Questions & concerns from a new CX-5 owner

[bluegrass]

I own a 2018 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring FWD (no premium package).
I have a few questions and concerns after reviewing the owners manual in more detail...

Lack of Intermittent Windshield Wipers
It appears they replaced the "variable speed intermittent wiper" function (on lower trim levels) with the "auto wiper control" on my trim level. Is this correct?

I always use a glass treatment on my vehicles, which means I rarely use my windshield wipers. When I do, I exclusively use the intermittent wiper function. It is extremely annoying that I don't have this function, as I will never use the "auto wiper control" feature.

Scheduled Maintenance Intervals
The manual states to follow "Schedule 2" if any of the listed severe conditions apply. Even though only 1 applies to me (salt used on roads), I plan to follow the more severe Schedule 2. But these schedules make no sense...
- The less severe Schedule 1 has you replacing the air filter every 22,500 miles.
- The more severe Schedule 2 calls for air filters to be replaced every 30,000 miles.

The same is true for the cabin air filter. Can anyone explain this discrepancy?

Recording of Scheduled Maintenance
I do 90% or more of my own vehicle maintenance. The CX-5 does not come with a separate maintenance book to record the maintenance items performed, date, mileage, ect.

What are owners using to record this information?

 

[ColoradoDriver]

So decided CX-5 over the CR-V then? Cool deal.

1. Not sure.

2. No, can't explain the difference there. But its so easy to change them out and cheap to buy, do it when you feel is necessary.

3. I just recently started doing my own oil changes. I just keep the receipt and keep a log of when I did the work and mileage of course. Since I'm being super low tech, I just recorded it in a notebook and attached the receipt to it.

 

[brillo54]

1. My answer is based on my '16 but pretty sure it applies to your '18. Within the vehicle settings in the infotainment system you can change the auto wiper function to variable speed.

2. Maybe a typo. Not sure.

3. Create an account on mymazda.com (you should visit there anyway). Once logged in you can enter work that you've done that the dealer can see if the occasion arises you have them do some work or need to document what you've done. Save your receipts.

 

[raj55]

The last bit about rekording your own diy service rekord on the dealer site does not work in the long run as I found out with Toyota last year. Having stored my diy service for many years in their electronic book, I suddenly found out that they had erased all my own work on the the pretense of creating a new look but had saved their own earlier service rekord on my car. Very wicked! Almost punishing me for not buying their service. Well I was not about to give in. I created my own paper service book and filled in all the old and new service records partly from memory and partly from saved bills. FU Toyota! And I punished them by buying Mazda CX-5 as my second car.

 

[Xeler8ing]

I own a 2018 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring FWD (no premium package).
I have a few questions and concerns after reviewing the owners manual in more detail...

Lack of Intermittent Windshield Wipers
It appears they replaced the "variable speed intermittent wiper" function (on lower trim levels) with the "auto wiper control" on my trim level. Is this correct?

I always use a glass treatment on my vehicles, which means I rarely use my windshield wipers. When I do, I exclusively use the intermittent wiper function. It is extremely annoying that I don't have this function, as I will never use the "auto wiper control" feature.

Correct. See below:

To get it to act like "variable speed intermittent", just adjust the sensitivity selector on the stalk.

 

[isketerol]

To get it to act like "variable speed intermittent", just adjust the sensitivity selector on the stalk.

I found it took a little bit of fine tuning to get it to wipe when there's enough to obscure the screen, but not so much as to be almost constant. I have had a couple of occasions when the wipers frenetically wipe for no apparent reason. Overall, I much prefer this to "intermittent" wiping.

 

[Xeler8ing]

I found it took a little bit of fine tuning to get it to wipe when there's enough to obscure the screen, but not so much as to be almost constant. I have had a couple of occasions when the wipers frenetically wipe for no apparent reason. Overall, I much prefer this to "intermittent" wiping.

That's due to some condensation. Happened to me on fine sunny mornings that were very humid.

(iagree) - prefer auto

As always, each to their own

 

[shadonoz]

You can find another thread previously complaining [and some praising] the automatic wipers.
On my car, they're worthless, one wrong speed only, regardless of adjustments. But the standard intermittents work fine.
As Brillo said, there's a setting to change from auto to manual on my 17 as well.

 

[murky]

I must be an outlier, in that I like aggressive wiping. I want it to turn on at the first droplet and prefer that it run faster than the automatic chooses.

 

[Jo_Bob6000]

I think you can go into the settings and turn off rain sensing wipers, then they becoming intermittent in the auto position. I know this because when I picked up my CX-5 at the dealer the auto feature was turned off.

 

[ceric]

Jo,
Did not know that. Interesting feature.

I use auto-wiper all the times. It works well for me.
The only annoying part is when the condensation builds up at night and when I just start the engine, the wiper goes non-stop for a couple minutes until the condensation disappears.

 

[Xeler8ing]

Just turn off the wipers until the condensation dissipates