2013~2016 2014 CX-5 Transfer Case oil ooze

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2014 Mazda CX-5
Hi folks,

Bought a used 2014 CX-5 GS last week and upon initial inspection by my mechanic, counter arguing by the seller dealership and second inspection by a Mazda dealership, theres what appear to be a leak or at least some oozing from the transfer case seal.

The dealership where I bought it from initially said it was rust treatment oozing and now, after the second inspection from Mazda, are saying that theyll fix it if its a leak but wont do anything if its just oozing as its considered normal for a 5 year old car.

Have you guys had any situation like this? The mechanic at Mazda said I can drive it without a worry as it doesnt leak a ton.

Wondering if I just bite the bullet and take it upon me to have bought it without second guessing the dealers opinion...
 
Don't kill yourself worrying. If the presumed leak is so insignificant that you have different opinions from three different places, then the thing is not going to explode on you. Enjoy it as it is, take care of the problem when and if it presents itself. Life is good.
 
I had a Jeep with an oozing transmission. So bad the previous owner put a bolt in a hole in the transmission case bell area to plug it (the hole was threaded, just "empty"). Anyway, I saw it at 78K miles, and told the dealership, who said "No bolt should be t here", so they removed it...and fluid came out. WTF!? Anyway, they replaced the front main pump seal. 25K miles later...it was leaking again. Sadly it was out from under warranty. Anyway, Basically for 100K miles it leaked, lol. No harm ever resulted, and this was more than "an ooze".
 
Yeah...sign me up..NOT! Aren't these things under filled to begin with? They naturally leak/ooze/drip, whatever the hell you want to call it, after 5 years and it's normal? I had 3 Toyotas, one for 17 years, 300,000 miles, and it never "oozed". What's the mileage on this vehicle? Guess I should've asked that first.
 
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Yeah...sign me up..NOT! Aren't these things under filled to begin with? They naturally leak/ooze/drip, whatever the hell you want to call it, after 5 years and it's normal? I had 3 Toyotas, one for 17 years, 300,000 miles, and it never "oozed". What's the mileage on this vehicle? Guess I should've asked that first.

Normal, no, but also "within variance", is my bet, depending on the level of ooze.

For example...


...is congestive heart failure "normal" for a 75 year old? No, not really. It's also not very surprising, though.
 
Normal, no, but also "within variance", is my bet, depending on the level of ooze.

For example...


...is congestive heart failure "normal" for a 75 year old? No, not really. It's also not very surprising, though.
Lol, it reminds me of the days when I worked for Chevrolet and they had just introduced the Metric 200 Automatic transmission, something they put in their redesigned Malibu in the late 70s, early 80s. Fluid used to seep through the trans case because it was porous and the fix was painting an epoxy on it to stop the "oozing". It wasn't something that was normal. Is this CX5 oozing through the transfer case? If it is, then it definitely isn't "normal".
 
5yo car? Give it a break. It might not be oozing at all, since there's no consensus from two dealers and one independent. What's the recourse now, to sell it back? Dump it or set it on fire? Or just drive it until it shows something?
I dunno, people are kinda quick to jump to conclusions on the matters they have no clue about.
 
It has 95000km, assumimg the previous owner didn*t have the odometer hacked lol

Detailed story...

I brought it for inspection at my mechanic. He told me the differential seal was leaking and that the car shouldn*t be driven until fixed.

Told that to the dealership who was selling it and they called me back saying they lifted the car, even if their techs didn*t see anything wrong upon prior inspections, and that they looked at it and that it was oozing from a prior anti rust treatment and that he could send pictures to show.

I had previously called the two other dealerships listed on the carfax report to enquire on what was done on the car and the two told me nothing but usual servicing, breaks replacement and rust proofing in 2017.

So I thought to myself it probably makes sense that thers some rust treatment residue.

The CX-5 was the 6th one I tried in my shopping spree and drove very well, is the colour I wanted and had the straight shifter and not the maze one.

So I bought it.

Then, just to have a second opinion from a Mazda dealership, went in for a second inspection for leaks. And they told me that the transfer case was leaking but not a ton and it was safe to drive...

So I went back to the dealership I bought it from and they gave me an appointment and said they*re gonna lift it while I*m there and have a look with me at the leak. They said that they will take care of the problem if it leaks but won*t do anything if it*s only seeping.

One thing*s for sure, it*s not dripping as thers no oil patch underneath where it*s parked.

At the very worst, it*ll cost me around 500$ if I decide to have it fixed.
 
and had the straight shifter and not the maze one.

People poo-poo my beloved gated shifter all the time, but it is very intuitive to use vs. a straight shifter in my opinion. Don't ever have to look at it to figure out what gear you are in.
 
Well...

Got it inspected while I was there by the dealership where I bought it...

PTU leak apparent and confirmed by them.

So theyll fix it free of charge.

Hoping this is the only thing thatll have to be taken care of orher than usual servicing.
 
People poo-poo my beloved gated shifter all the time, but it is very intuitive to use vs. a straight shifter in my opinion. Don't ever have to look at it to figure out what gear you are in.

Same here, I liked the gated shifter I had on my IS250. A bonus to the gated shifter is the ability to swap out the shift knob if you were so inclined. Can't do that with my current knob because of the trigger switch.
 
Same here, I liked the gated shifter I had on my IS250. A bonus to the gated shifter is the ability to swap out the shift knob if you were so inclined. Can't do that with my current knob because of the trigger switch.
That too...it feels like a manual shift knob.
 
Well...

Got it inspected while I was there by the dealership where I bought it...

PTU leak apparent and confirmed by them.

So theyll fix it free of charge.

Hoping this is the only thing thatll have to be taken care of orher than usual servicing.
Thanks for the update.

If I were you I would also inspect possible leaks on timing chain cover, oil pan, crankshaft front and rear bearing seals, and / or transmission input shaft bearing seal while you're under the vehicle with underneath cover off. These leaks have been reported by members here before and some even have TSB issued. There's at least one member from Germany reported the leak from front transfer case too. So you're not alone.

You won't be able to see any oil patch underneath where it's parked unless the leak is very severe. The plastic cover underneath will collect initial leak and the oil won't be dripping to the ground. That's why we always have to remove plastic cover underneath to check any possible leaks.
 
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