The 7500mi oil change interval is for the Schedule 1 Maintenance. Schedule 2 Maintenance (which is recommended for city driving and all residents of Canada & Puerto Rico ) specifies a 5000mi oil change interval (3000mi in Puerto Rico ).

 

People advocate doing regular service, including oil changes, at a dealership ONLY when your warranty is still active as a precaution. IF anything goes wrong with your car or its engine, all proper maintenance is documented in a Mazda dealership computer.

Many people are doing the following innovative idea. They are doing their own oil change EVERY OTHER TIME. On the in-between times, they're doing a dealership oil change. So you can spread your oil changes across 3000 to 3750 miles and the dealership computer will still document "official" oil changes every 6000 to 7500 miles right within Mazda's recommendation.

Similarly, instead of doing your own oil change every other time, you could still save money by having it done at a cheapo place every other time.

You should still consider the RX8 over the Mazda 6 because there really is no negative regarding maintenance, not even the oil. Most piston engine cars have the same 7500 mile recommended oil change interval, but you should still probably get it done at around 5000 miles. Above I reported observing my mileage going down 1-1.5 MPG at 4500-5000 miles for my RX8. I estimate maybe you would get oil changes for the RX8 around 1000-1500 miles earlier than for a piston engine car. That's not too bad at all.

The only issue is gas mileage. But the Mazda 6's rated mileage isn't all that great to begin with.

 

I didn't thinl you were required to get your service at a dealship. I would got to a reputable oil and lube specialist and keep the receipt and often the report they print out in a folder. Currently my service department has been fair but if that changes I'll go elsewhere.

 

Yeah, I agree with you. But your way, they screw you on a warranty claim for 1 month. This way, this screw you for only 2 weeks. Who knows, maybe they'll screw you the same both ways. The point is, when dealing with a dealership, proceed with the utmost paranoia. You know what I'm trying to say?

 

I will add my two cents. CHANGE YOUR OIL frequently. At the very least every 5K miles, regardless of what anyone or computer tells you.

Before my RX-8 I had an Audi A4. Great car. However, Audi said that oil changes were needed only every 7500 miles due to synthetic oil use. Porsche did the same thing according to an article I read. That article went on to explain that Audi and Porsche then faced an unusually high amount of engine failures due to poor lubrication over the life span of the engines. I believe that both manufacturers have since changed their recommended oil change distances.

Take it or leave it. I will change at least every 3-5K because I intend to keep my car for a long time and will make that small investment. Besides, I know I and many others view the oil change records as a determining factor in purchasing used cars.

T

 

Yes, change the crude before 7,500!! They can't get all the old oil out (some left in the oil coolers) and so when you get an oil change it mixes with the old somewhat. So frequent oil changes 3-5 K is going to be good for the rotary.

 

Monday I plan to drop my loved one off at the dealer for her 7,500-mile physical. I changed the oil myself at 3000 and plan to do it myself again at 10,500. I know you can keep your own records but having at the dealer floats my boat. After changing mine, at 3K, I cranked and ran it for a few minutes just to get the new oil mixed with the old and then drained it again to get out more of the old oil. I know this is wasting good oil but it only cost a few bucks more and you wind up with a cleaner lube job. Am I wasting too much oil for no real reason? With the cost of gas being so high, what's a few more bucks?

 

fwiw, the so called BMW oil monitoring system just reads how much fuel you use, it works out to something like 1200 liters per green bar, so lead foots get a shorter period only because they have a lower MPG average

 

I was in for the brake squeal at 6k miles and they tried to get me to do that. I read their sheet and it was like 5 check *** fluid level and the only thing they actually did was rotate the tires...for 99.99!

 

in any car I always follow the recomended service, there is always a "normal duty" and "heavy duty" schedual, I follow the "heavy duty" one, it usualy consits of the same service at a closer interval but I think its worth it. I do what I can at home, and everything else goes to a mechanic I trust...not the dealer....dealer is good for warrenty work, recalls and buying a car.

Also in all my cars I always follow this schedual, regardless of what the manual says :

Every fuel fillup : check oil, check air pressure, add 3oz fuel injector cleaner (Lucas)
3000 miles : oil/filter change, rotate tires, check brakes, 12oz fuel injector cleaner (Lucas)
30000 miles : oil/filter, spark plug, spark plug wire, fuel filter, trany fluid, diff fluid, radiator cap (springs can ware out), Coolant Flush/Change 60/40 Anti-Freez/Distilled Water

I honestly dont mind the cost and it cant hurt. Never had a car brake down and leave me stranded.

 

I just took mine in for its first oil change at 4000 mi (tried for closer to 3000, but my work and travel schedule kept me from doing that). Oil changes are free for people who purchased at the dealership. The offered me the 5000-mile service, which included the lube and tire rotation which was $39. Probably foolishly, I accepted, since I was there, my car was there, and it was easy. I'm not sure I'll do this again for a minor service interval. So much for my "free" oil change.

The worst part was that they washed my car (free benefit), didn't dry it, and left it sitting in the sun. It was covered with hard-water spots, which were very noticeable even on Sunlight Silver. Since I just waxed the car two weeks before and we have not had rain since May, it did not need a wash, and ended up looking worse when I picked it up. I'm not sure what they did on the inside (they said they did nothing), but there were spray spots all over the dashboard, steering wheel, console, and passenger-side window. Then to top it all off, my car was leaking oil all over after I got home, so I had to go back (allegedly oil in the PCV valve-not sure here). The service manager was very nice about handling all the problems, but these should not have been problems to begin with.

 

oil doesnt get cooked, usually you use up the additive package long before you start to see the oil's lubrication proerties go bad. hell the way i drive ( 99% highway ) i do 1,000 miles a week and i've had my oil labrotory tested ( good thing I have an env lab oniste where I work ) and even after 15,000 miles my oil is still good. additive package and viscosity is in 90% or normal almost non existant metals content.. then for kics we did an oil sample on one of the every 3,000 mile old people who always go to the dealer and mebbe do 10,000 miles of driving a year and their oil was **** metals were really high ( idicating wearing ).

now keep in mind this was in my honda civic a year or so back. considering the rotary runs a bit hotter, but had lees moving part and less wear and tear on the interneals I expect it'd last as long, however I've been doing it every 5,000 myself. I'll test the oil out sometime and post the report here.

 

Keep in mind that a rotary is also different than a Civic because it inject oil directly into the combustion chamber in order to lubricate some seals. I don't think the additives wear down quicker, but if you keep checking your dipstick you should see the oil level declining faster than most cars you've had. According to the dipstick, I can't make it 5,000 miles without adding any oil and keeping the oil level above low.

 

So, if the dealership overfills, what do you do? Do you actually drain out some of the oil? Or do you just drive it hard and let it burn off?

 

I always change my own oil and filter. Just finished a change today. The oil filter is a pain in the *** cause i have big arms. I usually do mine at 5,000 miles, i cut open the filters after the change to check for any presents. I think people also under estimate the life of oil, getting it changed every 2,000 miles is a little rediculous. I know a girl, her parents bought her a brand new lexus, well she went 29,000 miles before her engine seized up and that included all the break-in. So i figure if an engine can make it to almost 30,000 miles without changing oil, 5-6k isnt all that much.