Mike's 2018 CX-9 Signature

[sm1ke]

It's about time for me to do another spark plug change, last one was at 64k kms. I also need to pick up a couple of larger shallow sockets for a diff fluid change. I'll probably get to it sometime this week, was too busy this weekend.

Hope everyone had a nice Father's Day weekend!

 

[yrwei52]

It's about time for me to do another spark plug change, last one was at 64k kms. I also need to pick up a couple of larger shallow sockets for a diff fluid change. I'll probably get to it sometime this week, was too busy this weekend.

Hope everyone had a nice Father's Day weekend!

Are you going to get a set of NGK plugs or OEM?

 

[sm1ke]

Are you going to get a set of NGK plugs or OEM?

When I did my first plug replacement, I bought 2 sets of NGK 90288 (DILKAR7M8) plugs from RockAuto when they had a really good sale on them, so I'll be using this last set of NGK plugs. I did call my local dealer to see if the OEM plugs had changed in price at all, and they wanted almost $60 CDN per plug for the OEM. I think the price has gone up on the OEM plugs.

 

[yrwei52]

When I did my first plug replacement, I bought 2 sets of NGK 90288 (DILKAR7M8) plugs from RockAuto when they had a really good sale on them, so I'll be using this last set of NGK plugs. I did call my local dealer to see if the OEM plugs had changed in price at all, and they wanted almost $60 CDN per plug for the OEM. I think the price has gone up on the OEM plugs.

Yes, everything is going up big and car parts are no exception. It’s good you bought 2 sets early!

 

[Fawiek]

I've been using these NGK plugged you've mentioned, I'm getting the same performance and mileage as the OEM when new.

 

[sm1ke]

116.5k kms, did an oil change and drained the transfer case. Refilled with OEM SG-1 fluid.

I wanted to also do the rear but I need to buy some shallow sockets to reach the fill plug.

 

[Hhova29]

Hi again. So for the most part the mgr plugs you mentioned are equivalent if not identical to the oem ones? I’ve read some post of those saying the oem are essential and different while one local mechanic mentioned they are actual mgr plugs with Mazda branding. I want to buy a set as I’m not at the 40k mark yet but approaching and so wanted to be ready.
Please let me know

 

[sm1ke]

Hi again. So for the most part the mgr plugs you mentioned are equivalent if not identical to the oem ones? I’ve read some post of those saying the oem are essential and different while one local mechanic mentioned they are actual mgr plugs with Mazda branding. I want to buy a set as I’m not at the 40k mark yet but approaching and so wanted to be ready.
Please let me know

I would say that they could be considered an equivalent alternative to the Mazda branded plugs. I wouldn't go as far as saying that they are identical, because I really don't know for sure. In terms of engine performance and efficiency, the car ran just the same with the NGK plugs as it did with the Mazda OEM plugs.

Just be wary of counterfeit parts. Try to order from reputable sources, and inspect everything you receive to ensure that the plugs aren't fakes.

 

[sm1ke]

I got the car back from the shop a few days ago. It looked good, but I had to bring it back because the shop had to re-do the alignment and also polish out some holograms from their rotary polisher.

The body shop replaced and painted the outer door shells, replaced the lower plastic trim and brightwork on the doors, and replaced the front wheel fender trim. They also repainted the front fender (had some scuffs from the collision) and the rear quarter panel. The partial PPF that was on the front fender was replaced as well. Lastly, the windshield was also replaced with OEM glass. No more windshield tint - maybe I'll get it done again in the future.

The body shop did an excellent job with the MGM paint. They basically repainted the entire passenger side, which is awesome because I had a small (~5mm) paint chip just above the rear wheel that wasn't originally included in the repair, but they fixed it for me anyway in order to blend the paint from the doors in.

I want to detail the car and apply a wax or sealant for protection, but the shop advised me to wait at least 90 days for the paint to cure properly. I'll do the rest of the car in the coming weeks and avoid touching the passenger side for at least a month.

