2012 Mazda5 oil recommendation.

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Looking for help with an oil & filter recommendation on the following vehicle:

[Note: I'd like to stick w/a somewhat easy-to-find oil from a major automotive or discount chain; no boutiques.]

1) 2012 Mazda5.

2) Manufacturer requires 0W20 (SM/ILSAC); 7.5K/6mth (Schedule 1, namely due to month requirement and not mileage).

3) Location: Inland Pacific Northwest, 4 true seasons, vehicle is parked in unheated garage when not driven.

4) Vehicle is driven conservatively (not hard/fast).

5) Vehicle is used for short trips, mostly within the city; 3-4 times per year vehicle will be used for moderate distance road trips,
6) Vehicle is a 2.5l w/AT; haven't read/heard of any known problems with this drive train.

Appreciate any thoughts and recommendations.

M_C

PS: Does 0W20 come in 5qt jugs? If so, I can't seem to find it.
 
M1 0W-20 is probably going to be your easiet-to-find option. It comes in multi-quart jugs, one fo the few that does.

IF you have a Toyota dealership nearby, you may want to get a couple of jugs of Toyota 0W-20 - it's another good option, but it's only availiable at dealerships, AFAIK.
 
Motorcraft 5W-20 will work great for this application. You should be able to find multi-quart jugs at Wal-Mart or its equivalent.
 
I'd go with Toyota's 0W20. There are dealers on the wet side of the state selling it for under $6.00/qt, but we have multiple dealers and some offer frequent discounts on parts. Otherwise, I think WM has Mobil1 0W20 in 5 qt jugs. The Toyota is a little thinner at start-up than M1 (or pretty much any other 0 or 5W20), so with your driving habits and actual winter temps over there, I think it would be a better option if you can find it reasonably priced.

Nice ride, BTW.
 
M1 0w20....sold at WM for $24.50 for a 5 quart jug

OR

PP 0w20....much more difficult to find.

Both are excellent oils.

Suggest a Purolator PureOne filter.
__________________________________________
03'Ford Focus (2.3L Duratec PZEV) / 98K
PP 5w20 / Purolator PureOne / OCI: 7500 +/-
 
Originally Posted By: OldCowboy
Motorcraft 5W-20 will work great for this application. You should be able to find multi-quart jugs at Wal-Mart or its equivalent.
+1 or pick your favourite 5w-20 in ILSAC GF-5, You can use the 0w across winter if your not gonna plug 'er in. If you read your OM text there should not be a "requirement" rather a recommendation for the 0w-20. You could assume a different oil may change the OCI though.
 
I changed out the FF to PYB at 2.5K and have been using PP 5W-20 ever since (5K OCI, Bosch Premium or PureOne filter) in a 2010 Mazda 6 with a very similar if not identical engine. No issues at all and I expect a long trouble free life.

If I were racking up more miles at a rapid pace I might consider the Motorcraft synblend to save a little $$ and offer similar protection. It's really hard to beat at apprx $14 for a 5 qt jug.
 
Doesn't ford rebrand those same Mazda engines as Duratecs? Does Ford require 0w-20?

I'd use 5w-20. Much cheaper. Then again I suppose it doesn't matter too much when you're changing oil twice a year at the most.
 
Originally Posted By: JRed
Doesn't ford rebrand those same Mazda engines as Duratecs? Does Ford require 0w-20?

I'd use 5w-20. Much cheaper. Then again I suppose it doesn't matter too much when you're changing oil twice a year at the most.


+1


And finding the 0w2o is not fun either....
 
Thanks to everyone for the input and suggestions.

I went back and reread the oil section from the owner's manual; it indeed does "recommend" 0W20 for the US/Canada, but it doesn't offer alternatives (unlike every other car I've owned, where multi-grade options existed). However, 5W20/30 is specifically mentioned as options for our friends south of the border. Sort of leaves me on the fence...though I am leaning towards Motorcraft now (I've had good results w/the Motorcraft clones in the past).

That said, Synpower 0W20 seems to be as readily available as M1 (Walmart carries both). Being as it's $3-4 cheaper than M1 (jug), it makes it a bit more appealing if I want to stick w/the Mazda recommendation. Any love for this oil?

M_C
 
Motorcraft is a good choice. I keep hearing very good things about this oil for Mazda engines. I also hear PP is good but would rather spend the money on motorcraft since I only do 5000 mile OCI. At the moment i'm using kendall with i like but will be using motorcraft from now on since kendall is hard to find on my neck of the woods.
 
Just a follow up to this:

I did an early oil change (new cars, and I was really stunned by how thin the factory fill 0W20 was. Perhaps I'm just late to the game w/this type of oil; I know visual appearance doesn't mean much, but still...it was like water.

