New to the forum, my first post.
My wife and I recently purchased a used 2009 cx9 grand touring from our local Mazda dealer. With less than 96,000 miles on the odometer, we really liked the vehicle, it had a clean carfax and was in like-new condition. But less than 700 miles and 10 days after purchase a loud grinding noise started while we were on our way to the dealer to pick up our new license plates. We left the vehicle there (Saturday) and got a loaner to drive. A quick Google search gave me a likely suspect.... the PTU. On Monday I got the call with the answer I already knew, a bad PTU. Long story short, they covered the all the costs and didn't charge us for the loaner. I guess there is something to be said for purchasing from a dealer that you have a history with.
In case anyone is in a similar situation, did find new PTU's available for around $650 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)) but I'm glad I didn't have to go that route. On a related note, has anyone designed some sort of heat shield to go between the PTU and exhaust? I would think this would go a long way to keeping the fluid in good condition and preventing failures. I may have to look into designing one if nobody has.
The other big thing seems to be the water pump. The one on ours is original, which makes me a little nervous. I'll have to keep a close eye on the coolant level for now. Eventually I will probably just replace the pump, chains, and guides just to be safe. Has anyone done this? Did you do the chains/guides too or just the pump?
My wife and I recently purchased a used 2009 cx9 grand touring from our local Mazda dealer. With less than 96,000 miles on the odometer, we really liked the vehicle, it had a clean carfax and was in like-new condition. But less than 700 miles and 10 days after purchase a loud grinding noise started while we were on our way to the dealer to pick up our new license plates. We left the vehicle there (Saturday) and got a loaner to drive. A quick Google search gave me a likely suspect.... the PTU. On Monday I got the call with the answer I already knew, a bad PTU. Long story short, they covered the all the costs and didn't charge us for the loaner. I guess there is something to be said for purchasing from a dealer that you have a history with.
In case anyone is in a similar situation, did find new PTU's available for around $650 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)) but I'm glad I didn't have to go that route. On a related note, has anyone designed some sort of heat shield to go between the PTU and exhaust? I would think this would go a long way to keeping the fluid in good condition and preventing failures. I may have to look into designing one if nobody has.
The other big thing seems to be the water pump. The one on ours is original, which makes me a little nervous. I'll have to keep a close eye on the coolant level for now. Eventually I will probably just replace the pump, chains, and guides just to be safe. Has anyone done this? Did you do the chains/guides too or just the pump?