Need maintenance?

Last I heard regarding VW's DSG's...if you don't get them serviced then warranty is voided. Ouch.

Last time I went to pick up some Transmission Fluid, the parts guy at the dealership advised he drain/fills his skyactiv Mazda. Agreed. The Skyactiv transmission is a good one...although still very much a good conventional transmission.

For in-depth details why (also why not as explained beginning at 5:40 mark) to change tranny fluid I always refer folks to this vid.
Good video. I don't know who this Chris Fix is or what his credentials are, but I pretty much agree most of what he says. If you're going to do fluid changes, do it early so as to keep the wear on the clutch packs down. If you do it on a high mileage trans, the fresh fluid could shock it because of the wear particles in the old fluid making things stick.
 
Good video. I don't know who this Chris Fix is or what his credentials are, but I pretty much agree most of what he says. If you're going to do fluid changes, do it early so as to keep the wear on the clutch packs down. If you do it on a high mileage trans, the fresh fluid could shock it because of the wear particles in the old fluid making things stick.

Yeah I found his videos pretty easy to comprehend....it was his brake job videos which gave me the motivation to change my brake pads/rotors.
 
Last I heard regarding VW's DSG's...if you don't get them serviced then warranty is voided. Ouch.

Last time I went to pick up some Transmission Fluid, the parts guy at the dealership advised he drain/fills his skyactiv Mazda. Agreed. The Skyactiv transmission is a good one...although still very much a good conventional transmission.

For in-depth details why (also why not as explained beginning at 5:40 mark) to change tranny fluid I always refer folks to this vid.

DSG is in no way the same as the SkyActiv, though.

Did you ask the same parts guy how many CX5 transmission's he's had to order to replace those that died because of a lubrication failure secondary to old/burned/whatever ATF?

I agree with the guy on your video, but at the same time, "how many licks does it take?" It seems any car can go 100K miles on the OEM ATF fill before it dies, right? I mean, let's leave the Gallardo and GT-R out of this...right? Well, the Skyactiv UOA's I have seen with 65-75K miles on them show similar wear as a conventional transmission at 25K or so miles. This means that at 300k miles, the Skyactiv fluid will be similarly degraded as conventional transmission's fluid at 100K miles. Ever hear of a RAV4 or CRV or Forester (pre CVT's) dying at pre-100K miles secondary to transmission lube degredation? I haven't either. Hear of it happening with the Mazda Tributes? Not really. So I am going out on a limb and saying that up to 300K miles "It just doesn't matter".

300K miles is the point at which I presume someone will hit me, a deer will run out in front of me, the engine will be smoking badly, the interior will be degrading notably, or a host of other issues that would relegate transmission performance to a secondary consideration as the vehicle will have lived out its life.

I am gambling the cost of (at a 50K mile interval) nearly $1000 in ATF fluid alone (assuming $150/change, which is loooowwwwww! from what I hear) + labor/downtime/unintended consequences against my theory based on these UOA's.

The UOA is the most scientific tool we currently have in determining SkyActiv transmission longevity, because to date, NOONE! NOT A SINGLE PERSON! Has killed one due to "fluid failure". Nada. Nope. Not a single one. Ask me to prove it? Why don't you go prove ME wrong? Neither one of us can, and this is the internet, where people complain at the drop of a hat, create accounts solely to denigrate a failure point, etc. If you can't find a busted item online, IT DON'T BREAK, is my opinion. Again, find me one that did due to fluid degradation...
 
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I am gambling the cost of (at a 50K mile interval) nearly $1000 in ATF fluid alone (assuming $150/change, which is loooowwwwww! from what I hear) + labor/downtime/unintended consequences against my theory based on these UOA's.

How did you figure that one or is it a typo... (scratch)

Or are you saying total cost of fluid over the lifetime every 50k miles up to 300k?
 
Just an update for those interested -took the car in yesterday with my little list of things I wanted done and what I learned from this thread. Here is what is going to be done and not done:

1) Spark plugs - Should have been changed at 75,000 miles - never were. Not sure why the dealer never mentioned it but whatcha gonna do? My CX-5 has 168,000 miles on it (higher than the 165,000 I thought I had), so they are being replaced.

2) All belts and hoses will be checked.

3) Oil change and rotating tires.

4) Coolant flush and change.

5) Cabin filter change.

6) Brake line flush - Apparently had it done two service appointments ago. So not needed.

7) Water pump - Dealer said no point in changing if it isn't leaking or broken.

