Does anyone know what is the true oil change interval for a 2012 Mazda5? The reason I asked this is because according to my owners manual, I selected schedule 1 which says to have the oil change service every 7500 miles. Well as my car was approaching its 3000th mile, I got a call from the dealer that said I must have the oil change done or else the car will lose its warranty. I told them that I selected "schedule 1" but was told the manual was incorrect. After about 3 phone calls, I decided to take my car in for the service at about 7000 miles. Well, after I got the car back, the invoice stated that I got a "5000 mile oil service" and that my oil service should be done every 5000 miles. Is there something wrong with all the 2012 Mazda5 owners manuals? Is there something "fishy" about the dealer? What is the true oil change interval that you all use: 3000, 5000, or 7500 (which is schedule 1 that I use). Something is not right here...(dunno)
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Oil Change Intervals
- Thread starter Hi5_0
- Start date
jeffismrmom
Member
- :
- 2012 Mazda5 Touring
You are correct (Schedule 1, 7.5K), the stealership is wrong (mystery 3K mile OCI).
That said, I've gotten this sort of "customer service" too from Ford, GM and Toyota when I've purchased previous new cars; it seems to be a dealership problem rather than a manufacturer one. As the service department for the dealership is looking to make money, they will send mailings for "required" maintenance that directly conflict w/the owner's manual. Following the service schedule in your owner's manual and documenting those services is more important than the idiotic advice given by your stealership. My '12 5 only has 3800 miles on it, but I've changed the oil twice now due to Mazda's 6-month OCI recommendation; unfortunately, I still get a post card in the mail every couple months from the local dealer warning me to schedule my oil changes in order to keep my warranty "valid."
As long as you document your scheduled services (receipts, cell-phone pics of the mileage, a notepad w/service info), neither Mazda nor your dealership can deny the drive train warranty on your vehicle per the Magnuson-Moss Act. Any dealership telling you that an arbitrary 3K mile OCI is required to keep your Mazda warranty valid is in conflict with that legislation. If you're feeling especially aggrieved in this situation, it never hurts to find the name of your regional Mazda service department representative and send him a letter/email letting him know that the dealer is not following the service guidelines in your owner's manual. However, like so much else these days when it comes to customer service, I wouldn't hold my breath expecting a sincere explanation.
Good luck.
Jeff
That said, I've gotten this sort of "customer service" too from Ford, GM and Toyota when I've purchased previous new cars; it seems to be a dealership problem rather than a manufacturer one. As the service department for the dealership is looking to make money, they will send mailings for "required" maintenance that directly conflict w/the owner's manual. Following the service schedule in your owner's manual and documenting those services is more important than the idiotic advice given by your stealership. My '12 5 only has 3800 miles on it, but I've changed the oil twice now due to Mazda's 6-month OCI recommendation; unfortunately, I still get a post card in the mail every couple months from the local dealer warning me to schedule my oil changes in order to keep my warranty "valid."
As long as you document your scheduled services (receipts, cell-phone pics of the mileage, a notepad w/service info), neither Mazda nor your dealership can deny the drive train warranty on your vehicle per the Magnuson-Moss Act. Any dealership telling you that an arbitrary 3K mile OCI is required to keep your Mazda warranty valid is in conflict with that legislation. If you're feeling especially aggrieved in this situation, it never hurts to find the name of your regional Mazda service department representative and send him a letter/email letting him know that the dealer is not following the service guidelines in your owner's manual. However, like so much else these days when it comes to customer service, I wouldn't hold my breath expecting a sincere explanation.
Good luck.
Jeff
Just in case you guys are in the Portland, Oregon area I cannot recommend enough the Royal Moore Mazda. I drive past one Mazda dealer to get to this one (It's about 20 miles away total) because they are so crazy low pressure. The buying of the car was a wonderful experience (There is nothing like a test drive where the salesman doesn't come along..."Just bring it back in 20 or so minutes.") and they're even nice when you get service done there. The service manager was looking up coupons for me when I came in and gave me a free wash n' vac just to be nice.
No I do not work there nor do I know anyone who does, I just loved working with these folk so I recommend them.
No I do not work there nor do I know anyone who does, I just loved working with these folk so I recommend them.
speed3 britz
Member
- :
- 07 Mazdaspeed3, 93 B2600i 4x4
Maybe Im overly cautious, Ive always been taught 3 months or 3000 mile rule for oil changes? Coarse then again I do all my own maintenance, no service tech to touch mine. This is also under heavier driving (+20k miles per year)
dieseldriver
Member
3K mile interval oil change? Not sure who came up with that they sure did a good job of brainwashing people all over. I would go with minimum of 5K miles on synthetic if you feel uncomfortable going the recommended 7.5K miles. I'd use something like Mobile or Bosch extended oil change interval oil filter if you do go on or above 7.5K miles per oil change just as a an assurance of getting most of those dirt off the oil.
