Wish to purchase Mazda 3 MPS - Fears about engine failure issues - opinions please

[Grajy]

Turbo engines burn oil a little bit quicker. WHEN you get an MPS (hopefully an Aurora Blue Gen1 3), service it every 5,000kms, NO later... Speaking of which, will probably be doing mine this weekend...

[Malicioso]

I think it also would depend on the oil used, I did a 80,000km oil change on mine plus other bits and pieces and it has now been well over 85,000kms and the oil looks just as it did 5000kms ago.

[IceValk85]

oil varies dramatically depending on brand. ive seen more than a share of old valiants and such "run on excellent castrol oil bro! its all i ever use!" and have a thick layer of black sludge all round the top of the head.

turbos do heat and stress oil much more, and can discolour. 5000km servicing is a good idea. having said that, my oil is 2500km and 4 months old and still looks the same. Mazda townsville uses genuine mazda turbo oil (strangely from castrol DOH!) in all its vehicles and it seems to hold up fine.

as for engine failures, i was terrified too! i found out more the day AFTER i bought the car, but from what i can see, most of the stories around are just about stupidity. these engines are not really designed to push huge amounts more power than stock, especially on stock parts. winding the booost upto 11 is not a great idea.

the stock rear engine mount is extremely rubbish. highly recommend following what the others on the forums do and upgrade to a CP-e mount. ill be ordering mine soon too. ive got a brutal gearshift "clunk/notch/lurch" from 1st-2nd in my 06 MPS6 that a new rear mount will go along way towards solving. and a clutch that when cold just wants to bite me rather than shift cogs :P

Ice

[Doug_MPS6]

So far - touch wood, 50,000km on mine with the mods and fast but considerate driving, no oil burn, great economy, bottomless torque and no issues at all. Don't stress about blow-ups. You're more likely to hit something and write off your car than you are to blow a motor.

[bd581]

I think it also would depend on the oil used, I did a 80,000km oil change on mine plus other bits and pieces and it has now been well over 85,000kms and the oil looks just as it did 5000kms ago.

Then i'd be using different oil.
A statement i'm sure will generate debate....

oil has 3 purposes.
Lubricate
Cool
Clean.

If the oil looks like it did when its brand new, its not cleaning

[Malicioso]

^^^ Yes but it also may look like that since it's only been 5000kms, I would be more worried if it did look like this at 10,000kms where it should be fairly dark, but I'm sure the engine oil is doing its job since it has been turning very dark at the 10,000km mark. This is why it is silly to do an oil change at 5000kms, you drop it out before the oil gets to do its job.

Don't see how Motul Tubolight could be doing such a bad job though???

I also agree with Doug_MPS6, more likely to do one of the above than have an engine blow up on you, I've experienced this in the past but that was only because the rings in my poor Integra engine were gone, very unlikely to happen on such a new car unless you turn up the boost up high and it's starts knocking/pinging...

[Grajy]

Then i'd be using different oil.
A statement i'm sure will generate debate....

oil has 3 purposes.
Lubricate
Cool
Clean.

If the oil looks like it did when its brand new, its not cleaning

Agreed.

[Grajy]

^^^ Yes but it also may look like that since it's only been 5000kms, I would be more worried if it did look like this at 10,000kms where it should be fairly dark, but I'm sure the engine oil is doing its job since it has been turning very dark at the 10,000km mark. This is why it is silly to do an oil change at 5000kms, you drop it out before the oil gets to do its job.

Don't see how Motul Tubolight could be doing such a bad job though???

I also agree with Doug_MPS6, more likely to do one of the above than have an engine blow up on you, I've experienced this in the past but that was only because the rings in my poor Integra engine were gone, very unlikely to happen on such a new car unless you turn up the boost up high and it's starts knocking/pinging...

High performance engines MUST have at least an oil change done every 5,000kms.
Performance car ownership 101...
Would you prefer to do it early, or risk something going wrong ?.?.?
Wonder why all the mechanics I've worked with change oil at 5ks...

[Malicioso]

Engines and oil techonoly has come such a long way that allows manufacturers to prolong the oil change intervals, doing an oil change every 5000kms back 20-30yrs ago would make sense since the technology in both oils and engines wasn't all there.

5,000kms is a waste of time, money, the oil doesn't do it's job like it should, it's a total waste of oil and of course any mechanic would recommend doing an oil change every 5000kms just means they get more $$$ in their pocket and so do oil companies since they sell more oil, it's all a forum/back yard mechanic myth, makes anyone selling a car look good.

