A very unfortunate oil leak

B

billzhangzy

Member
:
CX-5 Touring
Hi folks,
I was stupid when I decided to move my CX-5 (2015, AWD, Touring) with me when I relocated to Europe, thinking the quality of my CX-5 should be good.
What's the odds! Only after 13000 miles, I found it's leaking oil, and I don't have the warranty, and the local dealers have no idea how to proceed with an US-made CX-5.
It's said to be transmission fluid, but I guess something missing in the translation.

I thought the transmission fluid should be red, but mine is more like yellow or light brown.
The dealer told me they need to open the transaxle (direct translation is transfer case) to assess the damage and repair/replace. And they need to open it first then work with Mazda EU and US to figure out what to do.
And of course, it's going to cost a big fortune and time!

My question is, what oil do you think this is? Transmission fluid? Case oil? Engine oil? Where could it be from? The seal or the case itself (weeping?)?
What should I do? Mazda US is noted, but I don't know what support they can provide...
Since removing the wheels and opening the case seem to be an overkill~but I really don't know the tech part of it.
Any quick fix to make it slow?(because compare to the easily 1000EUR+ cost of repair, adding oil from time to time is much cheaper!)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7YRVjD4S4cFMXljdFdDZG9HMDQ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7YRVjD4S4cFQk9EYUd2SnJDbzQ/view?usp=sharing

Thank you all for your help!

Bill
 
Last edited:
The ATF for the 2014 Mazda should be a Blueish color which may look grey when viewing a few drops. The coolant however; has a greenish color which is closer to the picture you submitted. I would check all fluid levels and proceed only when a noticeable drop in fluid level is certain. Ed
 
The dealership is telling you it's transfer case fluid or transmission (transaxle) fluid?

I am a service manager for a Mitsubishi dealership and often process factory warranty claims to take the load off of my warranty administrator or to make sure I keep certain numbers. The warranty is submitted to the North American warranty department,then submitted to Japan for final warranty payout, processing, etc. I know that Mazda has got to do this the exact same way. Ultimately in falls on Mitsubishi.That's with trucks that are produced in Japan, they built it, they pay the warranty claim. Mazda is well established in Germany and you're not in an odd market. Yes, I can imagine it would be a bit more difficult to handle, but I can't imagine that the dealership would have to go too far up the food chain to correct this.You shouldn't be concerned with the expense as this would likely be a warranty repair either way. The fact is, Mazda offers the warranty and assuming you've met all of the warranty requirements concerning maintenance, they have no choice but to service you whether it be in Europe, North America, South America or Mars. Because you traveled X amount of distance to another location doesn't mean your warranty is void. Especially when there is a servicing dealer in the area that currently has your vehicle.
 
billzhangzy said:
Hi folks,
I was stupid when I decided to move my CX-5 (2015, AWD, Touring) with me when I relocated to Europe, thinking the quality of my CX-5 should be good.
What's the odds! Only after 13000 miles, I found it's leaking oil, and I don't have the warranty, and the local dealers have no idea how to proceed with an US-made CX-5.
It's said to be transmission fluid, but I guess something missing in the translation.

I thought the transmission fluid should be red, but mine is more like yellow or light brown.
The dealer told me they need to open the transaxle (direct translation is transfer case) to assess the damage and repair/replace. And they need to open it first then work with Mazda EU and US to figure out what to do.
And of course, it's going to cost a big fortune and time!

My question is, what oil do you think this is? Transmission fluid? Case oil? Engine oil? Where could it be from? The seal or the case itself (weeping?)?
What should I do? Mazda US is noted, but I don't know what support they can provide...
Since removing the wheels and opening the case seem to be an overkill~but I really don't know the tech part of it.
Any quick fix to make it slow?(because compare to the easily 1000EUR+ cost of repair, adding oil from time to time is much cheaper!)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7YRVjD4S4cFMXljdFdDZG9HMDQ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7YRVjD4S4cFQk9EYUd2SnJDbzQ/view?usp=sharing

Thank you all for your help!

