First Oil Change....

[Koenig]

Si I was checking my oil yesterday......and it's become apparent that the damn dealer (after driving the car from arizona to FL) or the first owner..... didn't change the oil @ 3000 miles

I know I've heard some people can change their oil every 5k miles with these cars......

So I just want to get a little information

Since this is my FIRST oil change for this car......... I have no idea if they've used regular or synthetic oil, but being the first change....... can I switch to synthetic oil? I just want to make sure, cause I also don't want to screw anything up..... I remember being once told that a car has to start off with synthetic first.....but that doesn't make sense when I really think about it cause most car manufacturers aren't going to use synthetic when they can save money using regular oil.

so basically 2 questions........

Can I put in Synthetic oil, being the first oil change

and the other question is........what's a better oil filter for our car? I was trying to find one of the K&N performance oil filters but the Bennett Auto Supply by me doesn't stock them..... I might try Advanced Auto Parts.... but what's a good oil filter for our car..... I believe in the saying "you get what you pay for" and don't want to use a cheap unreliable oil filter.....

So this is directed at some of you with the higher mileage cars that have gone through a few oil changes already..... thanks.

 

[AWDRACER6]

Si I was checking my oil yesterday......and it's become apparent that the damn dealer (after driving the car from arizona to FL) or the first owner..... didn't change the oil @ 3000 miles

I know I've heard some people can change their oil every 5k miles with these cars......

So I just want to get a little information

Since this is my FIRST oil change for this car......... I have no idea if they've used regular or synthetic oil, but being the first change....... can I switch to synthetic oil? I just want to make sure, cause I also don't want to screw anything up..... I remember being once told that a car has to start off with synthetic first.....but that doesn't make sense when I really think about it cause most car manufacturers aren't going to use synthetic when they can save money using regular oil.

so basically 2 questions........

Can I put in Synthetic oil, being the first oil change

and the other question is........what's a better oil filter for our car? I was trying to find one of the K&N performance oil filters but the Bennett Auto Supply by me doesn't stock them..... I might try Advanced Auto Parts.... but what's a good oil filter for our car..... I believe in the saying "you get what you pay for" and don't want to use a cheap unreliable oil filter.....

So this is directed at some of you with the higher mileage cars that have gone through a few oil changes already..... thanks.

I was about to ask these same questions... Also what synthetic oil is everyone using???

 

[Koenig]

I've heard of people using mobil 1 and another brand i forget the name too.... I found information at the other forum **********..... sign up and check it out if you need to....

as for the oil filter I'm going to avoid Wix.... some people have said it doesn't have as many flutes as the stock filter... but that the Purolator 15505L (i think that's the right number) is a better one.

you'll also need a 76mm/14 flute filter wrench (4 bucks at auto zone, type B wrench)

and a 6mm hex socket to get the plug off the oil filter part

 

[RevLimitLaunch]

mobil 1 synthetic and mazda oil filter.

 

[Koenig]

How much is a mazda oil filter?

I just changed my oil and I highly recommend for anyone to get one of these......

http://www.toolweb.com/itemDetail.cfm?partno=MIT7201

it's about $81 before shipping and any taxes...... it's 8.8 liters.......2.3 gallons

they have a smaller one that's about 7 liters for about $60...... we only got the bigger one because we also have a truck, so to hold more oil

I spent a total of TEN minutes on my car....... pumped the oil, finished in maybe under 2 minutes.....

crawled under removed the bottom scrape protector/panel..... removed the oil filter drain plug, very little oil came out..... removed the oil filter cap.....a little more oil came out

put in a FRAM oil filter (no one had purolator, WIX looked like garbage and so did parts master..... they may be good filters, and they're definitely both under 5 bucks but I prefer quality)

the FRAM was 10 bucks.....


I went with Castrol Synthetic blend 5w30...... the reason why is I'm pretty sure the factory puts regular oil in the car......so I figured for the first change @ the 5k mark I would use the blend.......which is regular oil and synthetic properties mixed....... at the next oil change is when I will switch over to full synthetic..... kinda like letting the engine get use to the synthetic (if that even makes sense or matters).

all in all 10 minutes (maybe a minute or 2 less, but definitely no longer than 10 minutes (i saw my cell when i started and later when i finished washing up) screw waiting for a 30+ minute oil change....... I do mine in under 10.....jay dee em YO!!!

