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Thread: Best Oil for a Mirage?

  1. #31
    Senior Member stevedmc's Avatar
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    My car has 287k miles. I run conventional 5w30.



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    Senior Member itschad's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    Ouch! Mobil 1 is about $25-35 for five quarts here in the Colonies, depending on where you buy it. Five quarts is about 5.3 liters. You are really paying $65 for it?
    Yes I'm afraid so. We get caned over here on almost everything we buy. A gallon of squirt (petrol) £5.50 (about $7). Guns are cheaper over there. I wonder if Uncle Don would let me in?

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    Senior Member itschad's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by precisionxt View Post
    Could you imagine being pulled over by an unmarked Mirage?
    Yes, then they'd have to take me to hospital as I'd probably die laughing.

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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by itschad View Post
    I wonder if Uncle Don would let me in?
    I'll vouch for you!

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    Hello all,
    . . . . I have been using Castrol 5-50 Syntec now know as Edge for decades. The first car that I used it in was a 1973 Mazda RX-3 with a 500HP Turbo Rotary under the hood. The oil control rings, main bearings, and rotor bearings would last 200K miles. The eccentric shaft never showed any wear even at 500K miles.
    . . . . My next vehicle was a Mazda 323 that I bought new. At 30K I switched it from Castrol 10-40 conventional oil to the Syntec. At 200K I had to replace the exhaust valves because I sprung a coolant leak and burnt the valves. There was zero cylinder wear, camshaft wear, lifter wear, even the factory hatch marks were still visible in the cylinders. At this time I was changing the oil every 5K miles and the engine used no oil between oil changes. I sold the car with 320K miles on it and it still didn't use any oil between changes.
    . . . . My next car was a 2002 Mazda Protege that I bought brand new. Again I used 10-40 conventional Castrol in it until I had 30K on it. I then switched over to the Syntec. I just traded it for the 2019 Mirage that I now own. It had 132K miles on it and it was using 1/4 quart every 10K miles. I switched over to 10K between changes at about 100K miles.
    . . . . I plan on using Castrol 5-50 Edge in my Mirage. I now have about 4K miles on it. I am uncomfortable using a 0-20 oil because of the kind of driving that I do. I like to start up, hop on the highway and drive for hour after hour at 70, 75, 80, or 85 MPH depending on the current speed limit.
    . . . . My opinion and two cents as a 35 year Certified Master Auto Technician with 40 years of experience in the field.
    GOD Bless and Thanks,
    rich!

