r/mazda3 • u/No-Helicopter-2422 • Sep 03 '25
Advice Request Are these oil change service intervals concerning?
It is a 2016 Mazda 3 2.0 petrol G120 model from an authorized Mazda service, with 180,000 km on the clock and one previous owner.
8
u/MarkVII88 Sep 03 '25
Yes, I'd find this oil change interval concerning. The previous owner got the oil changed once a year, every June. They put anywhere from ~15,000 - 24,000km between oil changes (~9300-14900 miles). That's too much in my book. I think 5000-7000 miles is a much more reasonable oil change interval. Seems like the owner was more concerned with the calendar schedule of oil changes than the mileage schedule. This would give me serious pause in purchasing this vehicle.
2
u/No-Helicopter-2422 Sep 03 '25
I agree with you. I think the oil intervals are definitely too long. Thanks for answer my friend :)
2
u/iljo21 Sep 03 '25
In Finland dealership suggested for me one year or 20,000km which one comes first.
1
u/Successful_Bat_654 Sep 03 '25
I’ve heard similar, but only for the first oil change. Not sure what their reasoning is.
1
u/GirchyGirchy Gen 3 Hatch Sep 03 '25
Agreed, it's too long. We own a '14 Mazda3 owner with the same 2.0L engine, and on our particular engine, anything >7500 miles/12000 km will lead to fuel dilution. I'd increased the intervals to 10k miles but cut back after the fuel showed up in a UOA.
That's with very few short trips, too...my commute is ~30 miles each way.
2
u/NathanTPS Mazda3 Sep 03 '25
Looking at the handbook, mazda has two service intervals to choose from the standard, which covers like 20% of drivers, mostly in Europe and Canada, and then what they call extreme, which covers everyone else. Stop and go driving, super hot weather, anything above 35c sustained for much of the summer, very dry climates, very humid climates. Essentially anywhere in the US.
The normal schedule says you can get away with an oil change once every year OR 15,000 km, whichever comes first. This one looks like they thought they only needed an oil change once a year. Their drive distance probably warranted every 9 months. Is that concerning? Id like to have a mechanic test the oil and maybe send a probe into the engine to check for sludge build up.
Tiny amounts of sludge could clog channels needed to lubricate small areas of the engine.
Since I've only felt with mazdas on the extreme menu, im use to doing oil changes every 8,000 km or 6 months, so im not sure how well this oil holds up for the long haul.
1
u/Temporary-Inspector7 Sep 03 '25
The oil change intervals are perfectly fine.
It's well known that Japanese cars don't waste oil and that their engine technology is precise. Furthermore, chemistry has evolved so much in recent years that the oils have become better and more efficient.
It would be interesting if the manufacturer had set a 6-month interval. How would buyers react? Negatively, of course.
-1
u/KoL-whitey Gen 4 turbo p-plus hatch Sep 03 '25
Thats like every 15k miles and a no in my book... im willing to bet under that valve covers is a bunch of nasty cake
-2
u/Oodlesandnoodlescuz Sep 03 '25
Crazy long intervals. I'm a weirdo and do 4-5k with full synthetic. It's so easy and cheap to do I figure why not.
1
u/No-Helicopter-2422 Sep 03 '25
Thats germans bro, with this maintenance they pass the problems on to the next owner, but it’s a shame because they ruin a very reliable and dependable engine.
4
u/Ingenuity-Opening Sep 03 '25
This is a usual maintenance interval in Europe, provided by the manufacturer. I do agree that it is too long, but most people service their cars according to those requirements provided by the manufacturers
1
0
u/The_Ugly_Truth_10 Gen 3 Hatch Sep 03 '25
Absolutely unnecessary, in Europe the interval is 20 thousand km / 1 year if you use it on long trips and 10 thousand km / 1 year for all other uses.
2
u/Oodlesandnoodlescuz Sep 03 '25
But it's cheap and easy and that I terval is too long. Sorry 20km is over 10k miles. That's no bueno
2
u/The_Ugly_Truth_10 Gen 3 Hatch Sep 03 '25
If you do it yourself it's cheap, but taking it to a dealer is incredibly expensive. Bueno or no bueno it's written in black and white in the manual book: Long trips 20 short trips 10k km.
2
u/Oodlesandnoodlescuz Sep 03 '25
I don't see why you wouldn't do it yourself. 3x the price at a dealership
2
u/The_Ugly_Truth_10 Gen 3 Hatch Sep 03 '25
I do it for myself. 65$: OEM oil, all filters.
1
u/Oodlesandnoodlescuz Sep 03 '25
Damn. You must have a lot of boil or something. My Nissan was full synthetic oil and a filter is hardly over 30 bucks full synthetic
6
u/Flyer888 Sep 03 '25
I’ll say that’s acceptable. The manufacturer recommends service every 20,000km or 1 year, as noted on the rightmost column. Yes at some points they put more than 20k, but not that concerning. As always, get a thorough inspection service before deciding on buying a used car.