Anyway, I ended up going w/MC 5W20 after all...especially as this will be a short OCI (6mths & a UOA (just to gauge how MC is treating me).

Thanks again for everyone's input.

M_C
 
I have used motorcraft and kendall in my mazda with no issues. If your going for long OCI i would use PP. PP seems to run well with mazda engines for long OCI.
 
Dunno why you would feel the need to waste a perfectly good 0w20 oil by drain it that early.

Just defies logic...

Any 0w20 will be the best but you be served easily well by a 5w20 in whatever flavor.

I do 7.5k OCI's so I choose a syn since I think a straight dino oil at 7.5k is a bit of a strech.
 
Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
Dunno why you would feel the need to waste a perfectly good 0w20 oil by drain it that early.

Just defies logic...

Many, many people here drain the FF early. It doesn't necessarily defy logic, it's just a choice people make because they're unsure of how long the FF was in the vehicle (mine was on the lot for 112 days & had 33 miles on it). Furthermore, some are concerned about limiting the amount of break-in material in the oil, however miniscule that might be inre modern engines.

In my case, I read a few FF UOA's on various Mazda3 forums and wasn't necessarily impressed w/the initial wear numbers. Thus, for ~$20 and perhaps an hours' time, I put what I feel is a better oil in the engine; it hardly breaks the bank and the FF will go to a recycler. Plus, to be honest, I was itching to put the car up on my new wooden ramps, get the plastic engine cover off and poke around a fair bit.

Illogical? That's for others to speculate...but then they don't make my car payments nor perform my maintenance; as w/so much discussion around here, it's an "elbows & earlobes" situation.

M_C
 
And many, many people believe they see unicorn glitter in the oil as well. Many people believe the moon landings were faked, many people believe many silly things...see where I'm going.

The oil is going to have higher wear numbers...it is on a break-in cycle! One good summer drive(one longer winter drive) will burn any moisture out of that oil no matter how long it sat on the lot.

There is some logic if it was a dino oil for which one can assume the cheapest oil to do the job. A 0w20 is not a dino & is not cheap. Ergo money wasted for no benefit(to the car at least).

However if the motives were to try out new tools/devices I can certainly understand that...I do it myself.
grin.gif

Carry on
 
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Valvoline makes excellent oils, their Synpower is a great that gives good results.

Reason it doesn't get mentioned much is that it is near impossible to find in stores - if you have one that stocks it at a good prioe, STOCK UP!

laugh.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Mustang_Cougar
Originally Posted By: Thermo1223
Dunno why you would feel the need to waste a perfectly good 0w20 oil by drain it that early.

Just defies logic...

Many, many people here drain the FF early. It doesn't necessarily defy logic, it's just a choice people make because they're unsure of how long the FF was in the vehicle (mine was on the lot for 112 days & had 33 miles on it). Furthermore, some are concerned about limiting the amount of break-in material in the oil, however miniscule that might be inre modern engines.

In my case, I read a few FF UOA's on various Mazda3 forums and wasn't necessarily impressed w/the initial wear numbers. Thus, for ~$20 and perhaps an hours' time, I put what I feel is a better oil in the engine; it hardly breaks the bank and the FF will go to a recycler. Plus, to be honest, I was itching to put the car up on my new wooden ramps, get the plastic engine cover off and poke around a fair bit.

Illogical? That's for others to speculate...but then they don't make my car payments nor perform my maintenance; as w/so much discussion around here, it's an "elbows & earlobes" situation.

M_C



Very well stated M_C!

Many of us still feel the exact same way. Although, I am learning to be a little more trusting and am waiting longer than I did in the past concerning FF & OCI's.
 
Use 0w20...why would you even want to RISK losing your engine warranty on your car by giving them an excuse to deny you warranty coverage? Isn't part of the benefit of buying a new vehicle to have a warranty?

Mazda recommends Castrol 0w20 in the manual (their official recommendation) but I use Mobil 1 0w20 in my 2.5L because it is easiest to find. I get 31mpg pretty regularly with my 80% highway, 20% rural driving conditions.

Mobil 1 0w20 can be found in 5qt jugs for $25 at my local Walmart...try to find out what days they stock the oil sections because I've noticed if I try to buy a day or two after they've stocked the shelves the 0w20 jugs are snatched up although they seem to be stocking more of it as the demand for it increases. A simple solution is to just stock up on a few jugs when you have the opportunity.

Oil changes on the 2.5L are easy...filter is mounted vertically right in front of the pan.

I drained the FF at 3,200 miles and I now plan to just use the 7,500 mile recommendation as I will get to that mileage before the 6 months.

Enjoy the new car!
 
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