Email back from Mazda - Transmission Fluid Change

CD- I got basically the same response from Infiniti. My transmission does not require any maintenance, only a visible inspection, which I guess would be to look for any leaking.
When pressed for expected life expectancy (years or mileage), I got a very generic response stating there are too many factors for each driver and their environment, along with the statement its impossible to predict when any particular part will wear out. Obviously, this type of response seem to be designed to distance themselves from any responsibility beyond warranty down the road.

When I mentioned my dealer advises a drain and fill at 60,000 miles, Corporate Infiniti questioned if I even had the maintenance free 7 speed automatic.

A new QX tranny is about $11,000 just for the part. But I can find low mileage used ones on e-bay for ~$1,500.
 
Conrad 16.5 said:
I had a 2012 VW Jetta TDI w/DSG transmission. Sold it back to VW because of the dieselgate mess. Used that cash to buy the CX-5.

The Jetta DOES have a sealed transmission but VW says to change the fluid every 40k miles.

Here's the procedure if you'd care to take a look.

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/wiki/d...cement-service-vw-and-audi-stronic-oil-flush/
Click to expand...

I think the thing to take into account is that Mazda's SkyActiv is a very different sort of transmission. There is a lot less "slipping" going on inside of it than other automatics. This would seem born out by the UOA we had, at 67K miles, that said the fluid was just fine and still going strong.

Curious, did you get absolutely stoopid money for it? I heard VW was paying bank for those.
 
banjos-n-beer said:
CD- I got basically the same response from Infiniti. My transmission does not require any maintenance, only a visible inspection, which I guess would be to look for any leaking.
When pressed for expected life expectancy (years or mileage), I got a very generic response stating there are too many factors for each driver and their environment, along with the statement its impossible to predict when any particular part will wear out. Obviously, this type of response seem to be designed to distance themselves from any responsibility beyond warranty down the road.

When I mentioned my dealer advises a drain and fill at 60,000 miles, Corporate Infiniti questioned if I even had the maintenance free 7 speed automatic.

A new QX tranny is about $11,000 just for the part. But I can find low mileage used ones on e-bay for ~$1,500.
Click to expand...

That's insane. The only transmission I've seen/had experience with was the Getrag in a 1971 Pantera (really cool car, a customer of mine owned it).
 
Unobtanium said:
That's insane. The only transmission I've seen/had experience with was the Getrag in a 1971 Pantera (really cool car, a customer of mine owned it).
Click to expand...

Yeah, its certainly pricey. I've seen it listed for as low as $7,500, and as high as $11,000 depending upon how and where you look it up.

https://www.infinitipartsonline.com/oem-parts/infiniti-transmission-310c0x971e/?c=Zz1hdXRvbWF0aWMtdHJhbnNtaXNzaW9uJnM9YXV0b21hdGljLXRyYW5zbWlzc2lvbiZpPSZyPSZhPWluZmluaXRpJm89cXg3MCZ5PTIwMTQmdD1iYXNlJmU9My03bC12Ni1nYXM%3D
 
yrwei52 said:
So did you ever change the ATF on your previous Jeep?

And I guess we'd like to know Anchorman's opinion on ATF change if he plans to keep his CX-5 for 300,000 miles?
Click to expand...

I personally did not during the time I drove it which was from 215,000 to 300,000 miles. It had been changed though previously in it's life. I did not take good care of the car during my time with it. I was a teenager/young adult, and didn't understand the importance of regular oil changes and the like. Had I taken care of it better, it would have gone more miles I think. It was most certainly a learning experience as it had many expensive repairs needed towards the end of it's life. It's why I bought a new CX-5 as opposed to a used car afterwards. I resolved to keep up with maintenance and therefore know the entire history of the vehicle.

banjos-n-beer said:
CD- I got basically the same response from Infiniti. My transmission does not require any maintenance, only a visible inspection, which I guess would be to look for any leaking.
When pressed for expected life expectancy (years or mileage), I got a very generic response stating there are too many factors for each driver and their environment, along with the statement its impossible to predict when any particular part will wear out. Obviously, this type of response seem to be designed to distance themselves from any responsibility beyond warranty down the road.

When I mentioned my dealer advises a drain and fill at 60,000 miles, Corporate Infiniti questioned if I even had the maintenance free 7 speed automatic.

A new QX tranny is about $11,000 just for the part. But I can find low mileage used ones on e-bay for ~$1,500.
Click to expand...

This is more or less the exact same story Mazda is telling. I sent a follow-up email last night and this was what I got back this morning:

Dear X,

I can confirm with our SKYACTIV technology, that yes, the transmissions are sealed. There is no recommended maintenance on your transmission, unless repairs are being done on the transmission itself. There are no specific parameters for what is considered the 'life' of the vehicle, as there are many factors that contribute to this. At the end of the day, it is your discretion as to how you would like to service your vehicle, Mazda can only provide you recommendations.

Sincerely,
Lexi
Representative, Customer Experience
800.222.5500
(SR Number: 1-1216769444)
Click to expand...

