Sorry guys, I searched a bit, and found some interesting threads, but nothing really on my question. Its time for me to fill up some oil, and I've done it in the past, with after my first two oil changes, because they've used regular 5w20. I recently went to Lube Express (was a quick, and convenient place on my way to school). They ended up putting a 5w30 or 40, dont really remember, Ill have a more specific viscosity tomorrow when I check the reciept, but they had put in a synthetic blend. Now im sure when I have to add some, I should add a synthetic type, matching their viscosity, or am I off? Basically, Im just not sure which oil to add, although I did read in the manual that synthetic shouldn't be used, after checking some threads, I've seen plenty use it, with little effects. Sorry for the long read guys, thanks.

Without a synth v non sythn debate, Mazda say dont use synth. Wether you should or not is your choice.

My opinion...The best option for you is to use the best quality oil you can of the grade recommended by the manufacturer for the conditions you drive in. Be that top up or oil change.

Cheers

Andrew

Well, all im worrying about right now, is what type of oil to top it off with. Since they used a synthetic blend, wouldn't it make sense to use a synthetic oil to top it off?

God. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYY

Why cant people Google ? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

ok, I'll help God answer your question (Does god actually exist? hmm)

It does NOT, I repeat, it does NOT matter which oil you top it off, actually if the lube place fill your oil to the proper level, you dont need to top your oil off for quite a while.

Without a synth v non sythn debate, Mazda say dont use synth. Wether you should or not is your choice.

My opinion...The best option for you is to use the best quality oil you can of the grade recommended by the manufacturer for the conditions you drive in. Be that top up or oil change.

Cheers

Andrew

Mazda does not recommend the use of Aftermarket parts, What the hell do you have on your car? Ooo with a picture too.

Please dont say a word when you broke the rules yourself.

errr... hmmm... wtf was wrong with these lube ppl.. not that they have made a bad mistake but.. they shoulda added 5W-20 non synthetic oil anyway unless you have requested otherwise. what i would do is go up to them, demand a free oil change (since they are voiding your warranty by adding wrong oil) and essentially getting free new oil...+ a flush XD...


i haven't read much into synthetic, but i was talking with some chemist from pennz oil (was attending the STLE Houston meeting), and he told me that synthetic oil and regular oil should both burn clean, it is the additives within both of them that don't burn clean.. soo i woudn't be worry... though i still recommend royal purple for going synthetic.

still.. DEMAND FREE oil flush+change with 5W-20 non synthetic. show them your manual =D

Well, now that I've had a synthetic blend, even after an oil flush and change, isn't it looked down upon to go from synthetic to nonsynthetic, or is that not the case with a blend? Im just going to go back and get another oil change, and just get some castrol gtx 5w20 put in.

dude it doesnt matter what oil you put in or what oil you top it off with. Ive been running 5w-30 royal purple full synthetic fro 20K miles now and my car runs much better.

synthetic blend is perfectly fine.

So as of now, with my synthetic blend, if I wish to top it off with a synthetic oil, or non synthetic oil, it doesnt matter?

So as of now, with my synthetic blend, if I wish to top it off with a synthetic oil, or non synthetic oil, it doesnt matter?

Yes !!

what i am confused about is...
1) this is your 1st oil change, so your car had 5w-20 GTX in it from dealer
2) the lube place did an oil change for you and put in 5w-30 synthetic (what brand?)(and did you requested 5w-30 synthetic?)

the problem i am seeing is i doubt the lube place flushed or drained all the oil out (all 6 quarts) , if so, u now have a mix of 5w-20 non syn+5w-30 syn..

i don't know, u might not mind it, but i'd hate it if a lube place fked up on my car like that.


anyway, remeber if the dealer ever ask, u are putting 5w-20 non syn into ur engine.

There's synthetic and then there's synthetic BLEND. Since you now have synthetic blend in your engine, you could go either way (regular OR synth). As long as your monitoring your oil you'll be in good shape.

what i am confused about is...
1) this is your 1st oil change, so your car had 5w-20 GTX in it from dealer
2) the lube place did an oil change for you and put in 5w-30 synthetic (what brand?)(and did you requested 5w-30 synthetic?)


