Oil for 2021 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv 2.5L Turbo


I’m also planning on a 2K initial OC as I think there is the possibility of some benefit and I’m not a believer that Mazda, or any other mfg for that matter, uses any radically different break-in oil for the initial fill, and in any event, 95% of break-in is over at 2K miles.
Honda does officially state that the owner should keep the factory fill according to normal OCI (7,500 miles) at the Break-in section in owner’s manual. And Honda also said many times they use high-moly break-in oil in factory fill. As for Mazda, the owner’s manual says they use Mazda genuine oil, and the UOA indicates the factory fill from CX-5 has very high content (~650) of molybdenum which is similar to Mazda moly 0W-20 oil. That’s why I changed the factory oil at 5K miles with OEM Mazda moly 0W-20 oil.

2010 Honda Accord Owners Manual.jpeg
 
Honda does officially state that the owner should keep the factory fill according to normal OCI (7,500 miles) at the Break-in section in owner’s manual. And Honda also said many times they use high-moly break-in oil in factory fill. As for Mazda, the owner’s manual says they use Mazda genuine oil, and the UOA indicates the factory fill from CX-5 has very high content (~650) of molybdenum which is similar to Mazda moly 0W-20 oil.

I'm fully aware of what you're pointing out. As I said, there is nothing wrong with keeping the factory fill in for the full initial OCI. But if you want a more nuanced discussion about this.....

The high moly in UOA's of factory fills is more/less universal across all makes. Multiple technical sources attribute it to the high-moly content in assembly lubes that are used heavily in car engine building and which get mixed into the factory oil fill on initial startup, not a special oil. And I repeat what I said earlier - 95% (probably a conservative number) of engine break-in wear has occurred in 2K miles, so continuing to use a high-moly oil for the full normal OCI will have negligible effect on break-in. Conversely, getting the relatively contaminated break-in oil out of the engine and replacing it with clean/fresh oil for the remainder of the first OCI MIGHT be beneficial.

Why does Honda admonish owners not to change the oil early? It's probably because their experience is that owners are very aggravated by having to bring in a car to the dealer after owning it for a few weeks - compared to other makes, it makes the vehicle appear to be "high maintenance". If keeping the break-in oil in an engine out to the full normal OCI results in "acceptable service life" out of an engine, then acceptable is good enough even if there is some benefit to an earlier oil change. And the expense of early oil changes to rental car fleets and commercial service would be onerous. So good enough is good enough. But that doesn't mean it is optimal.

Another aspect might be warranty expense. Two weeks into car ownership, a new owner is hyper-sensitive to how the car behaves and if they have to come in for an early oil change, they have a list of ten things they are worried "might be wrong" and want checked out. Six-months later, they will have learned that many of these things are normal and are of no concern. Instant dramatic reduction in warranty expenses.

If you want to apply the service recommendations of one vehicle type/make to others, I can point out that nearly all motorcycle manufacturers still REQUIRE a 600-mile oil change to keep the engine warranty in place on a new motorcycle. So at least in in motorcycle service, there is a strong benefit to getting the break-in oil out of the engine early on and replacing it with clean oil.

This is just my reading of the tea leaves - that an early 2K OCI won't do any harm and MIGHT do some good. But I would never say that is is necessary/required, or even very important.

- Mark
 
The UOAs from my CX7 & CX5 suggest that it is ~ 5- 6,000 miles before the wear metals stabilize at a lower level. I don't subscribe to an overly short FF change at 1-2, 000 miles. Motorcycles are a different engine type and that information is not applicable IMO. My engines have quality oil filters to remove damaging bits. Ed
 
There are no fundamental technical differences between modem water-cooled, four-cylinder, fuel-injected engines commonly used in motorcycles and cars. If an oil change is required at 600 miles for one type then it begs the question of whether it might be beneficial to the other.

I’d be interested in any data where UOAs have been done at periodic intervals throughout break in assessing wear metals throughout break in. Break in is commonly considered over when oil consumption has stabilized and initial high internal friction drops to long term levels. Studies engines in commercial service indicate this typically occurs in a very short period of time, usually a few hours of running time.

- Mark
 
Last edited:
The UOAs from my CX7 & CX5 suggest that it is ~ 5- 6,000 miles before the wear metals stabilize at a lower level. I don't subscribe to an overly short FF change at 1-2, 000 miles. Motorcycles are a different engine type and that information is not applicable IMO. My engines have quality oil filters to remove damaging bits. Ed
I experimented with this myself for grins and giggles . I did the first oil change early at 2500 miles on my ‘19 RAV4. I drained at 10000 miles and did a UOA. Wear metals were still somewhat elevated, so “break in” wasn’t quite done at 2500 yet. Insolubles were less than 0.1% indicating great filtration by the OEM filter.
 
