People forget that, they also don't figure in average labor rate increases which are anywhere from $140 to $175 per hour these days, so a few hours work can cost you up to $350 easily not including parts. Just look at the prices dealers want for brakes these days as compared to only a few years ago.
Nothing, I just prefer not to mix brands if you're not doing a complete change with all the fluid, personal choice. Ravenol is an excellent choice. What, in your opinion is wrong with the Mazda fluid? It's a very high quality fluid, and has taken quite a few CX5s past the 200k mile mark.
Some might say it is, I would greatly advise against it, no such thing as good enough in my book. Cars are expensive. All you need really is a dongle to plug into your OBD2 port and a scan program on you phone, might cost you under $40. And I wouldn't use the Ravenol to mix with what's in...
Many are of the opinion, including me, that lifetime means the length of the warranty, that's all the time the manufacturer is on the hook for anything going wrong...
I don't know about the Mazda TPMS, but on Toyotas a drop of 7 pounds triggers it. I don't see why it should be any different for the other Japanese car makers.
Might go away with 5w-30, Chrysler has a similar problem with their hemi engines with CDA, people report the problem going away when bumping up to 5w-30. Can't hurt.
Thanks for the reminder. Usually what happens here is the rubber gasket swells over time increasing pressure on the system which will eventually cause a leak, usually in the radiator somewhere.
As an FYI, Harbor Freight sells these funnels that prevents air entering the system while changing coolant.
https://www.harborfreight.com/no-spill-radiator-funnel-kit-58423.html
I never had that problem except the last 2 times I installed pads which were Akebono. The first went into the front of my wife's Scion. I thought, what the heck, must be a fluke set, had to file them down a bit to get them to fit. The second set went into the back of my CX5, and they were a real...
Putting in my 2 cents here. When I did my rear brakes I didn't push the piston all the way back in, just enough to get the caliper over the pads. I saw a few You tube videos where this was done.
It's a common problem when two tires aren't quite made the same. I doubt your toe is off unless the steering wheel isn't centered, but the fact that you saw a difference when you switched the tries around makes me believe it's a tire issue, it's nothing serious. When you rotate them you'll...