2013~2016 CX-5 Services/maintenance required?

[SBMongoos]

Control arms and tie rods? Unless you have obvious problems such as torn boots or clunking noise, I doubt you need to do anything on them at 74K miles.

Here’s the maintenance schedule from the owner’s manual of you 2016.5 CX-5:

View attachment 321031
View attachment 321032

I can see doing the other work but these two items caught me off guard. Especially with only 74k miles and how and where I drive. Wondering if I need to find another shop.

 

[SBMongoos]

You didn't state how many miles are on your CX, more than 64k it seems?

What kind of driving do you do? Why are the front-end suspension components in such bad (according to the dealer) shape? I have the same MY CX that you do, although with considerably less miles than yours, and I don't have any of the issues that your dealer says that you have. All the front-end components on mine look perfect. Have you seen the damage the dealer mentioned with your own eyes?

Color me skeptical.

I mentioned early on 74k miles. This service manager seemed like a stand up guy but this seems odd to me. I had a '94 Celica I put 282k on and saw little of this sort of thing. Certainly not until higher mileage.

My driving is on the city on pretty smooth pavement. Maybe a handful of highway road trips. Photos, details attached from Mazda service.

 

[HyFlyer]

Seems to me like an honest report of conditions to you from the service provider. Those boots appear to indeed be ripped/torn/cracked/whatever and will eventually lead to worn out parts as moisture invades the areas. The recommendation of "replace when worn" is accurate. It could last a year or ten years.

 

[dunhillmc]

I mentioned early on 74k miles. This service manager seemed like a stand up guy but this seems odd to me. I had a '94 Celica I put 282k on and saw little of this sort of thing. Certainly not until higher mileage.

My driving is on the city on pretty smooth pavement. Maybe a handful of highway road trips. Photos, details attached from Mazda service.

That's a very good report of potential future issues and nothing saying you must do the work right away.

I had a lower control arm on my '17 Mazda 6 replaced under warranty at 30k miles because the ball joint was leaking. Now at 58k miles the other side is leaking. I wish it had happened earlier so it would have been covered too

 

[SBMongoos]

Appreciate everybody's feedback. Helpful! I had my Celica for so many years I felt like it was an extension of my body so I could always tell when something was going on and that thing drove forever. Granted as it got older I had to replace some parts just due to wearing out.

So I feel fairly dialed in with this CX-5. I'm not noticing any play or anything in the driving at all. But I'm going to go with his recommendation then. I might check prices around a bit or see if there's any promos. I've just had some attempts in the past of people trying to rip me off. Makes me a little cautious.

 

[Jmaz]

So today I'm just getting the oil service/inspection and then car wash. I'll do the plugs myself. They don't even touch transmissions here since they consider them sealed and lifetime. Not worth the risk the service manager says. I've come to know this guy over time. So that would have to be done elsewhere. Although other Mazda dealerships will do that he said.

Here's the pricing we're looking at for a few other items on the list: (prices are pre-tax)

-radiator flush with cleaner $149
-front transfer case $139
-rear differential $113 (can wait, first time was done at 64k miles)
-Mazda recommending brake fluid flush $140 (they say pads are at 6mm and due at 3mm, seems the flush be done rather than wait for brakes, their recommendation)
-I'm not going to have them do the fuel injection cleaning service. I've seen that Chevron Techron injector cleaner at Costco in the past. Not sure if they still have it. Does it matter whether to do this service before or after spark plug change?

They do have down as needing attention (photos available). They suggest doing the following within the next 5k to 10k mi:
-front outer tie rods (Front outer tie rods beginning to crack/rip and leak recommend replacing once worse - No action needed this visit). $375. Inc tax.
-front lower control arms (Front lower control arm balls joints beginning to leak and crack/rip recommend replacing once worse - No action needed this visit). $1028. Inc tax.
-alignment after above work $119, before tax
****
-belt tensioner -> looks fine, no issues, clean
-VVT solenoid oil control valve-> looks good. Dry, no leaks.

