Rear seat release / oil changes etc.

[bosip]

Hello all,

I want to get some information and some opinions

I took my car to the local Mazda dealer - the one I purchased it from is about 45 minutes away but depending on your responses, I may make the trip and give them a try next.

I had three things on my list -- change the oil with the new Mazda oil with moly. I called the parts department the day before to be sure they had it and wrote it very clearly on my work order.
The second thing was that when I pulled the rear seat release on the drivers side, the seat did not fall forward. I had to pull it forward while the other two seats go down themselves.
The last thing on the list was to check for reasons for poor gas mileage.

The dealer response was this -- Changed the oil using Castrol synthetic. No explanation offered on my receipt.
Told me that the seats are not supposed to fall down when you pull the release and that you have to pull/push the seat (seems very strange to me )
Said the gas mileage was low because at 5100 miles, the car wasn't broken in yet! Give it time and use good gas!

I would appreciate your responses and your thoughts on the above. Thanks!

 

[Seminole]

Does the seat not move at all when released? My middle seat will go completely flat, but the two outboard seats will fall about half way and need a shove to get fully flat because the seatbelts catch on them. If your seat isn't even moving at all when the release is pulled, that is not normal.

 

[nickdeck]

The seats on my 2014 all fall forward when I pull the levers. They don't go quite flat, need to push them down a bit for that.

 

[robertmazda]

I think you need a new dealer.
They should have used the oil you requested. My seats all fold down by themselves. At 5100 miles I can't imagine how much longer it would need to be broken in (if really at all. Many mechanics say there is no such thing as break-in anymore).

 

[Kayger12]

Umm, are they kidding?

I would drive back there and demand they change the oil and put in not only the oil you requested, but the oil that it says in the freakin manual is recommended and necessary to achieve maximum fuel economy as per page 6-21 of the manual.

Secondly, your seats should absolutely fall forward on their own. Refer the idiots to pages 2-8 and 2-9 of the owners manual. They'll notice that it's called a remote handle... and that all you have to do is actuate the handle. Mazda took great care to caution you to check that no one is in the back seat as "if the seat back is not supported with your hand, IT WILL FLIP FORWARD SUDDENLY".

This is why I hate Stealerships.

 

[paris1]

I would drive back there and demand they change the oil and put in not only the oil you requested, but the oil that it says in the freakin manual is recommended and necessary to achieve maximum fuel economy as per page 6-21 of the manual.

Oil recommended on page referenced is Castrol 0-20w synthetic, which is what the dealer used.???

 

[Bopper]

Here is an instance where the Dealer ignored your wishes and did what they thought was correct, because they feel they are smarter then you. Castrol and Mazda oil may be the same exact stuff for all I know, maybe the Dealer knows that, but if you, as the owner/customer, don't know that, it is their job to either educate you on why the oil is the same or do not complete the work that you requested. If you said the words, "use Mazda oil", then that's what they should have used.

The Monkeys at the Dealership will all look at you like you are crazy for making a stink about the oil in your car, but you can be sure their cars have the oil they picked in their own cars.

In this instance, I think your car will survive, but I would talk to the Owner, or at a minimum, the Manager, about the fact that you made a particular request, and it was ignored by the Dealership. Wait for their response. They may surprise you, they may not.
I hate paying so called professionals to do work for me that I could have screwed up all on my own.

 

[Kayger12]

Oil recommended on page referenced is Castrol 0-20w synthetic, which is what the dealer used.???

Yes, the Castrol is also recommended-- but the first thing under oil in the manual is this:

"Use SAE 0W-20 engine oil.
Mazda Genuine Oil is used in your Mazda
vehicle. Mazda Genuine 0W-20 Oil is
required to achieve optimum fuel
economy."

There are numerous reports of dealers using the Castrol as it is cheaper. I'll be changing mine out after the break in period myself and will bring it in to the dealer for my free oil change at the 6 month mark (we don't put a ton of miles on) but only if they are using the Mazda oil (which I'll verify by sending a sample to Blackstone mid-run... yes, I'm beyond OCD about oil).

Castrol and Mazda oil may be the same exact stuff for all I know, maybe the Dealer knows that,

Definitely not the same oil, and the dealer knows it. The Mazda w/moly is made by Idemitsu. It has a much higher VI than the Castrol-- it actually has such a high VI that many of the oil junkies on bobistheoilguy.com are switching over to it for their non-Mazda vehicles.

Bottom line is you will have less engine friction and will get better mileage with the Mazda oil than with the Castrol.

There's nothing wrong with the Castrol and it's not going to ruin your engine or cause you to lose 10mpg, but the Mazda oil is recommended for best fuel economy for a reason.

