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- RDX Aspec Adv.
Transmissions are even more complex mechanically than engines imho. Some points:
One question I have when judging transmissions is how smooth is it? The smoother the transmission the more likely it would last longer. The rougher it is the less confidence I have in it lasting long.
Next question is how does the manufacturer abide by the warranty? People here did not have to fight Mazda (USA at least) to get warranty work. Mazda time and time again stepped up and provided new transmissions under warranty. That said the actual number is likely low. No issues for our two skyactiv mazdas for example. 3 MAzdas at my work and no transmission issues.
Next point is to try to be cognizant of your car. Get things repaired under warranty.
Last point is that certified Mazdas get a 7-Year/100,000-Mile Powertrain warranty. A lot of time to identify major issues and get it covered.
I like rougher transmissions. That means it's slipping less. My dad's work van (gmc 2500) has nearly half a million miles on it's transmission with no transmission maintenance. It has always "banged" shifts from time to time (as in, sounds and feels like a sledge hammer hit the arse of the truck. This is very extreme though and I'm not claiming all should do this, it's just an example to prove the point). Works great. His work cars (police crown vics) always had butter smooth shifts. They lasted 80k miles on average, and that's with getting trans-go and other crap when they began slipping. Wore the bands out fast slip sliding to facilitate that smooth shifting. The 4.6l v8s were usually good for 220 to 280k miles before they began consuming insane amounts of oil or a head gasket or other random failure. The 5.0 motors were good for around 200 to 240k miles of so before for knock, low oil pressure, or ring wear required a rebuild.
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