Bill
Click to expand...
What did the dealer say about the oil leak such as what and where? Try to contact Mazda North American Operations and see if they can cover the warranty via European Mazda dealers. Is the oil or fluid dripping to the ground overnight? With only 13,000 miles, I'd suspect there's any serious oil leak. If everything fails of getting the warranty coverage, I'd leave it alone. I'd not pay for this expensive bill trying to fix those minor leaks. Check oil level more often and add oil accordingly.

BTW, what did you do to pass the EU inspection eventually on your US spec front turn signal / parking light / side marker?
 
yrwei52 said:
What did the dealer say about the oil leak such as what and where? Try to contact Mazda North American Operations and see if they can cover the warranty via European Mazda dealers. Is the oil or fluid dripping to the ground overnight? With only 13,000 miles, I'd suspect there's any serious oil leak. If everything fails of getting the warranty coverage, I'd leave it alone. I'd not pay for this expensive bill trying to fix those minor leaks. Check oil level more often and add oil accordingly.

BTW, what did you do to pass the EU inspection eventually on your US spec front turn signal / parking light / side marker?
Click to expand...

Hi, the deals, yes more than one, said it's from the seal of the gear box where wheel is connected. Mazda NA said more than once "when the vehicle has been exported to a different country, the warranty becomes null and void."
It's yellow/brown, so I doubt it's transmission fluid. It may highly be the transfer box (they spoke either French or German, so I am not sure). I want to know where and what's leaking too. so I can get some oil and add myself as you said. But do you know how?

Regarding the inspection, since this is part of my relocation, I don't have to "pass" the inspection, I know my lights are not compliance. But I took the cheaper choice in which I pay less:) The downside is, I can't sell it.
 
I think it's similar! Yellowish color, but mine is far more severe. It's all over the bottom of the car.
Yours is "weep", mine is, god, pouring~
 
Preferio said:
The dealership is telling you it's transfer case fluid or transmission (transaxle) fluid?

I am a service manager for a Mitsubishi dealership and often process factory warranty claims to take the load off of my warranty administrator or to make sure I keep certain numbers. The warranty is submitted to the North American warranty department,then submitted to Japan for final warranty payout, processing, etc. I know that Mazda has got to do this the exact same way. Ultimately in falls on Mitsubishi.That's with trucks that are produced in Japan, they built it, they pay the warranty claim. Mazda is well established in Germany and you're not in an odd market. Yes, I can imagine it would be a bit more difficult to handle, but I can't imagine that the dealership would have to go too far up the food chain to correct this.You shouldn't be concerned with the expense as this would likely be a warranty repair either way. The fact is, Mazda offers the warranty and assuming you've met all of the warranty requirements concerning maintenance, they have no choice but to service you whether it be in Europe, North America, South America or Mars. Because you traveled X amount of distance to another location doesn't mean your warranty is void. Especially when there is a servicing dealer in the area that currently has your vehicle.
Click to expand...

Thanks Preferio.
But I doubt Mazda is giving me the warranty. They said more than once "when the vehicle has been exported to a different country, the warranty becomes null and void."
There are many Germany Mazda dealers, the problem is, my VIN has nothing in their system, so they said they have no idea what spare parts to use or how to proceed. One of them said they would charge me 950EUR to open the transfer case and find out what's wrong ,then reached out to Mazda Germany for more information. I doubt that's the right approach.
So, appreciate what you said. But do you know how should I approach Mazda? Should I ask for warranty from Mazda Europe instead of US? Thanks.
 
erhayes said:
I would check all fluid levels and proceed only when a noticeable drop in fluid level is certain.
Click to expand...
This is the best advice at this point. Engine oil and coolant are easy to check. ATF, gear oil in transfer case are harder. But it just happened that Anchorman posted all the info you need to check these ATF fluid / gear oil levels today. Check post #35 under the topic "FWD & AWD Differntial Gear Oil" near the top of the first page under CX-5 Lounge section.

This is still very strange to me that with only 13,000 miles that the car would have developed such severe leak, especially for the transfer case in doubt. Hopefully it's as simple as a loose drain plug on your transfer case as I remember one member had mentioned before that his plug was quite loose from factory when he was changing the gear oil for it.
 
If it is the front transfer diff I'd leave the lower splash shield off... you really don't want to be removing like 20+ screws, bolts and plastic rivets to be checking on fluid level of that unit on a regular basis.
 
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