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    . . . . I have been using Castrol 5-50 Syntec now know as Edge for decades. The first car that I used it in was a Mazda RX-3 with a 500HP Turbo Rotary under the hood. The oil control rings, main bearings, and rotor bearings would last 200K miles. The eccentric shaft never showed any wear even at 500K miles.
    . . . . My next vehicle was a Mazda 323 that I bought new. At 30K I switched it from Castrol 10-40 conventional oil to the Syntec. At 200K I had to replaced the exhaust valves because I sprung a coolant leak and burnt the valves. There was zero cylinder wear, camshaft wear, lifter wear, even the factory hatch marks were still visible in the cylinders. At this time I was changing the oil every 5K miles and the engine used no oil between oil changes. I sold the car with 320K miles on it and it still didn't use any oil between changes.
    . . . . My next car was a Protege that I bought brand new. Again I used 10-40 conventional Castrol in it until I had 30K on it. I then switched over to the Syntec. I just traded it for the 2019 Mirage that I now own. It had 132K miles on it and it was using 1/4 quart every 10K miles. I switched over to 10K between changes at about 100K miles.
    . . . . I plan on using Castrol 5-50 Edge in my Mirage. I know have about 4K miles on it. I am uncomfortable using a 0-20 oil because of the kind of driving that I do. I like to start up, hop on the highway and drive for hour after hour at 70, 75, 80, or 85 MPH depending on the current speed limit.
    . . . . My opinion and two cents as a 35 year Certified Master Auto Technician with 40 years of experience in the field.
    GOD Bless and Thanks,
    rich!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mechanic View Post
    . . . . I have been using Castrol 5-50 Syntec now know as Edge for decades. The first car that I used it in was a Mazda RX-3 with a 500HP Turbo Rotary under the hood. The oil control rings, main bearings, and rotor bearings would last 200K miles. The eccentric shaft never showed any wear even at 500K miles.
    . . . . My next vehicle was a Mazda 323 that I bought new. At 30K I switched it from Castrol 10-40 conventional oil to the Syntec. At 200K I had to replaced the exhaust valves because I sprung a coolant leak and burnt the valves. There was zero cylinder wear, camshaft wear, lifter wear, even the factory hatch marks were still visible in the cylinders. At this time I was changing the oil every 5K miles and the engine used no oil between oil changes. I sold the car with 320K miles on it and it still didn't use any oil between changes.
    . . . . My next car was a Protege that I bought brand new. Again I used 10-40 conventional Castrol in it until I had 30K on it. I then switched over to the Syntec. I just traded it for the 2019 Mirage that I now own. It had 132K miles on it and it was using 1/4 quart every 10K miles. I switched over to 10K between changes at about 100K miles.
    . . . . I plan on using Castrol 5-50 Edge in my Mirage. I know have about 4K miles on it. I am uncomfortable using a 0-20 oil because of the kind of driving that I do. I like to start up, hop on the highway and drive for hour after hour at 70, 75, 80, or 85 MPH depending on the current speed limit.
    . . . . My opinion and two cents as a 35 year Certified Master Auto Technician with 40 years of experience in the field.
    GOD Bless and Thanks,
    rich!
    I enjoyed reading your post. Being a mechanic, I appreciate you sharing your opinion of things. If you don't mind, I have a few questions.

    You seemed like a loyal Mazda customer. What made you decide to buy a Mirage?

    Castrol Edge 5W-50 is a bit expensive. Where do you find the best deal for it?

    Mirage has two maintenance schedules (3,750 or 7,500 miles) for oil/filter changes. What oil change intervals do you plan to do?

    What oil filter do you plan on using for your Mirage?

    I hope you don't mind adding to what you have already shared with us?

    Thanks!

  10. #38
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    Mark,
    . . . . I am retired and disabled so my income is limited. I have worked on Mitsubishi's in the past and I know that the build quality is good to excellent. I could afford the Mirage and that is why I bought it. I would love to own a RX-7 or RX-8 but I can't afford them. The Mirage runs good and I am impressed by the torque of this little engine. I do wish it had more power and would like to put a Turbo on it with about 8psi of boost. A six speed would also help. The ratios of the five speed are far enough apart that you are out of the power band for a short time between shifts. Make six an overdrive just like fifth is now, leave 1st gear alone, make fifth 1 to 1, and space the second through fourth such that they are closer together.
    . . . . I buy my Edge from Weavers Auto Parts here in town. Yes it is somewhat expensive but considering that engine wear quits, you get good cold starts, good hot protection, and it really only needs to be changed every 10K miles it is a good buy. I will change my oil and filter every 7.5K miles and I am going to use the Mitsubishi filter. My dealer does the first oil change for free and the others are at half price for the life of the car.
    . . . . No, I don't mind at all. I will be more than happy to answer any additional questions and I enjoy having your comments. I am a teacher at heart.
    GOD Bless and Thanks,
    rich!

