Thrilled yet concerned new CX-7 owner

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Turbo Mandy

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2010 CX-7 2.3L Turbo
Hi there. My wife and I recently drove 170 miles from San Diego to Ventura because we thought we had found the perfect used 2012 Rav 4 from a dealer up there. Well long story short, when we arrived we found the poor little Rav to be in pretty bad shape. Tons of scratches and touch up paint, dents, stains and just really cheap inside (base model). We walked away discouraged. Well there just so happended to be a Toyota dealership across the street so we figured we would stop by to see what they had. They didn't have any Ravs that met our criteria (AWD and prefered white). They did however have this stunning 2010 CX-7 Touring edition with 51k miles. We hadn't been considering something with that many miles but then again it was 4 grand less than we were going to pay for the Toyota and MUCH prettier with heated leather seats etc.. It was already marked way down and we negotiated even further to what we felt was a steal. We spent about 1 hour in the car researching it but that's about all the time we had. Anyway, we love the car. It suits our needs perfectly and drives like a dream compared to the 02 Civic it replaced. However, I'm now finding some very troubling info on forums from people complaining that the turbos and timing chains on this model fail A LOT. I'm really nervous about this because we have a car payment for the next 5 years and really can't afford to drive something that is going to require costly maintenance. I'd love to hear from some satisfied CX-7 (2.3) owners with positive experiences. Anyone out there with a high milage rig without complaints? Thanks for all input!
 
I believe that's with the 1st generation models. The DISI was revamped after numerous people with smokey turbo's and rattling at start ups (VVT). Mazda issued a Warranty Extension for these parts for like 84 months/ 70,000 miles. which really isn't much, but they do work with you if you're slightly over. Register your Mazda at MyMazda.com to see if you have any TSB's or such to worry about. I think you're in the 2nd gen category as i think they figured out the issue and resolved it. A quick google search didn't net any results for turbo's in the 2010 model year.

Honestly, i think you'll be fine. Just keep track of everything you do with receipts & MyMazda.com and they shouldn't give you too much crap.
 
Thank you for that you did a lot to put my mind at ease. I absolutely love this car and I hope to have it for another 100k miles.
 
Thanks for referring mymazda.com. I signed up and mine does fall under the warranty extension for the timing chain to 84 mo and 70k miles. I have to think that even though quite a few earlier models had problems that still the majority probably did not. So I feel okay about it.
 
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Thanks! Well my wife likes the heated seats I don't plan on using them. We did need the AWD as we go to the snow a lot in the winter and my Dad was sick of us borrowing his 4x4. This really is a nice car so far we love it.
 
No problem on the MyMazda website, I kinda stumbled upon it myself.

It's better in winter:





 
My mother in law has a 2009 CX9 and she absolutely loves it. Rides nice, handles good & does pretty damn good in snow for a 6,000lbs vehicle, lol
 
I had the same concerns after getting ours. No probs yet with anything after 10 months - 5000 miles added to it from 70k. We got out of an 02 Tribute I was happy with up to the trans rebuild (114,000 miles and we got it at 50k) - like many others had to do. I was so focused on liking Mazda but making darn sure we didn't get anything with the Ford CD4E trans (known problems), I guess we ended up with the CX-7 before stumbling onto 'issues' some have.

I added heated seats for my wife as a Christmas present just as the cold season hit this past winter. For snow, it's amazing - very stable and tracks straight. It came with Blizzaks that were 2/3 gone but they still bite very well. I'm less than impressed by mpg but we live at 7000 feet and it's hilly all over town. I think it's difficult to do a 'soft start' with the 6 speed auto and first gear so low but if anything, I'd trade 2 or 3 mpg for the power it has when i want it or need it. We get 16 or so city driving and have yet to drive long enough on the hwy to test it. I'll be happy at 21 +. I have an ext warranty to 100 k or 3 years. We probably drive it 6 k a year now. Glad I have that bit of insurance for a little while anyways. If I get the first signs or inkling of anything while under warranty, I'll have the dealer note it on the LOF or maint records and hope it cracks early.
 
Thanks that's great to hear. We just took her on the first road trip up to the so cal mountains ans she was fun in the twisties. Did great. Averaged 19.7 mpg
 
I seen a Youtube video of 4 SUV's on a track racing around and the CX-7 was out there with a Porche Cayenne. That thing has goobs of power and speed but the CX-7 so out performed everything else in handling and grip that the Cayenne could only play catch up on the straights where it powered down.
All in all, I was impressed with CX-7. Cameras inside the cabin as well as at the track showed a very obvious difference with much less body roll the for Mazda. It truly is a sports car suspension / foundation.

~brian
 
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