I just changed my oil, and even though it's pretty straightforward I made a video of how to do it. I've been making videos of just about everything I do on my cars and share them on YouTube. Most of my videos are for my Jaguar or my Saab. The Mazda has been pretty bulletproof.

Anyway... for anyone wondering about changing their own oil, here's a video:


By the way... this if for a 2004 with a 2.3 liter engine. Also, the undertray has already been removed. I'm not sure if it would cover the oil filter or not. It came loose about 100,000 miles ago and I just never put it back on. If it covers the oil filter, it's easy to remove. It's just held in place with 5 or 6 plastic screws.

 

The under tray does block access to the filter. IIRC on mine the bolts are metal not plastic.

 

My wife's came loose a few years ago and half of it was hanging down. She called me and work because she was afraid to drive it and stuck in a parking lot somewhere. I went and met her and I didn't have any tools with me. I rolled under her car in my white shirt and tie and saw that it was only being held on by a couple of screws (I even remember that they were Philips screws). I had no screwdriver, so I just jerked the thing until the screws pulled out. It didn't take much effort.

Maybe the prior owner had screwed it down, I'm not sure. I just know it was easy to yank off. I'm sure removing it to access the oil filter is pretty easy, regardless of whether it is screwed down or bolted down.