  11. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mechanic View Post
    Mark,
    . . . . I am retired and disabled so my income is limited. I have worked on Mitsubishi's in the past and I know that the build quality is good to excellent. I could afford the Mirage and that is why I bought it. I would love to own a RX-7 or RX-8 but I can't afford them. The Mirage runs good and I am impressed by the torque of this little engine. I do wish it had more power and would like to put a Turbo on it with about 8psi of boost. A six speed would also help. The ratios of the five speed are far enough apart that you are out of the power band for a short time between shifts. Make six an overdrive just like fifth is now, leave 1st gear alone, make fifth 1 to 1, and space the second through fourth such that they are closer together.
    . . . . I buy my Edge from Weavers Auto Parts here in town. Yes it is somewhat expensive but considering that engine wear quits, you get good cold starts, good hot protection, and it really only needs to be changed every 10K miles it is a good buy. I will change my oil and filter every 7.5K miles and I am going to use the Mitsubishi filter. My dealer does the first oil change for free and the others are at half price for the life of the car.
    . . . . No, I don't mind at all. I will be more than happy to answer any additional questions and I enjoy having your comments. I am a teacher at heart.
    GOD Bless and Thanks,
    rich!
    Thanks for your insights Rich!

    There is a lot of different opinions on engine oil on this forum. Some members are firm believers in sticking with the factory recommended 0W-20 oil, but 0W-20 is not the only recommend viscosity in other parts of the world for the Mirage. I have my own reservations about 0W-20 oil myself, & I am considering going with something else in the future.

    Personally, I really like the powertrain of the Mirage 5-speed manual. I have a 2017 ES manual. I don't find it under powered for a small lightweight economy car. It's the first 3-cylinder car that I have ever owned, but I've owned three different 4-cylinder cars that had less horsepower than the Mirage.

    My first car was a used 1978 Honda Civic CVCC Wagon that had 63 horsepower. This somewhat dates me. These cars still had a hand choke knob on the dash. I don't miss carbureted cars!

    I drove a 1990 Ford Festiva for 14-years, & it also had 63 horsepower. I paid $5,300 for that car brand new, & it served me very well. Festiva never felt under powered, but it didn't have A/C & was pretty lightweight (2-door hatchback designed my Mazda, built by KIA, and sold by Ford). The Festiva was my beater car.

    Our family car back in those days was a 1989 Plymouth Colt DL wagon. That car was a Mitsubishi with a Dodge/Plymouth's name on it. It had 75 horsepower, & it also served our family quite well. The Colt had no problem pulling my 4' x 8' trailer. In all honesty, it seemed more powerful than the current day 78 hp Mirage.

    I value the economy (mpg) of the Mirage over having more power. A slightly taller 5th gear would be nice, but I don't mind the car as is. In my case, I have a 2011 Forester 2.5X manual to do the things my Mirage can't do as well. The ability to pull a trailer and climb snow covered winter ridge roads is left to my Forester. The Mirage takes care of most everything else.

    Having two cars is a bit of a luxury, but they are both paid for. The Mirage saves wear & tear on the most expensive AWD vehicle, & I have daughter/son-in-law that live in Finland. When they visit for periods of time, I have an extra vehicle they can use.

    Another member has done well with free oil changes from a dealership. I think he made it until 270,000 miles on free oil changes (being done every 5,000 miles using 5W-30 conventional oil). That's approximately 54 free oil changes, & his Mirage is still going strong @ over 287,000+ miles.

    I am sort of old school, and I am planning to stick with 5,000 mile oil changes myself. It's only 3 quarts of oil in the engine, & it's easy to change. One local small town mechanic takes cares of our driving school cars, & he recommends 5,000 mile changes with synthetic oil, too. Those cars get worked sort of hard during lessons, & getting some mechanic TLC every 5,000 miles is probably good for them. Maintenance intervals can depend on how a vehicle used. I value more frequent changes & using a good quality oil filter myself.

    I've enjoyed chatting with you!

    So I have ask, because you mentioned it - You want to use Castrol Edge 5W-50 in your Mirage. Apparently, you're passing on the 1/2 price oil changes from the dealership after the 1st free one? Is that correct?

    Even @ half priced, you can still probably do it cheaper yourself.
    Last edited by Mark; 03-27-2020 at 06:40 AM.