Here's a few before pics:

And after the repairs were completed:

 

[Fawiek]

I got the car back from the shop a few days ago. It looked good, but I had to bring it back because the shop had to re-do the alignment and also polish out some holograms from their rotary polisher.

The body shop replaced and painted the outer door shells, replaced the lower plastic trim and brightwork on the doors, and replaced the front wheel fender trim. They also repainted the front fender (had some scuffs from the collision) and the rear quarter panel. The partial PPF that was on the front fender was replaced as well. Lastly, the windshield was also replaced with OEM glass. No more windshield tint - maybe I'll get it done again in the future.

The body shop did an excellent job with the MGM paint. They basically repainted the entire passenger side, which is awesome because I had a small (~5mm) paint chip just above the rear wheel that wasn't originally included in the repair, but they fixed it for me anyway in order to blend the paint from the doors in.

I want to detail the car and apply a wax or sealant for protection, but the shop advised me to wait at least 90 days for the paint to cure properly. I'll do the rest of the car in the coming weeks and avoid touching the passenger side for at least a month.

Here's a few before pics:

And after the repairs were completed:
View attachment 330871View attachment 330870

Dang!
Repaired the rim?

 

[sm1ke]

Dang!
Repaired the rim?

Nah, they replaced it with a new one, and also repainted it gloss bronze like the other ones (original finish is satin bronze).

 

[sm1ke]

New front brake pads (Max Advanced Brakes "Elite Pro" ceramic pads) installed at 117k. Inner pads were wearing faster than the outer pads.

New spark plugs (NGK 90288 - DILKAR7M8) installed at 118k. Old plugs looked good.

 

[Mazdiod2]

Nah, they replaced it with a new one, and also repainted it gloss bronze like the other ones (original finish is satin bronze).

This place does repairs on rims. I bought a prelude wheel for $50 and it was like new.

https://wheelsamerica.com/

 

[sm1ke]

I miss summer. That's all. Lol

 

[Veroguy]

116.5k kms, did an oil change and drained the transfer case. Refilled with OEM SG-1 fluid.

I wanted to also do the rear but I need to buy some shallow sockets to reach the fill plug.

Hi, I just changed the gear box gear oil. I bought some shallow sockets at Habor Freight that worked great.

 

[sm1ke]

I just realized that I didn't update this thread regarding the rear diff. Here we go..

In January of 2024, I posted this thread regarding a clunking noise from the rear that I started hearing. It was determined that the rear differential was likely on its way out as the rear wheels would no longer engage (AWD stopped working).

In August of 2024, I drained the rear diff to confirm that it had failed. Grey, silvery fluid with chunks of metal came out. I tried contacting my dealer to request an out-of-warranty goodwill repair and was summarily dismissed, as I expected. It took some time, but I was finally able to get a hold of someone at Mazda Canada in late Oct/early Nov.

I went back and forth with that rep for a good 2 months, trying to argue my case regarding the rear diff and it's premature failure. After pressing the rep to justify their denial, I was finally able to escalate the case to his management team. The management team reviewed my case and asked me to bring the car in to my dealer for a diagnosis, so that they could determine the extent of the damage.

Thankfully, after the dealer talked to Mazda Canada about what needed to be repaired, they authorized partial goodwill coverage of the repair, which is what I had been hoping to get. Being nearly 2 years out of the factory powertrain warranty, I was expecting to have to foot the bill, so having Mazda kick in a few bucks was a huge help. Now, of course, the rear diff should never have failed this early, but I have to recognize the fact that despite Mazda having no obligations to assist, they still did. I had to fight for it a bit, but they could have shut me down at any time.

Part number KAT2-27-020 (rear differential assembly), plus new SG1 rear diff oil, plus shop labour would have come out to $5.6k CDN, plus taxes. I paid $3k plus taxes.