I've mentioned this somewhere in earlier posts, but I'll chime in here and stir the pot a little.
Addressing some of your points mentioned it goes as follows:
>Regarding coolant flush, I decided to change (2X drain and fill) at about 43,000 +/- miles as I feel 10 years is too long for first changeout per Mazda. "Flush" what is there to flush out? The factory coolant looked pristine and no sediment in the drain pan. Done at same time as 2X drain and fill of transmission fluid.
> @ ~ 60,000 miles-- lower control arms and tie rod ends changed because of torn control arm bushings and all boots dried and split leaking grease. There was NO wear evident (looseness) yet but decided to get all done as a 'mid-life refresh' and these parts still had 60k wear. The control arms and their mounting bolts (all OEM Mazda - new bolts alone were ~$50) plus~40 shipping. Also new tie rod ends ,quality Japanese aftermarket because Mazda not available, were about $22 each. Parts total came to about $500 . Labor and alignment ($130 + 70) another $200. Since replacing control arms or tie rod ends both require an alignment, might as well get it all done with one alignment.
> right after this I had my mechanic install new front stabilizer bar bushings. cost ~ $20 parts and $80 labor. I tried first, no way in hell, it went for him to do LOL. They made a small improvement in further tightening things up and importantly are DONE.

> About 3 weeks after having this done, I got new tires( Pirelli Scorpion AS+3, there's a thread or 2 on these) for ~600. Already had a fresh alignment so no additional expense there.
>The philosophy here was to get all new parts (I did stabilizer bar end links about 6 months prior to all of this work, so good there) to render a tight front end with good ride and handling and nothing required for a long time. And that is what I got!! Now, I've been down the "replace 'this part' and a little later replace 'that part' because it is now worn out" type of scenario in the past and it "don't fly no more". Especially if $50 worth of parts cost $100 alignment and could have been done before.
>In summary, total cost of parts, labor ,alignment and new tires --- about $1500+/-.
I find your quotes for tie rod end and control arm replacement rather atrocious and they don't even include the necessary alignment, that's quoted extra. And another very important thing-- are these OEM Mazda parts or some questionable aftermarket parts that may fail early and that they have marked up the price hugely.
I, personally, think you can do better.
Almost forgot to add-- I purchased the parts and gave them to my mechanic to install (not all mechanics will) and he is cool with that. But ,as is custom, he can't offer a parts warranty because he didn't supply them and I expected that going in.
Well, that's my curmudgeonly view on things. Good luck.

 

[dunhillmc]

I've mentioned this somewhere in earlier posts, but I'll chime in here and stir the pot a little.
Addressing some of your points mentioned it goes as follows:
>Regarding coolant flush, I decided to change (2X drain and fill) at about 43,000 +/- miles as I feel 10 years is too long for first changeout per Mazda. "Flush" what is there to flush out? The factory coolant looked pristine and no sediment in the drain pan. Done at same time as 2X drain and fill of transmission fluid.
> @ ~ 60,000 miles-- lower control arms and tie rod ends changed because of torn control arm bushings and all boots dried and split leaking grease. There was NO wear evident (looseness) yet but decided to get all done as a 'mid-life refresh' and these parts still had 60k wear. The control arms and their mounting bolts (all OEM Mazda - new bolts alone were ~$50) plus~40 shipping. Also new tie rod ends ,quality Japanese aftermarket because Mazda not available, were about $22 each. Parts total came to about $500 . Labor and alignment ($130 + 70) another $200. Since replacing control arms or tie rod ends both require an alignment, might as well get it all done with one alignment.
> right after this I had my mechanic install new front stabilizer bar bushings. cost ~ $20 parts and $80 labor. I tried first, no way in hell, it went for him to do LOL. They made a small improvement in further tightening things up and importantly are DONE.

