Recomendation for sons Mazda

[TR3-2001SE]

My son is home from college and has asked me the help with his car problems. He has been very lacks about oil changes on his Mazda Milliam 6 cyl
with automatic. A month ago he indicated his car was burning oil. I ask how much and he didn't know. I ask the last time he checked it and he said he didn't know. We check the oil and nothing registered on the dip stick

I had two quarts of 20w-50 castrol I use in my old toyota so I added one quart. It came to the add mark and a second quart made it full. It only holds 4 quarts. I ask him to immediately get an
oil change and check the oil at each fill-up.
It has been 2100 miles since the change and he is one quart low. He has been changing the oil every six months and my guess is this is about 8000 miles. Dealer has supplied oil so anyones guess as to what. Car is at 100,000 miles.
What should I recomend to him at this point.

[ June 20, 2003, 06:00 PM: Message edited by: TR3-2001SE ]

 

[Mike242GT]

Well, I'd teach him that proper maintenance is a major part of the responsibility of automobile operation and ownership. Shoot, my 11 year old son knows how to change oil on our cars! Your son's car sounds like a candidate for some Auto-RX, followed up with regular changes at somewhat shorter intervals using a quality filter and some decent conventional oil (maybe one of the high mileage formulas), unless the Auto-RX takes care of the oil consumption issue and you or he want to spend the $$$ for synth.

 

[davidc]

[ It only holds 4 quarts. I ask him to immediately get an
oil change and check the oil at each fill-up.
It has been 2100 miles since the change and he is one quart low. He has been changing the oil every six months and my guess is this is about 8000 miles. Dealer has supplied oil so anyones guess as to what. Car is at 100,000 miles.
What should I recomend to him at this point. [/QB][/QUOTE]

I have a 95 Millenia with the 2.5 24 valve engine. Great engine and about the same mileage (96000).
I have used Royal Purple 10w30 in mine since we bought it used at 18,000 miles. I routinely run 10,000 with oil filter changes at 5000 using the RP.
However, since your son has abused the engine alittle, I would recommend using the RP 15W40 as it is a very stout dual use oil for both diesel and gasoline vehicles being rated as an API CI-4 / SL oil.
Have him run 5000 miles with a filter chnge at 2500 as the Mazda oil filter is very small on this vehicle.

A quart of oil consumption in a 100,000 mile car every 2100 which has not had the best service is actually not that bad. It's actually very average. Try taking your Ford into the dealer and complaining that it's burning a quart per 2100 and they'll laugh at you.

 

[Al]

quote:

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Originally posted by TR3-2001SE:
What should I recomend to him at this point.

---

I'd agree he shld be taught to keep the oil level up.

I would suggest 2 quarts of Pennzoil 10W-30 and 2 quarts of Pennzoil 10W-40. That will give you a little extra viscosity. You consider going to the 10W-40 altogether also. Make sure he keeps the oil level no less than halfway the crosshatch on the distick

 

[YZF150]

It does not appear that he is capable or interested in doing this maintenance. Two quarts this plus two quarts that? Royal Purple for this kid? Are you kidding?

TR3, what you should recommend to him is that he get a thrifty-ads beater and run it 'til it drops, and then get another. He doesn't appreciate the value of the vehicle, or the significance of this most basic vehicle ownership responsibility. He hasn't grown up yet in this regard.

[ June 20, 2003, 11:10 PM: Message edited by: YZF150 ]

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,

I have four sons. All mechanically excellent ( 2x diesel truck/motor mechanics, 2x Avionics Engineers ( one now an MD ) - when they were younger they were like your son. Never fear!

What I used to do and I recommend to you is to do a quick oil and filter change - use a CI 10w-40 Delo or something, and only go say 1000 miles
Once thats done be practical - put in a simple readily available mineral oil ( say 15w-50 0r 10w-40 that meets the recommended spec ). Keep the container with some oil in his car!

Tell him ( and show him how so there is no doubt ) to check the oil weekly, when cold, in the same flat location

I have just been through this with my 17yo daughter for whom I have bought a Daihatsu Charade. She follows this plan very well.
She has also changed wheels, checked coolant and tyres and etc. all under guidance. As we live in "the bush" this is essential stuff!

Don't forget we were once like them - they may never be like us !

Regards
Doug Hillary

 

[vvk]

Try Havoline 5W-30 (non-synthetic.) I have seen some strong evidence that it reduces oil consumption in Mazda engines.

 

[Neonmike22]

I know that particular V6 in probes and other mazdas likes to leak oil from the valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals.

 

[mrchecker]

quote:

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Originally posted by Doug Hillary:
I have just been through this with my 17yo daughter for whom I have bought a Daihatsu Charade.

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A Charade?

I thought the car names were getting ridiculous in the U.S. with names like Vibe, Passat, Stylus, Prius, etc. But Charade has to be a new low. Do the Koreans know what that means in English? Kinda like Chevy shipping the Nova to South America with no name change.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi Mrchecker,

sorry they are made in Japan. They've been sold here for about 20 years with that name
our Asian friends sure have some cute names don't they ?
They sold a tiny Suzuki Ute here as a "Mighty Boy" sexist eh?
Oh well I suppose we can all recall the Edsell !!

Regards

 

[Matt89]

Wow, Mazda Millenia's a NICE car, and no offense to TR3 but he shouldn't have it if he won't take care of it. Strong case for kids having to buy/insure cars with their own hard-earned money, and then drive a crappy one after they've ruined the nice one they had. It's not like the owner's manual is some secret document that they don't have access to.

I often say "***" to myself when I see these kids. The teenybopper living next to me (ok, maybe she's 20) drives a basically new Escalade. I've never seen it with the hood open...

I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she's really busy saving the world talking on her cellphone every time I see her.

Sorry, off the soapbox now.

I always liked the name "Suzuki Esteem". Like buying one of those might help you out in that regard...

 

[Matt89]

TR3- Hope you didn't take that as me being judgemental about how you've raised your son. I have no standing to criticize since my daughter "ain't there yet". Just venting about some of the stuff I see here in this college town...

 

[Chris B.]

My wife had a 1997 Saturn SC2 and it was in absolute perfect condition whe she sold it to he mom. My wife and I really took care of it and her mom let her youngest daughter 18 (my wifes sister) take the Saturn and knowing her I knew that car was toast! It made me really mad to see it be "destroyed" after we took such good care of it!
I feel kids need to work hard for their things and learn to take care of things first!