To Change or Not to Change...
 

Hi, just left my dealership because they fired my favorite technician. For the past 5 years I've changed my oil every 3K miles. Now new mechanic (outside dealership) says it's safe to do every 5K miles.

Can I get away with this? On first glance, it's an obvious cost savings but in the long run, will the performance of my car be affected?

Thanks.

Mazda's recommended interval for engine oil and filter changes depend on your climate and driving conditions. Schedule two is for driving conditions that include frequent stop-and-go driving, rough or muddy roads, dusty conditions, excessive brake use or extremely cold or humid climates. If these conditions apply, the engine oil and filter require replacement every 3,000-miles or three months, whichever comes first. If these conditions do not apply, the oil and filter should be replaced every 7,500-miles or six months

Read more: Engine Oil Requirements for a Mazda RX8 | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6304617_eng...#ixzz1juy5KCzN


That being said I change mine every 3K but that's me.

Unless you drain the oil coolers and lines every time you change your oil, you're only changing about 4quarts out the 6.5 or so that is in the system. Keep that in mind when you think about going longer than 3k between changes. Not worth the cost savings imho.

If you really really work at it you can get 5 quarts or more out of the car in an oil change, but thats about the max draining it normally.

It all depends on how your drive your car and what type of oil you use.

If you are using the Mazda recommended 5w20, *I* would not got longer than 3,000 miles.

If you are doing a lot of stop and go especially during the hot humid summer here in Northern Virginia, I would definitly not go longer than 5,000 miles regardless of the oil you are using.

I recommend reading the oil analysis thread.

If you want to run 5K oil changes then you need to use good synthetic oil like Mobil1 0w-40 or Shell Rotella 5w-40

See the used oil analysis thread for REDRX3RX8 on about page 11.

It's my uoa which is almost perfect for any car.

I change once a year with Mobil 1 0w40, 5k+ miles, and only 10 silicon which can be dirt or anti foam additive.

The oil has at least 7 ppm silicon as the additive, and 12 silicon in form of dirt is max, so I could go for that 7.5k miles that's in the manual.

IMO that draining my 4 gals out for oil change means that a 6k mile change is about a 10k mile change if you could get all the oil out.

My driving is mostly speed limit easy drive 400 miles to a track 4 times a year with 100 miles of blowing out the carbon, which I think is about as easy a condition as possible.