2008 Mazda5 Transmission fluid and filter screen change

Just bought a 2008 Mazda5 with 128,000 miles. Got it from a small used car lot that purchased it a few days before from the Classic auto group dealer-only auction here in suburban Cleveland, a large, multi-brand new car dealership. The car seems to run well, shift smoothly. Engine oil looks fresh and golden and has a new filter and serpentine drive belt. But I haven't checked the transmission oil yet for color or smell but am planning on driving about 1,300 miles back and forth to New England next week. I was wondering if it would be advisable to change the trans fluid and replace the strainer/filter unit?

If I do, I would NOT ever power flush the trans but instead do it old-school by draining the pan via the plug, then putting the plug back on and refilling the trans, disconnecting the trans cooler line, putting on a plastic tube and then running the motor for a few minutes to drain the old fluid from the torque converter while adding new fluid via the dipstick tube until the color is bright and clear. Then I would drive the car for a few hundred miles and repeat the procedure, only this time I would drop the pan and change the strainer/filter first, reinstall the pan and gasket. And I would only use OEM Mazda Type 5 fluid or the Idemitsu Type M fluid.

So my questions are:

1.) if the fluid looks black and dirty, should I do a fluid and strainer/filter change the way I described?

2.) when I drop the pan and change the strainer/filter, what is the difference between the Mazda dealer's OEM part (#FNC121500A) which wholesales for $70.65 :eek: and the auto parts store units from Fram, NAPA, etc... which sell for around $20?

3.) I know the original pan gasket was an RTV silicone sealant but today the strainer/filter kits come with either a rubberized or cork material pan gasket. Which of these 2 gasket materials is the best way to go, assuming not using RTV silicone?

Really appreciate you opinions on this as I want to be proactive but don't want to open up a can of worms in doing so.

And what other things do you suggest I look at to thoroughly inspect the car and upgrades/mods to make it better?

♥️ THANKS!
 
There's a thousand threads asking this exact same question. Your original ATF has probably never been changed. No need to unhook any lines though.

Use ONLY Mazda ATF type M5. Literally nothing else. Don't thing saving $10 at the parts store by using generic but cheaper fluid is a good idea, it's not.

Drain, fill, drive 10 miles.
Drain, fill, drive 10 miles.
Drain, fill, drive 10 miles.
Drain fill.

There, now you have almost 100% brand new fluid throughout the transmission.

If at this point you want to drop the pan and change the filter, it's not a bad idea at all.
 
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There's a thousand threads asking this exact same question. Your original ATF has probably never been changed. No need to unhook any lines though.

Use ONLY Mazda ATF type M5. Literally nothing else. Don't thing saving $10 at the parts store by using generic but cheaper fluid is a good idea, it's not.

Drain, fill, drive 10 miles.
Drain, fill, drive 10 miles.
Drain, fill, drive 10 miles.
Drain fill.

There, now you have almost 100% brand new fluid throughout the transmission.

If at this point you want to drop the pan and change the filter, it's not a bad idea at all.
Thanks for the reply. Unhooking the line is not a big issue since I'll be under the car anyway and I have a helper. Just think this method would be a time saver overall with not having to crawl under the car each time and would consume about the same amount of wasted fluid.
 
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Just bought a 2008 Mazda5 with 128,000 miles. Got it from a small used car lot that purchased it a few days before from the Classic auto group dealer-only auction here in suburban Cleveland, a large, multi-brand new car dealership. The car seems to run well, shift smoothly. Engine oil looks fresh and golden and has a new filter and serpentine drive belt. But I haven't checked the transmission oil yet for color or smell but am planning on driving about 1,300 miles back and forth to New England next week. I was wondering if it would be advisable to change the trans fluid and replace the strainer/filter unit?

If I do, I would NOT ever power flush the trans but instead do it old-school by draining the pan via the plug, then putting the plug back on and refilling the trans, disconnecting the trans cooler line, putting on a plastic tube and then running the motor for a few minutes to drain the old fluid from the torque converter while adding new fluid via the dipstick tube until the color is bright and clear. Then I would drive the car for a few hundred miles and repeat the procedure, only this time I would drop the pan and change the strainer/filter first, reinstall the pan and gasket. And I would only use OEM Mazda Type 5 fluid or the Idemitsu Type M fluid.

So my questions are:

1.) if the fluid looks black and dirty, should I do a fluid and strainer/filter change the way I described?

2.) when I drop the pan and change the strainer/filter, what is the difference between the Mazda dealer's OEM part (#FNC121500A) which wholesales for $70.65 :eek: and the auto parts store units from Fram, NAPA, etc... which sell for around $20?

3.) I know the original pan gasket was an RTV silicone sealant but today the strainer/filter kits come with either a rubberized or cork material pan gasket. Which of these 2 gasket materials is the best way to go, assuming not using RTV silicone?

Really appreciate you opinions on this as I want to be proactive but don't want to open up a can of worms in doing so.

And what other things do you suggest I look at to thoroughly inspect the car and upgrades/mods to make it better?

♥️ THANKS!
@1steven Hi Steven, Saw that you posted this recently. I am curious which ATF you purchased for your 2008 Mazda5 and did you purchase it at the dealership to avoid aftermarket ATF? Did the tranny operate ok afterward?

Found this site. Must have been a wide enough issue for Mazda to post on behalf of NHTSA across most all Mazda product lines back to model year 2000..
https://mazda.oemdtc.com/698/automatic-transmission-fluid-atf-2000-2016-mazda
 
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