Much ado about nothing!

 

And CAFE would be the correct answer. Ding Ding Ding

BTW CAFE=Corporate Average Fuel Economy

Those of you old enough to remember the 70's will recall that the American car companies were trying everything possible (except real engineeering advances) to improve fuel economy. Simple things like thinner oils and radial tires (inflated rock-hard) were stop gap measures on the path to better fuel economy.

Haven't gone for my oil cahnge at the dealer yet, but I would be PO'd if they didn't use the 5w-20 if for no other reason than if they don't pay attention to small issues, how good are they when it comes to important stuff. I also wouldn't want to suffer fractionally worse fuel economy or performance resulting form the heavier oil.

I agree with RX8-U-UP. Car dealers (and other businesses) do shoddy work when there is no downside. That dealer had the additional expense of the oil, filter, labor and lab test. That service manager might include a little pep talk on knowing the correct specs for the products they service at their next training session.

 

oil schmoil.. dude relax....

if you're so scared of engine damage you should have done it yourself (even cheaper!)...

Last I heard, the 8 was one of the easiest cars ever to do an oil change on...

If there's anything damaged, it's your relationship with that dealership.

 

When I owned two RX-7's, I had them regularly serviced like clockwork and got to know the service manager and the guy who wrote of up the service requests. I always went out of my way to be nice and respectful. In return they always went the extra step for me, including to write up some parts on warranty that were not on warranty.

I understand about your issues with the oil, but I would have just made an appointment to have it changed if I was in doubt. The service guy next time might again use the wrong oil and then print on the sticker that he used the correct oil just to do it. Your file has been flagged. I would find a new dealer and be nice.

 

Ultimately I think this is a case of "the dealership will listen to the customer or will have extra work to do." Very unlikely that anything bad would happen to your engine, but if nothing else they learned to pay attention to what they're doing the first time or risk the time and trouble of having to make it right.

 

Learn to do it yourself. No worries.

 

I know how to change my own oil, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having free servicing for the first 50,000 miles. I don't think that its to much to ask a service department to service my vehilcle in accordance to the owners manual. Especially when the owners manual caution against any kind of deviation.

CAFE is but one reason that car manufacturers establish a recommended oil for their vehicles. In the case of the RX-8 or any other rotary, I think that immediate and thorough lubrication is critical throughout all temperatures and condition and was why they selected 5W20. Had they serviced my car with 5W30, I would not have been nearly as upset, because I believe it is the 5W that is the critical requirement for a rotary. All of those people in Europe who have said there is a different requirement in your manual, I'll bet that the 5W remains constant. Here is a quote from a very good oil article, that stresses this point, and the potential damage to the engine if the requirement is not met.

"NOTE: Remember, don't let the 5W fool you. It's not a viscosity classification. It's a classification to establish that an oil will flow adequately at cold temperatures to protect your engine"

The whole article can be read here:
http://www.icanclassifieds.com/au_motoroil.cfm

That there are so many Mazda service departments making this same mistake is unbelievable, and at the expense of our cars performance and longevity is unforgivable.

I guess you see that I am taking a bit more seriously than others. Believe it or not I am over it.

 

Kewl.

I let Mazda service do my every 5,000 mile oil & filter changes, and I do my own inbetween, at every 2,500 mile increment.

Up to this point I have used Castrol 5W-20, and have decided to start using 5W-30, based upon powerful insight on another thread written recently.

 

Like I said, 5W30 probably would not have upset me, since I feel that the 5W is the most critical part of the equation. I am also thinking that 5W30 is being recommended by Mazda Europe. But 10W30 does not pump, disperse and lubricate under cold start conditions as required.

 

I had my 5k oil change done at the dealer today and they put 5W30 in. I didn't even notice until I was driving down the ride and glanced at the receipt at a red light just out of curiosity. So I pulled over and called them immediately. They said they have been putting 5W30 in all the RX-8s, and that it should be slightly better for the engine since it tends to run so hot. I plan on giving Mazda a call and asking about this today sometime.

 

I had a chat with my dealer yesterday, because I had to get some oil from them to fill up. He told me to use the 5W30, and nothing but the 5W30.

Of course this is Europe and the manual states we have to change oil every 20,000 km (I think about 13,000 miles).