Owners

Fuels

Automotive fuels, these days, aren't just fuels. Here is some helpful advice on choosing not just the fuel that's right for you, but also how to make sure your Mazda makes the absolute most of it.

Minimising Fuel Consumption

  • Keep your Mazda regularly serviced. It will run more efficiently, reducing fuel costs
  • Avoid aggressive acceleration to reduce fuel consumption
  • Regularly check your tyre pressures
  • Don't carry heavy loads you don’t need to - a lighter vehicle is more fuel efficient
  • Remove roof racks when not in use. They add aerodynamic drag, increasing fuel use

Avoid excessive idling. If waiting to pick kids up or stopping to read a map, switch the engine off


Biofuels

Biofuel is a renewable fuel source that reduces pollution. Common biofuels are ethanol and biodiesel.


Ethanol

Ethanol is a colourless liquid (alcohol) generally produced from grain or sugar. Blending of ethanol in petrol has been suggested as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels.

The Australian Federal Government currently legislates that ethanol can be added to petrol in blends up to a maximum of 10%. This is called E10. Legislation states that E10 pumps must be labelled, giving you the choice of whether or not to purchase ethanol blended fuels.

To view the list of ethanol compatible (E10) Mazda models, click on Ethanol (E10) Compatibility Chart in the left menu

What happens when ethanol is used in non-suitable vehicles?

  • There is an increased possibility of metal fuel tanks and lines corroding or rusting
  • The chance of plastic fuel tanks swelling and breaking down is increased
  • The possibility of plastic and rubber fuel lines deteriorating is increased
  • There is a possibility of fuel injector O-rings breaking down
  • Carburettor floats and seals are susceptible to deterioration
  • Certain engine components may not be compatible with ethanol
  • Engine management mapping parameters may not be fully compatible with E10, creating idle, driveability and starting concerns, plus hot weather performance issues

Important points

  • Ethanol is an oxygenated fuel. E10 (which is oxygenated petrol) may reduce fuel economy by an average of 2-3% because oxygenates contain less energy than non-oxygenated petrol. This means you may get fewer kilometres per tank when using E10
  • Ethanol has a high affinity to water. Ingress of water could result in ethanol fuel blends breaking down into separate water/ethanol and petrol layers. This could create driveability concerns, as there’s a possibility of water/ethanol slugs reaching the engine
  • In some older vehicles, deposits in fuel systems can be loosened by E10, which may cause fuel filters to become blocked
  • Coarse ethanol, which is of poor quality, may cause poor idling plus driveability and starting issues, even if the vehicle is suitable to operate on E10

Biodiesel

This section covers fuel requirements and restrictions of Mazda diesel engines in relation to biofuel. Your Mazda will operate efficiently on diesel fuel with specification EN590 or the equivalent.

While diesel fuel with 5% or less biofuel concentration can be used and won’t affect engine and fuel system performance, anything more than 5% concentration could be damaging to the engine.

You should take extra care and responsibility to ensure the fuel does not contain more than this amount.

What can happen if I use diesel fuel with more than 5% biofuel?

  • Never use fuel other than specification EN590 or the equivalent for your vehicle. Use of petrol or paraffin in diesel engines will result in engine damage
  • Never use fuel with a concentration of more than 5% biofuel in your vehicle Use of such fuel could cause poor engine performance or serious engine damage
  • Never add fuel system additives for cleaning engines. These may cause damage to the various components of the fuel system such as injectors and fuel injector pumps

Important points

  • In some cases, if a diesel fuel is marked as "biofuel" or "containing biofuel", this could indicate that it contains more than 5% concentration of biofuel
  • Mazda does not recommend such products and owners and drivers of diesel vehicles have the responsibility to ensure any product under consideration for use contains 5% or less biofuel before use.
  • Be extra careful when selecting your fuel, as any fuel system and engine related issues arising from using fuel with more than 5% biofuel won’t be covered by your warranty.