[wolstentech]

I told myself I'd get all of the routine maintenance done at the dealer for warranty reasons but gave up on that. I'd much rather do it in my driveway than have to make an appointment, wait around, etc.

Warranty isn't a problem. Just make sure to keep your receipts for your oil and filter, and keeping a record of all maintenance is a good idea (I keep a sheet of graph paper in my glove box with all the maintenance I did, date, mileage, etc.).

The convenience factor is a big one for me, aside from knowing it was done right. My nearest Mazda dealership is 45 minutes away; the amount of time I'd spend driving over there, waiting around for it to get done, and driving back is easily more than the time I spend just doing it myself, plus I'd have to take time off of work to do it, which is a giant PITA. Doing it myself, I can do it in 30 minutes in my garage in the evening or on the weekend.

I'll also add that once you figure out how to get the car jacked up (wheel ramps seem to be the best method here), changing the oil is really, really easy on this car thanks to the convenient location of the oil filter and the access panel. I do wish they had a jacking point close to the front though. That jacking point behind the engine is way too far back for most jacks.

 

[mzd]

Ridiculous, I couldn't get my jack that far back! :argh 1::argh 1::argh 1::argh 1:


Ended up power jacking using the scissor jack.

 

[BrotherAli]

I wonder if this jack could reach the front jacking point?

Low Profile Floor Jack - 2 Ton, Rapid Pump® Jack

I have the regular one:

3 ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Floor Jack with Rapid Pump®

Ill have to try it sometime. I never jack from the pinch weld, have had it bend before (hockey puck would probably have prevented that); still rather jack from 1 point and then use two jack stands, just faster and more efficient

 

[Seggle02]

The Australian owners handbook suggests that one can use pretty much any oil. 0-20 oil hard to find in Australia. Needs to be at least SG Grade, doesn't even have to be synthetic. but need to match your temperature (in our case a 40 grade oil would be ok) But for 10000km oil changes I'll use synthetic, can find for about A$55 a jug depending on sale. I have a jug of STP 10w-40 in the garage I will use come October.

Aussie Mazda dealers charge A$295 for even the minor service, I kid you not!

 

[dhectorg]

I recently did the first oil change on my '16 3sGT and couldn't get the factory filter off. I've never had one on this tight before. What's more is that the thing is so small, none of my wrenches could grab it. I ultimately had to use the old screwdriver trick (punched a screwdriver clean thru it for leverage). It worked, but damn why does every car company always over-tighten these things at the factory? Anyway, I used Mobil 1 EP 0w20 and M1-108 EP filter and the car seems to like it. I've even noticed a bump in mileage. I'm averaging 35mpg with 75% highway / 25% city driving, and I don't baby it. Was getting about 33.5 mpg before. Not too shabby!

UPDATE: I'm actually seeing 37 mpg now that the engine is fully broken in. A matter of concern, though, is that it's burning oil. Since my first oil change, the level dropped from the middle of the 2 dots to the low dot on the dip stick, after about 4000 miles. I added 200ml, which brought it up to almost half way between the dots. I checked it again at 5500 miles and it's back down to the low dot again, so I added another 250ml. I'm concerned that a brand new engine would be burning a half quart of oil between changes, especially with mostly low load highway driving. It could be due to the high compression nature of skyactiv engines, but I'm taking it in to be checked, in any case.

 

[314]

2015 mazda3i

which oil filter to use?
was thinking fram from walmart since my mazda dealer is not convenient to get to.

 

[geeboss]

Mobil 1 m-108 --- MAZDA SKYACTIVE OIL FILTER #PE01-14-302 or use link for cross reference for oil filter

MOBIL M1-108 - Alternative oil filters

http://www.oilfilter-crossreference.com/convert/MAZDA/PE01-14-302

 

[314]

what size cap wrench? --> oil wrench - Walmart.com

 

[MeteorGray]

Question: "What size cap wrench?"

The oil filter socket is approximately 66 or 67 mm. I "think" mine is 67mm. You can bring a filter to the store to find which fits best. The socket can be used to remove the oil filter with use of a ratchet wrench to fit the socket. The socket is also useful in properly tightening the new filter by hand.

 

[geeboss]

Dup

 

[geeboss]

Take a rubber mat jar opener and twist.If you require more leverage take your belt and loop it around the rubber mat and oil filter and give it a quick yank. As noted above in a worst case jab two screwdrivers on either side of the filter twist to break seal.

 

[314]

could not remove the 8mm drain plug with my 8mm allen key.

looks like I gota buy a 8mm hex socket for my ratcheting wrench to get more leverage.

 

[LeeMazda3]

could not remove the 8mm drain plug with my 8mm allen key.

looks like I gota buy a 8mm hex socket for my ratcheting wrench to get more leverage.

You can try using a metal pipe extension on the allen key for extra leverage.

 

[314]

wow.. I screwed up... I put in 5w-20 full synthetic.
how much of a problem will that be?

also, my old mazda3 oil filter says PE01-14-302A.
the one I bought says PE01-14-302B.
any difference?

 

[Amplified]

wow.. I screwed up... I put in 5w-20 full synthetic.
how much of a problem will that be?

also, my old mazda3 oil filter says PE01-14-302A.
the one I bought says PE01-14-302B.
any difference?

5w20 and 0w20 are nearly identical at operating temperatures are they not?

and a lot of people run 5w20

 

[dhectorg]

wow.. I screwed up... I put in 5w-20 full synthetic.
how much of a problem will that be?

also, my old mazda3 oil filter says PE01-14-302A.
the one I bought says PE01-14-302B.
any difference?

You can definitely use 5w20, but you may notice a slight reduction in fuel economy, as 5w is a tad more viscous than 0w, creating slightly more friction in the engine and reducing efficiency. That said, the wear resistance of 5w would probably be slightly better than 0w because more viscous oil will coat engine parts more thoroughly. Very minor differences, though.

My guess is the "B" at the end of the filter part# indicates a minor revision in the design, with no change in functionality.

 

[Tonyride]

Oil filter wrench size?

I apologize if this was mentioned already but what is the size of the filer wrench needed to remove the OEM Mazda oil filter? Thanks.

 

[MeteorGray]

The oil filter socket is approximately 66 or 67 mm. You could bring a filter to the store to make sure it fits.

 

[Dante999]

Is it the same for 1.5Diesel?

 

[Coopspeed]

I apologize if this was mentioned already but what is the size of the filer wrench needed to remove the OEM Mazda oil filter? Thanks.

Try your hands before you buy a wrench. I didn't need one to remove the old filter.:grin2: