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I have a 2021 Mazda3 and MyMazda app is showing that I need to change my oil soon.
I had an oil change at 4600 miles and it's telling me to change oil at 7600 miles, and it's currently at 7500 miles.
I just checked the engine oil, and it's full and mostly yellow color. It's still closer to yellow than brown. So in short, looking at this, I wouldn't change oil soon.
Should I go with the app or the oil I see?
I downloaded the manual for the car. There are different service schedules for different countries.
Many countries like the UK have a 12500 miles schedule, whereas some hot countries are as low as 3250 miles.
Is the app configured for the country you live in?
Examples -
Every maintenance must be done when the display/wrench indication comes on. The display/wrench indication will come on before reaching the maximum interval, 20,000 km (12,500 miles) or 12 months, whichever comes first. (after the previous maintenance)
For Vehicles in Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Mongolia, Mozambique, Paraguay and Tanzania. Maximum interval 5,000 km (3,250 miles) or 6 months, whichever comes first.
For Vehicles in applicable countries/regions, except Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Mongolia, Mozambique, Paraguay and Tanzania. Maximum interval 10,000 km (6,250 miles) or 6 months, whichever comes first.
Especially with a new, and I assume still covered by the manufacturer's warranty, vehicle you want to follow the owner's manual recommended service intervals and keep records of having done so.
It's not required, in the USA anyway, that you have the dealer do it, but you must follow the procedures/intervals if you want to keep your warranty intact.
As far as your oil change indicator, that's not definitive since someone may have neglected to reset it properly. But you should have receipts showing the work being done.
Again, check your owner's manual for the interval and the type of oil to be used.
You have clocked 3,000 miles since your last oil change and your app is alerting you to the manufacturer's recommended Schedule 1 maintenance interval (severe). It is most likely that in this case the indicator & app were not (or could not be) reset at 4,500. Your particular car does not have some sophisticated, real-world sensor system that determines the actual condition of the oil at this moment. You could therefore ignore the app's warning and start maintaining your own log of oil changes.
Do not, however, rely on the dipstick. I've read many articles on the Machinery Lubrication website and have learned that the appearance of the oil on a dipstick really tells you very little about the oil's condition. It could be badly contaminated by water, debris, additive breakdown, sulfuric acid, sludge, etc. and you would have no idea based on color. Even an expensive oil analysis by a lab can be misleading. Personally, oil that is slightly brown on a dipstick looks horrible once you drain it into a pan and shine a flashlight on it.
As other users have posted, oil drain intervals vary widely depending on hot/humid climate conditions. Other conditions that shorten intervals include dust, stop-and-go traffic, short trips under 15 minutes, cold weather operation, towing, heavy accelerations and a worn/poorly maintained engine.
