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Just noticed this post. The fifth wire is to disable the trailer's electric brakes when you are backing up. I have a four-pin to five-pin converter (about $10) with a cigarette lighter type connector ($7) on the fifth wire. For normal trailering I use the converter with the fifth wire...

+1. The car just seems to hold position on an uphill slope without my doing anything. If it is really steep I set the parking brake. It snaps off as soon as I move the throttle pedal.

I haven't driven a newer model but certainly I think the headlights on my 2018 CX9 are one of the weakest parts of the vehicle. Quite disappointing. On a rainy night on a black-top road with traffic coming in the opposite direction it is actually quite scary, particularly since the windshield...

I agree with sm1ke: just buy the inserts from the Mazda dealer. Cheap, super easy to install, and effective.

Re the HUD: You can define how much or how little you want displayed. The minimum is speed, but you can add lane monitoring, nav information, speed limit monitoring, smart cruise control distance monitoring, and so on. I can't imagine how or why anybody would want to turn off speed, though...

My CX9 is machine grey, 18 months old. I have been through my local touchless wash perhaps 20 times. No signs at all of paint scratching or any other issues. But I do have to give the car a 'proper' wash every three or four months as the touchless wash does allow a very thin film of road...

Not that it is going to help solve your problem, but for the record I find the seats just fine except for their width. I am large: 6-1, 250 lbs, but it is the width of my hips that causes the issue. I can feel the side bolsters (on the base of the seat) much more than I should. However, I...

Not altogether true. Clear, amber colored oil is almost certainly good. Creamy oil is almost certainly bad as it indicates the presence of water. Black oil could be good or bad, so yes, black oil tells you nothing without further diagnosis.

Most people regardless of geography don't need it; safer driving tactics and perhaps winter rated tires are probably a better and less costly strategy. But if you've convinced yourself that you 'need' AWD you likely won't be satisfied without it. Based on 50 years of driving in various parts...

See PM.

Nice accessory (and nice mutt). I'm jealous! My dog is too tall even to stand up in the rear any more, so now we just put a cover on the rear seat and let her lie there. And the rear seat is smaller than this one she is on...

Yes, Kelowna to Abbotsford is a net decline of some 300 meters (1,000 feet), so the trip back is obviously a net climb of the same amount. But I don't think that is particularly relevant as the trip goes like this: After leaving Kelowna you climb steadily to just under 1,750 m (5,700 feet...

I drove 450 km across the mountains from Kelowna to Abbotsford yesterday morning, then back in the afternoon. Same route (freeway all the way, light traffic), same conditions (sunny and cool in the am, sunny and warm in the pm), same speeds (120 km/h plus or minus). Going out, I had a tank...

Tows boat easily

On my wife's BMW there is are two heat-activated auxiliary pumps, one that keeps oil circulating through the turbos after the engine has been shut down, and the other that does the same with coolant. Plus the fan keeps running. In BMW's case it is partly because both turbos are on top of the...

I have WeatherTech mats, too, for the front seats and rear cargo area. Mine came without the cat pee option. Interesting your comment about the retractable cargo cover. My previous cars (X5 and ML550) both came with cargo covers as standard, but both finished up with the covers removed and...

I have a dollar* says you'll notice quite a difference because of the wider tires, larger contact patch, and performance tires vs all-seasons, but you'll be hard pressed to determine any difference due to unsprung weight reduction. It will also be interesting to get your take on any change in...

Not so you'd notice. I have 20" Niche wheels ('Milan') on my CX9 with winter tires (Nokian Hakkapeliitta). Can't say I notice any particular difference from the summer setup except that ultimate cornering ability is somewhat less with the winter set. But nothing that I would attribute to...

I have only had my CX9 for 18 months so I can't talk to long-term wear on the seats. However, over the years I have owned more than eight cars with leather seats, some pretty crude and stiff, two with softer Nappa leather like my CX9, and one, a Maserati, with butter-soft leather as only the...

I've googled that and can't find anything. If you ever remember where you read that, please post here! I would love to remove the third row seats; I just don't need them. Don't care about weight; I'd just like the space.