What have you done to your CX-9 today?

Honestly, it opens with a bit of a click and opens normally. The CX-9 doors are much heavier and clock with a more solid clunk. But both are fine.

Thanks, appreciate you taking the time to do that.
 
I replaced the filters today. Both the engine air filter and the cabin air filter. It's crazy how much the dealer wanted for this 5-minute job.

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The original is the grey looking one. I thought I ordered OEM parts (came in a Mazda box and part number) but the new one is white which means no charcoal filtration. Bummer. (Old #7M12, new #8M10)

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Same with the cabin air filter. (old part #KUAVA, new #EBRH4)

And while I was doing that I noticed a rodent has put up a tent on top of my battery. So I shop vacc'd the heck out of the engine compartment and washed it down. Now time to research some rodent deterrents. I don't want them eating up the wiring harness.
 
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I'm going to lend my hard learned experience on rodent abatement to the conversation. When I purchased my 2013 Toyota Venza within 6 weeks I was cleaning a dead rat out of the cabin air filter compartment and discovered about $450 worth of damage to wiring insulation, windshield washer fluid hose, hood insulation, etc. I live on a ranch in rural Texas and our vehicles are parked outside (if I can just get my wife to clean her stuff out of the garage...). Our GM cars the rodents ignored, the Toyota was a movable buffet so the dealership told me after the fact. Things that have seemed to work in no particular order; putting a ventilated container with mothballs under the hood when parking the SUV, spraying fox urine in the wheel wells about once a week, keeping a ventilated container with cotton balls impregnated with mint oil in the glove box, having two predatory cats on duty, and by pure good luck the last couple of years having an aggressive raptor presence.

Adult mice can get through a hole the size of a dime, inspecting my new CX-9 I identified 3 possible ingress points and have constructed and installed physical barriers made from aluminum gutter guard (did the same for the Toyota- see photos). Needless to say don't keep food of any kind or wrappers in the vehicle to entice vermin. Good luck, this is a constant battle with any Japanese made auto that uses eco-friendly soy based products.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fjgdtrgqug0g3m3/2019 CX-9 Air cleaner rodent guard.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bnu8ldkxyxlp58b/2019 CX-9 A-pillar rodent guard.jpg?dl=0
 
I'm going to lend my hard learned experience on rodent abatement to the conversation. When I purchased my 2013 Toyota Venza within 6 weeks I was cleaning a dead rat out of the cabin air filter compartment and discovered about $450 worth of damage to wiring insulation, windshield washer fluid hose, hood insulation, etc. I live on a ranch in rural Texas and our vehicles are parked outside (if I can just get my wife to clean her stuff out of the garage...). Our GM cars the rodents ignored, the Toyota was a movable buffet so the dealership told me after the fact. Things that have seemed to work in no particular order; putting a ventilated container with mothballs under the hood when parking the SUV, spraying fox urine in the wheel wells about once a week, keeping a ventilated container with cotton balls impregnated with mint oil in the glove box, having two predatory cats on duty, and by pure good luck the last couple of years having an aggressive raptor presence.

Adult mice can get through a hole the size of a dime, inspecting my new CX-9 I identified 3 possible ingress points and have constructed and installed physical barriers made from aluminum gutter guard (did the same for the Toyota- see photos). Needless to say don't keep food of any kind or wrappers in the vehicle to entice vermin. Good luck, this is a constant battle with any Japanese made auto that uses eco-friendly soy based products.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fjgdtrgqug0g3m3/2019 CX-9 Air cleaner rodent guard.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bnu8ldkxyxlp58b/2019 CX-9 A-pillar rodent guard.jpg?dl=0

Good advice! Yeah, I have a cat, but she's 13 (human) years old...her predatory days are long over.(rlaugh) I'm looking into the infused cotton balls, I've been told peppermint oil is good. Interesting idea about blocking off those ingress points, I'm going to take a look at that, thanks.
 
I replaced the filters today. Both the engine air filter and the cabin air filter. It's crazy how much the dealer wanted for this 5-minute job.

a92a45b15c0e32a162ffce1dd1476fd9.jpg


6b519bec5920c94c397859a2812a0f18.jpg


The original is the grey looking one. I thought I ordered OEM parts (came in a Mazda box and part number) but the new one is white which means no charcoal filtration. Bummer. (Old #7M12, new #8M10)

931252a92828e01afe0192a136e7eaf7.jpg


656edcde97858cd00ee0bb657076b473.jpg


Same with the cabin air filter. (old part #KUAVA, new #EBRH4)

And while I was doing that I noticed a rodent has put up a tent on top of my battery. So I shop vacc'd the heck out of the engine compartment and washed it down. Now time to research some rodent deterrents. I don't want them eating up the wiring harness.

Wow those filters are pretty bad. How many and what type of miles if you don't mind me asking. My 2018 is less than a year old and 9000 miles but I guess it's time to check.
 
I did a little JDM-ifying for extra ricer points.

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Lol, I did this too! I'm about to take the vinyl off of mine now though. After a couple months of car washes, the vinyl started to peel. Maybe I'll redo mine again in the future.

Got a new set of 21 inch rims and exhaust Tip.

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Looks mean! Is it just me or are your LED eyebrows amber?? I thought they only came in the "white".. I kind of like how it looks. Even better if they are switchbacks..
 
Wow those filters are pretty bad. How many and what type of miles if you don't mind me asking. My 2018 is less than a year old and 9000 miles but I guess it's time to check.

