Good Transfer Case Story.....Giving some love to Germain Mazda in Columbus, OH

mccasle

Member
Many of you probably remember my first post and video about the transfer case fluid and comparison at 35K. Well, we are at 65K and I took my wife's 2012 CX-9 in for the recall, oil change and transfer case fluid replacement.

When the service manager mentioned we should keep the loaner for a second day, I asked what might have been causing the delay. She told me they no longer replace the fluid by sucking out the fluid and replacing - they remove the transfer case and clean it completely out and refill !

They needed more time to finish it the next morning.

She said they would honor the $99 charge (normally approx. $124.99 with usual 20% discount) I paid for using the pump and refill method.

In the future, it will run about $135 after discount for the new method.

Seems like a good deal given the time involved !!
 
WHAT??!! that's a freaking bargain, I know first hand that PTU is shoe-horned in there really tight ,

$135 is a deal if they take the time to take it out and clean it completely, too bad I don't live in Ohio.

It just proves though, that they know the oil turns to sludge if they are offering this service.
 
Agreed, this is a great deal but I bet I know the real reason why it's so cheap..........

the Mazda technicians probably swapped out so many bad transfer cases since 2007 (they had 9 years worth of experience !!)
they can probably swap out PTU's in their sleep so this is no big deal to them, they probably know all the tricks and shortcuts to get that thing out

to regular joes like us without a car lift, it will seem like a monumental task to take the PTU out

this has been a good moneymaker for them , swap out PTU's and charge it to Mazda corporate for reimbursement,
with the new CX-9 coming out that well will soon be dry and they need to offer a new service to keep that money making machine going.

I'm going to stick with the pump and fill method due to the old adage, if it ain't broke don't fix it and one word "tolerance"
the PTU is broken in and has been worn in, there's all these variables, hole alignment tolerances, drive shaft alignment, gears worn in to certain specific respective gears, etc I believe just last week a member said he got a replacement PTU and the whole thing was so misaligned the flex section of the exhaust pipe was up against the PTU instead of the zigzag that suppose to go around it.

I've had this happen to me so many times before once you take something apart it never goes back to the same exact place due to tolerances and what was once smooth is now choppy and vibrating. It may sound like a good idea to take out the PTU but it may actually make things worse if the gears or driveshaft don't line back up properly. If you have a smooth AWD now, just change the oil and not mess with it.

One benefit I can't deny is that they can inspect the all important transmission splines once the PTU is removed. There's been documented cases that AWD owners didn't even know that their AWD was broken until snow season, the splines from the transmission to the PTU was sheared off due to the PTU seizing and they were actaully driving only in FWD.
 
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$135 for that service is a steal for sure.

Now, if your transfer case ever goes out, they should only charge you $135 for labor. I mean, that's what they charge to remove, drain, clean, refill and reinstall. Replacing would be more like: remove, fill new one and install new one. AmIrite? :) That's being sarcastic, but honestly isn't much of a stretch.
 
I don't think that they remove the transfer case. On the ford edge forum someone posted a tsb that ford put out about servicing the transfer case. It states to suck then fill then rotate the front tires 3 turns then suck again and refill again and then the tire rotating again and the final suck and fill for a total of 3 times.
 
I'm with kornholio ^^ Seriously doubt they removed the transfer case. Pretty sure removal of transfer case requires removing the subframe/cradle. Consequently, to remove the cradle, you have to un-bolt the suspension and hoist/support the engine. Pretty labor intensive.
 
What really upsets me is that ford knows how to do the service on this transfer case but mazda says it is impossible that it is fluid for life non-serviceable. Are the dealer techs at mazda not have the skill set to do this simple job.
 
I'm with kornholio ^^ Seriously doubt they removed the transfer case. Pretty sure removal of transfer case requires removing the subframe/cradle. Consequently, to remove the cradle, you have to un-bolt the suspension and hoist/support the engine. Pretty labor intensive.

Agreed, $135 for all that? Also wouldn't that also mean an alignment would be required afterwards? Everyone who got a replacement ptu said it was an All day job, can't believe they would offer that at only $135, Are they running a scam? Same pump and refill but jacked up price and say they take out the ptu when they don't?
 
