Eneos 5W20 Mazda 3 - 3703 MIles

[ThirdGear]

The two previous reports were Amsoil 0W20. I thought I would experiment with an even more exotic oil to see if it was indeed worth the price. I tried the Eneos 5W20. The oil was not changed at the time of sampling (dipstick sample, engine hot). I wanted a progress report before running an unknown oil longer. It seems like the oil is doing very well, even considering that I forgot to take a sample of oil my last oil change. I don't think I'll have a problem running this oil longer. Questions, comments?

Blackstone wrote: Best report so far for the 4-cylinder in your Mazda 3. Mazda engines tend to be some of the best
wearing ones we see on a regular basis and it looks like your isn't going to be any different. The trace of
fuel we found last time has disappeared so that’s no longer any sort of concern and nothing else in the way
of harmful contaminants has turned up. The TBN was nice and strong at 5.3, so this oil has plenty of active
additive left. We don't know if you changed the oil filter or not, but with insolubles this low, you don't need
to. Check back in another ~2,500 miles.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Looks good. Which engine is this? 2.0 or 2.3?

How much are you paying for this oil? Does it meet your vehicles warranty requirements?

 

[rg200amp]

So far so good.

*note: when you change a oil brand, you should run it for 2-3 OCI before getting a UOA. The first and second OCI will show more wear than normal due to the new chemistry in the crank case.

 

[ThirdGear]

It's a 2.3L non-turbo. Yes, it's a Fully Synthetic API-SM/ILSAC GF-4 SAE 5W-20. I'm not easy on the oil. I have a lot of short trips, and I don't drive it like a baby either.

It's usually $9-10 dollars per quart. It's really no more expensive than paying 7.20/quart for my Amsoil and then paying shipping on top of that.

2-3 OCI? That seems a bit excessive. That would mean I would have 15-20 thousand mile gaps in my engine's history where I wouldn't know what was going on.

 

[Steve S]

What would be going on that you have to do uoas every few thousand miles? It is your money.

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: ThirdGear
It's a 2.3L non-turbo. Yes, it's a Fully Synthetic API-SM/ILSAC GF-4 SAE 5W-20. I'm not easy on the oil. I have a lot of short trips, and I don't drive it like a baby either.

It's usually $9-10 dollars per quart. It's really no more expensive than paying 7.20/quart for my Amsoil and then paying shipping on top of that.

2-3 OCI? That seems a bit excessive. That would mean I would have 15-20 thousand mile gaps in my engine's history where I wouldn't know what was going on.


You have two things too worry about:
One the first OCI is pointless, because you still have the other brands old oil in the motor. THe second change is a little better. But
When you change oil brands the sudden "shock" of new additives and chemistry in the motor(which got used to one type of oil) will send out higher wear numbers. It usally takes 2-3 OCI to clear all the old oil out, and for your motor to shed any particals from the new oils use.
It is show countless times in this UOA section.

Do not worry about it. In 2 OCI do a UOA and you will have a true report about what is going on with your motor.

 

[FZ1]

The motor is still wearing in so early comparisons are skewed......but.....your motor seems to like the Amsoil. Looks like you could run 7500 ocis with no,or maybe just 1 more, uoa to be sure.

 

[BeerLube]

Yah I'm with FZ1, looks like you were still at the tail end of wear-in before switching to the Eneos. Forget shelling out too much for the Eneos, I think Amsoil is even a bit much oil bling if you're going to be running 5k OCI's. PP or M1 in the 5qt jug is a pretty good value at Wally World these days. In some parts of the country, I've heard of PP going for $19 for 5qts! Tough to beat it.

 

[ThirdGear]

Yeah, I know it's unnecessary to do UOAs so often, but I like seeing what's going on. Obviously if I was worried about my money I wouldn't do UOAs or try exotic oils. I'd just buy Mobil 1 and forget about it. Eneos is probably no better Amsoil or Mobil 1, but only time will tell. I still have enough Amsoil for another oil change. I was thinking about giving M1 a try after Amsoil. It's easier to come by and I don't have to pay shipping.