If I read between the lines. "When your transmission craps out and needs to be repaired/replaced because you didn't change the fluid, then you can change the fluid."

Blech. Would love to know what "lifetime" is in mileage/time!
 
ColoradoDriver said:
I personally did not during the time I drove it which was from 215,000 to 300,000 miles. It had been changed though previously in it's life. I did not take good care of the car during my time with it. I was a teenager/young adult, and didn't understand the importance of regular oil changes and the like. Had I taken care of it better, it would have gone more miles I think. It was most certainly a learning experience as it had many expensive repairs needed towards the end of it's life. It's why I bought a new CX-5 as opposed to a used car afterwards. I resolved to keep up with maintenance and therefore know the entire history of the vehicle.



This is more or less the exact same story Mazda is telling. I sent a follow-up email last night and this was what I got back this morning:



If I read between the lines. "When your transmission craps out and needs to be repaired/replaced because you didn't change the fluid, then you can change the fluid."

Blech. Would love to know what "lifetime" is in mileage/time!
Click to expand...

I really think what they mean is "we are not going to give you legal fodder to sue us for a new transmission at 250K miles..." and I really don't blame them one bit.

Ask them how long the life of the engine is...probably get the same answer.

What I don't get, is how everyone always complains "the dealer just wants to make a buck on useless services and the auto brand helps them" and now it's "they don't want you to service it so it can break and they can make money off of it". I mean...which is it?
 
Unobtanium said:
I really think what they mean is "we are not going to give you legal fodder to sue us for a new transmission at 250K miles..." and I really don't blame them one bit.

Ask them how long the life of the engine is...probably get the same answer.

What I don't get, is how everyone always complains "the dealer just wants to make a buck on useless services and the auto brand helps them" and now it's "they don't want you to service it so it can break and they can make money off of it". I mean...which is it?
Click to expand...

Well true. But 250,000 miles without a transmission fluid change? I don't know man....

This is the confusing bit for me. My gut and common sense is telling me, fluid wears out, and thus needs to be replaced.
 
ColoradoDriver said:
Well true. But 250,000 miles without a transmission fluid change? I don't know man....

This is the confusing bit for me. My gut and common sense is telling me, fluid wears out, and thus needs to be replaced.
Click to expand...

I get that, but "wears out"...can you define that in the sense of the SkyActiv transmission? What, exactly, "wears out"? What factor is not present or added to, which would cause failure? Can you honestly and accurately tell me, or is it "just a gut feeling"?

I remember my parents telling me they changed oil every 3K miles. EVERYONE did that back in the 60's. But now? 7500 miles is a VERY aggressive interval for most passenger cars and even sports cars...

I don't have the answers, either, but what I can say, is that I have yet to EVER see anyone post a SkyActiv transmission failure linked to worn out fluid, at any mileage.

It bothers me, too, I'd love to change it as well. I get that and can relate, but I'd also not like for it to die like a dog on me, lol, and I've had multiple transmissions get messed up after fluid changes (done by dealers, not me in the back yard).
 
ColoradoDriver said:
Ok, but just watching videos and such, looks like it has a readily useable drainport, and is refillable. It doesn't seem sealed to me, by your definition above.

I just don't believe fluid would last 300,000 miles which was the life I got out of my last car which was a total POS by comparison to my CX-5.

So I really want to know what Mazda is considering to be lifetime.
Click to expand...

Yes, the Skyactive transmission has a drain plug and a dipstick but as you’ve seen in the tech service pdf, you can’t get anywhere near the amount of fluid out that was put in at the factory. It’s only really for accommodating servicing like changing a drive shaft oil seal.

Conrad 16.5 said:
I had a 2012 VW Jetta TDI w/DSG transmission. Sold it back to VW because of the dieselgate mess. Used that cash to buy the CX-5.

The Jetta DOES have a sealed transmission but VW says to change the fluid every 40k miles.

Here's the procedure if you'd care to take a look.

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/wiki/d...cement-service-vw-and-audi-stronic-oil-flush/
Click to expand...

The Jetta may have what is considered a sealed transmission but it must have a breather or an expansion vessel or it would pressurise the box when hot.

yrwei52 said:
So did you ever change the ATF on your previous Jeep?

And I guess we'd like to know Anchorman's opinion on ATF change if he plans to keep his CX-5 for 300,000 miles?
Click to expand...

I don’t know really. Mazda are saying for life which means between overhaul or renewal which I guess could mean between 150,000 and 250,000 typically depending on how it’s used (this is my opinion). To change the oil and not just dilute it, I reckon you’d have to change what you could several times before you got a strong enough concentration to call it an oil change. Dunno? Maybe if it felt ok and it looked and smelled ok on the dipstick I’d leave it. If it was turning black and smelled dirty or burned I’d have a go at purging it out. I don’t think a modern box would degrade the oil like an older one. We’ll have to see.
 
Anchorman said:
Yes, the Skyactive transmission has a drain plug and a dipstick but as you’ve seen in the tech service pdf, you can’t get anywhere near the amount of fluid out that was put in at the factory. It’s only really for accommodating servicing like changing a drive shaft oil seal.

