XxTacC

Hey whatsup Mazda Fam,

I stumble onto this site awhile back ago when I was researching bout the Mazda3 before I decided to get one...& a month later I'm now a proud owner of one.

When I brought the car it was a savage...the side were hit pretty bad & the doors had to get replace. Anyway since the repairs it had driven fine, but since it had a previous owner before me I've really don't know what kind of maintenance have been done to the car...or what kind of maintenance I should do for a new brought car

1. Oil Change: What kind of oil should I use to change it??? Regular or FullSynth??? (Heard FullSynth is the way to go though)

2. Brakes: Any recommendation??? should I do it myself or have a mechanic do it???

3. Spark Plugs: any recommendation???

those are only a few things I have thought about doing...Is there anything else you guys would recommend??? like a full tune up kinda thing so I wouldn't have much to worry bout later down the line except an oil change every 3000-5000 miles

djs2571

Oil change: normal or synth doesn't matter much, but since the owners manual has no service interval for synthetic you have to change it at the 'standard oil' time period... so synthetic would just be throwing money away to keep your warranty valid. Though you're now out of the warranty period, so i'd suggest putting in 'regular' and do an oil blot test to see how long it takes to get dirty. Then repeat that with synthetic and see if it lasts enough longer to warrant the extra cost of synthetic. http://www.schleeter.com/test/

Brakes: no recommendation here, I put cheap drilled/slotted ones on from brakemotive / powerstop. They brake no better than stock, but I haven't tested to see if it takes more to overheat them - normal use, hard stops, haven't had any issues.
For replacement, if you're at all mechanically inclined, do it yourself. Though I found on mine that the rubber bushings on the calipers stick to the caliper pins, and only silicone lube and artificially enlarging the hole allows the caliper to float properly. There isn't anything difficult here, though remember that the rear caliper piston needs to turn clockwise to retract it, the fronts just need to be squeezed back into the caliper.

Spark plugs: I think it's a fraud with any of the "this plug gives 5% more power" kind of crap. There are different styles and materials which will last longer, being a tiny platinum tip, or something like the NGK BR9EQ (quad electrode style for older RX7) which does last better in a harsh enviornmenr. But this is a 'normal' engine, not an oil burner, so there isn't a fouling potential... It's up to you and how much you want to spend and if the plug lifetime will justify the cost.

Go through the owners manual and verify that any maintenance has been done, coolant, brake fluid, trans, belts. If you don't have documentation or a good way to test any of those maintenance things - just do it again. None of it is particularly hard, just something to do if you plan to keep the car in good working order.

Good luck with the new ride