Does anyone know what is the true oil change interval for a 2012 Mazda5? The reason I asked this is because according to my owners manual, I selected schedule 1 which says to have the oil change service every 7500 miles. Well as my car was approaching its 3000th mile, I got a call from the dealer that said I must have the oil change done or else the car will lose its warranty. I told them that I selected "schedule 1" but was told the manual was incorrect. After about 3 phone calls, I decided to take my car in for the service at about 7000 miles. Well, after I got the car back, the invoice stated that I got a "5000 mile oil service" and that my oil service should be done every 5000 miles. Is there something wrong with all the 2012 Mazda5 owners manuals? Is there something "fishy" about the dealer? What is the true oil change interval that you all use: 3000, 5000, or 7500 (which is schedule 1 that I use). Something is not right here...(dunno)
Last edited:
- :
- 2008 Mazda5 GT
Wow! Text book definition of a shady service shop. I can guarantee you this service department recommends/fixes/replaces unnecessary things to make a buck –at your cost. You should report this experience to Mazda US b/c it is just so wrong and hurts Mazda's image…Does anyone know what is the true oil change interval for a 2012 Mazda5? The reason I asked this is because according to my owners manual, I selected schedule 1 which says to have the oil change service every 7500 miles. Well as my car was approaching its 3000th mile, I got a call from the dealer that said I must have the oil change done or else the car will lose its warranty. I told them that I selected "schedule 1" but was told the manual was incorrect. After about 3 phone calls, I decided to take my car in for the service at about 7000 miles. Well, after I got the car back, the invoice stated that I got a "5000 mile oil service" and that my oil service should be done every 5000 miles. Is there something wrong with all the 2012 Mazda5 owners manuals? Is there something "fishy" about the dealer? What is the true oil change interval that you all use: 3000, 5000, or 7500 (which is schedule 1 that I use). Something is not right here...(dunno)
Change interval depends on the harshness of the environment (temp/dust), how hard you drive (like to hang on the rev limit, collet miles via coasting freeway, or stop and go) and grade of oil too. In general terms, would you replace regular, semi synthetic, and synthetic grade oil at the same interval?
The only way to know your unique oil change interval is to send in a sample to be analyzed to identify how much life is left.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
The 3K OCI was true way back when motor oil is not nearly as sophisticated as they are today with additives and detergents to clean and last much longer. To believe we should keep a 3K OCI is to say we have not made any advancement in chemicals. Do you believe this?
dieseldriver
Member
Dealer's telling you 3K for the sole purpose of making money, that's all. Whether it's called a lie or not, it is what it is, so be it.
My recommendation is to get your oil analyzed and see for yourself if the oils still good, only way to be sure. Now, when I had the VW TDI, this is what the guys do. Go check out this website and search for "Oil Analysis" on www.tdiclub.com I've always used 505.01 compliant oil in my TDI, such as VW OEM or Elf. But going back to the topic, if you use good synthetic, I don't see why there would be any issue with long term durability of the engine. Just make sure change the air filter when dirty, and use a good oil filter. Also keep in mind that the 2.5L engine is naturally aspirited i.e. no forced induction. So that reinforces the idea that 3K oil change interval is just plain ridiculous in my opinion.
BTW, my coworker has a new Audi A4, and dealer won't even touch the oil until 12K miles. This is the norm, 10K, 12K, etc. -- also you have to remember, VW/Audi has a strict guidelines as to what type of oil you use.
My recommendation is to get your oil analyzed and see for yourself if the oils still good, only way to be sure. Now, when I had the VW TDI, this is what the guys do. Go check out this website and search for "Oil Analysis" on www.tdiclub.com I've always used 505.01 compliant oil in my TDI, such as VW OEM or Elf. But going back to the topic, if you use good synthetic, I don't see why there would be any issue with long term durability of the engine. Just make sure change the air filter when dirty, and use a good oil filter. Also keep in mind that the 2.5L engine is naturally aspirited i.e. no forced induction. So that reinforces the idea that 3K oil change interval is just plain ridiculous in my opinion.
BTW, my coworker has a new Audi A4, and dealer won't even touch the oil until 12K miles. This is the norm, 10K, 12K, etc. -- also you have to remember, VW/Audi has a strict guidelines as to what type of oil you use.
