2023 New CX-5 Carbon Edition coolant level drop

Purchased brand new 2023 Carbon Edition CX5 with 5 miles on it. At approx 200 miles I took a pic of oil level on dip stick and the coolant level in expansion tank. The oil was right in between H and L, mid level. Coolant was at 1/2 inch above L level. All checked when cold.

Now, 4 months later and about 980 miles on car, I check the coolant and oil again. The oil level is same at midpoint H and L. However the coolant is now at exactly the L line. I checked every hose, connections, cap tightness , for any leaks but it all looks brand new. So how does a brand new car drop a half inch of coolant level? Car is always at mid level temperature or below on the temp guage .

I added pics I took today and the higher level coolant one was about 4 months ago. I am due for first service in 2 mos and wonder if I should just add FL22 coolant to the full line and keep watching coolant level until service is up and then let them check for coolant leaks.

Hoping someone might have some knowledge on this is as you would think a new car would not have any coolant loss at all. Thanks

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One possibility is air in the system when new, which circulated out over the first 900 miles. There are other reasons of course, but certainly keep a close eye on the coolant level.
Thanks. I did think about that as option but just figured any air bubbles would be out with 200 miles at most. But who knows how long. I will for now add coolant and keep close eye on it for any further drop
 
I wouldn't be too concerned with it at this point. Brand new, settling in. The level that it dropped is very slight. With service coming in two months, I wouldn't even add any and just monitor the level. It will be easier to see a drop at the lower level vs the high mark due to the shape of the reservoir. ... Let the dealer top it up for you.
 
25NA are known for this. On mine I have to add about 8oz annualy in the expansion tank. I check it every 12mo or so.
Bear in mind there is a small outlet pipe on the black cap which vents out. the expansion tank is just that - an expansion/overflow from the actual radiator/engine/coolant system.

I wouldnt worry much at this time. Just the dealer to fill it next time you go for oil change and make sure they dont add water from the tap.
 
I wouldn't be too concerned with it at this point. Brand new, settling in. The level that it dropped is very slight. With service coming in two months, I wouldn't even add any and just monitor the level. It will be easier to see a drop at the lower level vs the high mark due to the shape of the reservoir. ... Let the dealer top it up for you.

If the OP has a jug of FL22 I would top it off with that rather than relying on the dealer when the CX is taken in for servicing. Why wait and why temp fate that the wrong coolant gets used? Yes, of course the technician should use the correct coolant, should being the operative word here.

In my opinion, for me, it's best that my cars never see the dealership after we drive off the lot after the initial purchase.

YMMV
 
I'd just top it off with some FL22 or Zerex Asian Green or Peak Asian Green and then monitor it. The level moving down a 1/2 inch in the overflow container, or even back up a half inch the next time you check, would not be that unusual. You're only looking at a couple of ounces.

Unless and until somebody can show the specific formulation of Mazda FL22 (no cheating by reference to Ravenol, which provides sketchy info anyway), I'll conclude that Mazda wants to sell you overpriced coolant. Ravenol probably paid Mazda to put "FL22" on the bottle. One poster pointed out how the Mazda FL22 is compatible with a Motorcraft product (perhaps by reference to Ravenol bottle) harkening back to the old Ford ownership days. :rolleyes:

It's also kind of interesting that the Mazda coolant now comes in a 55/45 mix, but the Ravenol is still 50/50 carrying that FL22 designation. Riddle me that? I'm as inclined to think as much as anything else that the Mazda FL22 is an inferior product requiring a higher concentration of coolant.

I'm reminded of when Mazda owners manuals recommended using Castrol motor oil. Castrol would have paid Mazda for the product placement. Then Castrol was no longer mentioned no doubt because Castrol stopped paying for the mention. Ravenol could one day stop paying Mazda to put FL22 on their bottle. That of course doesn't change what goes in the bottle.
 
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Based on what others have posted, I decided to buy the OEM Mazda FL22 coolant and already added it to the expansion tank up to slightly below the Full line. I will monitor the level over the next few months and will report back if anything changes.
 
Based on what others have posted, I decided to buy the OEM Mazda FL22 coolant and already added it to the expansion tank up to slightly below the Full line. I will monitor the level over the next few months and will report back if anything changes.
That will be what I would do too. Some had claimed that there’s a shortage on OEM FL-22 coolant and many Mazda dealers either are out of stock or have very high markup for the price. Glad to know you have no trouble to get it from your Mazda dealer. Out of my curiosity how much did you pay for the gallon of OEM 55/45 premix FL-22 coolant?
 
Yes there some that is on backorder at some dealers, others have it in stock. Its local thing depending on how much dealer had in stock I guess. Same with pretty much every part lately.
One dealer here (AZ) didnt have the thailand oil filters, another has them.

its about 30$ locally. used to be 25$ for the gallon jug. the latest part number is 000077508F
I bought "E" in 2020 or early 2021, still have it for fill up
 
I'd just top it off with some FL22 or Zerex Asian Green or Peak Asian Green and then monitor it. The level moving down a 1/2 inch in the overflow container, or even back up a half inch the next time you check, would not be that unusual. You're only looking at a couple of ounces.

