I took my 8 to the Mazda dealer that I regularly use for an oil change and
tire rotation. They broke two of my wheel locks and told me it was because the
dealer I bought the car from did not install them correctly. They are giving me
a replacement for the wheel that they damaged.

The last time they changed my oil, they over-filled it !
So when I got home, this time and checked it, it was over-filled to
the point it was when I brought it in. Also, the oil is very dark and dirty looking.
So, I'm wondering if they changed it at all. Isn't oil supposed to look clear like
it does when it comes out of the bottle?? Or does it immediately turn dark because
of something in the rotary engine? In addition, they put in 5W30 instead of the
5W20 that it recommends in the owners manual. Is this a big deal?
At this point, I think they are incompetant.
Being a woman, I think they are going to jerk me around when I confront them.
Would appreciate someone else's opinion. Thanks!!

 

well from what i read around here its fine if its 5W30 i thik thats what they use in Europe unless i read wrong,and if im correct new oil should be clearish

 

While the oil should not be dark it also will not look exactly the same as from a bottle. There are a couple more pints of oil that remain in the system that doesn't get drained during a routine oil change. That is the oil inside the front mounted oil coolers and inside the lines that run to & from the cooler. How many miles did you go in-between changes? It is also possible they did not change the filter.

 

Because the rotary burns oil, and I put in new oil - usually a quart between 3k oil changes, my car always has super clear oil when i check it.

 

Expo1, I change it every 3k. But I checked it a day before I brought it in and then again as soon as I got home and it looked exactly the same. I thought it would look
at least a little clearer being new?

Thanks for the info.

Thanks for your info Dookie and Jason.

 

I don't own an 8 yet, so not sure if this applies, but in any other car you can just tell the difference in engine smoothness and just overall operation of the car once an oil change has been performed, I assume this would be the case with the 8 too, so does the car feel better? or just the same as before the oil change? Might be something to consider.

 

i don't notice any change between oil changes in the rx-8, but I do in other cars. This likely applies because the oil is constantly changing in the rx-8.

 

Funny thing, Battousai, as I was driving home I noticed right away that it wasn't running as smoothly as it does right after an oil change. My husband told me I was
crazy and that there isn't any difference in the car's performance after an oil change. So I was starting to think I was crazy. That's what made me check the dipstick.
Thanks!!....I'm not crazy!!

 

Take the car back to the dealer and show them the oil. If they have another 8 in the shop at the same time, compare. If the dealer says the oil was definitely changed, and the color is normal, you have to believe them. Without seeing it myself I cannot comment, but it should not be black, maybe a bit muddy, but not black. Maybe it is a sign that your engine needs decoking (a good hard run to remove all the carbon from inside it).