Mazda Miata ridiculous oil change interval

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Not that this matters.... but my '94 Miata with over 200K gets it's oil changed every 7-9k and is still going strong.

Mazda needs to get their act straight.
 
Same nonsense with Nissan. I just ignore it.

Maybe I've been watching Judge Judy for too long, but I believe it's acceptable from a legal perspective to keep a log, which is proof.

If you want to game Walmart's system, ask for a gift receipt; keep the original, return the gift receipt with the oil you "borrowed" from them.
 
Originally Posted By: Trajan
Yes, Mazda can deny warranty coverage if you fail to follow it.


No they legally can't. They can only, if the lack of changing every 4 months causes some related damage. I'm not saying they wouldn't put up a stupid non-customer friendly fight, but what you say is just not true and it's repeated here on BITOG.

Say the OP changes every 6 months and his suspension explodes or a camshaft snaps in two because of some exceedingly rare metallurgical flaw, Mazda cannot just "deny warranty coverage".
 
Originally Posted By: Pablo
Originally Posted By: Trajan
Yes, Mazda can deny warranty coverage if you fail to follow it.


No they legally can't. They can only, if the lack of changing every 4 months causes some related damage. I'm not saying they wouldn't put up a stupid non-customer friendly fight, but what you say is just not true and it's repeated here on BITOG.

Say the OP changes every 6 months and his suspension explodes or a camshaft snaps in two because of some exceedingly rare metallurgical flaw, Mazda cannot just "deny warranty coverage".


I believe Pablo is right about this. I've always heard that the dealer/manufacturer has to prove that your lack of oil changes is what actually caused the damage in order to void your warranty.
 
I have managed several new car dealerships. The only time we ever asked a customer for proof of oil changes/receipts was when there were obvious signs of abuse. Massive sludge or lack of oil in the sump - and even this was rare. Dealers make money on warranty work - if it's a legitimate claim under the warranty, it will get fixed. Maybe things have changed recently, but I doubt it. Manufacturers care about their word of mouth reputation on the internet. A good reputation is the best free advertising you can get - see Honda & Toyota.
 
Originally Posted By: bigt61
I have managed several new car dealerships. The only time we ever asked a customer for proof of oil changes/receipts was when there were obvious signs of abuse. Massive sludge or lack of oil in the sump - and even this was rare. Dealers make money on warranty work - if it's a legitimate claim under the warranty, it will get fixed. Maybe things have changed recently, but I doubt it. Manufacturers care about their word of mouth reputation on the internet. A good reputation is the best free advertising you can get - see Honda & Toyota.


This should be a Sticky. Great response bigt61, and it's the same thing my Hyundai Service Manager advised me.
 
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Dealers make money on warranty work
I do not believe that is the case. Most dealers barely break even on warranty work. Manufacturer allows just the enough time for a job unlike customer paid work which any mechanic can beat the listed hours. On top of that, manufacturer warranty rate is lot less than the rate printed on customer repair order.

For example; assume warranty work involved replacing engine air filter and cabin pollen filter on a Honda. Under warranty, it will be allotted 0.1 + 0.1 hours @$60.

But if customer pays for it, it will be at least 0.5 + 0.5 hours @$130

You can see why dealers prefer NOT to do warranty work.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I've done a few virtual oil changes while under warranty.

hahahaha

Yeah, I think people worry WAY too much about the "warranty period"

Owners who change their oil at reasonable intervals will never have an oil related failure during the warranty period.
 
Originally Posted By: Trajan
Yes, Mazda can deny warranty coverage if you fail to follow it.


It may seem to be a minor point, but Mazda can only deny a warranty repair, and only if they can demonstrate that your lack of following the recommendations caused the failure. Mazda cannot tell the customer, "oops, looks like you went too long on an oil change; you no longer have warranty coverage on your engine!"
 
Originally Posted By: Baveux
My 2012 is still covered by the warranty,and to maintain the warranty Mazda wants me to change the oil every 8000km or EVERY 4 MONTHS !!! 3 times a year use it or not !!!

