New Owners - Check your Tire PSI

I think you will have better luck on the Pick 3 lottery than you will finding a CX-5 with the correct tire pressure on the dealer lot.
 
I don't think it is unusual, unreasonable or negligent for the cars on the lots to have over inflated tires.
What is unforgivable is for the dealer to deliver the car to the customer without checking this very simple specification. Especially with as many mind numbed consumers out there who are indifferent and grossly incompetent regarding checking the simple things on their vehicles that all owners should be able to do.
 
I don't think it is unusual, unreasonable or negligent for the cars on the lots to have over inflated tires.
What is unforgivable is for the dealer to deliver the car to the customer without checking this very simple specification. Especially with as many mind numbed consumers out there who are indifferent and grossly incompetent regarding checking the simple things on their vehicles that all owners should be able to do.

Ive done winter test drives with tires at spec pressure that had been sitting for weeks that had very noticeable flat-spotting. Better to overinflate on the lot than scare a customer away. Failure to address on delivery however is a major screw-up.
 
How about a list of things a new owner should check, since dealers are not doing their job?

- Tire Pressures
- apparently, the ATF levels are often low (on another thread) - is that right?
 
How about a list of things a new owner should check, since dealers are not doing their job?

- Tire Pressures
- apparently, the ATF levels are often low (on another thread) - is that right?

Such a list already exists - it's the Dealer's PDI Checklist (wink)

In all seriousness, tire pressure and fluid levels seem to cover most of the things new owners have noticed. I do remember one thread where someone took delivery of a vehicle that had some paint inconsistency. Turns out the car had some body work done before delivery, which wasn't disclosed to the buyer. Apparently this is normal (to a certain degree), but the issue was the half-assed body work. So I guess you can add "Check paint quality and panel alignment" to the list.
 
How about a list of things a new owner should check, since dealers are not doing their job?

- Tire Pressures
- apparently, the ATF levels are often low (on another thread) - is that right?

When I was doing my immediate post delivery inspection of my new CX 5 I opened the hood for a look-see. Brake fluid, check. Engine oil/dipstick, check. Washer fluid, check. Coolant level, check. Power steering fluid, WTH ? No reservoir. Scratched my head for a minute. Referred to the 700 page manual. Hmmm... electric power steering. That's a first for me.

Automatic transmission fluid dipstick ? Couldn't find anything in the manual. I believe it is a semi-sealed system until drained and refilled by pulling the plugs at the top and bottom like one would do with a manual transmission correct ?

How would people know if their AT fluid level was low upon delivery unless they got a warning light or the transmission failed within the first few hundred miles ?
 
When I was doing my immediate post delivery inspection of my new CX 5 I opened the hood for a look-see. Brake fluid, check. Engine oil/dipstick, check. Washer fluid, check. Coolant level, check. Power steering fluid, WTH ? No reservoir. Scratched my head for a minute. Referred to the 700 page manual. Hmmm... electric power steering. That's a first for me.

Automatic transmission fluid dipstick ? Couldn't find anything in the manual. I believe it is a semi-sealed system until drained and refilled by pulling the plugs at the top and bottom like one would do with a manual transmission correct ?

How would people know if their AT fluid level was low upon delivery unless they got a warning light or the transmission failed within the first few hundred miles ?


Your first electric power steering AND your first hard to check (it does have a dipstick) auto trans ? How long has it been since your last new vehicle ?
 
Your first electric power steering AND your first hard to check (it does have a dipstick) auto trans ? How long has it been since your last new vehicle ?

List the cars you've owned where you have to get under the car, remove an access panel, and achieve a specific temperature of the transmission fluid (versus "Check When Hot") just to check it.

My CX-5 is a first for me.
 
List the cars you've owned where you have to get under the car, remove an access panel, and achieve a specific temperature of the transmission fluid (versus "Check When Hot") just to check it.

My CX-5 is a first for me.

