My ND 3 is a couple of weeks old, around 270 miles on the clock. Noticed today when flicking thru the maintenance section of the screen that it is saying the first oil service is due in 4600 miles. Is this possible? Seems very early.
We are obliged for our 7 year warranty reasons with our 2 year old Swift to drop the lube at our Dealer annually. The next one is also FOC, but subsequent ones will b e a chargeable event. Car has only clocked 4 k miles, and it seem such a waste of good 0-20 as the oil drops the same shade as new stuff. We get them to fill a tub and I drop it off to an elderly local with a Swift so he services his own with it. New filter though. So Iād check about the new ND warrantyā¦Iāve no idea of it. These things are full of get-out clause traps.
12 month service intervals are common in the industry these days. Personally, I would always insist on an early oil and filter change before 1000 miles to remove the metal flakes which are produced during the running in period. In the great scheme of things it isnāt that expensive. I suppose it depends on whether the car is a long term keeper or you are going to change it after 3 or 4 years and your likely annual mileage.. Nevertheless, if you are shelling out over Ā£30,000 on a car, frequent oil & filter changes could be considered a minor expense.
Where can I find the service schedule? The previous one was every 12000 miles or 12 months.
Iām PCH for four yeras - so not mine per se but I do want to keep it within warranty for servicing.
Correct me if Iām wrong, but isnāt the engine oil / service schedule for a Mk4 (ND) every 6,500 miles? 
You are incorrect, itās 12.5k miles.
Guessing here that your dealer should have set the service reminder on the info screen at the PDI.
Handbook says 12 months/12.k miles service/oil changes, itāll be in there if they still provide handbooks and that info nowadays.
Yes, I think I might reset it and manually set the first service for 12mths/12500 miles. Although there is an option for Auto or Manual service intervals and this is set to Auto. So I donāt really understand it.
The full Ownerās Manual is available to download from Mazdaās website. The book in the book pack is only a quick reference guide. A downloadable Ownerās Manual means that it can always be kept up to date.
It should be set to Automatic and it should have been reset on the day of registration.
I would never allow any car in which I had a financial interest cover
12, 500 miles before itās first oil and filter change, but that is my personal choice. As long as car is serviced exactly according to the Manufacturerās schedule and specifications, they will honour the warranty.
Called up the supplying dealership who agreeed the schedule should have been reset during PDI, and that the computer is probably calculating from when the vehicle was built. I have reset it myself.
Others have already commented in the same manner. Leaving a first oil service for more than a few 1000 miles is bonkers. Car manufacturers really have no interest in the longevity of your purchase, merely wishing to make the running costs look as low as possible. Despite modern production and assembly techniques there will aways be a small residue of contaminants. Thereafter I would suggest an oil and filter change every 5000 miles or annually, whichever comes first. Some have commented upon colour changes in the oilā¦ if everything is working as it was designed then the colour should not change unless the vehicle has a poorly serviced turbo. What will change is the property of the oil.
Iām not sure if I agree with that, even though I did the same, no doubt brain washed by internet heros.
I changed mine at about 4K miles, 7 months if I recall, as I blindly believed I had to.
However, looking at this now with a clear mind, what really have I achieved?
Every car Iāve owned (some from new) the engine oil discolours (darker) as the miles go on. So I donāt know where your thinking comes from on oil colour not changing?
My tuppence worth on oil changes especially to the OP. You can have the oil changed between annual oil changes if your car is going to reach those kind of miles annually, itāll be better for the engine. Both my ND and daily driver get oil changes around 5k miles or annually whichever comes first.
Some interesting thoughts on here. With all the cars I have owned (and there have been loads) I have never changed the oil early except for when it was scheduled. And I have always seen the oil change colour after only a few thousand miles.
My last car was an ND2, 34K on the clock, never an issue. My Alfa went for 115K miles without any issue other than a clogged fuel filter, and that had its oil change at 21K! It was a diesel.
This car, like the others will go back to the PCH company in 4 years and so it isnāt an interest to me other than to keep to the servicing schedules. Now I am sure that it was a PDI error I am no longer worried about it!
the oil put in at the factory often contains additional additives to help the engine bed in, so itās important to let these do their job, but also to change the oil once theyāve done their job, so follow the manual and change as required for this first time.
after that, changing the oil more frequently is fine, it depends on how you use the car. Lots of short journeys, or driving at higher loads means you should consider changing more frequently, but longer and steady cruises probably not so much.
Oil doesnāt really age, so if you really only drive 2000mi a year and thatās just a nice steady speed and not on track days, you can simply leave it for longer. Brake fluid does go off, donāt skip that!
I simply have the car serviced every year along with the MOT test, about 5000mi. Even the best oil and filter are comparatively cheap compared to an engine rebuild.
@mxomatosis 100% agree with this, changing oil regularly is a great way of extending engine life and minimising wear but in some ways I would say an early oil change on a new engine is even more important. Might be a bit old fashioned as manufacturers say you donāt really need to run in engines any more but given an oil change is so cheap I would say its a false economy not to.
There is a YouTube channel - āThe Motor Oil Geekā which is well worth watching. https://youtu.be/QDxn3mRTOfg?si=9Xgm-oVwiYKUWUCt