Background
My 22 year-old daughter finished 4 years of school and is moving again to go to another school for an advanced degree.
She has a 2017 Mazda CX-5 with a 2.5L Skyactiv engine. It’s just getting broken-in (miles in the hundreds). I want to advise when/where to get the oil changes done (if the dealer is too inconvenient on her schedule) and what kind of oil to use.
I told her to keep an eye on all fluids. For normal driving, Mazda recommends 7,500 mile oil change intervals and specifies 0w-20 oil.
The illustration in the owner’s manual shows a bottle of Castrol Edge 0w-20. However, I notice Mazda sells Genuine Mazda 0w-20 GF-5 with Moly.
I got the ILSAC 0w-20 GF-5 thing figured out with some online searches (with a lame PC hook-up), but does the oil have to say that it contains moly (molybdenum), and if so, how many ppm (parts per million)?
I already miss my 64 Volkswagen bug.
What’s your best Mazda Skyactiv oil information and back-up information?
Would you use only the dealer for changes?
Oh, and when should the first oil change happen?
Thanks, CSA
Yeah I’d just say either the dealer or spec Mobil 1 synthetic. The last time I used the dealer (for first oil change) it cost me $80 and instead of using full synthetic, they used Acura’s blend. I wanted full synthetic. I can buy 5 quarts for $27 plus a $6 Honda filter and be done in the time it would take to even drive to the dealer.
What’s your best Mazda Skyactiv oil information and back-up information?
When I read the Mazda manual for her car, it seems clear that a 0W-20 meeting ISLAC is sufficient. Are you asking if there’s something special about the Mazda oil where they add the words “with Moly” on the label that will increase engine life?
Would you use only the dealer for changes?
Only if I knew she couldn’t find a reputable independent garage to do the oil changes.
Oh, and when should the first oil change happen?
Mazda recommends to do it at 10K km or 6 months. I wouldn’t hesitate to do as they recommend, or very close to it.
I don’t think that’s the case, but what would you do if you couldn’t change your own oil?
I read in one online discussion that the dealers quit using the Genuine Mazda oil and just went to regular ILSAC 0w20 GF-5 oil.
From what I can understand, reading oil jugs at Wal-Mart, Mobil-1 Extended performance Mobil-1 Annual Protection Mobil-1 Advanced Fuel Economy Valvoline Syn Power Castrol Edge Penzoil Platinum Full Syn
all meet the specs. They’re all CF-5 rated.
ILSAC = International Lubricant Standardization Approval Committee
Castrol Edge Full Syn GF-5 is only $22.97/5 quart jug at my local Wal-Mart!
Is it a gimmick? I read that some/most Mazda dealers don’t use the Mazda oil with Moly. I’m trying to sort out what to believe.
I think some other Asian manufacturers add Moly. Is it in some/most synthetic oil and they just don’t advertise it? I believe the Castrol Edge has some (not as much as Mazda’s oil). CSA
Sorry I have to disagree with Joe. Why would you take a brand new $30-40,000 plus vehicle and not change the oil the first time for 10,000 miles? Makes now sense to me. I understand special break in fluid, but even Briggs and Stratton has you change the original oil within 5 hours instead of 25.
Yup, didn’t notice that. That’s why I’m not a lawyer-I miss stuff. When I was approaching 500,000 miles on my car, I used to like to push the metric button to convert it to kilometers. I was hoping I could get it to 1,000,000 and take a pic.
I change my own oil and keep receipts even when under warranty. So far have not needed warranty, have all the receipts/etc and use OEM filters. Now my 2013 Sonata (wife’s) has to go in for an engine recall next week. It is close to 60K miles, will see if the dealer would have any issues.
In my case, it is easier to do it myself, on Sunday night (when wife wants to chat and I am not in the mood!).
As far as your daughter I assume she is not going to do her own oil changes. In that case, I would go to the dealer (unless it is really far). Their prices are usually not much higher than other places. It is good to establish some rapport with the dealer in case warranty is needed. They also have specials/etc. Just teach her to refuse all the fluff they sell and keep it true to the owner’s manual.
Yea me either…but that’s exactly what Toyota recommends on their new vehicles. My 2014 Highlander - 10k oil change intervals. 0W-20 full synthetic. I do NOT follow that recommendation. I change oil every 5k miles. When the HL was under warranty I let the dealer to my 2 free oil changes at 10k and 20k. I changed the oil at 5k and 15k, then every 5k after the dealers last free oil change at 20k.
Maybe the 10k oil changes are fine…but oil is cheap and engines aren’t. I’ll stick with what I know works.
My son has a 2011 Mazda 3 and Mazda recommends oil change every 5k miles.
FWIW, there’s essentially two “camps” in motor oil these days: Japan/USA, and Euro.
“We” decided the “green” thing to do is to use the thinnest oil grade we can get away with, to reduce friction, and thus up MPG. We also use oils with “weak” (IMO) additive packs, to extend cat life. The downside of this is comparatively more frequent changes, and if you push the vehicle hard, you might have your oil thin excessively as it heats up.
Europe decided they would be “green” by pushing the oil change interval out as far as humanly possible, and not worry about the 0.5% MPG increase. To that end, they spec “thick” oils, that are on the “thick side” of their grade, and are generally all synthetic. They also tend to have stouter additive packs.
ILSAC and API are essentially complimentary grades. ACEA is the Euro version, and is often “mutually exclusive” W/R/T ILSAC: ACEA oils are typically too thick to earn the “Resource Conserving” label.
Just go ahead and use the latest API grade. Once you get out of warranty, you might want to think about stepping up a grade, esepecially in summer.
I own a 2014 Mazda6 with the 2.5 liter Skyactiv engine. I take it in to the dealer every 6,000 to 7,000 miles and they always use Castrol full synthetic, as recommended by Mazda. I am up to 95,000 miles with no oil burning or any other issues. My dealer does my oil changes for free as long as I bring them the car for all my routine service. I figure I have saved almost a grand in oil changes!
Mazda markets Genuine Mazda 0w-20 GF-5 with Moly . The Owner’s Manual says, “Mazda Genuine Oil is used in your Mazda vehicle”.
The illustration in the owner’s manual shows a bottle of Castrol Edge 0w-20. I was in Wal-Mart reading a 5 quart jug of Castrol Edge 0w-20 Full Syn ILSAC GF-5 (23 bucks). I didn’t see anything about moly or molybdenum.