FYI The 5000km Engine Oil Myth - Moto-V.sg

[cargle]

Another opinon. Dealer vs Private
I have seen two cars both in good condition, the Dealer car is a little under 10% more expensive.

I like the idea of having the warranty, however extra expense as services then must be done at dealer (normally do myself). Also the standard warranty excludes ALOT of things (major problems that are not included are Cylinder Head(s), Engine Block/Barrel or Blown Head Gaskets)

[Grajy]

I work for a dealership on the tools and I couldn't care less if someone services their car themselves or not.
I, as a technician, recommend servicing every 5,000kms in a performance car. I've seen scary shit in 'maintained' engines.
Each to their own. I don't want my engine to gunk up and fail. Excuse me while I service my car again...
Btw, the oil doesn't need a 'chance to work', Alex. Oil works as soon ad you turn the key. Another thing, older engines actually require LESS servicing due to large clearances the internals have. Modern engines require MORE frequent servicing due to possibility if blocking small oil galleries and small clearances they have.
Jons last word, use good quality, fully synthetic oil every 5,000kms. Do your filter at 10,000 intervals. Graj done...

[MattMPS3]

High performance engines MUST have at least an oil change done every 5,000kms.
Performance car ownership 101...
Would you prefer to do it early, or risk something going wrong ?.?.?
Wonder why all the mechanics I've worked with change oil at 5ks...

So they can charge you more money, more often, do your mechanics know more about Mazda engines than Mazda, who specify oil changes at every 6 mths or 10k?

There is a general shift away from the "its a turbo oil must be done every 5k" mentality, this was the belief in the 80's when turbochargers were only oil cooled, and oils weren't anywhere near the product they are now. Technology has produced more efficient turbochargers & engines, not to mention better quality oils, providing greater shear resistance, and very consistent viscosity through the life of the oil, in fact I have read a lot of info that suggests that oils are really only coming into their own at around 5k, after their initial burn off phase.

Dont be fooled by the oil company marketing hype, they have been doing it a very long time.

Oh, and these arent high performance engines, high performance engines are hand built to exacting tolerances, not punched out of a Japanese factory with a turbo bolted to the side.

If Im not mistaken, and Im sure some of our resident XR5 owners can chime in here, they have a 15k handbook interval for oil changes.

[Grajy]

Oh, sorry, I forgot I was communicating through a forum where everyone is paranoid about their cars costing too much to maintain or about getting ripped off. My bad.
Do what you want guys. Most likely you guys will have sold your cars in 3 years for a better deal on another car anyways...
I don't give a shit.

[bd581]

Mazda handbook states for gen 1 5000km or 6 months, just so happens that I do roughly 5000km every 6 months.
I don't understand why you wouldn't change the filter every time you change your oil.
A filter is a whole $14 and takes 5 minutes to change
I'd much rather change my oil more often and be careful
Remember that discoloured oil contains carbon, and carbon is very abrasive
And remember that oil is to be changed at a required time or km total, whichever is first

[Malicioso]

Brah that's not the way, but you have to see where we're coming from.

I personally used to do the whole 5000km thing which did make sense, but you come to realize that its just a total waste and its not needed.

With regards to the MPS3 purchase a dealer option is great because they will go through everything to make sure it doesn't come back, but if you ever do take it back for whatever problem, they will turn the other way and run.

if you have any links to the cars in question, post them up so ppl on here can offer their advice and opinions.

[bd581]

"Brah" is brah?

I see where your coming from, but I'd much rather err on the side of caution and come from a place where i would take the advice of highly qualified and experienced people

[Grajy]

I understand where customers come from, whether it be from a financial point of view or another belief point of view. I'm expressing my view as a technician of 12 working years.
Honestly, without sounding harsh, do what you guys believe is right. It's a free country
I'll stick to my early servicing as I have done with all of my cars in the past.

[Malicioso]

"Brah" is brah?

I see where your coming from, but I'd much rather err on the side of caution and come from a place where i would take the advice of highly qualified and experienced people

Brah = Bro, Brother = another word for mate, friend....

[MattMPS3]

OK, were moving wayyy of topic here guys, and going around in circles. Should we continue this in another thread, or are we happy just to leave as is.

To satisfy my own curiosity, I just checked the owners manual, oil change interval is 6mths / 10k, whichever comes first.

[Grajy]

Oh, Brad (forgive me if that's not your name ), I change my filter every oil change.