Synthetic Oil for the Speed3

[awechsler@nc.rr.com]

Ok,

So I'm sure you've all seen plenty of threads on this and I got fed up and wrote Mazda Corporate and received the following response:


Subject:
RE: Ownership & Maintenance - Service & Maintenance [INTR:285877]
From:
MazdaCustomerAssistance@mazdausa.com
Date:
Tue, 20 May 2008 10:37:02 -0700 (PDT)


Hello Alex,

Thanks for contacting Mazda.

The dealership informed your correctly. Synthetic oil is not recommended in any of our vehicles. Thank you for providing all your research, however, Mazda only relies on their own findings. If you choose to use synthetic and there are issue that arise, it can void the warranty.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda.

Regards,

Bernadette W.
Customer Assistance Specialist, E-Business



> > ---- Original Message ----
> > To : MazdaCustomerAssistance@mazdausa.com
> > Subject : Ownership &
Maintenance - Service & Maintenance
> > Date : Tue, 20 May 2008 15:54:44 GMT
> >
> >
> > Hello,
> > I've just purchased a MazdaSpeed3 and have passed the recommended 600 mile break-in period. I would like to change my oil in order to get rid of any engine residue from the initial break in period and would like to use a synthetic oil however the dealership has told me this is NOT recommended. Per my online searches this seems a to be a controversial subject. I've also looked at Mobile1's website and have seen information specific to mazdaspeed3's which I have added below.
> > In short I'd like to know Mazda's official stance on synthetic oils & lastly if I use a synthetic will it have any effect on the car's warranty?
> > Thank you
> > Alexander Wechsler
> > http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/motoro...OilOption2.aspx
> > Current Vehicle:
> > Year: 2008
> > Make: Mazda
> > Model: 3
> > Engine Type: 4cyl. 2.3Liter Turbocharged
> > Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30

So now my dilemma do I go with my gut and run the risk of voiding the warranty should anything happen or do I play it safe and use an oil I really do not want to use...

To be Honest I'm fairly dissapointed with the response, if their is a Mazda rep on the boards this one really took some marks off of customer sat for me...

MS34FUN

[trentl40@gmail.com]

That's hard to believe. Why would any oil that meets the API standard specified in the manual(synthetic or dino) void the warranty?

[awechsler@nc.rr.com]

Good Question,

I wish Mazda could give me a better technical answer then just "we do no recommend synthetic for any of our engines..." I've heard a couple of different theories from synthetic not allowing the O-rings to seat properly to a film being left in the engine as synth burns off. I find this hard to believe since it's my understanding that synthetic does not break down as easily and it's molecularly engineered to be a better all around oil. As for the break-in argument It's also questionable as I know several performance cars which roll off the lot with synthetic. In short, it's very frustrating that Mazda would make such a statement & in my opinion they are simply covering their butts due to lack of testing. Oh well, I guess that if I want to stay in warranty I do not have much of a choice...

[millyowner]

Ford use the same V6 in the Ford Fusion as in the Mazda 6. The Tribute and Escape also share the same engines. The owner's manuals for both vehicles recommend MotorCraft 5w20 semi-synthetic. Ford also endorses the use of MotorCraft full-synthetic oils in all of their vehicles.

See http://www.motorcraft.com/products.do?item=15

More than likely, synthetic oil is fine...it just means you're going elsewhere for oil changes instead of the stealership, which isn't good business. They don't imply that synthetic will damage anything, just that they can't "recommend" it officially simply because it wasn't factory fill.

[Saint_]

No they do their tests. They know that regular will not harm turbo, "during warranty period". And who would you think make money if something breaks after warranty? They dont recommend synthetic to millenia and now all s/cs fail..

[awechsler@nc.rr.com]

Yeah,

Well I think it's pretty bad practice to strong-arm a customer into doing something that the customer knows is not in their best interest. I personally will maintain the synth-dino oil blend until around 10K and then probably change over to full synthetic just because of the statement about the gaskets seating properly. I'm not a mechanic but even this seems like a weak argument to me...

Oh well on the upside now that I'm past my first 1000k miles I'm having a blast driving the ms3

[theronman714@aol.com]

I'm new to the Mazda World website. Just browsing around and this caught my eye.

I have a run of the mill 2005 mazda 3 5-Door 2.3L, which I bought new. It has 13,000 miles.

I went to the dealer for my first oil change at 3,500. It was free. The service guy scolded me for bringing it in. He said that I should only change the oil every 5,000 miles. This is with conventional oil. I had never heard of such a thing. They changed it (as far as I knew) anyway.

At 7,000 miles I purchased my own filter and took it to a friend that is an Amsoil dealer and he changed my oil. Full synthetic. I had never heard of synthetic oil voiding a warranty. My friend said that it wouldn't, but he's not a Mazda dealer.

My car is about out of the bumper to bumper warranty anyway, so I'm not worried about it. The benefits of running full synthetics are too great to ignore. Granted, I have only put the same miles in 3 years that most people drive in one, but with 1,500 more miles to go before my scheduled oil change, the oil looks just as fresh as it did 6,000 miles ago. No leaks, no rattles, everything is roses!

[richard.gunde@dr.com]

<div align="left">Sounds like a typical case of a company worker reading the rules, putting 2 and 2 together, and coming up with 5. The owner's manual specifies the required oil -- any synthetic that meets the specs would have to be accepted by Mazda. No court in the world would allow Mazda to weasel out of the warranty if the owner used an oil that meets the specs.

BTW, a friend -- a materials engineer for Boeing -- for several years at every oil change has the used oil analyzed by a lab. The results are interesting. He changes his oil every 3K, and always uses a top-notch synthetic . . . as do I.

If you love your car, give it the best!

[richard.gunde@dr.com]

<div align="left">The forum identifies me as a "Mazda newbie." What's that? I bought my first Mazda in 1981 . . . That hardly makes me a newbie!

[Saint_]

<div align="left">The forum identifies me as a "Mazda newbie." What's that? I bought my first Mazda in 1981 . . . That hardly makes me a newbie!

[/b][/quote]

The only practical way to rank people here is according to number of posts. So dont worry about it. Just a sign of how often you post+ how long have you been in the forum..