What do you think the long term durability will be?

[peterdaniel]

Given that the MS3 is a complicated turboo beast, what do you think the long term durability of the turbo and the motor ( assuming left stock) will be?

75k? 100K or ??

Its something that has always held me back from buying a turbo anything..

 

[BlackCherry06]

That depends on 2 things...your driving habits and your maintenance habits. Be pro-active rather than reactive regarding maintenance, use high-quality products and don't consistently drive it like you stole it, and you should be on the road as long as any non-turbo car.

 

[PeterC]

Well, in general turbo cars are a lot more reliable than they used to be. WRXs are very reliable, and many car makers are jumping on the turbo bandwagon...even BMW, and many thought that would never happen. However, Mazda doesn't have that reputation yet for building reliable turbo cars, so I guess we will not know until we get there. I don't think we can look at the RX-7 as any sort of benchmark since rotarys are a different animal altogether. That said, if we can't get well over 100,000 miles out of these cars it would be completely unacceptable. 75K...that would be class-action lawsuit material right there. I expect to easily get that much from this car. If you start modding the hell out of your car and racing it all the time, that would change that assumption.

 

[BlackCherry06]

I have one example, although it's nearly an apples + oranges comparison considering the power output of the engine....but here it is:

A friend of mine in South Dakota had a Chrysler 600 2.2 turbo ...around a 1986 or so (I believe it had a high-mount brake light, making it 1986 at the oldest.) The last time I saw that car it had over 200K miles on it, on the original engine and turbo. I credited his religious, bordering on anal-retentive maintenance habits. Synthetic oil every 3000 miles, without fail. And he DROVE that car..it was not babied.

That engine wasn't as stressed as ours, which is where longevity can be affected. But maintenance makes a big difference...and synthetic oil is an important part of that equation. Protecting the turbo bearings from heat-related failure and oil coking is an important step that I take, and I highly recommend it.

 

[PeterC]

Wow, synthetic every 3K miles...that would get expensive! I want to get Amsoil, but with Mazda's cartridge filter, I would have to stick to Mazda's oil change interval since Amsoil apparently doesn't make a cartridge filter.

Does anyone know of any synthetic that does have a cartridge filter that works with the MS3, or do we have to get a conversion kit in order to take advantage of that?

 

[Je5ter]

I change my oil every 3-5 thousand km's with synthetic oil.

 

[jred321]

Wow, synthetic every 3K miles...that would get expensive! I want to get Amsoil, but with Mazda's cartridge filter, I would have to stick to Mazda's oil change interval since Amsoil apparently doesn't make a cartridge filter.

Does anyone know of any synthetic that does have a cartridge filter that works with the MS3, or do we have to get a conversion kit in order to take advantage of that?

i don't understand. you can use a mazda filter with amsoil oil. you can even change the cartridge filter whenever you want.

 

[PeterC]

i don't understand. you can use a mazda filter with amsoil oil. you can even change the cartridge filter whenever you want.

Yes, but you can't take advantage of amsoil's oil change interval without one of their Ea filters designed for extended drain intervals:

• Normal Service – Up to 35,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first.

 

[enganear]

I've logged close to a million miles spread across multiple vehicles over the last 30 years with Mobil 1 and a 10,000 mile change interval without any oil related failures. YMMV.

Seals harden with age and valve springs have a fixed cycle life, but mechanical wear practically stops with synthetic oil. I use it in my lawnmower, too.
-enganear

 

[BlackCherry06]

I wouldn't dream of an OCI like that in a non-turbo engine, nevermind my current car....regardless of the filter brand.

 

[BlackCherry06]

Seals harden with age and valve springs have a fixed cycle life, but mechanical wear practically stops with synthetic oil. I use it in my lawnmower, too.
-enganear

Ha! I thought I was the only one. I've got Lucas full syn 20W-50 in my lawnmower right now.

 

[Young Roids]

I hope it will last to 200k. After 10k I am gonna go with amsoil in the engine and tranny. I will probly change it every 3000-4000miles

 

[jred321]

Yes, but you can't take advantage of amsoil's oil change interval without one of their Ea filters designed for extended drain intervals:

Normal Service Up to 35,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first.

there's no way i'd trust any oil in a turbo car for that long. 3-5,000 miles max, i shoot for much closer to 3,000 though it's probably overkill. $40 to change the oil 3-5 times per year or $5,000 for a new engine. simple choice for me. in a normal car sure, go a year if they say you can. in a performance car no way and skimping on maintenance is going to end up costing you in the long run

 

[cosmic_spd3]

well so far from what i've been reading on this forum ,it seems like alot of people on here are modding their speed3's..and if ur modding and not getting the right combinations in parts and tuning. then its gonna lead to engine breakdown...but i think leaving it stock, regular maintenance and sensible driving habits is the key to longevity..dont see why we cant get 200k the same way other cars do.

 

[Powerslave]

my car is running great 27k,, engine doesn't use a drop of oil ii need to take it easy thought i have a led foot and i love 18 psi...

 

[cosmic_spd3]

VG man..keep it up..well atleast i see i have something positive to look forward to ahead...loll..i'm only @1300 miles..and basically stock and will be for the next few years..

 

[1QWIK7]

Long as you dont drive the car like you stole it everyday, the car should be fine.

And some of you people get carried away with the oil changes. Very rare will you find an engine failure due to an oil related problem. If anything, you change your oil to prolong the life if your turbo.

 

[MS3-oholic]

Preventative maintenance is the key to long term reliability.

I am obsessive when it comes to maintaining my car. I perform a full visual inspection under the hood and chasis every time I change my oil to check for leaks, loose equipment, low fluid levels, etc. I have never gone over 3000 miles between oil changes, 2900 is the farthest I have gone as I don't want to go over 3000. It does get a little pricey since I use Royal Purple and a Fram oil filter (CH9641), but I think it is worth it in the long run. I will also change my tranny fluid every 15K with Red Line MT-90. In fact, I expect to get 35K-40K miles from my stock tires as they are only about 1/2 tread depth left. I check my pressure weekly and rotate them every 7500 miles, and yes, I do like to get to cruising speed quickly.

On top of all that, I have a binder with a spreadsheet detailing all maintenance performed with all the receipts kept in order. This will get me the most money when I sell the car because you can't claim Excellent Condition in Kelly Blue Book unless you have all maint. records.

 

[GoFast]

Yes, but you can't take advantage of amsoil's oil change interval without one of their Ea filters designed for extended drain intervals:

Normal Service Up to 35,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first.

whether you are using the amsoil filter or not is irrelevant. you change the filter 2x to every x you change the oil. and i am almost certain they have a filter for the car. the mazda3 filter is the same as the MS3. also if you really are worried about the filter issue, they make an adapter to change from cartridge style to the can style.

 

[D_Roc7822]

yeah the engine mods that I am prolly just gonna go with is a TBE and a CAI. I might add the ETS TMIC but we will see how funds are then. Everything else is pretty much gonna be looks wise, Rims, Springs, Foglight covers.. etc. Hopefully this thing lasts me long after Im out of college in 3 years.. it better cause I have a loan out for 5 years lol.