Should I get an oil change if I don't know which motor oil the person before me put in my car?

I went to an auto zone spot and the guy told me that if the 2 mix up it can cause transmission damage

That's like saying, ever since you repaired my tire , my radiator leaks and i want......blah, blah......

There's an oil light that comes on when I break or some to a complete stop and it turns off when I accelerate. It happened 2 days ago then stopped for a day then just last night it happened again.

Unless you use engine oil in a manual transmission, the two have nothing they share for lubrication or operation.

It's possible that the previous owner used a couple quarts of Regular Oil and a couple quarts of Synthetic Blend Motor Oil and they blended together. It's not that crucial, in my opinion, to HAVE to know exactly what oil the previous owner used (Sure, it WOULD be nice to know). Having owned a Mazda Miata with a similar 2.0L 4 cylinder engine, I would say just drain out all of the old oil and replace with at least a Synthetic Blend Oil. I used Full Synthetic in the Miata because it was a 6 speed manual and was a pretty rev-happy engine, so I wanted to protect the engine at higher revs.

Inspect the fluid levels first, a low level can affect a sensor to produce a warning light, BRAKES is spelled like that. In the event you break, there may be another website for you.

So getting a oil change is best?

You can call your dealer with your vin to find out what needs if any apply to your engine and year, Then ask advice about what they recommend you do not use, or what is critical that you do...they see them everyday.

It doesn't matter which kind of oil you use- pay extra for synthetic if you plan to keep the car for a long time- having said that, use Valvoline or Castrol- forget the Pennzoil-

Have you ever had a customer with a recent oil change and a pump relief valve issue? using manufacturer specification oil and part number can fix customer issues after a trip to disneylube, That is when it does matter. It generates factory bulletins and expense by the manufacturer and the customer. His expense gets drained out and thrown away, then he has to spend the money again, in some cases, that's what you see at the shop that has to actually fix stuff like this. They cannot make excuses. when you read up, or call dealer first. you can save time, trouble, and money.

This is why dealers are putting in their own lube centers now, it protects the product from the aftermarket and all their stories. It costs them more than they make from it, but builds owner loyalty. Then the manufacturer smiles and allows them opportunities to order stock to sell that they were denied before, like lightning and cobra at ford. The mazda cars get serviced with the same attention to detail.

Okay, nice to know that those Mazda dealers are so diligent- and that the 21st Century cars are so fragile and finicky- but this is a 10 year old car we're talkin' about- anyway, let's just tell everybody to use synthetic oil- we all got a lot of money, right?

What's up jamnblues? Long time, no see bro! I agree with you that dumping a lot of $$$ for Full Syn Oil for a 9-10 year old car may not be a wise investment. I will say that the Mazda 2.0 L DOHC 4 cylinder is a pretty sturdy engine and if maintained properly, will last awhile. Not saying that you have to baby it like an RX-7 or RX-8 (rotary engines), but having driven the Mazda 3 and Miata...they can get into the high revs often especially with manual trans. That's why I suggested at least Syn Blend for the Mazda 3.

The service bulletins that affect this subject are also that age. I would not just tell everybody to use something that Ford motor company studied and proved to be a problem at their proving grounds and generated a bulletin about it. A concerned opinion must include that kind of experience. My, and their bad experience becomes your blessing. I was allowed to flag .3 hr on a time card, that's 18 minutes. To fix a mazda at a Ford dealer because the aftermarket had sold them a billo'goods. The time to research, determine the cause, use correct parts and fix only what they needed or wanted exceeds 18 minutes by a dam sight. Thus, I offer now to you, a morsel of the meal that ate me that day. Use what Ford says, they are not liars.....about that.

They may include a certain synthetic as their possible recommendation. I did not have to retain that part of the info at the time. That's why I say, it does not hurt to ask. and thinking back to that day, the motorcraft filter could have been of a part number that had more corrective effect than the oil or its weight. I would have to go pullthe bulletin up to see. You can do that free at the public library if your car had an issue and you wanted to know. It is cheaper than an oil pump and labor which was the initial diagnosis. The bulletin came up and saved the customers tushy.

Oh, we used motorcraft 10w30 that day because it was the closest dispenser in the shop to the car. That oil was on the list in the service bulletin. When I work for free, I always see the job thru. My kids had to eat mac an cheese and fruit rollers, but they were still smilin and they like that stuff.

is there a maintenance reminder in the windshield or door jamb? Does it have an unusual filter brand in use? It used to be if synthetic was in use they stuck labels or reminders where you could see them. The issues with switching can produce sludge and deposits moving to where they bother. Like plugging drainback. Then it begins having one leak after another. Try to find out first to streamline the process. Look for receipts left behind, or contact where the car came from. Regular oil like it came with is all you need for protection. Many companies have confused the industry with apples and oranges.

The mazdas I had to work with at Ford were temperamental about filter part number and correct oil, their oil pump relief valve was in question, but factory oem part numbers and specs always saved the day, as per service bulletin applying in that case.