Wow! Text book definition of a shady service shop. I can guarantee you this service department recommends/fixes/replaces unnecessary things to make a buck at your cost. You should report this experience to Mazda US b/c it is just so wrong and hurts Mazda's image
Change interval depends on the harshness of the environment (temp/dust), how hard you drive (like to hang on the rev limit, collet miles via coasting freeway, or stop and go) and grade of oil too. In general terms, would you replace regular, semi synthetic, and synthetic grade oil at the same interval?
The only way to know your unique oil change interval is to send in a sample to be analyzed to identify how much life is left.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
The 3K OCI was true way back when motor oil is not nearly as sophisticated as they are today with additives and detergents to clean and last much longer. To believe we should keep a 3K OCI is to say we have not made any advancement in chemicals. Do you believe this?
dieseldriver
Member
4miles?? Why not bike to work? I think I jog more than 4miles per day LOL. I used to commute more than 60miles round trip biking to/from work and kept me in great shape!
My dealer said 5K or 6 mos which ever comes first. For me that would be the 6 mos mark since I commute about 4 miles total a day! I have only put 1,000 miles on it since I bought it at the end of March.
I also used to have a long commute and don't miss it all. The roads between my house and where I work do not offer a safe way to bike or jog to work. No sidewalks, no bike paths and very busy highway. I have seen some close calls with those willing to brave it on a bike. There also isn't very much room on the road for anything but two cars.
It's a shame really. I have been to meetings for the park districts and because three counties come together where two highways cross nobody wants to be the one to spend a little cash and make a path.
It's a shame really. I have been to meetings for the park districts and because three counties come together where two highways cross nobody wants to be the one to spend a little cash and make a path.
dieseldriver
Member
A bit off topic but used to do it on a track bike as well. Had one brake mounted on front as the last hill onto the Palisades has about a mile long steep incline. One morning going up hill, saw couple of hispanic riders passing me while saying, "holy crap, he's on a fixed gear AND he has a backpack..." LOL
Biking a 60 mile commute!? Thats awesome! I'd love to do that but I've got to do the daycare drop-off and pick-up. Well, there also no shower at the office so that could cause a problem. And I prefer to do my biking on singletrack.
Rockin03mp5
Member
- :
- '13 Mazda3 / '13 Edge / Your Mom
3k miles is bs with todays cars. i do every 5k, because i live up north, but im sure i could go longer. funny thing is, it really doesnt bother me since changing the oil costs less than a tank of gas.
Maybe Im overly cautious, Ive always been taught 3 months or 3000 mile rule for oil changes? Coarse then again I do all my own maintenance, no service tech to touch mine. This is also under heavier driving (+20k miles per year)
In your case you are actually seriously prematurely changing your oil. You could do 10k changes and still be over doing it.
Thing that are hard on oil are actually the opposite of your driving style:
Lots of short trips, lack of getting up to temp, lots of stop and go.
I change my oil once per year regardless of miles on it on my own cars, the wife's car gets whatever the owner's manual recommends, which is 7500 in our case and driving style, until the warranty is up.
I fundamentally disagree. First of all, when you read the oil change intervals in service manuals and so forth, the key word there is "recommended," not "required." This means that, depending on many circumstances, and your personal driving style, the oil change interval for each person/vehicle could be very different. I think we can all agree that there is no such thing as "changing your oil too often" unless your literally changing it everyday.
Once you understand that, contaminated engine oil is usually not visible to the human eye, obviously. The job of the engine oil, aside from the obvious lubrication of metal-to-metal surfaces, is also to keep those surfaces cool and suspend foreign particles so that they don't cause damage to engine parts. Blow-by gases contain actual unburned fuel, and acts as a solvent, thinning the oil. The amount of stress on those pistons and the crankshaft is enormous, and increases with things like trailer towing and driving up hill. Not to mention that condensation also adds a somewhat trivial amount of moisture into the oil.
Unless your out trying to prove a point about how a specific engine oil is made on planet Krypton and it never has to be changed out in order to sell it, those claims of 15,000 mile oil etc. are completely and utterly misleading. Especially considering 0W, an oil with a molecular makeup that is so small, it was designed to lubricate the extremely narrow space between your piston rings and the wall. This is to make the engine more energy efficient by reducing blow-by gasses making the space tighter. With today's 0W it's more important than ever to make sure contaminants are at a minimum in your engine oil.