8) Fuel filter - Dealer said you cannot just change the filter as it is part of the fuel pump, which is working just fine. Another case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

9) Light - The light that illuminates the gear shift burned out forever ago. I looked it up and looks like a huge pain (for me at least) to change the bulb. I mentioned it to the dealer so they will let me know the price of replacing it.

10) Transmission fluid - Dealer said there is no recommended change for it and I mentioned the debate here. I mentioned that even if a change were recommended, it should have been done about 100,000 miles ago and probably wouldn't be a good idea to change it now. He completely agreed. We had a short conversation about replacement costs of the transmission should it fail. He said an estimated price, going new, would be around $7,000.00 give or take a bit. He said this off the top of his head and have a feeling he was just sort of guessing as he recently had a customer with a brand new 2018 CX-5 who decided to tow something without following the instructions and guidelines and destroyed the transmission and had to have it replaced at a whopping $11,000.00. In any event, if mine goes, I can always get one from the junkyard and have them install it (of course they won't guarantee the work as it is not a part they have provided). I will deal with this if and when it becomes an issue.

The best part is that I got a 2018 black Mazda 3 (less than 750 miles on it), loaded, as a rental at no charge. Fun car to drive!

Thanks for all your help and guidance. I will update once I hear from the dealer if anyone is interested.
 
Yeah at 168k miles, I would not be touching the transmission fluid either.

I've still yet to figure out what the mileage threshold is for touching the fluid though so I am stuck in this do it or don't do it mode at 69k miles on my 2014. Will just have to take a look at the dipstick I suppose and see what color it is.

Anyway, looks like you have a good plan.
 
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Thanks for update OP.

Good to know about the fuel filters and water pump.

Regarding Transmission. Def can score one from a reputable company with an ebay storefront for a couple hundred. (used Low mileage ones). Def would cost well under $7000 to purchase one and have it installed.

The cabin filter...Def something you can do yourself to save money.
 
Just an update for those interested -took the car in yesterday with my little list of things I wanted done and what I learned from this thread. Here is what is going to be done and not done:

1) Spark plugs - Should have been changed at 75,000 miles - never were. Not sure why the dealer never mentioned it but whatcha gonna do? My CX-5 has 168,000 miles on it (higher than the 165,000 I thought I had), so they are being replaced.

2) All belts and hoses will be checked.

3) Oil change and rotating tires.

4) Coolant flush and change.

5) Cabin filter change.

6) Brake line flush - Apparently had it done two service appointments ago. So not needed.

7) Water pump - Dealer said no point in changing if it isn't leaking or broken.

8) Fuel filter - Dealer said you cannot just change the filter as it is part of the fuel pump, which is working just fine. Another case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

9) Light - The light that illuminates the gear shift burned out forever ago. I looked it up and looks like a huge pain (for me at least) to change the bulb. I mentioned it to the dealer so they will let me know the price of replacing it.

10) Transmission fluid - Dealer said there is no recommended change for it and I mentioned the debate here. I mentioned that even if a change were recommended, it should have been done about 100,000 miles ago and probably wouldn't be a good idea to change it now. He completely agreed. We had a short conversation about replacement costs of the transmission should it fail. He said an estimated price, going new, would be around $7,000.00 give or take a bit. He said this off the top of his head and have a feeling he was just sort of guessing as he recently had a customer with a brand new 2018 CX-5 who decided to tow something without following the instructions and guidelines and destroyed the transmission and had to have it replaced at a whopping $11,000.00. In any event, if mine goes, I can always get one from the junkyard and have them install it (of course they won't guarantee the work as it is not a part they have provided). I will deal with this if and when it becomes an issue.

The best part is that I got a 2018 black Mazda 3 (less than 750 miles on it), loaded, as a rental at no charge. Fun car to drive!

Thanks for all your help and guidance. I will update once I hear from the dealer if anyone is interested.

Excellent. Sounds like you're on top of this 100%.

Forget dealership for transmission replacement. They wanted $4500 to replace the one in my Infiniti. I bought one from a junk yard for $650 and had it installed for another $650, and it worked fine for another 40K miles until I sold it, and the next owner reported back to me for literally years saying how solid the car was being.
 
Just an update for those interested -took the car in yesterday with my little list of things I wanted done and what I learned from this thread. Here is what is going to be done and not done:

1) Spark plugs - Should have been changed at 75,000 miles - never were. Not sure why the dealer never mentioned it but whatcha gonna do? My CX-5 has 168,000 miles on it (higher than the 165,000 I thought I had), so they are being replaced.