They put in their own synthetic blend, their brand I believe. They did flush it all out though, that isnt the problem. I just wasnt sure if I should add synthetic or non synthetic to my blend to top it off, but you guys have been a huge help. Thanks guys.

The only concern I have is, say they put in 5w-30, I cant put 5w-20 in, right? I believe they put 5w-30 in, so topping it off with that seems more reasonable lol.

Here's the honest truth about it all. There is nothing wrong with the weight of the oil they put in your car. If they put something thicker than 5W20 in, they did you a favor. 5W20 is too thin. Don't sweat it. The fact that it may have been synth blend is also a non issue. Don't worry about it either. There is no need to go back to them demanding anything. The only thing I'd want to know is what brand, type and weight did they use so you can have reserve. You will absolutely have to add before your next oil change unless something is wrong with your car. The only real answer to your question is info that they need to give you. Just find out what they used and then go buy some.

Ok, grabbed the paper from my car. Under my vehicle information, it states my hear, make, model etc. When we get to Oil Type it says B5W30.

Now..under description (what they did for me) is listed as:
Oil change Plus:
Synthetic Blend 5w20 MOT (im guessing motor oil? it was cut off)
Under "part" for the oil it says B05w20, not sure what that is, but judging off this information, if I wanted to go to autozone right now to buy some oil to top off, what would you guys suggest?

Regardless, I've learned my lesson to ask these questions to them before I leave the shop. Sorry for being a pain guys. I appreciate all the help though.

P.S.- Before I left, I did ask what type of oil they used, incase I had to top it off, he said they used their brand blend...but going back there to top it off for me from them is going to cost me more then it would for a few quarts if I buy them myself.

Lube Express brand oil makes me a bit nervous. I'm not saying it's necessarily bad. It's probably a major brand that they throw their name on. It's just a comfort thing much in the same way that I wouldn't buy generic Walmart brand oil.

Mazda does not recommend the use of Aftermarket parts, What the hell do you have on your car? Ooo with a picture too.

Please dont say a word when you broke the rules yourself.
I will just ask..wtf is up with you? When was I talking about aftermarket parts?

I suspect it's not a big deal if you choose non-synthetic or synthetic. Probably more important that you change it regularly and keep the oil level up. Everything I've read suggests there's no problem with changing grades or going from synth to non-synth or visa-versa. Non-synthetic 5W-20 is apparently partly synthetic itself.

Mazda does not recommend the use of Aftermarket parts, What the hell do you have on your car? Ooo with a picture too.

Please dont say a word when you broke the rules yourself. That's not a very good analogy; in every owner's manual in every car sold—without exception—there's a warning about not using aftermarket parts. Every car. It's standard legal copy.

But there's only one manufacturer who recommends only non-synthetic oil: Mazda. And only for the RX-8. That tells me something.

Finally, remember that technology continues to march on. Today, we can get online AND receive phone calls, simultaneously. In the same way, we can now "plus" gas mileage slightly AND fully protect the engine; it's no longer an either/or proposition. What's more, 5W-20 may be better for your engine at cold start-up.

Take a moment and think: why would Mazda recommend a grade of oil that wouldn't fully protect the Renesis, their technological pride & joy? Why would they recommend a grade of oil resulting in shortened engine life and costly engine replacements, knowing full well that the new rotary engined car—the RX-8—would be in the spotlight with the world's automotive press ready to pounce on any reliability problems? And if turned out the 5W-20 was, in fact, too thin to offer full protection, why would Mazda continue to recommend the same grade of oil five years after the car was introduced??

Common sense is a wonderful thing.

:argue: Ding.....round 5 is underway! :argue:



:) :) :) :) :) :)

I couldn't resist!

That's not a very good analogy; in every owner's manual in every car sold—without exception—there's a warning about not using aftermarket parts. Every car. It's standard legal copy.

But there's only one manufacturer who recommends only non-synthetic oil: Mazda. And only for the RX-8. That tells me something.

And for what it's worth, I suspect it's not a very big deal if you choose non-synthetic or synthetic. Probably important that you change it regularly and keep the oil level up. Everything I've read suggests there's no problem with changing grades or going from synth to non-synth or visa-versa. Non-synthetic 5W-20 is apparently partly synthetic itself.

Finally, remember that engine oil technology continues to march on; what I've read indicates that the current generation of 5W-20 is, in fact, NOT too thin to fully protect the Renesis, and may be better for your engine at cold start-up. Take a moment and think: why would Mazda recommend a grade of oil that wouldn't fully protect the Renesis, their technological pride & joy? Why would they recommend a grade of oil resulting in shortened engine life and costly engine replacements, knowing full well that the new rotary engined car—the RX-8—would be in the spotlight with the world's automotive press ready to pounce on any reliability problems? And if turned out the 5W-20 was, in fact, too thin to offer full protection, why would Mazda continue to recommend the same grade of oil five years after the car was introduced?? And then continue to recommend it five years later??

Common sense is a wonderful thing.
Thanks for pointing out what the hell he was on about. At least that clarifies my point...he is just spoiling for an argument and a lame arse one at that.
I had some respect for him up until a few months ago...its been slowly diminishing with posts like these.

Thanks for pointing out what the hell he was on about. At least that clarifies my point...he is just spoiling for an argument and a lame arse one at that.
I had some respect for him up until a few months ago...its been slowly diminishing with posts like these. Well, I've learned a lot from many who post here, including some I don't always agree with. You should know that the "5W-20 is too thin" idea is very popular; I just happen to disagree. Doesn't make sense to me that Mazda would recommend an oil that would cause their baby harm and bad publicity. Especially when they went to such great lengths (i.e. no forced induction) to ensure the 8 would be reliable.

But that's just me.

I suspect it's not a big deal if you choose non-synthetic or synthetic. Probably more important that you change it regularly and keep the oil level up. Everything I've read suggests there's no problem with changing grades or going from synth to non-synth or visa-versa. Non-synthetic 5W-20 is apparently partly synthetic itself.

That's not a very good analogy; in every owner's manual in every car sold—without exception—there's a warning about not using aftermarket parts. Every car. It's standard legal copy.

But there's only one manufacturer who recommends only non-synthetic oil: Mazda. And only for the RX-8. That tells me something.

Finally, remember that technology continues to march on. Today, we can get online AND receive phone calls, simultaneously. In the same way, we can now "plus" gas mileage slightly AND fully protect the engine; it's no longer an either/or proposition. What's more, 5W-20 may be better for your engine at cold start-up.

Take a moment and think: why would Mazda recommend a grade of oil that wouldn't fully protect the Renesis, their technological pride & joy? Why would they recommend a grade of oil resulting in shortened engine life and costly engine replacements, knowing full well that the new rotary engined car—the RX-8—would be in the spotlight with the world's automotive press ready to pounce on any reliability problems? And if turned out the 5W-20 was, in fact, too thin to offer full protection, why would Mazda continue to recommend the same grade of oil five years after the car was introduced??

Common sense is a wonderful thing.

applauds.....

I always take Mazda's recommandations seriously when it comes to taking care of the "engine". Atleast while it's under warranty. That way if something goes wrong with the engine they won't give me lame excuses to make me pay out of pocket...... After warranty you can do whatever you want..it doesn't matter anymore..lol IMO.
Besides I don't think Mazda would recommand something out of randomness. lol...there must be a perfectly good reason why they recommand these things, atleast for a long term.

Yep, absolutely agree. Hence my original post The best option for you is to use the best quality oil you can of the grade recommended by the manufacturer for the conditions you drive in. Be that top up or oil change.If you feel you are in a position to out think Mazda then kudos to you. And remembering that Mazda specifically recommends different weight oil in different locations and conditions.

Ohh and we are talking daily driver here.

about the whole switching back and forth between non-synthetic and synthetic...

I had this friend who used to own this little miata...... when he bought it it was in perfect condition.....everything was top-notch... clean title...no scratch ..no dent....perfectly running engine... the previous owner took care of it like his own daughter. lol

So he bought it and drove it for a year with no issues and no problems....
after about a year....he started using full sythetic oil.....he used it for like about 9 months..3 oil changes......and then he switched it back to non-synthetic for some reason.........and then after about 2 oil changes..he switched it again back to full synthetic...he did the whole back and forth thing for about a year and half...and his engine started leaking.........and then all other issues started to follow..one after another...he ended up selling his car cuz they finaly told him that he needed a new engine. This is just what happened to my friend.......I'm not saying you shouldn't switch back and forth.....what do i know, right?.........by the end of the day..its your car ...so do what if feels right... :D

My opinion is that there could have been a number of reasons for that. Like using poor quality oil, the wrong weight oil or any number of things. Its a little bit of a stretch to say switching between synth and non synth is to blame isnt it?

Cheers

Andrew

Well, Im just going to stick with blends. My only other question would be what would be the safer choice to top it off with? I added Castrol Gtx 5w20 to top mine off, since it IS a blend, and you guys have stated it doesnt really matter which oil I use since its basically half and half. Thanks for all your help guys.

I will just ask..wtf is up with you? When was I talking about aftermarket parts?

I agree- wtf is up with NYCGPS? Always with the incredible attitude, no matter what the subject. Ease up, big guy.

- Kabong

I have a question that might fit here. If Mazda requires non synth oil under warranty, why would Castorol Syntec be a major sponsor for the winning RX8 at 24 hrs of Daytona?

there was oil switching post on the mr2 board a few years ago. basically some of those using conventional oil that made the switch to synth found their oil pan or valvecover gaskets leaking many miles afterwards. the theory was that the synth was TOO effective, working itself further in than their conventional counterpart.

I suspect it's not a big deal if you choose non-synthetic or synthetic. Probably more important that you change it regularly and keep the oil level up. Everything I've read suggests there's no problem with changing grades or going from synth to non-synth or visa-versa. Non-synthetic 5W-20 is apparently partly synthetic itself.

5w20 is already partly Synthetic itself.

That's not a very good analogy; in every owner's manual in every car sold—without exception—there's a warning about not using aftermarket parts. Every car. It's standard legal copy.

But there's only one manufacturer who recommends only non-synthetic oil: Mazda. And only for the RX-8. That tells me something.

Finally, remember that technology continues to march on. Today, we can get online AND receive phone calls, simultaneously. In the same way, we can now "plus" gas mileage slightly AND fully protect the engine; it's no longer an either/or proposition. What's more, 5W-20 may be better for your engine at cold start-up.

Take a moment and think: why would Mazda recommend a grade of oil that wouldn't fully protect the Renesis, their technological pride & joy? Why would they recommend a grade of oil resulting in shortened engine life and costly engine replacements, knowing full well that the new rotary engined car—the RX-8—would be in the spotlight with the world's automotive press ready to pounce on any reliability problems? And if turned out the 5W-20 was, in fact, too thin to offer full protection, why would Mazda continue to recommend the same grade of oil five years after the car was introduced??

Common sense is a wonderful thing.

It is a wonderful thing that NA is the only market that recommends 5w20, and oh yes we're the only market where will get these "increase OMP rate" every 1/2 year or so, does that tell you something ?

if 5w20 is really what you're thinking, *offers enough protection*, I guess you might want to explain why Mazda just threw another one of these *new flashes* out to *increase lube for apex seals*. keep this in mind before you answer it : "Only North America Market Rx-8 will get this new flash*

Remember no one else besides the NA market will get another one of these *increase OMP rate* flashes. Does that tell you something ? Unless we have some *special uber 1337 ACME Renesis* of which requires more than usual lubrication than the rest of the world.

Oh also tell me what is the differents between 5w20 and 5w30 when cold @ the same temp. Well I know for the fact that 5w30 will *reduce* wear better than 5w20 when hot. fact.

Thanks for pointing out what the hell he was on about. At least that clarifies my point...he is just spoiling for an argument and a lame arse one at that.
I had some respect for him up until a few months ago...its been slowly diminishing with posts like these.

No auto-companies recommend the use of aftermarket parts. does that mean aftermarket parts are bad ? nooooooooooooooooooooooo. In fact, aftermarket parts are usually higher quality than OEM simply because if OE is the best, no aftermarket part would exist.

Its just funny that people ignoring those *aftermarket part* thing completely, then they turn around and say *oh cuz Mazda does not recommend the use of Synthetics ...*

5w20 is already partly Synthetic itself.



It is a wonderful thing that NA is the only market that recommends 5w20, and oh yes we're the only market where will get these "increase OMP rate" every 1/2 year or so, does that tell you something ?

if 5w20 is really what you're thinking, *offers enough protection*, I guess you might want to explain why Mazda just threw another one of these *new flashes* out to *increase lube for apex seals*. keep this in mind before you answer it : "Only North America Market Rx-8 will get this new flash*

Remember no one else besides the NA market will get another one of these *increase OMP rate* flashes. Does that tell you something ? Unless we have some *special uber 1337 ACME Renesis* of which requires more than usual lubrication than the rest of the world.






Oh also tell me what is the differents between 5w20 and 5w30 when cold @ the same temp. Well I know for the fact that 5w30 will *reduce* wear better than 5w20 when hot. fact.



No auto-companies recommend the use of aftermarket parts. does that mean aftermarket parts are bad ? nooooooooooooooooooooooo. In fact, aftermarket parts are usually higher quality than OEM simply because if OE is the best, no aftermarket part would exist.

Its just funny that people ignoring those *aftermarket part* thing completely, then they turn around and say *oh cuz Mazda does not recommend the use of Synthetics ...*



AMEN TO YOU MAN! 20 K miles on royal purple 5w-30 and still going strong!

ive switched from synthetic to regular.. to see the difference and the response is a little better. and the gas mileage dropped a bit after goignt hicker.. car idles a little smoother as well. no oil leaks or anything. BTW i have 43K miles

i like synthetic because i dont have to top it off as much.. it doesnt burn as easy as conventional oil.

I remember a while back i got a cd from mazda saying they do not reccomend the use of synthetic oils simply because they do not know what are the long term effects of it.

I would tend to agree that what the car company recommends is valid and well tested; however, you must realize that if Mazda came out and said that 5W-20 was wrong for these cars, they could be facing recalls, class action lawsuits, and a lot of unhappy customers. That is just a thought though.

IMO you have to use your best judgement to pick the right oil for you, and when and how often you should change it. That said, it is important to understand how oil works too.

AMEN TO YOU MAN! 20 K miles on royal purple 5w-30 and still going strong!

ive switched from synthetic to regular.. to see the difference and the response is a little better. and the gas mileage dropped a bit after goignt hicker.. car idles a little smoother as well. no oil leaks or anything. BTW i have 43K miles

i like synthetic because i dont have to top it off as much.. it doesnt burn as easy as conventional oil.

I remember a while back i got a cd from mazda saying they do not reccomend the use of synthetic oils simply because they do not know what are the long term effects of it.

one of the most important reason why people use Synthetic over the regular stuff simply because Synthetic can greatly resist breakdown under high loads/heat better than regular stuff.

I will just ask..wtf is up with you? When was I talking about aftermarket parts?

U never said it, but you have aftermarket parts ALL OVER YOUR CAR.

So what sup with that ?

I have a question that might fit here. If Mazda requires non synth oil under warranty, why would Castorol Syntec be a major sponsor for the winning RX8 at 24 hrs of Daytona?
The RX-8 at Daytona doesnt have to deal with everyday people. The motor probably gets stripped down after each race, they possibly inject oil from a seperate reservior etc, etc. I woudn't really consider them comparable.

U never said it, but you have aftermarket parts ALL OVER YOUR CAR.

So what sup with that ?
When you can explain when it became a part of, or even relevant to this discussion I will warrant it with an answer.

1. 0W20 or 0W30 would be better during start up. Your oil gets cold in the winter, BUT also cold when you turn your car OFF.

The oil that would warm up the fastest and start protecting your engine would be 0W oils. Oil does not start protecting your engine properly until it warms to around 160 F degrees.

The most engine wear happens when you turn your car on and before the oil is warm (even in warm weather).

2. I would use synthetic because it would burn cleaner and protect from heat better than dino.

If you are paranoid about synthetic, than I say use Castrol because that is what Mazda dealers in Japan have been using. If you are not paranoid than use what you like. If you are extremely paranoid than Castrol also makes synthetic blend, so you can have both ways. Though I think better to go synthetic than synthetic blend.

If you car is new or near that, than wait until you have gone at least 10,000 miles. Before switching over to synthetic.