 

[Bopper]

After I had a oil change at quick lube place and they left the giant plastic air dam off the bottom of my VW Jetta I decided that was the final straw. It wasn't so much that they left the dam off, it was that they took me back to the room of misfit parts, having shelves of parts that were left off others cars, to find mine. It is always after I have exhausted all other options will I bring my car to anyone to work on. Why anyone would negotiate free service or even take advantage of it, is beyond me. If it is a leased Vehicle, then all bets are off, take advantage of the free stuff.

 

[Kayger12]

After I had a oil change at quick lube place and they left the giant plastic air dam off the bottom of my VW Jetta I decided that was the final straw. It wasn't so much that they left the dam off, it was that they took me back to the room of misfit parts, having shelves of parts that were left off others cars, to find mine. It is always after I have exhausted all other options will I bring my car to anyone to work on. Why anyone would negotiate free service or even take advantage of it, is beyond me. If it is a leased Vehicle, then all bets are off, take advantage of the free stuff.

Yeah, I'm struggling with taking advantage of the free changes.

I do almost everything on my cars myself. I've been on the fence with the dealer oil changes.

I have a feeling that they're going to tell me they use the Castrol which will make my decision easy.

 

[plemieux]

Seats should fall forward when you pull the lever. That is what the lever is for.

As for the mileage, when I first brought it home I was averaging around 25-27 mpg per the car's computer. That was about 50/50 city/hwy mix driving. I'm at 15,000 miles and almost a year later and i'm averaging between 29-31 mpg per the car's computer. I don't know if these results are typical for the 5 or not, but that has been my experience with it. Hold out a while longer for the mpg. It seems to get better with miles and age. I also keep my hwy speeds below 65 and use cruise control as much as possible, even in city driving.

 

[z-man]

I had my first oil change yesterday at 2300 miles with the Genuine Mazda 0W20w/moly. Parts Dept had quarts on their shelf - took one home for $8...hopefully will be a long time before I need to break the seal on it.

Was getting 30.4 MPG through 6 tanks. I reset Trip B, AVG MPG, and MPH...will see if there is any improvement after a couple of more tankfuls.

As to the rear seats, I removed the L & R headrests altogether both for better rear and side vision, and for less obstruction when release latches automatically drop the 3 part split seats.

 

[Meat]

There are numerous reports of dealers using the Castrol as it is cheaper. I'll be changing mine out after the break in period myself and will bring it in to the dealer for my free oil change at the 6 month mark (we don't put a ton of miles on) but only if they are using the Mazda oil (which I'll verify by sending a sample to Blackstone mid-run... yes, I'm beyond OCD about oil).

Definitely not the same oil, and the dealer knows it. The Mazda w/moly is made by Idemitsu. It has a much higher VI than the Castrol-- it actually has such a high VI that many of the oil junkies on bobistheoilguy.com are switching over to it for their non-Mazda vehicles.

I also lurk over on the boards at bobistheoilguy.com. Please post up a copy of your sample analysis once you get it back from Blackstone.

Our dealer also offered free oil changes for life but I believe that is using the Castrol. When it comes time for our first change I'm going to ask that they use the Idemitsu and if they give me any resistance I'll offer to pay the difference between the Castrol and the Idemitsu.

 

[Kayger12]

I also lurk over on the boards at bobistheoilguy.com. Please post up a copy of your sample analysis once you get it back from Blackstone.

Will do.

 

[sylva143]

My dealer isn't open on Saturday, which is a deal breaker for me, so I've had my oil changed twice at a Valvoline. They used full synthetic 0w20, and I supplied my own filters (Mobile One and Bosch). I have not noticed any changes in mileage -- still getting 31 combined with my AWD Sport.

If the dealer was open on Saturday, then that would be my preference, but I can't take time off from work every few months to hang out at the dealer on a weekday!

 

[bosip]

Seats should fall forward when you pull the lever. That is what the lever is for.

As for the mileage, when I first brought it home I was averaging around 25-27 mpg per the car's computer. That was about 50/50 city/hwy mix driving. I'm at 15,000 miles and almost a year later and i'm averaging between 29-31 mpg per the car's computer. I don't know if these results are typical for the 5 or not, but that has been my experience with it. Hold out a while longer for the mpg. It seems to get better with miles and age. I also keep my hwy speeds below 65 and use cruise control as much as possible, even in city driving.

Sure hope that I have the same experience with my mpg increasing at I drive more!

 

[bosip]

Thanks all for your thoughts on the dealer and the issues that I brought up! I am definitely going to try the other dealer even though it is much further. I am hoping that their service is more attentive.