2014 CX-5 ATF 1st drain and fill at 140,000km

Hello guys, I've got a 2014 CX5 approaching 140,000km. I'm planning to change the ATF fluid for the first time. I've checked the dipstick, surprised to find the oil is of light brown consistency and still looks clean.
The car still shifts smoothly with no issues. I want to remove the pan, clean the magnet and perform a simple drain and fill with internal filter change, to help keep the transmission in good shape as I plan to keep the car for a while.

Is it still wise to perform the fluid change or is it better to leave it as the car has 140k , as some say is that its better to not to change transmission fluid on high mileage/km cars. The last thing I want is cause more problems, and at the same time I want to prolong the service life of the transmission, as I know at some point the original fluid will degrade over time.
Also, I'm planning to use Ravenol ATF FZ which is specially formulated for the Mazda SkyActiv transmission. Anyone here had experience with using this ATF?
Any guidance appreciated, thanks!
 
140000km is not a lot, it's barely even 87k miles... some cars with factory fills can last that long with lots of highway miles

go change it and not worry about it
 
Thanks for that, I thought 140K was on the higher side, will go ahead with oil change and see how it goes. Thanks again.
 
I would change it were it mine. The trans fluid is a light straw color with a light blue tint you won't see on the dip stick.
 
Make SURE you use factory ATF, and not some parts store "multi-vehicle" ATF. Oil is cheap, transmissions are not. Saving $20 on some oil vs a $3,000 transmission is a false economy. Spend the extra $20, get the stuff that's guaranteed to be correct.

I also suggest you drop the pan, clean the magnet, and change the filter. Not sure which engine you have, but for my 2.0, Wix makes a filter that comes with a rubber pan gasket. Makes the job far easier.
 
Make SURE you use factory ATF, and not some parts store "multi-vehicle" ATF. Oil is cheap, transmissions are not. Saving $20 on some oil vs a $3,000 transmission is a false economy. Spend the extra $20, get the stuff that's guaranteed to be correct.

I also suggest you drop the pan, clean the magnet, and change the filter. Not sure which engine you have, but for my 2.0, Wix makes a filter that comes with a rubber pan gasket. Makes the job far easier.
Ravenol is not "multi vehicle" ATF. It's bonafide Type FZ. It's fully synthetic and way better than the OEM fluid.
 
Eh. The price is almost identical between the Mazda ATF and Ravenol. And, right on Ravenol's site, it says this:

Screenshot_20220723-191953-897.png



I'll stick to the Mazda stuff.
 
Eh. The price is almost identical between the Mazda ATF and Ravenol. And, right on Ravenol's site, it says this:

View attachment 311850


I'll stick to the Mazda stuff.
Stop with the FUD.

It's a basic disclaimer like any other company will usually say. It just basically says if you use the wrong fluid, you can burn up the trans. It's that simple and is common sense.

Like I said, already Ravenol is the ONLY known 3rd party that makes ATF Type-FZ, which is what the Skyactive trans uses. It is blue. It is synthetic. It is way better than the Mazda branded fluid because it's synthetic. Did I already say it's Type-FZ, which is the right stuff and what it needs?

So go on and waste your money on non-synthetic fluid from Mazda just to feel safe. It's your car, and your money.

But stop spreading FUD about it, because you didn't even reading the product page, except just instantly focusing your eyes to the disclaimer, because you already had a prejudiced mindset. If you even knew a thing about our transmissions, you'd already know what the actual designation code is, instead of freaking out over it.

And if you even looked further, plenty of people on other forums recommend it and there's no problems. A 5 minute Google search found it. I'm not doing it again for you.