I have had too many to list. Really. Mostly GM products but others too. I DID NOT say I like it this way (I hate it BTW) but that this is the way of the world now. That's all.
 
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I have had too many to list. Really. Mostly GM products but others too. I DID NOT say I like it this way (I hate it BTW) but that this is the way of the world now. That's all.

Really???

Honestly, I had no idea. I have NEVER had a car without the "right-up-there" transmission dipstick, much less one that required getting underneath and removing an access panel..
 
When I was doing my immediate post delivery inspection of my new CX 5 I opened the hood for a look-see. Brake fluid, check. Engine oil/dipstick, check. Washer fluid, check. Coolant level, check. Power steering fluid, WTH ? No reservoir. Scratched my head for a minute. Referred to the 700 page manual. Hmmm... electric power steering. That's a first for me.

Automatic transmission fluid dipstick ? Couldn't find anything in the manual. I believe it is a semi-sealed system until drained and refilled by pulling the plugs at the top and bottom like one would do with a manual transmission correct ?

How would people know if their AT fluid level was low upon delivery unless they got a warning light or the transmission failed within the first few hundred miles ?

So as you can see,you have to get under the car and remove a panel in order to access the dipstick. You also have to make certain that the transmission fluid is a specific temperature (not just "Hot") in order to check it properly.

There are threads around here with pics. Yeh, it's nuts. And yeh, this is my first car with electric steering and this type of dipstick setup.
 
With BMW and Lexus, we never inflated the tires very far beyond spec, and plenty of them sat around for 6-10 months. No problems with flat-spotting.

The vehicle won't ride as good as it could on a test drive because of this.
Yeah, my 2000 BMW 528i often sitting there for several months with about 2~3 psi over its maximum recommended tire pressures which I always do for all my vehicles, never has flat-spot issue.
 
The manufacturer recommended PSI should be on a sticker on the driver's door jamb. Should be something like 32-36 psi.
Mazda recommended tire pressure for gen-2 CX-5, it's 34 psi for 225/65R17, and 35 psi for 225/55R19. For gen-1 CX-5, it's 34 psi for 225/65R17, and 36 psi for 225/55R19.

This one-pressure-fit-all recommendation on tire pressure is only for US/NA market.
 
I don't think it is unusual, unreasonable or negligent for the cars on the lots to have over inflated tires.
What is unforgivable is for the dealer to deliver the car to the customer without checking this very simple specification. Especially with as many mind numbed consumers out there who are indifferent and grossly incompetent regarding checking the simple things on their vehicles that all owners should be able to do.
I've been very disappointed on any dealer's works from my past experience. Too many screw-ups, and they can never done a job without something not been right. Most recent incident to me was a simple oil change on my 2018 Yaris iA but developed a major leak at drain plug by a Toyota dealer in San Bruno.

Just tried another Toyota dealer in west San Jose for squeaking brake noise in the morning. The invoice says "Set tire pressure to manufacture specifications as stated in driver door jam label." And attached Multipoint Inspection sheet clearly wrote "36" for front and "33" for rear tires. Since I usually add 2~3 psi over factory recommended pressure, I re-checked tire pressure next day in the morning thinking I need to put more air in. To my surprise, front is 39 and rear is 36! The tech didn't do a thing on tire pressure and wrote the psi numbers on the sheet with his imagination!
 
There's often a significant discrepancy between readings of different air gauges. Especially cheap ones.
 
Our tires (2019 CX-5 Signature) were also at 50 psi when we picked the car up, and the drove horribly. My husband realized the problem after we got home, took the pressure down to the recommended psi, and the car now rides beautifully.
 
There's often a significant discrepancy between readings of different air gauges. Especially cheap ones.
No, I have pretty good digital tire pressure gauge. And remember the dealer checked tire pressure when my Yaris was relatively warm and I checked cold tire pressure in the morning. The readings for me should be even lower than what I had before if the tech indeed lowered the tire pressure to match factory numbers. No way the tire pressures are exactly the same as before the dealer made the claimed "adjustment"!
 
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