The difference between changing your engine oil every 5k miles vs. every 15k miles is not evident right away, I'm 100% sure that if you take 2 exact vehicles, brand new and have them driven the same way for let's say 10 years, changing the oil on one every 5k miles and 15k miles for the other... you will see what happens eventually down the road. Some ppl don't plan to keep their cars for 10 years so it doesn't really matter to them. After 10 years the 15k mile engine, if it's still alive, has a good chance of suffering from knocking or tapping while the 5k mile engine will probably purr like the day it was purchased, and again, this is assuming a lot of things but I'm saying, all other factors being equal.
Once you understand that, contaminated engine oil is usually not visible to the human eye, obviously. The job of the engine oil, aside from the obvious lubrication of metal-to-metal surfaces, is also to keep those surfaces cool and suspend foreign particles so that they don't cause damage to engine parts. Blow-by gases contain actual unburned fuel, and acts as a solvent, thinning the oil. The amount of stress on those pistons and the crankshaft is enormous, and increases with things like trailer towing and driving up hill. Not to mention that condensation also adds a somewhat trivial amount of moisture into the oil.
Unless your out trying to prove a point about how a specific engine oil is made on planet Krypton and it never has to be changed out in order to sell it, those claims of 15,000 mile oil etc. are completely and utterly misleading. Especially considering 0W, an oil with a molecular makeup that is so small, it was designed to lubricate the extremely narrow space between your piston rings and the wall. This is to make the engine more energy efficient by reducing blow-by gasses making the space tighter. With today's 0W it's more important than ever to make sure contaminants are at a minimum in your engine oil.
The difference between changing your engine oil every 5k miles vs. every 15k miles is not evident right away, I'm 100% sure that if you take 2 exact vehicles, brand new and have them driven the same way for let's say 10 years, changing the oil on one every 5k miles and 15k miles for the other... you will see what happens eventually down the road. Some ppl don't plan to keep their cars for 10 years so it doesn't really matter to them. After 10 years the 15k mile engine, if it's still alive, has a good chance of suffering from knocking or tapping while the 5k mile engine will probably purr like the day it was purchased, and again, this is assuming a lot of things but I'm saying, all other factors being equal.
Last edited:
hall.cullen
Member
- :
- 2012 Mazda 5
Results from Blackstone labs
Hello all,
Sorry to dig up a an old thread for my first post but I thought that some of you might find this data interesting. We have a 2012 Mazda 5 Touring it like all my vehicles gets a sample sent to the lab each oil change.
what I am finding using Mobil 1 0W-20 (of course a synthetic oil - that's all 0W weight oils can be formulated in) is that we can run somewhere between 6k and 7k miles between oil changes. The report that is attached here is for our vehicle driven during the winter months approximately 50/50 city highway. We are fairly easy drivers but that's not to say that it does not see the red-line every once and a while during merging exercises (shady). The vehicle is kept in a heated and air conditioned garage at night so it does get some nice treatment there.
The key take away for me is the Owners manual was not far off with a change somewhere between 5k and 7k - the key here is it almost certainly needs to be a synthetic oil to go this long. being that I design engines for a living and one of my responsibilities is at looking at reports to determine oil drain intervals I can say with confidence that conventional oils would not survive to 5k miles. I think it is interesting to note that the owners manual does not require synthetic oils it only recommends it from my reading.
Hello all,
Sorry to dig up a an old thread for my first post but I thought that some of you might find this data interesting. We have a 2012 Mazda 5 Touring it like all my vehicles gets a sample sent to the lab each oil change.
what I am finding using Mobil 1 0W-20 (of course a synthetic oil - that's all 0W weight oils can be formulated in) is that we can run somewhere between 6k and 7k miles between oil changes. The report that is attached here is for our vehicle driven during the winter months approximately 50/50 city highway. We are fairly easy drivers but that's not to say that it does not see the red-line every once and a while during merging exercises (shady). The vehicle is kept in a heated and air conditioned garage at night so it does get some nice treatment there.
The key take away for me is the Owners manual was not far off with a change somewhere between 5k and 7k - the key here is it almost certainly needs to be a synthetic oil to go this long. being that I design engines for a living and one of my responsibilities is at looking at reports to determine oil drain intervals I can say with confidence that conventional oils would not survive to 5k miles. I think it is interesting to note that the owners manual does not require synthetic oils it only recommends it from my reading.
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hall.cullen
Member
- :
- 2012 Mazda 5
I should note for those that read the report that there is a note about fuel in the oil this was caused by the sub 5 minute run time from cold before the oil sample was taken. I only ran the vehicle long enough to get it moved in the service side of my garage - a big no no in the oil sample world. after a cold start the engine is running quite rich and a fair amount of fuel sneaks past the rings and into the oil - hence the fuel being detected in the oil.
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