> About 3 weeks after having this done, I got new tires( Pirelli Scorpion AS+3, there's a thread or 2 on these) for ~600. Already had a fresh alignment so no additional expense there.
>The philosophy here was to get all new parts (I did stabilizer bar end links about 6 months prior to all of this work, so good there) to render a tight front end with good ride and handling and nothing required for a long time. And that is what I got!! Now, I've been down the "replace 'this part' and a little later replace 'that part' because it is now worn out" type of scenario in the past and it "don't fly no more". Especially if $50 worth of parts cost $100 alignment and could have been done before.
>In summary, total cost of parts, labor ,alignment and new tires --- about $1500+/-.
I find your quotes for tie rod end and control arm replacement rather atrocious and they don't even include the necessary alignment, that's quoted extra. And another very important thing-- are these OEM Mazda parts or some questionable aftermarket parts that may fail early and that they have marked up the price hugely.
I, personally, think you can do better.
Almost forgot to add-- I purchased the parts and gave them to my mechanic to install (not all mechanics will) and he is cool with that. But ,as is custom, he can't offer a parts warranty because he didn't supply them and I expected that going in.
Well, that's my curmudgeonly view on things. Good luck.

How long ago was that work done?

 

[Jmaz]

How long ago was that work done?

Parts ordered and installed, aligned 9/2022 @ 60,190 miles.
Looking at my notes (not invoices) :
From Mazdaswag (dealer) online parts order 9/2-2022:
>L&R LCA
>LCA mounting bolts
>L&R tie rod ends
>pinch bolts and nuts for ball joints
including shipping--- TOTAL $491.09
The tie rod ends were on national backorder from Mazda so I was refunded $65.32 and then I spent $ 59.50 for 2 tie rod ends from Partsgeek @ ~$22 ea. + TX and shipping, so the ~$500 parts total mentioned above is close.
Labor and alignment was $198 on 9/22/2022. The alignment was $90 at a shop across the street from him. They gave him a $20 "professional discount" which he passed on to me, so my cost was $70 for the alignment.
I don't know what the latest Mazda prices are for the items I ordered, but IIRC the LCA's were about $160 each, the bolts ~$50, shipping around $44 and the tie rod ends as noted. So it basically adds up to the $491.09.
The stabilizer bar bushings done shortly thereafter were ~$20/pair from Amazon. Brand is CTR (Korean I believe) and are an OEM supplier. Even had the Mazda P/N molded in with the latest revision number. Nothing shoddy about them like the Chinese (or from wherever) rubber parts.
Side note here. These get installed dry ,as per Mazda bulletin. I made sure to tell the mechanic not to lube them.
Hope this answers your question.
Oh, the tie rod ends from Partsgeek are "Sankei 555" made in Japan. They seem to be well regarded by the Toyota off-roaders. Nice quality, came with castellated nuts and cotter pins. I did find out later that I should have coated / painted them because they surface rusted from the road salt. Later.

 

[SBMongoos]

Got the plugs done today with this view. And the old plugs don't look too bad for a little over 74,000 mi.

 

[SBMongoos]

I've mentioned this somewhere in earlier posts, but I'll chime in here and stir the pot a little.
Addressing some of your points mentioned it goes as follows:
>Regarding coolant flush, I decided to change (2X drain and fill) at about 43,000 +/- miles as I feel 10 years is too long for first changeout per Mazda. "Flush" what is there to flush out? The factory coolant looked pristine and no sediment in the drain pan. Done at same time as 2X drain and fill of transmission fluid.
> @ ~ 60,000 miles-- lower control arms and tie rod ends changed because of torn control arm bushings and all boots dried and split leaking grease. There was NO wear evident (looseness) yet but decided to get all done as a 'mid-life refresh' and these parts still had 60k wear. The control arms and their mounting bolts (all OEM Mazda - new bolts alone were ~$50) plus~40 shipping. Also new tie rod ends ,quality Japanese aftermarket because Mazda not available, were about $22 each. Parts total came to about $500 . Labor and alignment ($130 + 70) another $200. Since replacing control arms or tie rod ends both require an alignment, might as well get it all done with one alignment.
> right after this I had my mechanic install new front stabilizer bar bushings. cost ~ $20 parts and $80 labor. I tried first, no way in hell, it went for him to do LOL. They made a small improvement in further tightening things up and importantly are DONE.

