2016 CX-5 Oil Change Frequency

[yrwei52]

If you use Mazda's Oil/Filter you must follow their oil change schedule. Reading Mazda's user manual, Flexible OCI is very limited and it can not determine the correct oil change intervals under all driving conditions. I also checked the European Mazda CX-5 manual and it also has restrictions when to use Flexible OCI.

In Europe you can use flexible setting if the vehicle is operated mainly where none of the following conditions apply:

a) Purpose of vehicle use is police cae, taxi or driving school car.
b) Driving in dusty conditions,
c) Extended period of idling or low speed operation.

So basically you can use flexible OCI for most conditions!

Mind you that the standard OCI in Europe is 12,500 miles or 12 months whichever comes first! (boom08)

 

[ZoomZoomCX3]

In Europe you can use flexible setting if the vehicle is operated mainly where none of the following conditions apply:

a) Purpose of vehicle use is police cae, taxi or driving school car.
b) Driving in dusty conditions,
c) Extended period of idling or low speed operation.

So basically you can use flexible OCI for most conditions!

Mind you that the standard OCI in Europe is 12,500 miles or 12 months whichever comes first! (boom08)

It even says it's for some (not all) countries in Europe can use the Flexible OCI and to consult with your Dealership. The other European countries that must use Fixed. Normal Service change is 10,000Km or shorter plus no time frame listed. Severe Service change is 5,000Km or 6 months.

It's amazing that different counties are allowed such high milage at 12,500miles or 12months without Warranty issues and others like Canada with a pathetic 4month/8000Km oil change to not void your Warranty B.S. It only goes to show that Mazda's Flexible OCI is very political with Dealerships around the World.

 

[Buddywh2]

... It only goes to show that Mazda's Flexible OCI is very political with Dealerships around the World.

I don't know that "political" is quite the right word to describe it and certainly not with respect to the dealerships. I think OCI variability is a result of national regulations and statutes covering emissions, hazardous waste disposal, national standards for oil quality rating and warranty law as much as anything else. That, coupled with tolerance for warranty cost risk on the part of each country's business unit and how it fits within their peculiar pricing structure and marketing plan.

 

[AllezDada]

I am a little confused by the manual. They have a section called "Schedule 1" and then proceed to have two subsections for flexible and fixed. They then have one section called "Schedule 2", but then it specifically has two line items for oil change, flexible or fixed.

From reading around the internet, it seemed like people were saying that you couldn't use flexible if you fit in Schedule 2 (snow, salt, etc) but including a flexible line item in the "Schedule 2" schedule chart seems to imply you can as long as you aren't:

Extended periods of idling or low-speed operation such as police car, taxi or driving school car
Driving in dusty conditions

Am I reading that correctly? My wife and I are downsizing to one car, but we both take public transit to work, so getting a oil change every 5 months is going to be a huge waste.

I'm confused by this too. I live in Maryland - there is snow occasionally through the winter months (December through March) with salt used - so I should use 'Schedule 2'?

 

[littlebear]

No matter how you drive, one should not go over 10,000 miles on an oil change. Experts are starting to see problems on engines at around 70,000 miles when the oil change intervals were done at 12,000-15,000 miles.

High oil change intervals are primarily for emissions/EPA reasons and manufacture warranties expire at 60,000 miles so you are SOL when your engine fails after warranty.

 

[mackworth]

I'm confused by this too. I live in Maryland - there is snow occasionally through the winter months (December through March) with salt used - so I should use 'Schedule 2'?

I plan on calling mazda at some point. If I do, I will post their response.

 

[MikeM.]

High oil change intervals are primarily for emissions/EPA reasons and manufacture warranties expire at 60,000 miles so you are SOL when your engine fails after warranty.

(blah)

The EPA does not regulate oil change intervals. So please cite a source to your wild claim. Do you just make this stuff up out of thin air?

Manufacturers decide upon appropriate oil change intervals for every car they make and they base it on extensive testing, not emissions mandated by the EPA.

 

[ZoomZoomCX3]

No matter how you drive, one should not go over 10,000 miles on an oil change. Experts are starting to see problems on engines at around 70,000 miles when the oil change intervals were done at 12,000-15,000 miles.

High oil change intervals are primarily for emissions/EPA reasons and manufacture warranties expire at 60,000 miles so you are SOL when your engine fails after warranty.

I have to disagree. Before getting my 2016 CX3, I had a 1992 (bought new) MX-3 (every day car) that had nearly 400,000Km and I did once a yearly oil changes for 23 years. Plus the 400,000Km was mostly city driving. The 1.6L engine never had any internal repairs all original stock, only the timing belt+water pump(both always changed every 100,000Km), ignition distributor and gaskets from the value cover and oil pan was changed. I only did 23 oil changes during the time I owned it. Plus the vehicle had to go through Provincial Emissions Testing every 2 years and it completely PASSED every one of them. These oil changed intervals (upto 24,000Km or One Year) was backed my Amsoil using their Oil & Filters and following Amsoil's recommended OCI. Not all oils and filters are equal and most of these oil companies only follow the Manufacture's OCI. When I had to change the value cover gasket, the internals look brand-new, it was quite Amazing to see. I also found out that my MX-3 that was used as a trade-in at the Mazda Dealership that a Mazda Employee bought it.