2) All belts and hoses will be checked.

3) Oil change and rotating tires.

4) Coolant flush and change.

5) Cabin filter change.

6) Brake line flush - Apparently had it done two service appointments ago. So not needed.

7) Water pump - Dealer said no point in changing if it isn't leaking or broken.

8) Fuel filter - Dealer said you cannot just change the filter as it is part of the fuel pump, which is working just fine. Another case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

9) Light - The light that illuminates the gear shift burned out forever ago. I looked it up and looks like a huge pain (for me at least) to change the bulb. I mentioned it to the dealer so they will let me know the price of replacing it.

10) Transmission fluid - Dealer said there is no recommended change for it and I mentioned the debate here. I mentioned that even if a change were recommended, it should have been done about 100,000 miles ago and probably wouldn't be a good idea to change it now. He completely agreed. We had a short conversation about replacement costs of the transmission should it fail. He said an estimated price, going new, would be around $7,000.00 give or take a bit. He said this off the top of his head and have a feeling he was just sort of guessing as he recently had a customer with a brand new 2018 CX-5 who decided to tow something without following the instructions and guidelines and destroyed the transmission and had to have it replaced at a whopping $11,000.00. In any event, if mine goes, I can always get one from the junkyard and have them install it (of course they won't guarantee the work as it is not a part they have provided). I will deal with this if and when it becomes an issue.

The best part is that I got a 2018 black Mazda 3 (less than 750 miles on it), loaded, as a rental at no charge. Fun car to drive!

Thanks for all your help and guidance. I will update once I hear from the dealer if anyone is interested.
Let us know when you hit the 200k mile mark.
 
Just an update for those interested -took the car in yesterday with my little list of things I wanted done and what I learned from this thread. Here is what is going to be done and not done:

1) Spark plugs - Should have been changed at 75,000 miles - never were. Not sure why the dealer never mentioned it but whatcha gonna do? My CX-5 has 168,000 miles on it (higher than the 165,000 I thought I had), so they are being replaced.

2) All belts and hoses will be checked.

3) Oil change and rotating tires.

4) Coolant flush and change.

5) Cabin filter change.

6) Brake line flush - Apparently had it done two service appointments ago. So not needed.

7) Water pump - Dealer said no point in changing if it isn't leaking or broken.

8) Fuel filter - Dealer said you cannot just change the filter as it is part of the fuel pump, which is working just fine. Another case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

9) Light - The light that illuminates the gear shift burned out forever ago. I looked it up and looks like a huge pain (for me at least) to change the bulb. I mentioned it to the dealer so they will let me know the price of replacing it.

10) Transmission fluid - Dealer said there is no recommended change for it and I mentioned the debate here. I mentioned that even if a change were recommended, it should have been done about 100,000 miles ago and probably wouldn't be a good idea to change it now. He completely agreed. We had a short conversation about replacement costs of the transmission should it fail. He said an estimated price, going new, would be around $7,000.00 give or take a bit. He said this off the top of his head and have a feeling he was just sort of guessing as he recently had a customer with a brand new 2018 CX-5 who decided to tow something without following the instructions and guidelines and destroyed the transmission and had to have it replaced at a whopping $11,000.00. In any event, if mine goes, I can always get one from the junkyard and have them install it (of course they won't guarantee the work as it is not a part they have provided). I will deal with this if and when it becomes an issue.

The best part is that I got a 2018 black Mazda 3 (less than 750 miles on it), loaded, as a rental at no charge. Fun car to drive!

Thanks for all your help and guidance. I will update once I hear from the dealer if anyone is interested.


I've been wondering about the fuel filer and brake service. In the Mexico section of the owner's manuals for the CX-5 and Mazda 6, it is recommended to change the brake fluid every 2 years and replace the fuel filter every 35k miles. Those items aren't mentioned at in the US service schedule. What could be so different in how the vehicles are used in Mexico vs the US?
 
So ... an update. I no longer trust my dealer.