Most of the dark color you are seeing isn't dirt, it's the charcoal filter material. But those came off an '18 with 15,000 miles. I do live in a high desert area though, so lot's of sand here.
 
Gave it a proper wash and then coated with P&S BeadMaker. Heard lots of good things about this stuff. We'll see how it holds up.

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I didn't bother with cleaning the wheels since they'll be coming off soon. Still need to treat the 22s with BeadMaker before I put them on.
 

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Oil change at 9600 miles. Dealer said they did it when they listed the vehicle for sale at 5500 miles but who know's. I treated it to some Mobil 1 5w 30. I figure with this turbo 5k intervals might make sense. Rotated the OEM Falkens. I'm not a big fan of these tires and it looks like they will be good for about 25k miles and then I'll throw some better tires on. Probably Michelin Defender LTX's.
 
Installed Sealight H11 Leds on my Foggies...

Night time driving is now a joy with these babies complimenting the Osram Night breaker Laser HIDs.
 
Installed Sealight H11 Leds on my Foggies...

Night time driving is now a joy with these babies complimenting the Osram Night breaker Laser HIDs.

Are the Sealight H11s direct replacements or do they require modification to replace the stock fog lights? How does the brightness compare?
 
Are the Sealight H11s direct replacements or do they require modification to replace the stock fog lights? How does the brightness compare?

I think 274HP has a 2015 CX-9, according to the vehicle info under their username. The 2nd gen's fog lights have LEDs integrated into the housing, not LED bulbs, so the LEDs can't be replaced. At least according to Mazda. The manual states to replace the entire fog light assembly/housing if the LEDs fail.
 
Picked up my 4 month old CX-9 with 4000 miles on the odometer from the auto body shop. Wife had a bit of a mishap changing lanes and contacted another vehicle causing slight damage. Scuffed the right side of the front bumper and gouged the front wheel. They were able to repair the bumper and give it a total respray as the damage was not deep, but they had to install a brand new wheel. Looks like new, as it should. Unfortunately the resale value took a hit of probably 20%. Looks like we're keeping it long term...

I'm going to disagree that a car being in an accident is an automatic 20% hit in value. There is a cost, but a lot of that cost is based on the type of accident that the car was in. A severe accident where the car is totaled will mean that even with a rebuilt title, you'll lose between 35% and 50% of the vehicle's value depending on the accident. A severe accident that doesn't result in a car being totaled could give you a 20% hit. A minor accident with limited repair costs may have little to no impact. We just traded in a 13 year old Mustang that had been involved in a minor accident which required the replacement of the rear bumper cover. The police were called because it was a multiple car accident with at least one vehicle suffering severe damage. We took a small hit in value on the trade in because of the prior accident (around 5%?). We did have the paperwork that we showed the dealer that proved that the repair was only $700....so there is that.
 
I'm going to disagree that a car being in an accident is an automatic 20% hit in value. There is a cost, but a lot of that cost is based on the type of accident that the car was in. A severe accident where the car is totaled will mean that even with a rebuilt title, you'll lose between 35% and 50% of the vehicle's value depending on the accident. A severe accident that doesn't result in a car being totaled could give you a 20% hit. A minor accident with limited repair costs may have little to no impact. We just traded in a 13 year old Mustang that had been involved in a minor accident which required the replacement of the rear bumper cover. The police were called because it was a multiple car accident with at least one vehicle suffering severe damage. We took a small hit in value on the trade in because of the prior accident (around 5%?). We did have the paperwork that we showed the dealer that proved that the repair was only $700....so there is that.

I think the fact that it was a minor hit, as well as the detail and documentation you provided, led to the hit on value being so small. If the accident was generalized as "rear bumper damage and replacement", with no other details provided, a potential buyer would assume the worst and reduce their asking price accordingly.
 
Got the wheels on yesterday afternoon, when it was nice and warm out. Unfortunately it snowed a little this morning, so the car is dirty again lol.

I'm still waiting on the custom center caps I ordered from Vossen, but I think I'm happy with the way the wheels look on the car. It might have looked more cohesive if I went with the silver finish to match the chrome bits, but I didn't want it to look like every other grey SUV with silver/chrome aftermarket wheels.

Maybe I'll do something with the bits of chrome..

I've only driven it around the block and to work this morning, so I can't really say too much about how the car drives. My first impressions are that the ride on the 285/35/22 tires is still quite close to how it felt with 255/50/20 tires. Bumps and road imperfections are just slightly more harsh than with the OEM tires; I'd bet that my wife wouldn't even be able to tell the difference. Road noise is, of course, quieter than the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2s, but I think the Bridgestone Ecopias that came on the CX-9 were a little quieter than the Nexen Roadian HPs I have now. I haven't really pushed the car or taken the RPMs past 3500 yet. The extra width is definitely noticeable upon turn-in and steering response. The slight decrease in unsprung weight from the lighter wheels and titanium lug nuts might be too small to be felt in day to day driving, but hopefully it results in a slight increase in mileage.

Here's a few pics. Based on the last photo, I want to add 5mm spacers to the rear to push them out a tiny bit more to match the front. IMO a 10.5 width with a +30 offset is just a hair too aggressive for my tastes, but I can work with it :)

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Also, figured I should mention something that I noticed while I was swapping wheels. The dust boot on the front shocks comes loose very easily (the dust boots on my Civic's were loose as well). Not a big deal, I don't think it affects the damper in any significant way, just thought I'd mention it in case you want to pull the boot down on your own car. You can do it without taking the wheels off too.

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