About to buy a CX9 - anything I should look for?

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CX9 Grand Touring
Hello. This is my first post.

I'm about to purchase a used CX-9 - we have a short list of 2008 Grand Touring CX9s with Nav. All of them have between 25k and 35k miles.

Are there any issues that I should be on the lookout for specific to CX9s or grand touring options? I do almost all of the maintenance and repair on my vehicles so I'm not worried about normal used car wear and tear and wear part replacement at this mileage level - I'm looking for major potential headaches that require expensive/painful electrical or mechanical repairs (warranty or non-warranty).

Does the CX9 Grand Touring have an Achilles Heel?

As an example we're trading in our 2006 Nissan Murano for this CX9 - had I done my homework before purchasing that car I would have learned about all of the issues with the continuously variable transmission (first year for Nissan) and probably wouldn't have purchased the car. The car is also notorious for control arm bushing/ball joint and motor mount failure.

Thanks in advance for your help!
brian
 
My two cents:
Make sure all the recalls have been done.

Also make sure that applicable TSBs have been taken care of.
If not, ask the dealer to do them.
TSBs such as
- the infamous A/C relay poor grounding (A/C blowing after ignition is off),
- silver trims scratches (need new parts w/ extra layer of clear coating),
- losing power while climbing hills (ATF temp sensor recalibration)
- negotiate with dealer to update the NAVI disc ($200 value)
 
I bought mine from a very reputable VW dealer. If your used Mazda is not at a Mazda dealer, than they are not just going to "take care" of those issues for you.

-from my research, the transmission issue is where the engine would suddenly lose power was due to a trans valve that would reach a certain temp on hills and force the engine to have minimal power. I think that was taken care of by either April or May of 2008. My 08 GT was mfr in May 08' and I've never had the tsb addressed, and have never experienced this problem. The fix was to replace the valve.
However, if the CX-9 has the towing prep and towing package, then it has an auxiliary transmission cooler which sits behind the bumper, in front of the a/c condensor, which cools the trans fluid, so I would think the CX-9's with the towing package would not experience the issue.
-If the used cx-9 only has 1 smart card, then you will want to have a second card, because if the only one you have goes out for some reason, then you have to buy a new smart card and a new engine computer, with a bill of over 1k for all that. Plenty of new smartcards on ebay, with uncut keys. Dealer will charge 60 - 100 bucks to program (if you only have one smartcard). If you have 2 smartcards, then you can program the 3rd yourself.
- I would suggest buying a GT with the "GT Assist Package" which has the BSM (Blind Spot Monitoring). You can see all the switches on the left side of the dash towards the bottom (headlamp adjustment, traction control off, bsm off, etc) If you see a picture and there is a spot that is blank with no switch, then that probly means the vehicle does not have the GT Assist package.
-From what I have heard, if the door interior silver trim is scratched, print a copy of the tsb and take to the dealer and see if they will address it for free. (I'm about to do this w/in a couple weeks.)
- Power Liftgate is a nice option
-rain sensing wipers are cool
-My 08 GT has every option, GT Assist, bose/nav/sunroof/pwr lift, but for some reason does not have an auto-dimming mirror. Something to consider.
- Big thing to consider: Alot of the 08 CX-9's I test drove with 20 - 40k miles all needed new tires, new rotors, and new pads, which can be alot of $$ on top of buying the car. Fortunately mine had brand new tires and brake pads.
 
tsb tech. service bulletin: issues the mfr. is aware of with many vehicles, generally not safety items, therefore they are not recalled. But since dealers see so many of the same issue, the manufacturer comes up with a procedure on how to fix the problem, called a tsb. It seems that if your car is still under the "bumper-to-bumper" warranty, its luck of the draw on whether a dealer will cover it under warranty or not. Is the "service advisor" in a good mood that day or bad mood. Is the dealer out in the country or in the city, is the dealer profitable or losing money hand-over-fist, did you bring a copy of the tsb with you to show that you are informed or not, are you being an @ss to them about it or being nice....seems like these all play a factor.
 
As helbigtw said, fixing TSBs are on-request only if yours shows the problems described w/o charge if still under warranty.
However, since you are buying, you can always negotiate with the dealer you buy from.
Since many of the TSBs are common issues, you might actually encounter them during your ownership.
When it does, it costs you if out of warranty, in addition to causing you inconveniences.
 
Thanks guys - we brought home a 2008 GT tonight from a Mazda dealer as a certified pre owned purchase. The silver trim was trashed and we printed out the TSB and brought it in and the dealer agreed to fix it. Car only had one smart card and they are going to give us a second for free. Tires are good with only 21k on them and the dealer just put on new front brakes. Only problem so far was that we were looking so hard for defects and just noticed the car has no floor mats!!!! I swear - sometime you can't see the forest through the trees.

We looked at a bunch and there are a lot of BS agents out there trying to pass off loaded up Touring models as Grand Touring models. One guy told us that because the car had navi and a backup camera it was a GT.

Just ordered a dimming mirror w/Homelink and an install kit. Anyone know how hard that job is? Do I have to remove the headliner?

I appreciate electronics but am an old school car guy - this car has so many electronics sensors and motors that I am kind of nervous - so many things to go wrong. Now time to find the repair manual and get to know this car a bit.

Thanks,
Brian
 
Welcome to the forum, Brian.
I did the mirror myself. The tough part is to make the wire tool to remove the old mirror.
I assume that you have the rain sensor. Be careful. Don't break anything.
Secondly, removing the A-pillar trim is not clear from the instructions. Pull the top out by an inch, and pull upward.
DO NOT TRY TO PULL IT OFF TOWARD YOU.
Other than that, very easy job. Should be done within an hour if all go smoothly.

Floorplan. Don't bother with the carpet. The all-weather one is fantasic. My carpet one is just sitting there in mar garage....

Need to buy accessories?
waynemazda.com
mazdaparts.org
Both are Mazda dealers.

Again, Welcome.
 
The all weather mats are crap from mazda. My drivers mat; the little squares are all pushing through the square holes. If you buy mats, go for Weather Tech made in USA.
 
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