> About 3 weeks after having this done, I got new tires( Pirelli Scorpion AS+3, there's a thread or 2 on these) for ~600. Already had a fresh alignment so no additional expense there.
>The philosophy here was to get all new parts (I did stabilizer bar end links about 6 months prior to all of this work, so good there) to render a tight front end with good ride and handling and nothing required for a long time. And that is what I got!! Now, I've been down the "replace 'this part' and a little later replace 'that part' because it is now worn out" type of scenario in the past and it "don't fly no more". Especially if $50 worth of parts cost $100 alignment and could have been done before.
>In summary, total cost of parts, labor ,alignment and new tires --- about $1500+/-.
I find your quotes for tie rod end and control arm replacement rather atrocious and they don't even include the necessary alignment, that's quoted extra. And another very important thing-- are these OEM Mazda parts or some questionable aftermarket parts that may fail early and that they have marked up the price hugely.
I, personally, think you can do better.
Almost forgot to add-- I purchased the parts and gave them to my mechanic to install (not all mechanics will) and he is cool with that. But ,as is custom, he can't offer a parts warranty because he didn't supply them and I expected that going in.
Well, that's my curmudgeonly view on things. Good luck.

Ya, some prices they have are good and some are high. I asked the service manager if I were to buy OEM would they install them? He was good with that of course.

 

[SBMongoos]

IMO $149 for radiator flush “with cleaner”(?) from a Mazda dealer seems to be reasonable. Make sure they use FL-22 coolant. But the first coolant change is scheduled at 120K miles / 10 years, and 60K miles / 5 years for subsequent coolant change. At 74k miles and 7 years on your 2016.5 CX-5 this service is too early for you.

Front transfer case $139 and rear differential $113 are pretty high IMO. You can buy 2 bottles of Mazda SG-1 gear oil (<$50?) and find a good repair shop to do both for less than 30 minutes.

You need to find some Mazda dealer (like my Mazda dealer) or good repair shop to do the ATF drain-and-fill for you.

Check those Mazda dealers’ website and see if there’re service discount coupons for your needs.

Yes you can get a box of Chevron Techron injector cleaner at Costco. Follow the instruction and do it at your next fuel stop. Use Top-Tier gas like Costco and it doesn’t matter you do this before or after the spark plug change.

Looking at my text updates about what to get done and the priority I see it says coolant every 5 years/100k. Past five years. I would think the software they use would pull up the correct details for model/year..etc. Not sure if something was changed. They have brake fluid down as immediate attention and it notes every 5 years. Don't even see that on the scheduled maintenance.

Inc tax:
Brake fluid: flush and remove old fluid, replace with new: $149.18
Coolant fluid: flush, use cleaner and replace with new fluid: $155.31

Add all these things up (especially with the front end work) and it's a chunk of cash.

Is there a particular Chevron injection cleaner to pick? My local Costco hasn't been able to get it in. Apparently, when the have it, it sells in two packs.

 

[SBMongoos]

Given the things that need to be done yet on this car. Does anyone think it would matter taking a road trip of around 700-800 miles later this month before doing any of the work? All pavement and good roads.

 

[GFrosty]

Given the things that need to be done yet on this car. Does anyone think it would matter taking a road trip of around 700-800 miles later this month before doing any of the work? All pavement and good roads.

