Oil usage in 2006 M5 sport...problem?

[KBrian]

Mine was almost empty at 7500 .

Is that 7500 miles into that particular fill? As far as the dealer is concerned, many drain the used oil into a large drum and the tech attends to other things while draining, so they may not know the oil was almost empty.

 

[Deucesw1ldr]

Hi, I own a 2006 Mazda 5. At around 45,000 miles i had an oil change and after that the car just started to consume oil, about a quart every 600 miles or so. Compression check came back normal, no leaks, just oil disappearing. in searching the web for answers I can across your posts. were you ever able to figure out the issue?, and more importantly if you did fix it, HOW? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. my car runs fine other then the disappearing oil. HELP...

To answer previous questions: my car is now out of warrranty as 4 years is up for us. (just had 44,444 miles the other day)

My recent switch to 5w20 XL 7500 Amsoil seems to have cured the oil usage problem. It is a mystery, however, as to why. (confused)

I had a long conversation with one of the Techs at Amsoil, and he really didn't have an answer for me as to why it burned the 0w20, vs. the 5w20. The 0w20 is actually NOT a thinner oil...if you look at the viscosity numbers, so the dealer claiming the 0W20 was "too thin" is completely wrong. I will continue to watch the level, perhaps do another analysis, this time of the 5w20, and see if the numbers tell us anything.

I am now holding to the 7500 mile change interval...more to come!

 

[csb1237]

Oil Consumption Continues

Ok, here goes: I still have oil consumption issues in my mazda. I have been using Amsoil synthetic 5W20 for that last few years, and change the oil 2x per year (on average). Because my consumption generally falls within the 1 quart per 1000 miles that is the Mazda standard they assume that this is normal. I can assure you that this is not normal.

Anyway, do you know for certain that your 5 was not using oil prior to the 45K oil change? Also, did you have any other services done along with the oil change? Could something that was done at the service have caused the problem of oil usage? Is there any visible oil leakage (i.e., on your driveway under the car where you park the car) or any oil visible on the engine itself (i.e. around the valve cover gasket?) Is there any evidence of oil in the coolant?

All this is basic stuff, but if they are all negative, welcome to the club. What I would recommend is that you carefully document the oil usage. This means recording the mileage and the oil levels and when you actually add oil and how much. If you are consuming at a rate of GREATER than 1 quart per 1000 miles, then you may have a case for a repair attempt. Do you have an extended warranty? If so, you might try to make a claim, AFTER you have documented the problem. One way to do this, although it is a real pain, is to set up a regular appointment at your service facility, maybe once a month (or week, depending on how much you drive). Pull in, have a tech check your oil and document the level, then do this for a few months, so they can document the drop in the oil level.

My gut feel is that there are probably numerous Mazda5s from 2006 that have this same problem and it is probably something to do with the original fit up and/or assembly of the engines. Maybe they had a bad batch of heads where the valve seals were improperly installedwho knows. Hope this helps.

 

[was98strat]

Idont know about this 1 quart 1000 "mazda standard" I've never heard of such a thing from Mazda yet. Sounds like an excuss to me. I have 200,000km on my 2006 Mz5 and I use 0 zero oil between changes,, I always keep a quart in the car just in case (bad experience with a previous car) but I've never opened it. sounds like you have a leak somewhere that needs investigating

 

[doctorz]

csb1237, how many miles do you have now, and how often are you adding oil? Has it changed? We have 74K and we still use zero oil, and the oil gets changed about every 5K-6K. I do check the oil regularly, probably every 500 miles or so. The only fluid other than washer fluid that I've had to add in six years is a little bit of coolant several years ago. We just had the spark plugs changed (which has nothing to do with oil), and while we've had the usual assortment of suspension issues, the drivetrain has not been an issue. Every manufacturer claims this 1K/1000 mile limit.