I don’t know really. Mazda are saying for life which means between overhaul or renewal which I guess could mean between 150,000 and 250,000 typically depending on how it’s used (this is my opinion). To change the oil and not just dilute it, I reckon you’d have to change what you could several times before you got a strong enough concentration to call it an oil change. Dunno? Maybe if it felt ok and it looked and smelled ok on the dipstick I’d leave it. If it was turning black and smelled dirty or burned I’d have a go at purging it out. I don’t think a modern box would degrade the oil like an older one. We’ll have to see.
Click to expand...

Good point.

Guess I will check the dipstick and see for myself.
 
ColoradoDriver said:
Good point.

Guess I will check the dipstick and see for myself.
Click to expand...
They're many people believe if you don't change the ATF early enough, the fresh fluid may wash some old metal shavings off and flow into delicate valve body which would cause transmission issues. I actually believe some of the transmission problems Unobtanium had after ATF change is because of this. The other thing is some people use non-OEM ATF for fluid change, but unfortunately you can only drain or suck half of the old ATF out no matter what kind of automatic transmission you have as the other half stays in torque converter. Mixing different brand of ATF half-and-half most likely will cause some transmission problems.

I'll definitely do ATF drain-and-fill on my CX-5 at around 50K~60K miles, just like my 98' Honda CR-V with 180K+ miles has been doing.
 
yrwei52 said:
They're many people believe if you don't change the ATF early enough, the fresh fluid may wash some old metal shavings off and flow into delicate valve body which would cause transmission issues. I actually believe some of the transmission problems Unobtanium had after ATF change is because of this. The other thing is some people use non-OEM ATF for fluid change, but unfortunately you can only drain or suck half of the old ATF out no matter what kind of automatic transmission you have as the other half stays in torque converter. Mixing different brand of ATF half-and-half most likely will cause some transmission problems.

I'll definitely do ATF drain-and-fill on my CX-5 at around 50K~60K miles, just like my 98' Honda CR-V with 180K+ miles has been doing.
Click to expand...
Makes sense. When you say drain and fill, just drain what you can from the drain and then fill? Or are you including dropping the pan?
 
ColoradoDriver said:
Good point.

Guess I will check the dipstick and see for myself.
Click to expand...

One thing I will do when I eventually take that dipstick out is wash all around with degreaser and blow it dry with the airline. I dont want a single spec of grit inside. Oh, and as we discussed, only Mazdas blue fluid.
 
Anchorman said:
One thing I will do when I eventually take that dipstick out is wash all around with degreaser and blow it dry with the airline. I don’t want a single spec of grit inside. Oh, and as we discussed, only Mazda’s blue fluid.
Click to expand...

Very good point Anchorman. Thank you for that. I will do the same.
 
The CX5 doesn't have a sealed automatic transmission. There is a dip-stick that has a bolt retainer to secure it. Ed
 
[SUB][/SUB]
ColoradoDriver said:
Makes sense. When you say drain and fill, just drain what you can from the drain and then fill? Or are you including dropping the pan?
Click to expand...
Drain hole is right at the lowest part of ATF pan, it won't make much difference whether or not you drop the pan as far as how much amount of old ATF you can get it out. The other half of the old ATF is mainly in torque converter and the rest is in valve body you simply can't drain those out. The only benefit taking the pan down is you can replace the filtering cartridge inside. But you have to use tricky RTV to form a pan gasket where many DIYers don't like to deal with. There're aftermarket pan gaskets available now but leaking issue with those gaskets still can be an issue.
 
yrwei52 said:
[SUB][/SUB]Drain hole is right at the lowest part of ATF pan, it won't make much difference whether or not you drop the pan as far as how much amount of old ATF you can get it out. The other half of the old ATF is mainly in torque converter and the rest is in valve body you simply can't drain those out. The only benefit taking the pan down is you can replace the filtering cartridge inside. But you have to use tricky RTV to form a pan gasket where many DIYers don't like to deal with. There're aftermarket pan gaskets available now but leaking issue with those gaskets still can be an issue.
Click to expand...

Right. Which is why some folks recommend 3 drain and fills in relatively short order to get most of the fluid replaced.
 
Is there a good way to measure how much fluid comes out so I know how much to put in?
 
Just my experience and many here differ but only transmissions I ever had failure on were ones with high mileage and stock fluid. Perhaps some transmissions are more tolerant of abuse but I will be doing drain and fill (I know only partial) on my vehicles. I will report back if it was a futile effort on my CX-5 and experience a failure. This topic comes up a lot on the Toyota/Lexus forums as well with the same viewpoints.
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
  • Question
Transmission Fluid Change at 110,000 Miles? 2014 AWD CX-5
Replies
11
Views
2K
theblooms
theblooms
X-Wing
Anyone change their own Turbo CX-5 transmission fluid?
Replies
4
Views
638
Kedis82ZE8
K
W
2017~2024 Question on CX-5 Transfer case fluid
Replies
2
Views
2K
wlong01
W

Latest posts

Back