 

[littlebear]

(blah)

Manufacturers decide upon appropriate oil change intervals for every car they make and they base it on extensive testing, not emissions mandated by the EPA.

Oil change intervals of 10,000 - 15,000 are relatively a new standard introduced into modern vehicles. There already have been issues with sludge build up, varnishing, fuel contamination and other such issues with such long change intervals. A good synthetic oil should last up to 10,000 miles but if you are driving in the desert, climbing grades, towing, 110F desert heat, etc., I would probably have it tested at 5,000 miles and changed out before 10,000 miles if problems are showing up in the oil.

http://blog.modbargains.com/15000-mile-oil-change-myth/

 

[MikeM.]

Oil change intervals of 10,000 - 15,000 are relatively a new standard introduced into modern vehicles. There already have been issues with sludge build up, varnishing, fuel contamination and other such issues with such long change intervals. A good synthetic oil should last up to 10,000 miles but if you are driving in the desert, climbing grades, towing, 110F desert heat, etc., I would probably have it tested at 5,000 miles and changed out before 10,000 miles if problems are showing up in the oil.

http://blog.modbargains.com/15000-mile-oil-change-myth/

Thanks for the link Littlebear, but I was requesting a link that supported your claim that manufacturers lengthen oil change intervals to comply with some kind of emissions/EPA government mandate. The link you provided supported my contention that manufacturers set the interval based upon testing and data. What's the government have to do with it and do you have a link to support your claim?

 

[ZoomZoomCX3]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kk4xd3huor6n1pz/IMG_0901.JPG?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6fh8tte4lw8klfk/IMG_0903.JPG?dl=0

These are images of the MX-3 with the valve cover opened on Feb 17, 2008 with the milage at 300,825Km. The last oil change was July 13, 2007 at milage 291,153Km.

 

[MikeM.]

These are images of the MX-3 with the valve cover opened on Feb 17, 2008 with the milage at 300,825Km. The last oil change was July 13, 2007 at milage 291,153Km.

Looks great! So. you took Amsoil up on their 1 year/15,000 mile guarantee and it worked great? Excellent! I imagine for your engine to look that good in there you must have re-routed your EGR and/or PCV to the atmosphere to prevent all those nasty combustion by-products from gunking up your engine. Just kidding! Some people around here think that's the shitz. (freak)

No one can say you wasted a bunch of money babying your engine or upgrading to progressively more powerful engines and newer cars over those 23 years! I'm surprised you and your engine were still alive after commuting with only 83 HP for 23 years! Ha! Kidding again. Some people think you need at least double that amount of power just to get there in one piece! (freak)

You sound like someone who is more likely than most to have a strong savings plan and a bright financial future. Unless you spent all your savings on hookers and strong drink! (silly)


No wonder you bought another Mazda! Congrats!

 

[ZoomZoomCX3]

Looks great! So. you took Amsoil up on their 1 year/15,000 mile guarantee and it worked great? Excellent! I imagine for your engine to look that good in there you must have re-routed your EGR and/or PCV to the atmosphere to prevent all those nasty combustion by-products from gunking up your engine. Just kidding! Some people around here think that's the shitz. (freak)

No one can say you wasted a bunch of money babying your engine or upgrading to progressively more powerful engines and newer cars over those 23 years! I'm surprised you and your engine were still alive after commuting with only 83 HP for 23 years! Ha! Kidding again. Some people think you need at least double that amount of power just to get there in one piece! (freak)

You sound like someone who is more likely than most to have a strong savings plan and a bright financial future. Unless you spent all your savings on hookers and strong drink! (silly)


No wonder you bought another Mazda! Congrats!

All Joking aside...

It's Amazing all stock unmodified and how well Amsoil kept that engine super clean. The +80HP was geared with a manual 5-speed that ran well. For keeping the car as long as I did was because it was just Reliable and cheap to drive. This car let me become a home owner. But it was time to upgrade as I needed an AWD for work and the AWD CX-3 GX fit the bill and it only made sense to buy another Mazda too. Having the CX-3 for 2 months it's a long long welcome upgrade and I'm a very happy Mazda customer.

 

[4G63T]

Looks great! So. you took Amsoil up on their 1 year/15,000 mile guarantee and it worked great? Excellent! I imagine for your engine to look that good in there you must have re-routed your EGR and/or PCV to the atmosphere to prevent all those nasty combustion by-products from gunking up your engine. Just kidding! Some people around here think that's the shitz. (freak)

No one can say you wasted a bunch of money babying your engine or upgrading to progressively more powerful engines and newer cars over those 23 years! I'm surprised you and your engine were still alive after commuting with only 83 HP for 23 years! Ha! Kidding again. Some people think you need at least double that amount of power just to get there in one piece! (freak)

You sound like someone who is more likely than most to have a strong savings plan and a bright financial future. Unless you spent all your savings on hookers and strong drink! (silly)


No wonder you bought another Mazda! Congrats!