Unless and until somebody can show the specific formulation of Mazda FL22 (no cheating by reference to Ravenol, which provides sketchy info anyway), I'll conclude that Mazda wants to sell you overpriced coolant. Ravenol probably paid Mazda to put "FL22" on the bottle. One poster pointed out how the Mazda FL22 is compatible with a Motorcraft product (perhaps by reference to Ravenol bottle) harkening back to the old Ford ownership days. :rolleyes:

It's also kind of interesting that the Mazda coolant now comes in a 55/45 mix, but the Ravenol is still 50/50 carrying that FL22 designation. Riddle me that? I'm as inclined to think as much as anything else that the Mazda FL22 is an inferior product requiring a higher concentration of coolant.

I'm reminded of when Mazda owners manuals recommended using Castrol motor oil. Castrol would have paid Mazda for the product placement. Then Castrol was no longer mentioned no doubt because Castrol stopped paying for the mention. Ravenol could one day stop paying Mazda to put FL22 on their bottle. That of course doesn't change what goes in the bottle.

"It's also kind of interesting that the Mazda coolant now comes in a 55/45 mix"
I'm not sure what you mean by "now". I'm assuming that you mean that it wasn't available "before now", as in recently? When I purchased our 2016.5 CX, brand new in 2016, the coolant reservoir was low from the factory, and I wanted to top off with the recommended coolant. I had no problems ordering Mazda coolant in the 55/45 premixed bottles. So, this concentration has been available at least since then.
 
"It's also kind of interesting that the Mazda coolant now comes in a 55/45 mix"
I'm not sure what you mean by "now". I'm assuming that you mean that it wasn't available "before now", as in recently? When I purchased our 2016.5 CX, brand new in 2016, the coolant reservoir was low from the factory, and I wanted to top off with the recommended coolant. I had no problems ordering Mazda coolant in the 55/45 premixed bottles. So, this concentration has been available at least since then.
It seems to me there's a fairly recent TSB on the switch to 55/45 to prevent corrosion. That might have been US only. I've heard it said that Canada was 55/45 already but I can't verify that.
 
It seems to me there's a fairly recent TSB on the switch to 55/45 to prevent corrosion. That might have been US only. I've heard it said that Canada was 55/45 already but I can't verify that.
Or maybe not. Here's the TSB I was thinking of which makes no mention of a concentration change. During another discussion it was mentioned that the mix was changed to 55/45 and I don't recall anybody challenging that. It may may not be true.

But the broader point--that the earlier Mazda FL22 was an inferior product--would seem to be confirmed even if it was a change in formulation not concentration.
 

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Or maybe not. Here's the TSB I was thinking of which makes no mention of a concentration change. During another discussion it was mentioned that the mix was changed to 55/45 and I don't recall anybody challenging that. It may may not be true.

But the broader point--that the earlier Mazda FL22 was an inferior product--would seem to be confirmed even if it was a change in formulation not concentration.
That TSB absolutely mentions a concentration change (right on page 1):

"To solve this concern, two mass production changes have been implemented.
a) The concentration of the coolant has been increased so that the amount of the contained anti-rust
additive is higher.
b) The composition of the coolant has been changed (the ratio of the anti-rust additive has increased)."
 
What color is the FL22? I am nearing the L level on my 2019 NA engine and it is darkish grey color.

And also, where can I purchase it from? I don’t need a whole gallon. Just enough to top off the reservoir.
 
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What color is the FL22? I am nearing the L level on my 2019 NA engine and it is darkish grey color.

And also, where can I purchase it from? I don’t need a whole gallon. Just enough to top off the reservoir.

FL22 should be green, bright green. If yours is grey, there's a problem of some kind afoot. Has some other type of coolant been added?

The coolant in my 2016.5 is still bright green, I'm only at around 35k miles though.

Amazon carries this coolant, it ain't cheep though.

 
What color is the FL22? I am nearing the L level on my 2019 NA engine and it is darkish grey color.
FL22 should be green, bright green. If yours is grey, there's a problem of some kind afoot. Has some other type of coolant been added?

The coolant in my 2016.5 is still bright green, I'm only at around 35k miles though.

Amazon carries this coolant, it ain't cheep though.

Does this look right to you? It’s a bit dark green? I do think this is how it came from the factory but I am not 100% sure. I am the first owner and leased it new and brought it.

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Does this look right to you? It’s a bit dark green? I do think this is how it came from the factory but I am not 100% sure. I am the first owner and leased it new and brought it. View attachment 317684View attachment 317686

I can't make out the color in your pics, so I can't comment on that.

Is that the level of the coolant in the top pic with the red circle? If so, it's WAY too low.

Take the radiator cap off, with the engine cool/cold of course, and snap a pic of the color there.

If you're the first owner, then chances are, the color is ok. BUT, if the level was low from the factory, as mine was, and the dealership topped it off using an incompatible coolant, it could have messed with the color and the mixture.

Look again at the first post in this thread. That's the color the coolant should be.
 
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I can't make out the color in your pics, so I can't' comment on that.

Is that the level of the coolant in the top pic with the red circle? If so, it's WAY too low.

Take the radiator cap off, with the engine cool/cold of course, and snap a pic of the color there.

If you're the first owner, then chances are, the color is ok. BUT, if the level was low from the factory, as mine was, and the dealership topped it off using an incompatible coolant, it could have messed with the color and the mixture.

Look again at the first post in this thread. That's the color the coolant should be.
I agree it is hard to tell the color from the pictures. He said he leased the vehicle new and then bought it. A gray color would indicate possible contamination. It could be from a top up with the wrong coolant or something as serious as a bad head gasket. I'd have the vehicle checked out by a trusted mechanic.
 
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