If you're traveling across a region that's been experiencing some nasty high temperatures, it might well be worth doing the coolant and oil servicing a good week or two prior to the trip (to ensure all's well prior to heading out). Perhaps also air filter, if it's time and hasn't already been done. If you're in the least concerned with the capability of either to handle up to a 1Kmi road trip in such temps. (I would, though I certainly wouldn't do it the day prior to leaving.)

I'd think the rest of the stuff could wait.

 

[yrwei52]

Given the things that need to be done yet on this car. Does anyone think it would matter taking a road trip of around 700-800 miles later this month before doing any of the work? All pavement and good roads.

I posted the official Mazda maintenance schedule from your 2016(.5) CX-5 owner’s manual in post #38 and you don’t need the first coolant change until 120,000 miles or 10 years.

Your 2016.5 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech has 74K miles and is about 7 years old. Why you worry about the coolant change at this time?

IMO for a 800-mile trip, I don’t believe you need to worry about anything mentioned previously. Just make sure all fluids, oil、coolant、brake fluid、and windshield washer fluid are up to the Full mark before you go.

 

[SBMongoos]

I posted the official Mazda maintenance schedule from your 2016(.5) CX-5 owner’s manual in post #38 and you don’t need the first coolant change until 120,000 miles or 10 years.

Your 2016.5 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech has 74K miles and is about 7 years old. Why you worry about the coolant change at this time?

IMO for a 800-mile trip, I don’t believe you need to worry about anything mentioned previously. Just make sure all fluids, oil、coolant、brake fluid、and windshield washer fluid are up to the Full mark before you go.

Oh ya, I asked the service manager about the coolant change recommendation. His reply was: "We recommend 5 years or 100k on this fluid due to Colorado being a severe duty state with altitude, stop n go, short trips, etc. You can wait until the Mazda recommendation if needed. We just recommend a little sooner than them on that service from what we've seen in the past with breakdown of fluids."

Since the oil service/inspection was just completed, the fluids should be good. Can check tho'.

 

[yrwei52]

Oh ya, I asked the service manager about the coolant change recommendation. His reply was: "We recommend 5 years or 100k on this fluid due to Colorado being a severe duty state with altitude, stop n go, short trips, etc. You can wait until the Mazda recommendation if needed. We just recommend a little sooner than them on that service from what we've seen in the past with breakdown of fluids."

 

[yrwei52]

If Colorado is considered to be a severe driving condition state, I’d say all 50 states should all considered as severe driving condition state.

And changing it shortened from recommended 10 years to 5 years isn’t just a little sooner.

Even if that’s the case, the first coolant change interval under severe driving conditions, Mazda’s Schedule 2, is still 120,000 miles or 10 years:

 

[SBMongoos]

If Colorado is considered to be a severe driving condition state, I’d say all 50 states should all considered as severe driving condition state.

I couldn't agree more (having moved here from northern MN). They built a new service center not too long ago and more recently added a new sales area. Hmm. I'm starting to look, again, at another Mazda dealer. Oil service at this current dealer is $115. Happen to get $12/off via email the day before. A competitor (just not as convenient location) does the same for $97 with a $20 off. I'm going to check with this other dealer service center on these other services. As this other place has 10% off (max of $100 tho'). Good until 8/31 so could book two appointments. LOL. Might even consider the Goodyear Service Center again I used to take my Celica. They are walking distance from the house.

 

[SBMongoos]

Another Mazda dealer has some better pricing. Some of the lower-cost items were a little higher. They do have a 10% off. This dealership will do the drain/fill of the transmission fluid = $475.

Goodyear had the best prices. But they will not touch the transmission.

 

[yrwei52]

Another Mazda dealer has some better pricing. Some of the lower-cost items were a little higher. They do have a 10% off. This dealership will do the drain/fill of the transmission fluid = $475.

Goodyear had the best prices. But they will not touch the transmission.

So $475 is a one-time drain-and-fill, not including the filter cartridge replacement? Do they claim they can do an ATF “flush”?