2020 CX-9 maintenance questions

[tdeb]

We have had our CX-9 GT for about 2.5 years. It has just over 20k miles. Took it to the dealer today for a regular oil change and they said it needed new air filters, fuel system flush, and brake fluid flush. We skipped the two flushes because it seems too soon, but we don't have much experience. I always feel like they are trying to oversell/upsell us. I would appreciate any feedback on typical timing for these things. We don't do much maintenance ourselves but are open to learning if it makes sense. (I recently changed the headlights in our 2003 Honda Civic which was huge ) We are planning to replace the cabin filters ourselves next time. $50 seems ridiculous. TIA!

 

[youri]

Definitely an upsell. I couldn’t tell you when a brake flush really is required, but i have done neither of these on my 2018 yet. Or on my previous cars either.

Also, what the hell is a fuel system flush ? I have never heard of this, but i have a dealer that keeps trying to upsell fuel additives (injector cleaner to be more precise). I always say no, i can go and buy a 10$ bottle of fuel additives myself if I want.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

We have had our CX-9 GT for about 2.5 years. It has just over 20k miles. Took it to the dealer today for a regular oil change and they said it needed new air filters, fuel system flush, and brake fluid flush. We skipped the two flushes because it seems too soon, but we don't have much experience. I always feel like they are trying to oversell/upsell us. I would appreciate any feedback on typical timing for these things. We don't do much maintenance ourselves but are open to learning if it makes sense. (I recently changed the headlights in our 2003 Honda Civic which was huge ) We are planning to replace the cabin filters ourselves next time. $50 seems ridiculous. TIA!

Brake fluid. Some people flush their fluid every 2 to 3 years. Most people probably never flush.
I usually try to flush mine at the 4 year mark and definitely no later than 5 years. If i notice braking power is not as effective, i flush sooner than later. I've never had any braking system problems on a 4 year flush cycle.
As it gets older, the fluid will eventually break down, absorb water and potentially rust out your calipers, etc.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

If you change lanes a lot, I would suggest getting your blinker fluid flushed

 

[gphin]

We also have a 2020 with 25K miles. Fuel system and brake fluid flush not needed. You can change the air and cabin filter in about 10 minutes time for about $35. I would change dealers since this one is basically lying to you about needed service.....how can you trust?

https://www.juliojonesmazda.com/service/mazda-cx-9-maintenance-schedule/

 

[sm1ke]

We don't do much maintenance ourselves but are open to learning if it makes sense. (I recently changed the headlights in our 2003 Honda Civic which was huge ) We are planning to replace the cabin filters ourselves next time. $50 seems ridiculous. TIA!

Just something to add. Almost always, it makes sense to learn how to do basic maintenance on any car. If you can change the headlights on an older Civic, you can definitely change the air and cabin filters on your CX-9. If you're comfortable being underneath the car, changing the oil is a breeze. And if you have the right tools, the spark plugs are easy to access and change yourself. I've saved a lot of money doing these things myself over the last 4.5 years.

Your Owner's Manual has a Maintenance Schedule that you should follow, always refer to than whenever the dear suggests a service. If the service isn't listed there, you probably don't need it.

 

[tdeb]

If you change lanes a lot, I would suggest getting your blinker fluid flushed

I'm surprised they didn't mention this. Will definitely ask about it next time!

 

[tdeb]

Thank you all for the replies! I appreciate it! I see some youtube videos in our future

 

[erhayes]

Read your owner's manual (Maintenace guide) and high light what is the required/suggested service at your mileage. Anything else is very suspect. Ed

 

[Trip CX90]

If you change lanes a lot, I would suggest getting your blinker fluid flushed

Blinker fluid should last for the life of the car, considering most people never use their signals…

 

[Trip CX90]

Agree with the others to follow Mazda‘s service recommendations. It’s easy to look them up here.

Oil and tire rotation every 5000 miles.
Engine air filter every 40,000 miles.
Spark plugs at 36,000 mile intervals.
Engine coolant 120,000 mile intervals.

Everything else is inspect and replace as needed. Personally, I check the engine air filter a couple times a year and replace as needed. With all the construction around here and bugs from the rural driving, it needs to be changed more often. That would be about 15,000 miles intervals.

I would also add replace the cabin filter at least once a year. I typically do it late spring right after pollen season. I spent a little more money for an aftermarket charcoal filter, which does a good job at filtering out outdoors as well.

With cars being on average, so reliable these days, service departments need to upsell.

 

[PTguy]

Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. It is designed to dissipate this moisture throughout the fluid so you don't get water puddling in the low spots causing corrosion in expensive critical parts of the braking system. The big worry is that moisture in the brake fluid lowers the boiling point of the fluid. If the fluid gets very hot from emergency braking the fluid can flash to vapor, your brake pedal goes to the floor, and you crash. A couple of local wrecks were due to this happening as detailed in the accident reports. If you live in a humid climate do get the fluid changed more frequently than someone who lives in a very dry climate. If you drive in mountains, and especially if you're loaded heavy or towing, always downshift on long downgrades to give the brake system a bit of a cooling break. Here's more: https://www.valvoline.com/en-eur/vehicle-maintenance-brake-fluid/
DOT3 brake fluid is spec'ed for our cars. DOT4 will work fine for a shorter period of time. DOT4 fluid has higher dry & wet boiling points, but the borate additives that make it DOT4 also absorb moisture more readily requiring more frequent changes.

 

[ctbale]

Brake fluid and coolant are calendar items on my cars. 5 year max. If somebody told me, with a straight face, I needed a fuel system flush(which isnt even a real thing) on a two and a half year old car. I would never go back that place. Total rip off