Oil change intervals, who decides?

[CXFive]

Not all dealerships are sneaky though. I used to absolutely hate dealerships until I went for the first time in my life of owning cars and doing my own maintenance. Took my CX-5 in for the 5,000 mile service, 30 minutes came out oil change, tire rotation $45. They did a great, clean job as well. Saw the Mazda synthetic oil on the counter and as it was being added to my car. I watched every little move they made because of my trust issues

Where do you bring your cx 5 for service? Thanks.

 

[Gio26NJ]

I brought mine to open road mazda in East Brunswick, NJ. It's a tiny place but they have coffee/tea wifi in the waiting area. I went early in the morning so the waiting time may differ in the afternoon obviously.

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

First, have them show you in writing where it says that failing to change the oil using schedule 2 voids your warranty.

Umm, it does not work like that.

When your engine breaks and you claim the work under warranty, THEY can ask you to produce reciepts for the Oil changes which show mileage and interval.

Warranty isn't a right it is a privilege. You need to provide them what they need to offer you the work for free, not the other way around.

 

[CX-SV]

Ummm, in the US written warranties are subject to laws, plenty of written boilerplate written by Mazda defines the warranty. As pointed out by ta240, owner has both rights and responsibilities related to warranty.

The cost and convenience of my local Mazda dealer doing my schedule 1 (US) maintenance/synthetic oil changes at 7500 mile intervals is veru reasonable IMHO.

 

[Meat]

Before I left I checked my receipt and it says Mazda's 0w-20 GF w/ moly.

Now I am suspicious about what oil this service dept is really using. Am I just being paranoid? Should I address the issue w/ the management @ the dealership? Should I make a report to Mazda? Or should I leave it alone and go to another Mazda dealership next time?

If you are suspicious of what oil they are using I would request a sample kit from Blackstone (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/) and send in a sample of whatever they used. If they did use the Idemitsu made high moly 0W-20 then it will be extremely obvious in the results of the analysis. It will also help gauge the appropriateness of the oil change interval (OCI) you are using and maybe tell you if your environment and driving style warrant longer or shorter OCI's.

 

[jcarroll07]

Now I am suspicious about what oil this service dept is really using. Am I just being paranoid? Should I address the issue w/ the management @ the dealership? Should I make a report to Mazda? Or should I leave it alone and go to another Mazda dealership next time?

Chuck Nicholson, right? As a fellow T-County denizen, I took my Mazda3 there for service a week before... and they've been putting the 3k stickers on my window for a year and a half now, despite having the same 5k/7.5k recommended in the manual. I have the feeling that they do it because they're just that behind the times. The vibe I get from the place is that the franchise culture is very 80-90's GM, and one point they just added Mazda as an afterthought. I was chatting with one of their Mazda salespeople about two weeks ago, and he was suprised to learn that the Mazda6 diesel is coming out this year.

But despite the yahoos in the front office and sales team, I've never had any issues with any routine maintainance or other repair work I've had done there. I'm betting the change interval recommendations come straight from their business office, not anywhere else. In your shoes, I'd stay vigilant. The cost of an oil test down the line could be a worthwhile insurance policy.

As for going elsewhere... I only go to Nicholson now because it's less than 2mi from my house and I work in town. When I get around to buying a CX-5 (still holding out with hope for diesel after it debuts in the 6), I'll be going through the dealership in Canton. Significantly better customer service experience, infinitely less bad-juju vibe.

 

[gova]

I purchased my CX-5 from Mazda dealer. When I visited the dealer with some other issue I had, I spoke to Service Manager over there about the oil they use.
I asked: "What oil do you use? I know Mazda wants to use Castrol in CX-5"
Manager: "Valvoline. It somes from the same barrel, does not matter what you really use. They just use different additives."

Also, when they send coupons for oil change, it always says "Syntetic Oil extra, ask for deatils" which indicates that by default they use 'regular' dyno oil.

That was my last visit over there.

 

[Jcanracer]

I was following the schedule 1, but the dealer <closest to my house which is unfortunately where I get serviced> is insistent that all their customers follow schedule 2. I honestly don't know if Mazda considers Florida weather grounds for a shorter service interval.

 

[BRIAN_MP5T]

Humidity can cause the oil to degrade quicker.

 

[Meat]

The best way to tell is to have a sample analyzed. If the lab finds that a sample with 7500 miles of use has too much moisture or has has otherwise degraded past being usable it would be wise to follow Schedule 2. Here is an analysis of fresh 0W-20 for reference: