Hey guys

I offered to help change oil for a friends 2010 model RX8 ( Australian)

I am not that mechanically minded but I can do things like oil and filter

Heard from a mate that its better to take the car to a mechanic for oil flush as it is still a newish car and being a rotary engine

Should I just advise my mate to take it to a mechanic or is it ok to do this myself

 

No problem doing it yourself. There's a DIY on oil changes if you're still a rookie at it.

If by "flush" you mean using a solvent or something to supposedly clean the engine, don't let anyone talk you into that.

Ken

 

Yeh that's what he was saying. So its not needed?

 

Not only is flush not needed, but it's likely to hurt the engine. Flushing is a relic from the days before detergent oils and modern engine materials.

If you have a compulsion to get rid of as much of the old oil as possible, the DIY has posts describing how to tip the car to get oil out of the coolers and lines. You can also change it twice. But that's kind of obsessive. Changing oil and filter every 3000 miles, without any tricks, is enough to keep things fresh.

One tip: rather than just help your friend, instruct him on how to do it. Let him be the one to lay on the ground and get dirty.

Ken

 

Thanks for that

Do I really need a mazda genuine oil filter?

A DIY guide on here says to

 

For an S2, yes.

Some people argue that you can get any-old filter that meets the rated bypass pressure... but that concept makes no sense considering how inexpensive the oem filters are.

 

ok ill find out if its a series 2 and if it is, ill play it safe and tell them to get a genuine filter, oh and 1 more thing sorry forgot to ask. After market Air-Filter ok or genuine ?

 

> 2009 (aka 'new' body style) = S2.

And same with the paper air filter, can't go wrong at all w/ oem. The alternative is a HKS Washable, but unfortunately those dont filter dirt as well as you think