EDIT: Aisin sells ATF FZ also, so that makes that 2 aftermarket choices, which are both synthetic. Aisin's fluid is also half the price of Ravenol, but Ravenol might be better because European definition of "synthetic" is stricter than American one
 
Last edited:
You are correct TheMAN, Ravenol ATF FZ is specifically formulated for the MAZDA SKYACTIV G Transmissions and it's not cheap either, I've been quoted $42.94/ Litre. My local Mazda Dealer only has Mazda OEM ATF in 20 Litre drums which is way too much. The Ravenol is low viscosity, fully synthetic and likely to be as good if not better than the Mazda ATF.
Like theblooms said, will only replace what's in the pan, so will go with about 5 Litres as I understand only about 4 Litres drains outs. I've found a filter & Silicon Rubber Gasket kit that will make the job easier.
I did thorough research on the ATF suitability and came across some CX5 owners who have used Ravenol ATF FZ with no adverse effects.
I'm staying clear of the Multi vehicle ATFs as they not Specifically 'FZ' rated. By the way Ravenol also manufacture the 'FL22' coolant which is specific to the Mazda SkyActiv engines.
 
You are correct TheMAN, Ravenol ATF FZ is specifically formulated for the MAZDA SKYACTIV G Transmissions and it's not cheap either, I've been quoted $42.94/ Litre. My local Mazda Dealer only has Mazda OEM ATF in 20 Litre drums which is way too much. The Ravenol is low viscosity, fully synthetic and likely to be as good if not better than the Mazda ATF.
Like theblooms said, will only replace what's in the pan, so will go with about 5 Litres as I understand only about 4 Litres drains outs. I've found a filter & Silicon Rubber Gasket kit that will make the job easier.
I did thorough research on the ATF suitability and came across some CX5 owners who have used Ravenol ATF FZ with no adverse effects.
I'm staying clear of the Multi vehicle ATFs as they not Specifically 'FZ' rated. By the way Ravenol also manufacture the 'FL22' coolant which is specific to the Mazda SkyActiv engines.
Your Mazda dealer is just too lazy to order the ATF FZ in bottles... they are available in every country this way

But their loss, because the Mazda ones sucks compared to Ravenol or Aisin's... if you're on a budget, go with Aisin, it's also synthetic
 
I've already got the Ravenol ATF FZ, waiting for the Transmission Filter to be delivered. I don't think Aisin ATF is available in Australia, but then I may be wrong. I went with the Ravenol as some CX 5 owners have used this with no issues what so ever.
 
I've already got the Ravenol ATF FZ, waiting for the Transmission Filter to be delivered. I don't think Aisin ATF is available in Australia, but then I may be wrong. I went with the Ravenol as some CX 5 owners have used this with no issues what so ever.
I think it's only sold in USA and Canada only at this time. Maybe Japan too (I haven't checked)... I won't be surprised if ATF FZ is available aftermarket easily in Japan
 
Hello guys, I've got a 2014 CX5 approaching 140,000km. I'm planning to change the ATF fluid for the first time. I've checked the dipstick, surprised to find the oil is of light brown consistency and still looks clean.
The car still shifts smoothly with no issues. I want to remove the pan, clean the magnet and perform a simple drain and fill with internal filter change, to help keep the transmission in good shape as I plan to keep the car for a while.

Is it still wise to perform the fluid change or is it better to leave it as the car has 140k , as some say is that its better to not to change transmission fluid on high mileage/km cars. The last thing I want is cause more problems, and at the same time I want to prolong the service life of the transmission, as I know at some point the original fluid will degrade over time.
Also, I'm planning to use Ravenol ATF FZ which is specially formulated for the Mazda SkyActiv transmission. Anyone here had experience with using this ATF?
Any guidance appreciated, thanks!
I’d suggest you to do the drain-and-fill multiple times with a specific interval (most people do it 3 times), especially you’re going to use Ravenol ATF FZ. You can only drain about half of the old ATF even if you drop the pan. Mixing with Ravenol ATF FZ which is supposedly full synthetic with a half of left-over old OEM ATF which is supposedly non-full-synyhetic from factory (never seen the specs from Mazda and don’t know how much truth is this?) in the transmission isn’t a good idea.

Dropping the pan during the first drain-and-fill or the last drain-and-fill is your choice. Either one has some benefits than the other.
 
140000km is not a lot, it's barely even 87k miles... some cars with factory fills can last that long with lots of highway miles

go change it and not worry about it
Yes, ColoradoDriver here did his 3X ATF drain-and-fill at about 80~90K(?) miles with no ill effect.
 
