My W reg. MX5 is due for it's first service. One local Mazda dealer advises semi-synthectic oil, the other mineral oil.
Comment from Mazda UK: Read the handbook!
Is mineral OK in these engines?
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If you're going for semi-synthetic I'd use Texaco Havoline 5w/30. Don't use mineral oil.
HJ
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Tony,
I would reccomend a semi-synthetic oil.
The one I always use is Morris Multivis which is a high spec.
Look at their web page under Morris lubricants.
Alvin Booth
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Either fully ynthetic or semi......either way they extend cat life, all three of my vehicles use fully synthetic - the two cars for cat reasons and my CBR 1000 because of its Japanese engine and the fact it stands for the winter (although taxed tested and ready to roll) well worth the extra expense. I was advised to use it on the bike as mineral oil will break down if left standing too long.
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Both my new cars came with full synthetic,Chevy and Mercedes my fathers Zantia two of my colleages cars Opel and Volvo were delivered with full synthetic.Have not had time to ask anybody else.Our workers vans and cars get the cheapest oil available and we change twice as often.
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I swear by Synthetic Oil.
I have used it in my last three cars, (Rover 416SLI, Ford Puma 1.7 and Ford Focus 1.8) and find it reduces noise and wear whilst improving petrol economy.
I use fully synthetic Mobil 1 and it may be of interest to know that when I got my wife's oil changed in her Micra recently at Charlie Brown's in Middlesbrough they supplied Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil plus filter change for £22 inclusive of labour.
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Please DON'T use fully synthetic in this engine yet. It's too early in it's life and you run the risk of glazing the bores. If you MUST use a full synthetic wait until it has about 20k on the clock and is well bedded in.
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Are you sure about this? Sounds like a fairly bizarre concept. Bear in mind that quite a few cars leave the factory with Synthetic oil.
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Having been involved with the rebuild of two quality engines in recent memory, a Porsche 911 and an RS Cosworth Sierra both of which had been run on full Synthetic from the outset both had chronic glazing of the bores. When I asked a Porsche specialist on the grade of oil he recommended as a first fill he advised using a mineral or semi synthetic until the engine had bedded in with a first change at 500 miles again on a mineral or semi synth. His reason being that a full synthetic is too good a lubricant to allow the initial running in on a conventional engine. The reason that newer cars are now supplied with a full synthetic is probably due to advances in piston ring and cylinder materials.
I have also found that when using a full synthetic in an old engine they become prone to oil burning and seepage. Anyone else had this experience?
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I think the increased oil consumption and seepage are often a result of switching from a 'thicker' multigrade mineral oil to a 'thinner' synthetic oil and hence oil can find its way past piston rings, etc.
I switched from a multigrade mineral oil to a 5w/40 synthetic oil in a 80,000 mile BMW 320 a few years back and it made a significant improvement to the overall responsiveness of the engine. Well worth the slight increase in oil consumption.
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yes my 10 year old 911 3.2 carerra used to weap with mobil 1 - my boxster runs on mobil 1 and has done so from new.
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Funny you should mention this but......
I bought my Vectra from new and asked for a synthetic fill - the dealer refused on the grounds that they came from the factory with mineral oil and recommended I waited until the first service a 10 000 before re-filling with synthetic.....
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I feel certain that in the adverts for Mobil fully synthetic a couple of years ago primarily in Diesel Car magazine they had a question and answer part to it and one of them was should I use Mobil synthetic in my new car.
If my memory serves me correctly they advised to run the car on normal mineral or semi synthetic until the car was run in.
Another question was whether to use in an old car and they gave a similar answer as Andrew that there is possibility of seepage.
I would not myself go on to a fully synthetic oil for several thousand miles and the oil consumption had stabilised.
Along with many cars of a few years ago a special running in oil was used.
For instance the Perkins Prima diesel engine as fitted to the Maestro and Montego and also many marine applications came with a special oil which the dealer changed at 1000 miles to a conventional oil.
Perkins themselves stated that this was to aid the running in and to avoid bore glazing which many engines are prevalent to.
Incidentally in Perkins own manuals they specifically state that these engines should not be ran in under light load conditions but should be put under full load immediately for the same reasons.
regards
Alvin
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On the subjects mentioned above, what exactly is the very best way to run in a new, modern engine? Keep the revs down for the first couple of thousand miles and take it for longer, not shorter runs?
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