First oil change on 2020 CX-5 Signature: WTF Surprise?

Just my 2¢: I would never install one of those valves. Sorry, just don't trust it. Hell, even on a lawnmower that comes with those "EZ Drain" valves, I've seen them fail far too many times. (I have a side gig working in small engines). And yes, I realize that a brass valve is of a much higher quality than the plastic mower oil valve. Don't care. Because of my experience with the mower valves, I always remove those infernal things and replace it with a good old pipe cap when I see them.

A mower engine is a couple hundred bucks and super easy to swap if they fail. And if I cannot trust a oil valve on something as cheap and simple as a lawnmower, I sure as HELL ain't going to put one on my car!
 
I guess you Fumoto valve fans must not be even the least bit concerned that non-OEM equipment like this could potentially allow Mazda to void the warranty on your vehicle's engine. Good for you, and no need for you to waste time explaining how and why that would be illegal or impossible, because I'm not interested in arguing about it with anyone.
 
I guess you Fumoto valve fans must not be even the least bit concerned that non-OEM equipment like this could potentially allow Mazda to void the warranty on your vehicle's engine. Good for you, and no need for you to waste time explaining how and why that would be illegal or impossible, because I'm not interested in arguing about it with anyone.
If the valve fails allowing all of the oil to drain out and thus the engine is destroyed, guess what? Your warranty is useless. No way to argue out of that one, either. That right there is why I don't trust them. Simply pulling the plug and replacing the washer is just too simple of a task.
 
I can see the value of a quick drain valve. Especially if you drive under severe service and want to drain the oil frequently. I imagine some professionally maintained fleets have them, along with a big bulk oil drum.

Also if you drain your oil every night to take it inside to keep warm in frigid climate s.

Or maybe you just want a quick and easy way to drain without crawling under there. It's a free country.

I like the oem drain plug with the hex Allen socket. Sometimes I can remove the plug without dropping it into the drain pan. But it is kind of a pain laying on the floor. At least it's inside my garage.
 
I've been happily using Fumoto valves for 20 years or so. It's a convenience. I like not having to replace a crush washer, worry about stripping pan threads, using extra tools, and properly torqueing the plug each time. I've even added thumb holds to the screws for the under-cover, so the only tools I need is are flathead screwdriver, and maybe a filter or strap wrench, plus a funnel.

There will always be oil left in the car after draining. Whether that is 10% or 13% isn't a big concern to me. The majority of the oil will be refreshed. This isn't like the transmission fluid where you are only getting on the order of 1/2 of it at a time, or refrigerant where you pull a vacuum.
 
I've even added thumb holds to the screws for the under-cover, so the only tools I need is are flathead screwdriver,

Sounds like a good idea. In fact I wonder why Mazda wouldn't use them.

Something you got from Amazon, or locally?
 
Sounds like a good idea. In fact I wonder why Mazda wouldn't use them.

Something you got from Amazon, or locally?
I ended up printing my own caps. I couldn't find any off the shelf thumb screws of the right size and pitch. See post:

 
A person using the quick valve can drain the oil, and then remove the valve and catch the oil that comes out to prove or disprove its effectiveness. If more than an ounce of oil comes out I wouldn't use the valve. Personally I wouldn't use one, it is fast to remove and install the oil plug. But I have to wear gloves, oil always gets on my hands.
 
Even if my hands were going to stay "clean", I always wear gloves when working on a car anyway, so that's not an issue for me.
Yeah I started to wear the thin blue rubber gloves several years ago. I still don’t have good feel to the objects when I need it like with the bare hands. Although it’s a lot easier to clean my hands afterwards.
 
Because push pins are FAST when the car is rolling down the assembly line.
I bought my 6 with 34K miles, and when I crawled under to remove the access panel I found it had a bunch of fasteners holes, but only one Ph. head screw and 2 pretty worn push-fasteners. I hate the fiddly things, especially re-inserting. I've changed the oil on countless cars and have never had to use push-fasteners in the process before this. Oh well, a minor irritation unless you're laying on a cold driveway in Chicago.
 
The push pins (and the flap design) are a PITA. They should have had a hinged flap with a couple of camloc fasteners with captive parts. Nothing to remove and get lost, only unscrew to open and close.
 
The push pins (and the flap design) are a PITA. They should have had a hinged flap with a couple of camloc fasteners with captive parts. Nothing to remove and get lost, only unscrew to open and close.
This gives me an idea. Maybe I could make a flap or hinge and attach it myself. If it works I can s ave some time and trouble later on.
 