Please explain how the EGR and/or PCV (recirculated or vented) have to do with how the valve train (under the valve cover area) looks ? If I wash the exterior of the car with soap will the intake filter become cleaner (without any contact with soap/water)?

 

[MikeM.]

Please explain how the EGR and/or PCV (recirculated or vented) have to do with how the valve train (under the valve cover area) looks ?

Well, you wouldn't want to risk it, would you? (wink)

 

[4G63T]

Well, you wouldn't want to risk it, would you? (wink)

So you must be one of those forum guys that posts comments without actual testing or experience what so ever other than a mix of stuff you read online and your own inexperienced conclusion? So when your asked a question you cant answer or find it online fast enough you give the above reply. (wink)

No need to search online. Simple answer EGR and PCV (non clogged) have nothing to do with how clean it looks under the valve cover. Thats just oil spraying under the valve cover thats lubricating and “washing” the valve train. Now, that person mentioned they used Amsoil and most of Amsoil products have high ZDDP which helps protect wear. The high Zinc and Phosphorus content help with metal to metal contact and the detergents in the oil helps keep oil “cleaner" (resist contamination from the exhaust).

But even if he didnt use Amsoil most cars look the same “cleanliness" under the valve cover regardless of how many miles are on it if maintained well. Its the things you dont see by the naked eye or sometimes can see when you look up close example cam lobe wear etc... That matter most .

 

[MikeM.]

But even if he didnt use Amsoil most cars look the same “cleanliness" under the valve cover regardless of how many miles are on it if maintained well. Its the things you dont see by the naked eye or sometimes can see when you look up close example cam lobe wear etc... That matter most .

That's not true in the real world. This thread is about oil change frequency and the photos were evidence submitted to partially counter the claims that bad things would happen with oil change intervals over 10,000 miles. The best evidence of course was the testimony of how long the engine lasted without needing anything but scheduled maintenance. But the photos were also compelling in that they didn't show an engine that had carbonized valves and totally leaky rings. Bad things happen to the valve train when an engines combustion process is not well contained and regulated. I've seen plenty of engines that were worse.


Just so you know, my previous comment about "not wanting to risk anything" (by circulating exhaust and crankcase gases back through the engine were in jest (hence the winky).

 

[4G63T]

That's not true in the real world. This thread is about oil change frequency and the photos were evidence submitted to partially counter the claims that bad things would happen with oil change intervals over 10,000 miles. The best evidence of course was the testimony of how long the engine lasted without needing anything but scheduled maintenance. But the photos were also compelling in that they didn't show an engine that had carbonized valves and totally leaky rings. Bad things happen to the valve train when an engines combustion process is not well contained and regulated. I've seen plenty of engines that were worse.


Just so you know, my previous comment about "not wanting to risk anything" (by circulating exhaust and crankcase gases back through the engine were in jest (hence the winky).

How can you tell if valves are carbonized from the EGR or oil soot due to PCV from the top view of the valvetrain under the valve cover pics ? Those deposits wont show there. Unless something is seriously wrong with the motor.

This is were you would look through to see:

Not from this view. EGR does not recirculate back under the valve cover. (assuming seals are good)

His motor lasted and ran well because he took good care of the car. As you mentioned maintenance done on time but also extremely important the type of oil he used Amsoil and the change interval of 10k was adequate for that oil.

To stay on topic, you can change oils once every 5k , 10k miles etc.. It depends on the oil you use. Use a good oil that has high ZDDP (phosphorus and zinc) and detergents to not get contaminated quickly and the longer the interval can last. But also very important is your oil filter. If your oil can last but filter can not. Well then you need to change that filter.

 

[MikeM.]

How can you tell if valves are carbonized from the EGR or oil soot due to PCV from the top view of the valvetrain under the valve cover pics ? Those deposits wont show there. Unless something is seriously wrong with the motor.

It doesn't take serious problems with the motor for the valve train to get messed up, simply worn out valve stem seals/guides will do that. And that can happen from contaminated oil.

And you must have missed the earlier discussion that sparked my comments. There was concern (by at least one person) that exhaust gases being re-introduced to the intake (never mind that the CX-5 doesn't do this) could contaminate that area. However, the engine in the earlier photos does have an EGR valve which does do this. Carbon on the valve stems could accelerate wear on the valve stem seals and cause a fouled valve train. Please note that I'm not the one that was worried about this scenario.

You are taking this too seriously, I was just making a funny. It's ok if you didn't find it funny. Different people see the same thing differently.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

Watch out it's MikeM. !