Alano

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.

auzoom

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

Alano

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?

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

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.

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

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.

xsnipersgox

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

Alano

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.

05rx8mazda

iTrader: (4)

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.

Alano

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?

Jax_RX8

Yes !!

xsnipersgox

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.

restiller

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.

Alano

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.

rotarygod

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.

Alano

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.

rotarygod

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.

auzoom

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

New Yorker

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.

Mazurfer

Ding.....round 5 is underway!





I couldn't resist!

auzoom

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 **** one at that.
I had some respect for him up until a few months ago...its been slowly diminishing with posts like these.

New Yorker

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.

crafted_soul

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.

auzoom

Yep, absolutely agree. Hence my original post 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.

crafted_soul

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

auzoom

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