What Oil To Use?

[bigdaddy]

So, I purchased my first MS3 two days ago, used, and im not sure if it needs an oil change. It has 13,500 miles on it currently, and just to be safe, I was planning on getting it changed this weekend. I have no idea what kind of oil was in it before, however, I think I want to go with full synthetic. What kind of oil should I run? Brand, Viscosity...? I was thinking of going with Mobil 1 5W-30 full syn. A response would be great.


...and yes I searched for this, I couldnt find anything to help me.

 

[MikeHTally]

Unless there are some service records, you need to change the oil right away. Even if the PO just changed it prior to trading, you still should change it. Better to waste a bit of oil than suffer the potential damage. Pennzoil Platinum is popular around here. 5w-30 is the viscosity.

Did the car not come with a manual? If that's the case, you can download one from Mazda, probably.

 

[bigdaddy]

Unless there are some service records, you need to change the oil right away. Even if the PO just changed it prior to trading, you still should change it. Better to waste a bit of oil than suffer the potential damage. Pennzoil Platinum is popular around here. 5w-30 is the viscosity.

Did the car not come with a manual? If that's the case, you can download one from Mazda, probably.

Yes- that's what I figured I'd rather waste some money and be safe. The car did not have a lot of service records. However, I bought it from a very reputable mercedes dealer, so my guess is that they changed it. It came with a manual but I wanted an opinion from another owner. Is the PP 5W-30 synthetic?

 

[GoFast]

yes it is synthetic and I love it.

 

[MaikuMS3]

i would use MobileOne full synthetic.

 

[sumixali]

i would use mobile one as well but royal purple wouldnt be bad either,
i use M1 oil though and my 3i runs really well.

 

[MikeHTally]

Somehow "reputable" and "Mercedes" don't seem to belong in the same sentence. You're best off leaving that as a guess.

Yes, Pennzoil Platinum is synthetic.

 

[dizzin9]

amsoil.

 

[bigdaddy]

Somehow "reputable" and "Mercedes" don't seem to belong in the same sentence. You're best off leaving that as a guess.

Yes, Pennzoil Platinum is synthetic.

why? I mean- Im not personally a fan of mercedes...I would MUCH prefer a BMW...but what im saying is that its a pretty famous dealer. Larry Ellison, founder of ORACLE(worth $5+ Billion) buys all of his cars through the guy that I bought the MS3 through

 

[///M Compact]

I'd use either M1 or PP 5W-30. They both have Honda/Acura HTO-6 approval, which means that they are particularly well suited for turbocharged applications.

 

[bigdaddy]

I'd use either M1 or PP 5W-30. They both have Honda/Acura HTO-6 approval, which means that they are particularly well suited for turbocharged applications.

thanks...yeah I think im going with PP 5W-30. Is there anything that I have to do other than buy my own oil if im going to a place like jiffy lube? I dont think the car has syn. and im making the switch..

 

[MikeHTally]

why? I mean- Im not personally a fan of mercedes...I would MUCH prefer a BMW...but what im saying is that its a pretty famous dealer. Larry Ellison, founder of ORACLE(worth $5+ Billion) buys all of his cars through the guy that I bought the MS3 through

I don't believe Mercedes dealers are any different from any other car dealer. I used to work on telephone systems. The local Mercedes dealer was well-known to call us out needing extensive work done right away. Well, we went 'cause that's what customer service is.

Anyway, they were chronically slow-pay and finally no-pay.

 

[MikeHTally]

thanks...yeah I think im going with PP 5W-30. Is there anything that I have to do other than buy my own oil if im going to a place like jiffy lube? I dont think the car has syn. and im making the switch..

Please don't let Jiffy Lube even look at your car!!!! They'll keep the fancy oil and not even fill it properly with cheap oil. They're notoriously dishonest, loading victims up with non-existent services and inflated prices.

 

[Hank3]

And not to mention the possible missing/jacked up screws you'll be left with for the undertray once they're done.

 

[Circle9]

I use Penz Plat - you can pick up 6 quarts at Wal-Mart for about $32.00.

 

[byau]

if walmart is still running the sale they were selling PP 5 qt jugs for $20. i picked up a few for future changes. any possibility for you to change the oil yourself?

 

[camrycev6]

I run whatever oil the manual says to run. In this case, normal "dino" oil. That is what it is spec'd for. Unless you fall under one of the categories below, I see no need to waste my money on synthetic.

Cases to use synthetic: (With supportable evidence)

1) The engineers / company that designed the car said to use it.
2) You change a car as to significantly increase heat / pressure so that normal oil would be inadequate. (Like going from N/A to FI)
3) The car is irregularly driven (Sits for extended periods of time.)
4) The car is driven in an extreme way on a regular basis. (Racing it all the time.)

Cases where synthetic may be worthwhile: (Evidence is inconclusive or speculative)

1) Car is old
2) You want to extend the engine life as much as possible (100,000+ miles)
3) You have the money, and it just makes you feel good.

 

[HotSnatch]

I got my first oil change at my mazda dealership and I saw that they put regular 5w-30 oil in. I asked about using synthetic oil and they recommended against it. I forget exactly what the explanation was, but it had something to with oil leaking?

Like the above post says, the manual also recommends regular oil. So I'm thinking to not spend the extra money and just good quality regular oil.

 

[Kain]

I got my first oil change at my mazda dealership and I saw that they put regular 5w-30 oil in. I asked about using synthetic oil and they recommended against it. I forget exactly what the explanation was, but it had something to with oil leaking?

The only motors Mazda recommends NOT using synth are rotaries. I wouldn't trust a dealership to know its asshole from its elbow.

 

[Russm]

Sure the dealership and Mazda manual will reccommend you useing non synthetic oil, who do you think is looking forward to repairing your car if and when you have an engine fail? It is not that non synthetic is BAD for your car, it is just that Synthetic oils in the long run will be better for your turbocharged car that may find itself being used sometime to it's limits!