Oil Change at Time
 

Just curious, My 2008 RX, the manual says have the oil changed every 7500 miles, the dealer is saying 3000. Anybody else hear about this? mis-print in the manual or what.

I am not trying to get out of spending 30 to 40 bucks, but that sounds a little weird that they would be that different.

I change mine every 3,000miles and I run royal purple 5w30 synthetic with omp adapter.

ask him to explain why you should not go by the manual. then decide if you like his explanation or not.

also remember its time or distance whichever is first. so if the time is up before you go with what ever interval you use change it

The manual stated either 7500 or 5000 miles between oil changes depending on your driving condition. This is not a misprint. A few years after owning my rx8 mazda sent me a letter stating oil changes should be done every 3,750 miles. I change my oil every 3000 miles

Change your oil yourself it is easy and cheaper than the dealership

Your profile says that you live in Arizona and I'm betting that means in the Phoenix area. Oil breaks down with age and heat. In Phoenix, you get plenty of heat and engine temps get close to intolerable. Once the oil breaks down, due to heat, it looses it's lubricating ability. The biggest problem with the oils age is containments getting into the oil. These cause corrosion that wear bearing and gear surfaces. Failure to warm up the car is also a problem for oil. If it isn't working at operating temperature, the oil won't freely flow to the points that need lubrication. It also will collect moisture and promote corrosion. You may hear reports, from the north, of foam on the dipstick. This is from the moisture being burned off.
Extra oil changes are cheap insurance to keep damage from happening.
Also, in my owners manual, the 7000 mile figure is for normal service. There is a notation for a 3500 mile change for sever service. This means urban & suburban driving.

yeah i think most ppl here change at 3000 miles I have went a little over 4 before but usually i change at 2700 to 3000...and i do it my self to save me 40 bucks.....

last oil change the dealer only charged me 16 bucks, I bring my own oil

Thank you all for the information and clarification. I just found it odd that was all, I only drive my RX8 on occasion (bought in April and only has 7700 miles on it), it is more my fun sporty auto, I have another vehicle I drive everyday to and from work.

Thanks again for the input

Stu - typical urban/suburban driving qualifies as severe service, in which case the shorter oil change interval applies. Odd that Mazda says 5000, since most auto makers halve the normal interval...so 3750 would be a more common recommendation. My dealer recommends 3000 miles, even during the first two years when they did the changes for free.

Frequent oil changes are very commonly recommended. The official long intervals pretty much run the oil to its limit, and IMHO are a marketing carryover from when modern oils made the old 1000 mile changes (and grease jobs) a thing of the past. Issues from long oil changes won't surface until well after the warranty is up, so the manufacturers have no incentive to shorten the recommended intervals.

Sign up in the owner's section at mazdausa.com, and link to your dealer. Check for discount coupons. My dealer lists $30 for oil changes, e-mails me coupons for the low 20s, but at the web site often has coupons for $10.

Ken

....and don't forget that almost half the oil stays in the pump and coolers, so you aren't getting a full replacement.


S