LOL


[edit]

for anyone skeptical about the pump, consider the fact that's how they do it at Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, and probably BMW.......(poke)

 

[speed6killer]

Re:

How much is a mazda oil filter?

I just changed my oil and I highly recommend for anyone to get one of these......

http://www.toolweb.com/itemDetail.cfm?partno=MIT7201

it's about $81 before shipping and any taxes...... it's 8.8 liters.......2.3 gallons

they have a smaller one that's about 7 liters for about $60...... we only got the bigger one because we also have a truck, so to hold more oil

I spent a total of TEN minutes on my car....... pumped the oil, finished in maybe under 2 minutes.....

crawled under removed the bottom scrape protector/panel..... removed the oil filter drain plug, very little oil came out..... removed the oil filter cap.....a little more oil came out

put in a FRAM oil filter (no one had purolator, WIX looked like garbage and so did parts master..... they may be good filters, and they're definitely both under 5 bucks but I prefer quality)

the FRAM was 10 bucks.....


I went with Castrol Synthetic blend 5w30...... the reason why is I'm pretty sure the factory puts regular oil in the car......so I figured for the first change @ the 5k mark I would use the blend.......which is regular oil and synthetic properties mixed....... at the next oil change is when I will switch over to full synthetic..... kinda like letting the engine get use to the synthetic (if that even makes sense or matters).

all in all 10 minutes (maybe a minute or 2 less, but definitely no longer than 10 minutes (i saw my cell when i started and later when i finished washing up) screw waiting for a 30+ minute oil change....... I do mine in under 10.....jay dee em YO!!!

LOL


[edit]

for anyone skeptical about the pump, consider the fact that's how they do it at Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, and probably BMW.......(poke)

Congrats! i am on my second. Went w/ Mobil Syntec 7500. Thats what was reccomended to me by Mazda. Peace Jorge Miami,Fl.(yippy)

 

[Koenig]

thanks man, maybe i'll look into that when my 2nd comes....

 

[AWDRACER6]

Thats tight! So does it really matter about the filter?? I mean can I get a cheap one that will work the same as an expensive one? Or is it one of those get what u pay for things??

 

[BlackCherry06]

I've seen some threads on Mazda 3 and 6 forums warning of some brands of filter cartridges coming out 'crushed' from the oil pressure. Often when filter media fails, the filter bypass will have to open to maintain pressure and your oil circulates unfiltered until you change it. Speaking for myself, I stick with Mazda filters to avoid this problem, and any warranty entanglements that an aftermarket filter could possibly cause. If you use a different brand that fails and it ever causes oil starvation, your warranty will not cover the damage. Not worth the risk to me.

 

[RevLimitLaunch]

there's a few picture all over the net with fram filter cartridges that have collapsed. i beleive one of the instances i saw was on this forum somewhere. after that i looked into it a bit (must've been over 6-8 months ago) and i guess there's a few good instances of frams collapsing on people. since then i've never recommended it to people when their shopping for filters. the stp seems to be a good deal. the only filter i'd ever recommend is a k&n because of its one-way valve technology it utilizes, unfortunately they don't make our type...bad

the mazda oil filter was around $10 i believe, just make sure with whatever one you get that an o-ring gasket comes along with it.

 

[AWDRACER6]

Wow, i was getting ready to leave to get the stuff to change my oil... good thing i logged on!!! Ok so one last thing. Like Koenig said, do you really need the "Blend"?? Our can I just use the regular synthetic?? And 5W30 is the right one right???

 

[Afroman]

This is from memory from my last oil change. I am pretty sure that on the bottle of Moble 1 SuperSyn (Full synthetic), it specifically says this oil is compatible with all semi-synthetics and non-synthetic oils.

***My Opinion ***
The problem with switching from regular oil to synthetic oil is only an issue on older cars. Synthetic oils have additives which breaks up engine grease / gunk, which is why engines that run only synthetics are so much cleaner.