Thats ridiculous, ....

It's good to see that all members agree that that is indeed ridiculous. Lots of good suggestions here. Mine would be to interpret the recommendation as 8,000 kms or 4 month if the car is being driven pretty much every day. If the car is going to be stored for any period of time then you can extend the OC period accordingly.
But I wouldn't ask Mazda if they agree with your interpretation, you know what the answer will likely be.
It's extremely unlikely it would ever come up if you had to make an engine warranty claim down the road but if it did you'd simply state the fact that the car wasn't driven for those months and the car was taken for a long run before being put into storage. The response to that statement should be "okay" but if not you could add that you got advise from a number of lubrication experts about how to properly store a car and all agreed oil doesn't deteriorate unless the engine in running.
 
Originally Posted By: bigt61
I have managed several new car dealerships. The only time we ever asked a customer for proof of oil changes/receipts was when there were obvious signs of abuse. Massive sludge or lack of oil in the sump - and even this was rare. Dealers make money on warranty work - if it's a legitimate claim under the warranty, it will get fixed. Maybe things have changed recently, but I doubt it. Manufacturers care about their word of mouth reputation on the internet. A good reputation is the best free advertising you can get - see Honda & Toyota.


Yeah, dealerships do not just turn away warranty work and I think the onus would be on the manufacturer to prove customer negligence. The only flat out warranty denial I've heard of was a Kia that was grenaded by a bad timing belt within the 10-year, 100,000 warranty. But the timing belt had never been changed as directed in the manual, so...

Everything I've read here intelligently written on the subject, including posts by a lawyer, pretty much indicate the manufacturer having to prove it was a lubrication related failure because of customer negligence on oil changes. And car dealerships tend to not do well in court, especially in places like New York State...
 
Ok great answer here thanks guys. The nice thing about that is that I have one wearcheck oil sample kit avail. that I will use to get the report for the last interval ( 7000Km 1 years) and if the sample come back ok then Mazda will have a bit more difficulty denying the warranty repair If I ever need it.

once again thanks for your input guys :)
 
Originally Posted By: CELICA_XX
Yeah, I think people worry WAY too much about the "warranty period"

Owners who change their oil at reasonable intervals will never have an oil related failure during the warranty period.

I would say that's true. I worry about the warranty period, but even in the taxis, I can't think of one engine related warranty claim, much less one oil related failure.
 
My latest oil report support the crazyness i was reporting, the oil is perfectly fine after 1 year and 3600 miles the UOA is posted on the other forum
 
Originally Posted By: Baveux
My 2012 is still covered by the warranty,and to maintain the warranty Mazda wants me to change the oil every 8000km or EVERY 4 MONTHS !!! 3 times a year use it or not !!!

Thats ridiculous, imagine my cars will get an oil change tomorrow and I will put it in the garage until the month of april, or maybe May. Tell me do I have to change the brand new oil ? I'm not cheap but throwing 30.00 down the drain ...you know what I mean.

Do you think that Mazda can seriously think that they can deny warranty coverage if I decide to ignore the time limit and if I go with milleage only or 1 year interval ? before you ask this car doesn't make many short trip in summer, its usually 3/4 hrs ride.



Yeah it's ridiculous to change every 4 months, when the car will be in storage awhile.



warning: smart guy answer:

Drain it now, refill in spring. (put a bunch of signs on it for the winter).

There's no requirement as to how quickly you have to accomplish the oil change.
laugh.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Tabor
Buy the oil and filter, and save it for later.


This what I was thinking. Add the oil to your stash, you have receipt proof that you bought "and changed" the oil.
 
Originally Posted By: Baveux
My 2012 is still covered by the warranty,and to maintain the warranty Mazda wants me to change the oil every 8000km or EVERY 4 MONTHS !!! 3 times a year use it or not !!!


If Mazda has any cars sitting in its inventory lot for 4 months or more, does it change oil before handing it over to buyers?
 
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