Took my car in for service (outlined above) and off I go to drive 10 hours to Maine. About 4 and a half hours in, around 1:00 a.m. in the morning, guess what? Battery light shows up on my dashboard and my air conditioner no longer works. I pulled off, checked the book to see what the battery light was for, cursed for a bit, and then headed to the closest hotel to my location as I was in the middle of nowhere and had no choice. Next morning, go outside and check the car. My belt (ya know, the one the dealer checked out and said was in excellent condition), is broken and in pieces. Ok so maybe my alternator went or a pulley jammed or something - don't really know at this point. Find a Mazda dealership relatively close and even though they are booked for the next 1 1/2 weeks, I beg them and they tell me to have it towed in. Tow truck shows up - no place for us to sit for the ride to the dealership. Ugh. So the car goes without me and we take a $60 cab ride to the dealership. Dealership has forewarned me that if it is the alternator, it is going to be 3 or 4 days until they can get the part in.

In any event, turns out it was only the belt. Alternator and everything else is completely fine and the belt was worn and should have been replaced (at the very least before my trip and at the most, at 100,000 miles per maintenance schedule). They charge me $140 bucks I am back on the rode. My mile per gallon immediately begins to go up, even though I am doing over 65 miles an hour (when it would normally go down). It had been pretty much at 33.1 or so but I had just figured it was due to tire changes, aging parts, etc. As of this morning, mpg is at 34.2, which it hasn't been in ages.

So my dealer will be getting a lovely email from me shortly.

So here is a tip - if you notice a steadily decreasing miles per gallon and you haven't had that drive belt changed and it is overdue, get it done :)
 
So ... an update. I no longer trust my dealer.

Took my car in for service (outlined above) and off I go to drive 10 hours to Maine. About 4 and a half hours in, around 1:00 a.m. in the morning, guess what? Battery light shows up on my dashboard and my air conditioner no longer works. I pulled off, checked the book to see what the battery light was for, cursed for a bit, and then headed to the closest hotel to my location as I was in the middle of nowhere and had no choice. Next morning, go outside and check the car. My belt (ya know, the one the dealer checked out and said was in excellent condition), is broken and in pieces. Ok so maybe my alternator went or a pulley jammed or something - don't really know at this point. Find a Mazda dealership relatively close and even though they are booked for the next 1 1/2 weeks, I beg them and they tell me to have it towed in. Tow truck shows up - no place for us to sit for the ride to the dealership. Ugh. So the car goes without me and we take a $60 cab ride to the dealership. Dealership has forewarned me that if it is the alternator, it is going to be 3 or 4 days until they can get the part in.

In any event, turns out it was only the belt. Alternator and everything else is completely fine and the belt was worn and should have been replaced (at the very least before my trip and at the most, at 100,000 miles per maintenance schedule). They charge me $140 bucks I am back on the rode. My mile per gallon immediately begins to go up, even though I am doing over 65 miles an hour (when it would normally go down). It had been pretty much at 33.1 or so but I had just figured it was due to tire changes, aging parts, etc. As of this morning, mpg is at 34.2, which it hasn't been in ages.

So my dealer will be getting a lovely email from me shortly.

So here is a tip - if you notice a steadily decreasing miles per gallon and you haven't had that drive belt changed and it is overdue, get it done :) Oh and the dealership in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts was wonderful and even said they would talk to my dealership and tell them that it was obviously wear on the belt which caused it to break.
 
I had to replace my drive belt tensioner and went ahead and had that belt replaced while I was at it. We talking the same belt?
 
Sio ... an update. I no longer trust my dealer.

In any event, turns out it was only the belt. Alternator and everything else is completely fine and the belt was worn and should have been replaced (at the very least before my trip and at the most, at 100,000 miles per maintenance schedule). They charge me $140 bucks I am back on the rode.
Before this post I really believe your Mazda dealer is one of the best for not trying to rip the customers off. They seemed to be not willing to do any unnecessary maintenance work. Of course it's their fault failed to check the condition of your serpentine belt although it was on the work order. They should also be aware that your serpentine belt hasn't been changed for 165,000 miles since you're doing all maintenance work there.

But honestly, your second Mazda dealer was wrong too telling you that there's a 100,000-mile change interval on serpentine belt per maintenance schedule. They need to check belt condition during each maintenance, and from people's real-world experience replacing the serpentine belt at about 100,000 miles, especially before a long road trip with belt life at that mileage.

So here is a tip - if you notice a steadily decreasing miles per gallon and you haven't had that drive belt changed and it is overdue, get it done :) Oh and the dealership in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts was wonderful and even said they would talk to my dealership and tell them that it was obviously wear on the belt which caused it to break.
Better gas mileage after your long trip could be caused by many factors, but new serpentine belt definitely is not the reason. And your second Mazda dealer will never talk to your Mazda dealer about failing to check the condition of the serpentine belt. :)
 
Also, you should call your Mazda dealer complaining the situation. Show them the invoice of your serpentine belt work and the work order of theirs. Since you're a long time customer they may give you a free oil change for any inconvenience during the trip. :)
 
So ... an update. I no longer trust my dealer.