I don't think that they remove the transfer case. On the ford edge forum someone posted a tsb that ford put out about servicing the transfer case. It states to suck then fill then rotate the front tires 3 turns then suck again and refill again and then the tire rotating again and the final suck and fill for a total of 3 times.

+1. Dealer labor is way too much to do this job for $135. Pics of them with a transfer case out of the vehicle or they're BSing you.

Also, not surprised that Ford has a well documented procedure for sucking.
 
can any 2016 CX-9 AWD owner please confirm there's a PTU drain plug now ? and the fill plug is not obstructed for a fill pump tube ?
very much appreciated.

very interested in getting a Signature but want to see what I'm getting myself into first with maintenance on this thing,

frequent PTU oil changes, and 40,000 mile spark plug changes (honestly never seen a car with such a low mileage maintenance for spark plugs)
 
I'm with kornholio ^^ Seriously doubt they removed the transfer case. Pretty sure removal of transfer case requires removing the subframe/cradle. Consequently, to remove the cradle, you have to un-bolt the suspension and hoist/support the engine. Pretty labor intensive.

I was skeptical that the dealer can take out the whole PTU for only $135, I just lifted up my CX-9 and checked,

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE for this job to be only $135

see picture below, the PTU is shoe-horned in very tight, to get it out you need to remove the whole exhaust pipe network
AND the suspension crossbar which would mean an alignment would be required afterwards. I appreciate the OP letting us know about the deal but I would recommend OP request the dealer to take pictures, it sounds too good to be true.

6r3v4n.jpg
 
In last month my car was in the service where I filmed the transfer case, washed her and made the drain hole. All the work took about 9 hours. All this time I was there and watched.
The cost 187USD (without oil), which is very cheap for this procedure.
It was a familiar service, where I have a discount.
 
In last month my car was in the service where I filmed the transfer case, washed her and made the drain hole. All the work took about 9 hours. All this time I was there and watched.
The cost 187USD (without oil), which is very cheap for this procedure.
It was a familiar service, where I have a discount.

Russian shops must get slave labor rates compared to US shops then. 9 hours at a dealer here in WNY is $900-$1125 in labor alone.
 
Russian shops must get slave labor rates compared to US shops then. 9 hours at a dealer here in WNY is $900-$1125 in labor alone.

Our official dealers don't want to clean or repair PTU (because "this part is not serviced") - they can only replace for new one after failure.
And costs for they work is much higher than in my favorite service. But is not bigger as in NY.
 
can any 2016 CX-9 AWD owner please confirm there's a PTU drain plug now ? and the fill plug is not obstructed for a fill pump tube ?
very much appreciated.

very interested in getting a Signature but want to see what I'm getting myself into first with maintenance on this thing,

frequent PTU oil changes, and 40,000 mile spark plug changes (honestly never seen a car with such a low mileage maintenance for spark plugs)

Good news, the 2016 no longer has a PTU! From what I understand clutch pack is incorporated into the rear diff.
 
Good news, the 2016 no longer has a PTU! From what I understand clutch pack is incorporated into the rear diff.

I'm not sure about this info, but if you're right, that's great news

but 2016 Owner's manual calls out for transfer case oil

PDF 2016 Owner's Manual download https://carmanuals2.com/get/mazda-cx-9-2016-owner-s-manual-94135

section 9-4 page 590-591 of PDF file

Transfer case oil.....................Mazda Long Life Hypoid Gear Oil SG1

Transfer case oil capacity.........0.45 L (0.48 US qt, 0.40 Imp qt)


I read somewhere it's the same as CX-5's but at least now there's a drain plug, no more pumping like the old days
 
I may be wrong, I'll look underneath again when I get home from work. I could've sworn I just saw a long driveshaft from the transmission to the rear diff.
 
Ok, after spending about 5 minutes crawling under our CX-9, look like the driveshaft is a three piece unit that extends from the transaxle all the way back to the rear diff. So it would appear the rear diff will house the clutch packs for the AWD. Seems like a much better, simpler system to me.
 
Ok, after spending about 5 minutes crawling under our CX-9, look like the driveshaft is a three piece unit that extends from the transaxle all the way back to the rear diff. So it would appear the rear diff will house the clutch packs for the AWD. Seems like a much better, simpler system to me.

Thanks for info, so there is a PTU up front right ? does it look easy to service ?
 
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