The car is right as rain again, so even though this wasn't the happiest of endings, it's still a happy ending in my book, at least until something else happens.

 

[Glaucus]

I just realized that I didn't update this thread regarding the rear diff. Here we go..

In January of 2024, I posted this thread regarding a clunking noise from the rear that I started hearing. It was determined that the rear differential was likely on its way out as the rear wheels would no longer engage (AWD stopped working).

In August of 2024, I drained the rear diff to confirm that it had failed. Grey, silvery fluid with chunks of metal came out. I tried contacting my dealer to request an out-of-warranty goodwill repair and was summarily dismissed, as I expected. It took some time, but I was finally able to get a hold of someone at Mazda Canada in late Oct/early Nov.

I went back and forth with that rep for a good 2 months, trying to argue my case regarding the rear diff and it's premature failure. After pressing the rep to justify their denial, I was finally able to escalate the case to his management team. The management team reviewed my case and asked me to bring the car in to my dealer for a diagnosis, so that they could determine the extent of the damage.

Thankfully, after the dealer talked to Mazda Canada about what needed to be repaired, they authorized partial goodwill coverage of the repair, which is what I had been hoping to get. Being nearly 2 years out of the factory powertrain warranty, I was expecting to have to foot the bill, so having Mazda kick in a few bucks was a huge help. Now, of course, the rear diff should never have failed this early, but I have to recognize the fact that despite Mazda having no obligations to assist, they still did. I had to fight for it a bit, but they could have shut me down at any time.

Part number KAT2-27-020 (rear differential assembly), plus new SG1 rear diff oil, plus shop labour would have come out to $5.6k CDN, plus taxes. I paid $3k plus taxes.

The car is right as rain again, so even though this wasn't the happiest of endings, it's still a happy ending in my book, at least until something else happens.

Did you ever check to see what the rear diff goes for on the used market? I imagine there's a few of those available in the wreckers. I presume that's a CX-9 specific part?

 

[sm1ke]

Did you ever check to see what the rear diff goes for on the used market? I imagine there's a few of those available in the wreckers. I presume that's a CX-9 specific part?

I didn't try to source the rear diff myself. Since I had planned to have a shop do the removal and replacement, I got quotes from them to compare against the quote from Mazda. You and I are local to each other so you might be familiar with the shops I contacted. One was Seven Oaks Transmission, and the other was GW Transmission. Both shops quoted me at $2700-2800 all-in before taxes, and that was with them sourcing the used diff for me. When speaking to the tech at Seven Oaks, he mentioned that typically there aren't many used diffs available, and at the time of inquiry there only seemed to be one used unit available. I did also contact Trans-Tech Industries, but they don't source used components and mostly do rebuilds. They told me that the CX-9 rear diff is "nonrebuildable", which I take to mean as it's not worth the cost compared to buying new.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

All in, I don't think Mazda went above and beyond. However, some help is better than no help at all. At this rate, the OEM route is definitely a better choice. They do need to program the new diff in so I'm not sure if outside shops have this capability.

 

[sm1ke]

All in, I don't think Mazda went above and beyond. However, some help is better than no help at all. At this rate, the OEM route is definitely a better choice. They do need to program the new diff in so I'm not sure if outside shops have this capability.

I agree. Above and beyond, no. But they definitely did more than they were obligated to, even if I had to fight them for it. After all, my first contact with Mazda Corporate readily said no because the car was out of warranty. I'm happy enough that I was able to turn a hard "no" into partial coverage, all without having to badmouth any dealers or the brand in general. You really do catch more flies with honey, as they say

You're right about the programming, I have no idea if the other shops would be able to do it. I would likely have had to pay for it separately, who knows how much that may have cost. I'm not even sure if I'd be able to drive it to a dealership without risking damage to the unprogrammed replacement diff, so the potential cost of a tow is also worth considering.

The brand new diff does come with a 1-year/20k km warranty as well.