Severe Service Defined

Scheduled Maintenance
Follow the normal schedule if the vehicle is operated mainly where none of the following conditions apply. If any do apply, follow the severe schedule.
- Repeated short-distance driving
- Driving in dusty conditions
- Driving with extended use of brakes
- Driving in areas where salt or other corrosive materials are used
- Driving on rough or muddy roads
- Extended periods of idling or low-speed operation
- Driving for long periods in cold temperatures or extremely humid climates

Canadian Vehicles

Unless otherwise noted at a given component interval, use the Severe Service intervals for vehicles that are driven substantially in Canada.

Extended Idling
Idling the engine for extended periods will accumulate more hours of use on the vehicle than is actually indicated by the mileage odometer. Consequently, the odometer reading can often be misleading when determining the right time to change the engine oil and filter. If the vehicle has been used in a manner which allows it to remain stationary while the engine is running for long periods of time (door-door delivery, taxi, police, utility trucks or similar duty), then Mazda recommends that the frequency of the oil and filter changes be increased as follows:

Interval equivalent [1] 200 engine hours

[1] Approximate idle time.

Notes on "Severe Service"
Some vehicle manufacturers provide separate maintenance procedures for vehicles operated under Severe or Special circumstances. Other manufacturers provide recommendations for service at more frequent intervals for vehicles operated under severe conditions. For any vehicle operated under severe conditions, as defined by the vehicles manufacturer, always check the regular maintenance schedule for procedures that may not appear at the similar interval under severe service.

Example:
Manufacturer recommends tire rotation at 10,000 mile intervals under regular maintenance.
There is no tire rotation recommendation shown in the severe service schedule, which has 3,000 mile intervals.

At a minimum, recommend rotation at 9,000 and 18,000 mile intervals etc., or as close to the regular schedule as possible. Depending on vehicle usage and obvious tire wear, this recommendation should be increased as necessary.