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    Mark,
    . . . . My father disappeared when I was 16. Everything we owned was rented, leased, or mortgaged. We managed to hang on to our mobile home but we lost the car and they wanted to take our furniture and clothes. My mom worked it out some how. I was in my final semester of HS when my mom came home with a brand new 73 Mazda RX-2. I fell in love with it and the Rotary Engine. I abused that engine and the clutch but I learned a lot. It was one of those cars that had a plugged up radiator and the engine would overheat during the hot Las Vegas Summers. The water seals went out at about 13K miles. The car only had a 12/12 warranty. Mazda wanted $1,000 to repair the engine.
    . . . . I, with the help of a friend pulled the engine and I rebuilt it on the kitchen table. It cost $100 in parts and a service manual. I learned how to repair the Mazda Wankel and I became very good at it. Within the year I was working at the Mazda Dealership overhauling Wankels. Dozens of Wankels. Just like my Mom's RX-2 the radiators on 70% of these cars was plugged up with casting sand that was left over from the engines. This was the cause of the overheating. Over 50% of the tubes would be plugged up. Mazda extended the warranty on the Wankel and started paying for the repairs.
    . . . . A guy came in with a 73 RX-3 that had been trashed. I gave him $50 for the car and it had aluminum mags on it. They worth $50 a piece. I found a 13B engine and a five speed manual in a wrecked Cosmos. I bought those and brought them back to the shop. I proceeded do a full bridge port on the engine, knocked out the liners in the exhaust ports and polished them, pinned the rotor gears, had the stationary gears harden, put in a high output oil pump and changed the regulator spring so that I was running 100 psi of oil pressure.
    . . . . I then got a special Air Research TO-3 Turbo and a friend of mind built an exhaust and intake manifolds for me. We used braided aircraft grade hoses for the oil line and drain for the turbo. I had to run two waste gates because at 9,000 rpm the boost would start to build again. I was running 15 psi starting at 3,000 rpm. It was making 250 lb/ft at 3,000 to 13,000 rpm. The HP was directly related to the rpm. I was making 500 HP at just over 11,000 rpm. It also had a light weight aluminum flywheel a 4 puck racing clutch and heavy duty pressure plate.
    . . . . I went through the transmission and massaged the syncros, shift sleeves, and the syncro teeth on the gears. It was very easy to shift very quickly but you didn't want to miss a shift. If you did you had to take the trans a part install new syncros. It usually didn't hurt the gears or the sleeves. I was turning 13.1 at 110 in the 1/4 mile with it. The top end was unknown for you couldn't keep it on the ground. At 161 it was getting very light and squirrelly. I kept this car for almost 20 years and I put over 500K miles on it. I even took it to the Azores when the Air Force sent me there. What a car. It would also kill you in heart beat if you got stupid with it.
    . . . . I am going to let my dealer do the oil changes but I am going to have them use the 5-50 Edge. I just like the fact that the oil hasn't thinned out a whole lot at operating temperature. A 20 weight concerns me. I have also owned a Colt Turbo which was a Mitsubishi but I can't remember the model. It didn't run well at times and took me a while to find the crack in the head between cylinders number 2 and 3. I replace the head and that fixed it. I owned a Volvo 240 and a Datsun 510 for a while. I owned a Conquest for quite a while which was another Mitsubishi. So I have Owned Mitsubishis in the past. This is my first brand new one.
    . . . . I got a brand new Mazda 323 under lease and then I bought out the lease. I put 320K miles and sold it for $500. I stumbled into the Mazda Protege. I was in retraining to become an Electrical Engineer. The state of WI was paying for this and they had a program to make sure you could continue your studies. One of these programs would put up to $3,000 towards repairing your car or towards a new car. Mazda was offering a $2,000 rebate, and the Mazda dealer was giving $1,000 towards a new car, and they were giving a 10% discount for Veterans. The Protege was $15,000 and with the rebates and discounts I only paid $8,000 for it. It was kind of a no brainier at that point. I had 132K on it when I traded it on the Mirage. They gave me $3,000 in trade. It was rusting out on me.
    GOD Bless and Thanks,
    rich!



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