Just think of the commercials where they show the dirty and clean valves depending on which type of oil you run. The dirty valves are from conventional and the clean valves are from the synthetic.

Back to the point, an older engine ran with only regular oil will have quite a large build up of grease and gunk in the oil pan and rest of the engine.

The moment you add synthetic, the additives in the oil begin to break that grease and gunk apart. Now you have tons of loose debris running through your engine... not good!

Thats why on onlder cars you slower increase the amount of synthetic so you can slowly loosen and remove the built up engine gunk a little at a time with each oil change.

 

[AWDRACER6]

That makes since! Thanks man!

This is from memory from my last oil change. I am pretty sure that on the bottle of Moble 1 SuperSyn (Full synthetic), it specifically says this oil is compatible with all semi-synthetics and non-synthetic oils.

***My Opinion ***
The problem with switching from regular oil to synthetic oil is only an issue on older cars. Synthetic oils have additives which breaks up engine grease / gunk, which is why engines that run only synthetics are so much cleaner.

Just think of the commercials where they show the dirty and clean valves depending on which type of oil you run. The dirty valves are from conventional and the clean valves are from the synthetic.

Back to the point, an older engine ran with only regular oil will have quite a large build up of grease and gunk in the oil pan and rest of the engine.

The moment you add synthetic, the additives in the oil begin to break that grease and gunk apart. Now you have tons of loose debris running through your engine... not good!

Thats why on onlder cars you slower increase the amount of synthetic so you can slowly loosen and remove the built up engine gunk a little at a time with each oil change.

 

[Koenig]

Wow, i was getting ready to leave to get the stuff to change my oil... good thing i logged on!!! Ok so one last thing. Like Koenig said, do you really need the "Blend"?? Our can I just use the regular synthetic?? And 5W30 is the right one right???

LOL, I never said you needed the blend (bang)

I said I decided to go with the Synthetic Blend, for my own personal reasons, and I'll go full synthetic next oil change....



Regarding the FRAM issue, yeah you've only seen a FEW........but not every single person who uses a fram has had a problem, right? To me that just means installation error......... you can have the same **** up on a cheaper POS filter like WIX or Parts Master/Purolator.....

I saw my old filter and the fram together, I should have taken pics so you guys could see the pump tube at work....

the OEM filter and the Fram filter had the same amount of "ridges" the Wix actually has less (I counted in the store)

BOSCH is supposed to be one of the best out there, but I don't think they make one for our car, or else the store just didn't stock it....

the fram came with both o-rings with I "lubed" with the oil before putting on the drain plug and the filter cap.... perhaps the "crushed" filters weren't done like that........ if your FRAM filter crushed like that, it means it's defect and they should have notified FRAM, and possibly have gotten fram to fix anything wrong with their car, since they're selling defective components........ again why I believe, installation error....... you can **** up with the mazda OEM filter if you don't do everything exactly right. (ugh)

 

[RevLimitLaunch]

go for fram all you want lol, i just post up what i find for the better use of everyone else out there, it didn't happen to me at all. but it makes me not wanna go with them anymore. and your correct bosch doesn't make a filter *currently, but it should be out soon i believe. and although the statement made about the synthetics vs conventional situation is pretty much true, its still good and safe to go synthetic blend then synthetic, although i didn't follow that, but i wouldn't if i could go back lol. just a safety thing i guess, but i guess you need to take all the safety precautions you can when you're dealing with a 'supercar' (as told by stupid sales people)....lol just had to add that in there.

 

[AWDRACER6]

I wasnt saying that. I was just refering to the fact that you used the blend. I went to the dealer and they said it was ok to just go straight to synthetic. But again you have your reasons and they could be right. Oh and they also said the suggest the mazda filter. Even though thats there opinion, i was just lettin you guys know what they said.

LOL, I never said you needed the blend (bang)

I said I decided to go with the Synthetic Blend, for my own personal reasons, and I'll go full synthetic next oil change....



Regarding the FRAM issue, yeah you've only seen a FEW........but not every single person who uses a fram has had a problem, right? To me that just means installation error......... you can have the same **** up on a cheaper POS filter like WIX or Parts Master/Purolator.....