20201108_011512.jpg


We can see that by changing oil early most of the silicon, copper and iron is out early as well.
This is from the NA engine but we get the idea. And yes as mentioned above we could conclude that by 6000 the breakin is done already and parts are stabilized.
Whether thats really needed is another matter.
 
Last edited:
What is your oil?

Motul Eco-lite 5W-30. It's API SP-RC & ILSAC GF-6A, HTHS of 3.3, TBN 8.5, and it's quite thick for a 30 weight oil at 11.4 @ 100C. It's Motul's only xW-30 oil with the SP & GF-6 ratings, so I went with it.


Great information from everybody, thanks! Keep the conversation going, I'm learning a lot here.
 
View attachment 228823

We can see that by changing oil early most of the silicon, copper and iron is out early as well.
This is from the NA engine but we get the idea. And yes as mentioned above we could conclude that by 6000 the breakin is done already and parts are stabilized.
Whether thats really needed is another matter.
Your UOA report should get posted in SkyActiv Oil Analysis Thread if you haven’t done so.

My question is are silicon, copper and iron harmful to the engine and need to get rid of as soon as possible? Like some said above, any damaging metal shavings and debris that some people are worried about from a new engine should be caught by good quality factory OEM oil filter.

In old days car manufactures did recommend the first oil change at 1,000 miles. They changed the recommendation many years ago (1980’s?) and the car manufactures don’t believe it’s necessary due to improved engine assembly process and CAM been introduced. A new engine will have much less harmful engine shavings and debris in a new engine which we need to worry about.

Besides, if one is really worried about those metal shavings and debris, or even those tiny silicon, copper and iron which need the instrument to detect, and wants to change the factory oil as early as 1,000 miles, then he / she should also consider changing the factory ATF at 1,000 miles which I have never heard anybody mentioned due to the same concern.
 
Honda does officially state that the owner should keep the factory fill according to normal OCI (7,500 miles) at the Break-in section in owner’s manual. And Honda also said many times they use high-moly break-in oil in factory fill.
Can you imagine, with Honda's gas in oil problem in the CR-V, just how great that break in oil will look and perform after 7,500 miles? Ouch.

Also, what if you are a low mileage driver?
I've mentioned before that I don't drive much anymore, so for me to hit the 7,500 mile marker (over 12,000 kms.) it will take me about 3-4 years. Should I have left the break in oil in my car that long?

BTW, my dealer the last time I saw him told me I should change my oil every six months, even if I only drive it 700 miles. It's a crazy world.
 
I changed my oil 3 times in the first 6000 miles and looked at the filter element each time. The 3rd change the filter material was clean. I think the Honda recommendation is for environmental reasons.
 
I think the Honda recommendation is for environmental reasons.
BINGO! Case in point? My ‘17 Odyssey that I traded in. They recommended the oil filter be changed every OTHER oil change, not each time. They’re so cheap so why not do it every time. Not to mention, I would have a hard time remembering if it was actually due following that schedule without writing that down lol!
 
What oil results is displayed cz5gt? Moly & Boron does't match oil I've seen. Ed

The oil used is Mazda oem 0w20 for the non turbo engine. It has high moly content. oem filter as well on every change.
 
Last edited:
Can you imagine, with Honda's gas in oil problem in the CR-V, just how great that break in oil will look and perform after 7,500 miles? Ouch.
That won’t happen as Honda 1.5T with oil dilution issue (mainly in cold weather environment and now it’s supposed to have fixed by ECM updates) uses strictly Flexible oil change interval based on on-board computer calculation. I‘ve heard the oil change can be as short as 2K miles when the notification of oil change is displayed.
 
View attachment 228823

We can see that by changing oil early most of the silicon, copper and iron is out early as well.
This is from the NA engine but we get the idea. And yes as mentioned above we could conclude that by 6000 the breakin is done already and parts are stabilized.
Whether thats really needed is another matter.
Can you post the comments from Blackstone and the universal averages column on the far right?
Why are you changing the oil the every 3k miles?
 
Hey guys, I'm getting a new Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv 2.5L Turbo and I'm not sure what oil I should use. I'd like a 0W-30 to help with faster oil flow and easier startups in winter, but I'd also like a higher HTHS and TBN oil to protect better for 10K Km intervals. A 5W-30 would also be good. It will be daily driven in Canada, some spirited driving, but nothing excessive for extended periods of time. Any recommendations for a full synthetic oil for this application?

I looked at Motul's 8100 X-Cess 5W-30, it has an HTHS of 3.5 and TBN of 10+, but I can't seem to find it here in Canada...
I have been using Mobil 1 5-30 EP for the last 53K miles with no issues. I use a 5000 mile service interval.
 
Back