3. Of synthetics, Ester based ones supposedly offer the most protecting during startup. This is because they cling to metal better and protect during "cold starts". I'm using Motul (Ester based synthetic) 0W30 with no problems.

4. I would use W30, instead of W20 oil because it will offer a bit more protection. Dino W20 is going to break down to less than that from time and heat. Dino W30 will break down over time and heat to closer to W20. With the slightly thicker oil you are protecting your engine from wear. Synthetics would be more resistant to breaking down, so are more likely to be the same weight if you change your oil every 3,500 to 5,000 miles.

Though unscientific I experimented with W20 and W30 oil in my car. I did not like how the car sounded with W20 oil. There is a detectable audio difference and the car idles and sounds smoother with the W30 oil.

I did get slightly better gas mileage with the W20 oil, which might be the "trick" of why Mazda recommended it.

Something else to think about. Mazda dealers will put W30 oil in the RX-8s in Japan. Also W30 is recommended for the RX-8 in various other countries.


I suspect it's not a big deal if you choose non-synthetic or synthetic. Probably more important that you change it regularly and keep the oil level up. Everything I've read suggests there's no problem with changing grades or going from synth to non-synth or visa-versa. Non-synthetic 5W-20 is apparently partly synthetic itself.

That's not a very good analogy; in every owner's manual in every car sold—without exception—there's a warning about not using aftermarket parts. Every car. It's standard legal copy.

But there's only one manufacturer who recommends only non-synthetic oil: Mazda. And only for the RX-8. That tells me something.

Finally, remember that technology continues to march on. Today, we can get online AND receive phone calls, simultaneously. In the same way, we can now "plus" gas mileage slightly AND fully protect the engine; it's no longer an either/or proposition. What's more, 5W-20 may be better for your engine at cold start-up.

Take a moment and think: why would Mazda recommend a grade of oil that wouldn't fully protect the Renesis, their technological pride & joy? Why would they recommend a grade of oil resulting in shortened engine life and costly engine replacements, knowing full well that the new rotary engined car—the RX-8—would be in the spotlight with the world's automotive press ready to pounce on any reliability problems? And if turned out the 5W-20 was, in fact, too thin to offer full protection, why would Mazda continue to recommend the same grade of oil five years after the car was introduced??

Common sense is a wonderful thing.

I don't know if has anything to do with the oil grade, but as far as I know, the RX-8s sold in Germany (and probably all of Europe) do not have as much horsepower as the ones sold in the U.S. However, the European ones use 5w-30 grade oil.

The RX-8 at Daytona doesnt have to deal with everyday people. The motor probably gets stripped down after each race, they possibly inject oil from a seperate reservior etc, etc. I woudn't really consider them comparable.


When you can explain when it became a part of, or even relevant to this discussion I will warrant it with an answer.

Keyword "Does not recommend aftermarket parts"

Now Im going to wait for your answer.

So I have a question... why does everyone say they have to top off their oil in their cars? I have a 12 year old Nissan with 215,000 miles and I never top off the oil. I am considering buying an RX-8 in the next few days and don't want to buy a brand new car that requires that kind of attention.

^^consider a non rotary engine then.

Why is it this way?

Because rotary engine secretly steals your oil....... at night. :)

Nah, it simply uses some oil by design to lubricate itself.

Short version: Burning oil is part of the combustion process in a rotary. You'd have to do some research to get the full answer.

^Because, unlike ordinary engines, the Renesis has an Oil Meter Pump that injects a small quantity of oil into the chambers to help keep the rotors/seals lubricated. So, by design, the rotary consumes a small amount of oil. Not very much.

I don't top mine off, fill in fall, let it drop over Winter, then change when it's low in Spring. Less to throw out! Why fill if you are changing it next week anyway!?!!?

Works for me.....



S

Good point. Thanks for your responses. Do these cars come with an in car oil level/quality monitor?

Good point. Thanks for your responses. Do these cars come with an in car oil level/quality monitor?

depends who the driver is :lol:

Do these cars come with an in car oil level/quality monitor? No, just an idiot light like in any car. That's why some of us are always topping off the oil. I suspect letting the oil level drop too far is worse for a rotary than it is for an ordinary engine.