2007~2015 Presentation and a couple of questions

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Mazdaspeed6
Greetings from Spain!!:

Hello everyone!! I am writing this thread because I’m interested in buying a 2015 CX-9. In Spain were sold just 100 units. Its price brand new was 42000 €, about 50000$. Now they are priced at about 19000 €, 23000$. Yes, cars in Spain are much more expensive than in the USA, I am very envious of you :)))). My other car is a Mazdaspeed 6, so I'm used to the brand.

I have read a lot of threads in this forum and they have left me more worried than calm, I will expose my conclusions to see if you can confirm that they are right. The two most important problems with this car are the transfer and the water pump.

Regarding the transfer, the problem is that being between the engine and the exhaust manifold, the oil gets very hot, degrades, and loses lubricating properties, which causes the failure. This problem can be avoided by changing the transfer oil every 30000 miles... correct?

Regarding the water pump... it is not rare for it to fail, and the problem is that it’s behind the timing chain, so the leaking liquid mixes with the oil and ends up breaking the engine. What can be done?... check the engine oil every 3000 miles?...

But the question I have, since it's not clear to me, is.... how many CX-9 have these problems?... is it sure that all of them sooner or later will fail in these points?... how many miles are the most suitable for the failures to occur?

My idea is to buy one with 70000 kms, about 45000 miles, and the first thing to change the transfer oil and coolant. Transmission oil will also be changed, I guess.

This is the one I like the most of those sold in Spain:

https://www.coches.net/mazda-cx9-37...gasolina-2015-en-barcelona-47496706-covo.aspx

But it's in Barcelona, and now you can't travel to many places in Spain, so I found this one near my home:

https://www.coches.net/mazda-cx9-37...5p-gasolina-2015-en-madrid-46777480-covo.aspx

So that's my life :)... Any important advice before the purchase?

Thanks in advance and very good forum!
 
There is no real data as to how many failed or not so it is an impossible question to answer, not everyone come on this forum and most that do, usually came because they had a problem so i doubt it is representative of how it really is. I had a 2007 and failed on the transfer case and trnamsission splines but water pump was still good. Now i have a 2015 and both are still ok so far but who knows for how long...
 
As was said in the previous post, nobody on this forum knows the failure rate of the transfer case or the water pump. I'm sure that data exists inside Ford and Mazda but it hasn't been shared with the public.

My personal opinion is that the water pump failure rate is probably pretty low. However, because it is both very expensive to replace and has the potential to wreck the engine when it dies, it gets quite a bit of attention. All you can do is watch the water level in the overflow tank and check the oil frequently for signs of moisture - if you are really concerned, do this every time you fill it with gasoline. These would be the only early signs that water is leaking into the oil. The next early sign that there is an issue would be the check engine light and codes for the cam timing being off - which means that the VVT actuators are gummed up with oil and water. However, at that point, your engine may already be trashed.

The transfer case appears to fail at a higher rate. I say this because Mazda acknowledged the problem and started a service campaign in the United States that extended the warranty on transfer case and transmission. Changing the gear oil in the transfer case frequently should help but it's no guarantee the transfer case hasn't already been damaged.

This vehicle seems like a poor fit for Europe. It's a large vehicle, it suffers from poor fuel efficiency, and I can't imagine repair part availability is good. It would certainly be an uncommon site on the roads, but I'd probably look elsewhere.
 
Thanks a lot for your answer. I understand that it's difficult to know the failure rate, but you leave me more confident with the car. I will see tomorrow at the dealer...

As I know, in Europe there's no acknowledgment from Mazda of any problem.. maybe there has been just one or two cases, but I remember one unit I saw time ago that in the workshop record appeared the change or repairing of the transfer. I found it strange, but now I understand :)

Regards,
JR
 
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Just another question... is available any document where I can see how's the whole transmission system?... this is.. the front and rear differentials have any blocking system?.. and as in the Mazdaspeed, rear traction is connected by a multidisc clutch?...

And Workshop Manual for the engine would also be appreciated :cool:

I'm looking forward to own the car and share my adventures!
 
Another data point.
My wife had a 2009 CX9 AWD for better part of 10 years.
Had 185k miles when we sold it last fall.
Water pump (and coolant) was original, no issues.

Transfer case was replaced at around 120k miles due to a leak short after I changed the fluid. I think I waited too long to change it and once I did, it dissolved some of the gunk and allowed fluid to leak around one of the seals (just a theory). Not catastrophic failure, but stunk and left drip marks on the driveway.
 
Someone else had posted on this forum a workshop manual for that generation of CX-9. I don’t have it saved but a quick search on the forum should find it.
 
Thanks again for your answers. I found the manual, an online version but I downloaded all the sections.

Since yesterday I'm a new owner of a Mazda CX-9, model 2015 :). I will post my impressions, when I drive it some more kms.
 
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