I’d suggest you to do the drain-and-fill multiple times with a specific interval (most people do it 3 times), especially you’re going to use Ravenol ATF FZ. You can only drain about half of the old ATF even if you drop the pan. Mixing with Ravenol ATF FZ which is supposedly full synthetic with a half of left-over old OEM ATF which is supposedly non-full-synyhetic from factory (never seen the specs from Mazda and don’t know how much truth is this?) in the transmission isn’t a good idea.

Dropping the pan during the first drain-and-fill or the last drain-and-fill is your choice. Either one has some benefits than the other.
it'll be fine, but it just won't last as long... there's some evidence out there that the OEM ATF FZ is dino oil, just by reading the label on the back of the bottle... just google those petrochemical names and you'll see
 
Thank you for your input guys, much appreciated. I was just planning to drop the pan (clean it), replace the filter and refil with new ATF. Then later just carry out regular drains and fills every 20k Km until the old fluid is gradually cycled out. I can understand mixing the new ATF with the old one still in the transmission may not necessarily be a good idea, but hey, any new fluid change will benefit the transmission right.
If I were to go for multiple drains, how many kilometres or time should I wait between drains?
 
you can go as long as what's considered normal for a drain and fill: about 50000km
 
Thank you for your input guys, much appreciated. I was just planning to drop the pan (clean it), replace the filter and refil with new ATF. Then later just carry out regular drains and fills every 20k Km until the old fluid is gradually cycled out. I can understand mixing the new ATF with the old one still in the transmission may not necessarily be a good idea, but hey, any new fluid change will benefit the transmission right.
If I were to go for multiple drains, how many kilometres or time should I wait between drains?
My take is if you plan to use OEM ATF, you can just do one drain-and-fill with very minimum risk of having any ill effects. But since you’re going to use aftermarket ATF FZ, mixing fluids half and half with different (or unknown) characteristics together will never be a good idea IMO. I’d do at least 3X drain-and-fill which will get you about 87.5% of fresh ATF. Fresh and old ATF will be mixed very fast in a short period of usage. Most people who did 3X ATF drain-and-fill drove a hundred miles or did the next drain-and-fill in the following weekend.
 
My take is if you plan to use OEM ATF, you can just do one drain-and-fill with very minimum risk of having any ill effects. But since you’re going to use aftermarket ATF FZ, mixing fluids half and half with different (or unknown) characteristics together will never be a good idea IMO. I’d do at least 3X drain-and-fill which will get you about 87.5% of fresh ATF. Fresh and old ATF will be mixed very fast in a short period of usage. Most people who did 3X ATF drain-and-fill drove a hundred miles or did the next drain-and-fill in the following weekend.
Ok, it makes sense to be on the safe side, maybe I'll just go with what youv'e suggested with 3 drains and fills over over a few hundred Kms, then just regular drains after around 50K Km like TheMAN has suggested. Thanks once again guys, much appreciated.
 
Stop with the FUD.

It's a basic disclaimer like any other company will usually say. It just basically says if you use the wrong fluid, you can burn up the trans. It's that simple and is common sense.

Like I said, already Ravenol is the ONLY known 3rd party that makes ATF Type-FZ, which is what the Skyactive trans uses. It is blue. It is synthetic. It is way better than the Mazda branded fluid because it's synthetic. Did I already say it's Type-FZ, which is the right stuff and what it needs?

So go on and waste your money on non-synthetic fluid from Mazda just to feel safe. It's your car, and your money.

But stop spreading FUD about it, because you didn't even reading the product page, except just instantly focusing your eyes to the disclaimer, because you already had a prejudiced mindset. If you even knew a thing about our transmissions, you'd already know what the actual designation code is, instead of freaking out over it.

And if you even looked further, plenty of people on other forums recommend it and there's no problems. A 5 minute Google search found it. I'm not doing it again for you.


EDIT: Aisin sells ATF FZ also, so that makes that 2 aftermarket choices, which are both synthetic. Aisin's fluid is also half the price of Ravenol, but Ravenol might be better because European definition of "synthetic" is stricter than American one
The link expired, but found the replacement: https://aisinaftermarket.com/assets/blog/post/69dfe9dc362c247623f49d442d1e7f79.pdf
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20231115-213649.png
    Screenshot_20231115-213649.png
    137.3 KB · Views: 36
Back