzy1115]

Another newbie question.

I thought the CX5 has a MID or Mazda equivalent of such a multi information display that tells you when to change the oil, rotate the tires, etc.?

At least that is what I thought I read in the pdf manual. It uses engine computer and other sensor data to determine when to change the oil. On my other car the MID gives you a count down for oil changes, and lets you know when the various other things, filters, etc need changing....but except for engine oil, the other things are based on time and mileage (no sensors I imagine)...e.g., if you are doing lots of towing, you need to follow the severe driving schedule fluid changes for tranny, differential, etc.

hello guys,

Is it ok to get the oil changed earlier than every 5,000 miles? I just got my 2014 cx 5 in february and I scheduled an oil change for June sometime. Because its a new car I want to make sure everything is going properly if that makes sense. I dont think I will have the tires rotated because thats too early but definatley oil change etc. What do you all think?

No but what's so hard about changing oil every 5k and rotating tires every 10k?

New car
5k miles - oil
10k miles - oil/tires
15k miles - oil
20k miles - oil/tires
25k miles - oil
30k miles - oil/tires

You need a computer to show you this on the dash? Just watch your milage.

 

[V8toilet]

Lol!

 

[OctSK]

I am a little confused and looking for help.
Manual here in Canada states oil change every 8000km or 4 months whichever comes first. In the US it appears to be 5000 miles or 6 months.
We average 150km/week for the CX 5. This means that if I follow the 4 month schedule, we would be roughly at 2700km with the first oil change.
I asked one dealer which schedule to follow and they mentioned that it should be every 4 months as the oil would loose its viscosity etc.
I asked another dealer and they said that given the small mileage, I could go for 6 months in between oil changes.
Lots of people on the thread mention that they will wait for the 5000 mile oil change. It is not mentioned how much they drive, I assume more than we do. If we wait for the equivalent of 8000km, we are looking at oil changes every 12 months roughly.
At one point, I thought that every 4 month/6 month Canada/US difference has to do with climate..but then here in SK we have a very similar weather as in Wisconsin, North Dakota and Montana.
Please enlighten me what should I do and what is considered safe for the car? At this point i feel we(canadians) are milked badly in every aspect (car price, accesories, service). Can't be such a difference between US and Canadian market CX 5. Thank you in advance!
OctSk

 

[MikeM.]

I am a little confused and looking for help.
Manual here in Canada states oil change every 8000km or 4 months whichever comes first.

It's possible that warranty coverage of internal engine parts could be denied if you don't follow the factory recommended service schedule. However, I'm not sure this would be likely if you follow a reasonable service schedule. It's probably not necessary to follow it to the day or the exact mile but I don't have a good idea of what the actual boundaries would be. The safe way is to follow the service schedule.

There are two service schedules listed in the N.A. CX-5 Owner's Manual but only the more frequent schedule is approved for Canada (presumably based on climate). And you already know what that is. If your low mileage is due to short trips the more frequent service is a good idea anyway. However, if most of your trips are sufficient to fully warm the engine and then some, and you don't have any of the other severe service conditions listed in the manual, then, I agree, it's probably not necessary from a mechanical perspective to service it so frequently. But servicing according to the more frequent schedule II would insure a potential warranty claim could not be denied based upon frequency of service.

Even though I think Mazda would be likely to provide warranty coverage, even if serviced at slightly longer intervals (in the unlikely event that a warranty claim would even manifest0, I would stick to Schedule II just for peace of mind (at least until the warranty expires). After that, I don't think it would be unreasonable to follow the service schedule as if you lived in Wisconsin (keeping in mind that depending upon how the vehicle was used you may need to follow the more demanding service schedule anyway).

Personally, I don't think oil analysis is worth the trouble or expense for your average driver because it's easier (and probably costs about the same) to simply follow the prescribed service schedule.

 

[xtrailman]

Here in the UK I expect to have a oil change at 12 months, I do under 7K miles a year.

Its a very long time in the UK since we had oil changes every 3K miles, I would guess since the 70's.

 

[WNJ]

Here in the UK I expect to have a oil change at 12 months, I do under 7K miles a year.

Its a very long time in the UK since we had oil changes every 3K miles, I would guess since the 70's.

Oil gets changed at service intervals for me, last one at 12,500 (Nov 2012), next one is in 3 weeks time at the 25,000 mile service!

 

[Chas]

Oil gets changed at service intervals for me, last one at 12,500 (Nov 2013), next one is in 3 weeks time at the 25,000 mile service!

Very interesting what they recommend in other countries! That seems as if it is an inordinately long interval for oil change. Do they specify full synthetic in UK? That I might be OK with, but not with conventional oils...maybe you do not have the heat we do here....

 

[Chas]

I stand corrected now that I understand how the system works...MID messages are not really not based on the engine computer sensors input, but more of a simple electronic reminder system, just as the TPMS is based on ABS sensor input and not an actual pressure reading TPMS sensor in the wheel. Very simple solutions, and cheaper to maintain down the road if you keep the cars a long time...no TPMS valve service every time you change tires and no new sensors after 7-10 years...

Another newbie question.

I thought the CX5 has a MID or Mazda equivalent of such a multi information display that tells you when to change the oil, rotate the tires, etc.?

At least that is what I thought I read in the pdf manual. It uses engine computer and other sensor data to determine when to change the oil. On my other car the MID gives you a count down for oil changes, and lets you know when the various other things, filters, etc need changing....but except for engine oil, the other things are based on time and mileage (no sensors I imagine)...e.g., if you are doing lots of towing, you need to follow the severe driving schedule fluid changes for tranny, differential, etc.

 

[OctSK]

Thank you MikeM for the detailed explanation. Our regular drive home work is roughly 12.5 km. 66% of that portion is with a speed limit of 50km/hour and 33% (a couple of 2km stretches) when the speed is 90km/hour. Would this be labeled as a short trip?
You are correct, oil analysis is not worth the headache as it is not pricey. I was thinking when getting to other type of inspections (Service 4 etc), it looks like some components will get serviced at a way lower mileage and those costs could add up down the line. Xtrailman mentions the 12 month mark for oil change which is a huge variation. Being an European, I had the chance to visit England (and other european countries) and all of those trips in the UK (and Europe in general) are a lot shorter, cities are way closer together, speed limits are generally lower (except for Autobahns) and the traffic is way more stop and go then here in Saskatoon (and the cities same size in North America). "Conspiracy Theory" is not in my head but the variation in these intervals makes me scratch my head.
I appreciate all of you pitching in, you do have more expertise than I do and I have been learning a lot since reading on this forum. Thank you all!

 

[MikeM.]

Thank you MikeM for the detailed explanation. Our regular drive home work is roughly 12.5 km. 66% of that portion is with a speed limit of 50km/hour and 33% (a couple of 2km stretches) when the speed is 90km/hour. Would this be labeled as a short trip?

 

[mark ivdx]

OP: If you drive the piss out of your CX-5 it's worth doing a Blackstone UOA. They can tell you whether you're changing oil too early, what the engine condition is, and much more. Going by uneducated forum guesses isn't going to help you.

Wait, what? Since when has an oil change ever been done too early? As far as I know there is no harm ever in changing your oil "early" other than it's not necessarily the most eco-friendly thing to do.