Mazda3/Mazdaspeed3 General/Maintenance Discussion of the Mazda3 and MazdaSpeed3

Synthetic vs. Regular oil

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Old Aug 23, 2005 | 09:29 AM
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Synthetic vs. Regular oil

I just got back from my 3rd oil change and this particular time I asked what type of motor oil they used and they said Castrol and I asked if it was synthetic and they said no and that vthey didn't recommend synthetic. Any particular reason why they would not recommend synthetic oil? After doing some research that synthetic oil seems better and is more pricey. Is this just my dealer tryign to savev some money by not using synthethic and should I find a place that does use synthetic?
Old Aug 23, 2005 | 09:38 AM
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sssseeeeaaaarrrrcccchhhhh
Old Aug 23, 2005 | 09:54 AM
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on a new vehicle that is not "performance built" synthetic is going to have no advantages over regular oil. On high-revving, turbocharged, performance, sports cars the longer life and better additives in synthetic really act like insurance.

change your oil on time and use regular...dont worry.
Old Aug 23, 2005 | 11:30 AM
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Some people use synthetic because you can get away with changing the oil less often.
To me, it's an excuse to be lazy. I'd be afraid to let it go too long since I'm a procrastinator at heart.
Old Aug 23, 2005 | 11:34 AM
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the condition of the oil is FAR more important than the type of oil you use.

the rule of thumb is "you can never change your oil too much but you can change it not enough"
Old Aug 23, 2005 | 08:13 PM
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Thanks for the info guys, I feel much better now!
Old Sep 21, 2005 | 07:59 PM
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Guy at oil change place said that not putting in 5w20 might nullify warranty. Any truth to this? (I dought it)
Anyway, what is a recommended all weather non synthetic grade?
thanks

Last edited by vegasdriver; Sep 22, 2005 at 08:54 AM.
Old Sep 22, 2005 | 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Roddimus Prime
the condition of the oil is FAR more important than the type of oil you use.

the rule of thumb is "you can never change your oil too much but you can change it not enough"
Roddimus is dead on about that. My previous car was a Lumina, and I babied that car - rarely reaching 5000kms before changeing oil. Usually, I changed it between 3000-4000kms. When I sold it, it was 250 000kms on it, and ran beautifully. Never had any engine problems whatsoever.
Old Sep 27, 2005 | 09:20 PM
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I use regular...
Old Oct 6, 2005 | 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by vegasdriver
Guy at oil change place said that not putting in 5w20 might nullify warranty. Any truth to this? (I dought it)
Anyway, what is a recommended all weather non synthetic grade?
thanks
If you're in Nevada 5w20 is waaay to thin. You'd waste your engine quickly. Look in the owners manual at the temperature versus oil weight illustration. If you lived at the north pole, you may want 5 weight for cold cranking, but 20 weight is still too thin to drive around with anywhere, especially in a warm climate.

Last edited by Rusty; Oct 6, 2005 at 08:45 PM.
Old Oct 17, 2005 | 04:33 AM
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That North Pole thing is funny because I live 7 miles away from the North Pole. Alaska that is. But I use 5w30
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