I saw my old filter and the fram together, I should have taken pics so you guys could see the pump tube at work....

the OEM filter and the Fram filter had the same amount of "ridges" the Wix actually has less (I counted in the store)

BOSCH is supposed to be one of the best out there, but I don't think they make one for our car, or else the store just didn't stock it....

the fram came with both o-rings with I "lubed" with the oil before putting on the drain plug and the filter cap.... perhaps the "crushed" filters weren't done like that........ if your FRAM filter crushed like that, it means it's defect and they should have notified FRAM, and possibly have gotten fram to fix anything wrong with their car, since they're selling defective components........ again why I believe, installation error....... you can **** up with the mazda OEM filter if you don't do everything exactly right. (ugh)

 

[Koenig]

go for fram all you want lol, i just post up what i find for the better use of everyone else out there, it didn't happen to me at all. but it makes me not wanna go with them anymore. and your correct bosch doesn't make a filter *currently, but it should be out soon i believe. and although the statement made about the synthetics vs conventional situation is pretty much true, its still good and safe to go synthetic blend then synthetic, although i didn't follow that, but i wouldn't if i could go back lol. just a safety thing i guess, but i guess you need to take all the safety precautions you can when you're dealing with a 'supercar' (as told by stupid sales people)....lol just had to add that in there.

LOL. "supercar"

that's funny, nah I just went with the blend because I'm about 90% sure they use regular at the factory for the first time, the only reason I think that is because of the COST of synthetic, and when you market products you really don't want to lose any money.

So yeah I just went synthetic blend, and then I'll go with full synthetic, just a little paranoid with everyone talking about the cars breaking at this point, or that point.... makes me kinda worried (lol2)

AWD I'm pretty sure mazda is going to tell you to go with their filter, so THEY can get your money, and for $10 bucks.... I got my filter at walmart, and it was 7 for me.... the fram was 10 @ autozone....

I had to open and inspect like 5 filtersbefore I was satisfied with the one I chose... so I hope I don't have any issues....


I know some people do the oil change @ 1k....even though mazda will say you don't really need to do that, but people have been known to change at 1k then 3k then 6k then 10k and then 5k intervals after that........ i remember i think it was on another forum that a guy said he would switch to synthetic by the time his 10k oil change came around..... in essence i'm pretty much doing that, but I went with synthetic blend for 5k miles and then i'll do full synthetic at 10k

there's probably no logic to my doing that, but eh, to each his own and that's just what I did.....(wrc)

 

[AWDRACER6]

I feel ya! But i agree with the fact that mazda will bull s*** me regardless. But i kinda believe the guy. Also, if there are RUMORS of people having issues, i would just rather be paranoid and stay with mazda.

LOL. "supercar"

that's funny, nah I just went with the blend because I'm about 90% sure they use regular at the factory for the first time, the only reason I think that is because of the COST of synthetic, and when you market products you really don't want to lose any money.

So yeah I just went synthetic blend, and then I'll go with full synthetic, just a little paranoid with everyone talking about the cars breaking at this point, or that point.... makes me kinda worried (lol2)

AWD I'm pretty sure mazda is going to tell you to go with their filter, so THEY can get your money, and for $10 bucks.... I got my filter at walmart, and it was 7 for me.... the fram was 10 @ autozone....

I had to open and inspect like 5 filtersbefore I was satisfied with the one I chose... so I hope I don't have any issues....


I know some people do the oil change @ 1k....even though mazda will say you don't really need to do that, but people have been known to change at 1k then 3k then 6k then 10k and then 5k intervals after that........ i remember i think it was on another forum that a guy said he would switch to synthetic by the time his 10k oil change came around..... in essence i'm pretty much doing that, but I went with synthetic blend for 5k miles and then i'll do full synthetic at 10k

there's probably no logic to my doing that, but eh, to each his own and that's just what I did.....(wrc)

 

[Koenig]

I'm sure there's been other people using other filters that have gotten screwed up.... but then again not everyone I meet with a mazdaspeed6 comes on the forums

 

[AWDRACER6]

Ya. Everything messes up once and then people tell others and then everyone thinks that product is bad. So you never know. Plus it could have been operator error. But I think I am gonna go with the mazda filter and the royal purple synthetic oil.