nramsey

Hi all,

Got about 650 miles on my new P5 and wondering when most of ya'll change your oil for the first time? I have heard that it's a good idea to change around 1000 miles as the first load of oil can pick up metal shavings etc from the brand new engine as it breaks in. Do most folks do that or wait till the first scheduled change? This is my first NEW car so I've never had to deal with this before

Nate

enormiss

I'll be changing it this weekend, going synthetic like the rest of my stuff. I'm just shy of 2000mi right now. I figured the same thing. Oil may have been junked up during break-in period. After this I'll be sticking to the recommended intervals.

carguycw

I would recommend using regular non-synthetic oil for the first 10k miles. If you put in synthetic oil too soon, the piston rings will not seat properly, which may lead to oil burning and/or lower compression later.

enormiss

I was slightly shocked to see shuch a short break-in period. The manual stated like 600mi. I'm over 3X that now. What's everyone else think? Too soon?

MDV Synthetics

Modern engines are manufactured with much tighter tolerances, reducing the necessary break in period. It's also an old myth that the engine will not break in with synthetic oil. Some new cars (BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and the C5 Vette) come from the factory with synthetic oil and they don't have any problems.

douggie

No offense, but all the cars you mentioned as examples are cars that are much more expensive than a Mazda, so there's a chance that Mazda manufacturing process is still a bit behind in tolerances.

There are many grades of metal machinery and even more types of metal alloys used in the engines/pistons. So one should not assume the tolerances are comparable.

So I would still stick with regular oil for a while before switching to synthetics. But then, that's just my opinion

Brubeck

This is basically heresy... you see it posted all over the internet, but you will be hard pressed to find a single post in all the car forums that says "Help, my piston rings did not seat properly because I put synthetic in too soon"

I put synthetic in at 1500 miles, and the only thing that I experienced was a smoother ride and better gas mileage.

MDV Synthetics

No offense taken. Granted some of those cars in general are much more expensive than a Mazda, but that doesn't necessarily mean that their engines are manufactured to tighter tolerances. Modern engines in general have much tighter tolerances over the engines of even 15 years ago. The Japanese in particular have an excellent reputation for close tolerance engines and I wouldn't be surprised if the engine in the Protege had tighter tolerances than the Vette.

I also do agree with you that it is better to wait to change over to synthetics until the first oil change. Our reasoning is different however. People tend to extend the drain intervals with synthetics and I think that is not that great idea on a brand new engine. There is nothing wrong with waiting to the first oil change to switch over to synthetic. I just wanted to point out that it possible to break an engine in on synthetic by referencing the cars above.

bmassche

why put synthetic oil in any car if it is not reccomended by the manufacturer? I wouldn't waste the money on syntheic oil. Just get you oil changed every 3000 miles or sooner.

nramsey

Thanks guys! I will probably go ahead and change the oil at 1000 miles just to be safe. I haven't decided if I will change to synthetic or not on this car. I have been running Mobil 1 in my Miata for the last 4 years or so now though, but that car sees some fairly extreme condition such as track time etc...

fencepost

I did my first change (to Mobil 1) at ~3500 miles and got the tires rotated at the same time, right before a 600-mile business trip. I figure I'll do the second at around 7000, the third at ~11,000 then do them at 15, 20, 25, etc.

The one problem I had is that the guy filling (at a dealer) it thought the P5 took a little over 4 quarts, so he overfilled it some then didn't dipstick it. I realized when I checked it while filling the tank on that business trip. I didn't notice any sign of problems, and I've been assured by the dealer that the overfilling cautions are more geared toward a couple quarts over, not a half quart over.

Interesting note on the frequency of changes: Apparently on the Tribute (Mazda's SUV), you'll screw up the engine if you change before 5000 miles. Supposedly they used a different metal for the rings, and some buildup is desirable. Sounded odd to me, but hey, what do I know.

Thomasbien

Why did you put:

Clear Corner Lights
K&N drop in air filter
ford blue painted drums
mazdaspeed seat belt pads
blue led eurolite ricer lights

in your car if it is not recommended by the manufacturer?

Answer: because in some way you find these modifications better.

I figure it like this.... I used to get my oil changed for $20 every 3k miles. I can buy Mobil 1 synthetic oil and an oil filter for about $25 and change the oil myself every 6k miles or so. In the end, it costs less. No waste of money.

Plus, many people on this forum have independently found that the car runs smoother with synthetic oil. There is a performance gain there plus a reduction in wear and tear on the engine.

IMO it's worth it based on my above reasons. To each their own.

MDV Synthetics

Great post.

Besides reduced wear, the engine will start easier, run cooler and consume less fuel. Emissions and oil consumption will also be reduced.

Why don't more manufacturers use it? It will cost them more and they are also in the business of selling you new cars and repairing and servicing them. Do they have a vested interest in what's best for your car for the long run. I don't think so. As long as their product performs adequately over the time period expected by the majority of consumers, they will be happy.

irish6714

I just changed my oil in my MP5 and I am using amsoil. I also have a 02 honda civic. I put amsoil in it also. I noticed better preformance and gas milliage. I talked to my Mazda rep before doing so, he said if you plan to do alot of driving its a good idea

Evil Homer MP5

Hmm, i did my first oil change at 1,900KM, and used regular oil, but i've done lots of driving since.

So should i put it syntheic at my next oil change???