This gives me an idea. Maybe I could make a flap or hinge and attach it myself. If it works I can s ave some time and trouble later on.
Oh, I think it's totally doable. Would make a good winter project. Maybe use stainless steel hinges and pop rivet it to the big panel and little flap. Pop rivet some 1/4 or 1/2 turn fasteners. May have to fab up some small pieces to make it work. That's all my coffee starved brain can think of for now. A little snow removal is on the agenda at some point. Why do my thoughts keep going back to the California weather I used to enjoy.
 
This gives me an idea. Maybe I could make a flap or hinge and attach it myself. If it works I can s ave some time and trouble later on.
The plastic piece hooks to the big panel so that would mess up having it hinged. You can just leave it off altogether. I doubt that much water or dirt would splash up at that spot and get in the compartment unless you go off roading on dirty muddy trails.
 
... I doubt that much water or dirt would splash up at that spot and get in the compartment unless you go off roading on dirty muddy trails.
I had thought that same thing as well, until it was proven to be wrong. I always leave the cover on our vehicles off for one drive cycle, in order to check a second time for leaks.

So one of these drives took place on a rainy day, and when I went to reinstall the cover the next day,I was very surprised how much of a coating had been deposited on the oil filter and pan. It didn't make any sense at all to me why watery debris would splash up in the middle of the underside, but then something else occurred to me.

I now believe that much of the underside panel will stay continuously wet, as a result of the wind driving water rearward from the front of the panel. The front part of the panel will of course be taking water continuously, and it's easy to imagine the wind tunnel effect under the panel causing enough surface tension to drive water all the way into that open area.

And I guess I'm the only one here who isn't annoyed by the way Mazda chose to attach that cover panel. For me, those 2 bolts and 2 push pins is a minute or so, off and back on, and I've never considered it to be even a minor irritation. It makes me wonder if some folks here are fumbling around unnecessarily removing the push pins.
 
I had thought that same thing as well, until it was proven to be wrong. I always leave the cover on our vehicles off for one drive cycle, in order to check a second time for leaks.

So one of these drives took place on a rainy day, and when I went to reinstall the cover the next day,I was very surprised how much of a coating had been deposited on the oil filter and pan. It didn't make any sense at all to me why watery debris would splash up in the middle of the underside, but then something else occurred to me.

I now believe that much of the underside panel will stay continuously wet, as a result of the wind driving water rearward from the front of the panel. The front part of the panel will of course be taking water continuously, and it's easy to imagine the wind tunnel effect under the panel causing enough surface tension to drive water all the way into that open area.

And I guess I'm the only one here who isn't annoyed by the way Mazda chose to attach that cover panel. For me, those 2 bolts and 2 push pins is a minute or so, off and back on, and I've never considered it to be even a minor irritation. It makes me wonder if some folks here are fumbling around unnecessarily removing the push pins.
When I was changing the oil the first time on my 2018 Toyota Yaris iA which is a Mazda2 in disguise after Toyota's 2-year free maintenance had expired, I fully expected I need to remove 2 push fasteners and 1 Phillips screw (or 1 push fastener and 2 Phillips screws?) like the CX-5. But the access door has only 1 Phillips screw, and the rest part of the access door is designed to "intercept" with the engine under-cover which I feel it's a much better design than the one on the CX-5.
 
I had thought that same thing as well, until it was proven to be wrong. I always leave the cover on our vehicles off for one drive cycle, in order to check a second time for leaks.

So one of these drives took place on a rainy day, and when I went to reinstall the cover the next day,I was very surprised how much of a coating had been deposited on the oil filter and pan. It didn't make any sense at all to me why watery debris would splash up in the middle of the underside, but then something else occurred to me.

I now believe that much of the underside panel will stay continuously wet, as a result of the wind driving water rearward from the front of the panel. The front part of the panel will of course be taking water continuously, and it's easy to imagine the wind tunnel effect under the panel causing enough surface tension to drive water all the way into that open area.

And I guess I'm the only one here who isn't annoyed by the way Mazda chose to attach that cover panel. For me, those 2 bolts and 2 push pins is a minute or so, off and back on, and I've never considered it to be even a minor irritation. It makes me wonder if some folks here are fumbling around unnecessarily removing the push pins.
Interesting about the water. Personally I love the access panel and how it is attached. My previous car I had to remove the entire skid plate to change the oil. And putting it back on was a pita, on my back holding it up with one hand and getting the first screw started with the other. The Mazda access panel is off in 6 seconds.
 
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