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- Central Virginia
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- 2019 CX-5 Reserve
Are you (a) saying that an official Mazda Service Manual instructs you to pull the dipstick from topside, or (b) are you saying that this is the way it's been done ever since there have been automatic transmissions? I'm just curious if there's an official step-by-step out there that instructs how to get to the thing in the first place.If the trans fluid is checked 'by the book' it's done from the topside and involves removing a bunch of stuff. Done from underneath doesn't require the removal of said junk.
My suggestion is to not have the dealer do this, do it yourself.
Your service manager sure sounds clueless, he should know what's what by now after being there so long. Not very confidence inspiring.
Regarding dealer competence...I'm gonna throw this out and take my chances here...
After owning my Mazda for a year, I've been frustrated at the gap in information available. This includes basic things that are not in the Owner's Manual. Long-time owners here have acknowledged that this is a Mazda "trademark"...that's it's a known Mazda short-coming. I'm thinking that Mazda dealers are also subject to this lack of communication.
So if:
>The brand has always had sealed transmissions
>Dealers are instructed by the factory to not service them, so never have
>Dipstick are suddenly incorporated with no communication ('cause it's Mazda)
>You can only see the dipstick if you're looking for it in an obscure place, and you've been told to not touch the transmission in the first place
>Dipsticks are only on recent models (I assume), so long-term experience is not relevant
Then:
>It's understandable that the dealer might not be aware that they exist
>It explains the continued "it's a sealed unit" response
>>After all, they've been rightly denying the "please check the transmission fluid" for years
Thoughts?
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