Took my car in for service (outlined above) and off I go to drive 10 hours to Maine. About 4 and a half hours in, around 1:00 a.m. in the morning, guess what? Battery light shows up on my dashboard and my air conditioner no longer works. I pulled off, checked the book to see what the battery light was for, cursed for a bit, and then headed to the closest hotel to my location as I was in the middle of nowhere and had no choice. Next morning, go outside and check the car. My belt (ya know, the one the dealer checked out and said was in excellent condition), is broken and in pieces. Ok so maybe my alternator went or a pulley jammed or something - don't really know at this point. Find a Mazda dealership relatively close and even though they are booked for the next 1 1/2 weeks, I beg them and they tell me to have it towed in. Tow truck shows up - no place for us to sit for the ride to the dealership. Ugh. So the car goes without me and we take a $60 cab ride to the dealership. Dealership has forewarned me that if it is the alternator, it is going to be 3 or 4 days until they can get the part in.

In any event, turns out it was only the belt. Alternator and everything else is completely fine and the belt was worn and should have been replaced (at the very least before my trip and at the most, at 100,000 miles per maintenance schedule). They charge me $140 bucks I am back on the rode. My mile per gallon immediately begins to go up, even though I am doing over 65 miles an hour (when it would normally go down). It had been pretty much at 33.1 or so but I had just figured it was due to tire changes, aging parts, etc. As of this morning, mpg is at 34.2, which it hasn't been in ages.

So my dealer will be getting a lovely email from me shortly.

So here is a tip - if you notice a steadily decreasing miles per gallon and you haven't had that drive belt changed and it is overdue, get it done :) Oh and the dealership in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts was wonderful and even said they would talk to my dealership and tell them that it was obviously wear on the belt which caused it to break.

Said belt broke. Glad OP was able to get it fixed to prevent further damage.

See this is an example of inspecting something vs just changing based on a schedule......even if that schedule does not exist. Belts do not fall in the "If it aint broke don't try to fix it" category." Belts have varying lifespans and can give out at any time but the rate increases after a certain amount of time/miles. OP was that the original belt? At 120k miles I would've changed it just for piece of mind.
 
Before this post I really believe your Mazda dealer is one of the best for not trying to rip the customers off. They seemed to be not willing to do any unnecessary maintenance work. Of course it's their fault failed to check the condition of your serpentine belt although it was on the work order. They should also be aware that your serpentine belt hasn't been changed for 165,000 miles since you're doing all maintenance work there.

But honestly, your second Mazda dealer was wrong too telling you that there's a 100,000-mile change interval on serpentine belt per maintenance schedule. They need to check belt condition during each maintenance, and from people's real-world experience replacing the serpentine belt at about 100,000 miles, especially before a long road trip with belt life at that mileage.

This was more me quoting a time to change it after looking things up, rather than the dealer telling me this. Of course, the inspections were supposed to be done each time I had the oil changed but obviously, unfortunately, they were not I guess.

Better gas mileage after your long trip could be caused by many factors, but new serpentine belt definitely is not the reason. And your second Mazda dealer will never talk to your Mazda dealer about failing to check the condition of the serpentine belt. :)
I don't know what the reason for the better gas mileage - I thought it was kinda weird too that the numbers went up. They did though and that is the only thing that was changed. I am not so sure they won't talk to my dealership though - they were kinda amazed it had not been changed, said that is not how they do things there and apologized on behalf of the other dealership. I will let ya know if they chat lol! I am assuming the serpentine belt and the drive belt are the same thing?
 
Said belt broke. Glad OP was able to get it fixed to prevent further damage.

See this is an example of inspecting something vs just changing based on a schedule......even if that schedule does not exist. Belts do not fall in the "If it aint broke don't try to fix it" category." Belts have varying lifespans and can give out at any time but the rate increases after a certain amount of time/miles. OP was that the original belt? At 120k miles I would've changed it just for piece of mind.

Yes it was the original belt. Though ignorance isn't an excuse, I assumed that the dealer would be keeping an eye on these things because, ya know, I paid them to. Lesson learned. :)
 
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