PPI noted possible oil leak on 2021 CX-5 I'm thinking of buying

[AusDen]

Took back to dealership and they say they fixed it, citing valve cover leak.

I don't recall seeing oil around the valve cover after the PPI. I took these photos after the inspection that seemed to be telltale signs of a timing cover leak based on what I've seen from others here. I didn't smell any burning or feel loss of performance or misfires which seem to be common valve cover symptoms. The shop I took it to recommended a dye test. I plan to ask the dealership if they performed that test. Considering this is a car I'd be buying from them, I'm a little skeptical it's a valve cover leak especially since I changed a valve cover on my 05 Altima. Plus, this being a known issue with these cars, I have feeling they're just saying it's a valve cover rather than timing cover to avoid a longer job on a car they're selling.

I let the car run and didn't see any drops on the ground.

 

[cz5gt]

pictures are not very good but appears like the notorious leak of the timing cover.
Its on the expensive side if you gotta pay for fixing it.

Valve cover rarely leaks on those. Its either the timing cover/pan or the oil control valve that leak.
Assuming its not a crqcked head issue, unlikely.

How many miles? I would probably pass on that car

 

[AusDen]

pictures are not very good but appears like the notorious leak of the timing cover.
Its on the expensive side if you gotta pay for fixing it.

Valve cover rarely leaks on those. Its either the timing cover/pan or the oil control valve that leak.
Assuming its not a crqcked head issue, unlikely.

How many miles? I would probably pass on that car

Yeah I had no luck getting the camera in a good spot but there's definitely wetness on the cover.

The car has 67k miles on it. The price is $22k but they offered to take off some for transmission and differential fluid changes. That was before the PPI find of the oil leak. The sway bars had some play too, mechanic said it's not bad but will be something to be addressed in the future.

Exactly, I googled valve cover leaks on these and I hardly find anything compared to the timing cover.

 

[cz5gt]

its too much money. Assuming you are in US.
I would pass if it was me unless it has some form of Mazda extended warranty on it.
Good that you did PPI.
Can you look for other cars?

ps mine was leaking at 9k miles and again at 15k mile ...2 times and they couldnt fix it. Every time it was a full labor day in the service shop. Thankfully i got the new car warranty back then.

 

[AusDen]

its too much money. I would pass if it was me.
Can you look for other cars?

That was my fear. With the amount they offered to take off for the fluid change (under 22k), it's within my budget. But the oil leak definitely changes things, plus the mileage. The salesman I've been working with has been great, but I wonder about those he has to answer to.

I am looking at other CX-5s because I initially wanted RAV4 but they tend to be out of my price range unless I go older or newer with high mileage, which requires a deeper dive into maintenance history.

I've looked at Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tuscon, but the CX-5 is something I keep going back to because it seems like a more reliable choice. Whatever I go with is something I plan to keep for a long time, my Altima has 212k miles on it.

 

[cz5gt]

Since you are looking at CX5 for long term ownersship, make sure to tests the seats extensively. Its known tha some people find them not very comfortable. vs say other brands.

Kia Sportage and Tuscon are also good option. At least the last few years models. They are not as sporty but drive more comfortable than the CX5.
Have you looked also at the cx30 ?

 

[AusDen]

Since you are looking at CX5 for long term ownersship, make sure to tests the seats extensively. Its known tha some people find them not very comfortable. vs say other brands.

Kia Sportage and Tuscon are also good option. At least the last few years models. They are not as sporty but drive more comfortable than the CX5.
Have you looked also at the cx30 ?

To be honest, the seats in my car are 20 years old so I don't know what to feel for. My seats feel fine to me. Whether or not newer seats are lesser quality, no idea.

I plan to look at a 2022 Sportage tomorrow, along with two CX-5s, 2018 and 2020, both lower mileage than the one I posted about, similar price. I get the impression that Mazda builds the superior car in reliability though.

I looked at a CX-30, or CX-3, I can't recall exactly which but found them a bit cramped compared to my Altima.

 

[Jmaz]

To be honest, the seats in my car are 20 years old so I don't know what to feel for. My seats feel fine to me. Whether or not newer seats are lesser quality, no idea.

I plan to look at a 2022 Sportage tomorrow, along with two CX-5s, 2018 and 2020, both lower mileage than the one I posted about, similar price. I get the impression that Mazda builds the superior car in reliability though.

I looked at a CX-30, or CX-3, I can't recall exactly which but found them a bit cramped compared to my Altima.

Price is too high for what is a 5 year old car. The original selling price couldn't have been too many more thousands of dollars. I'd pass on it. Especially with this leak. You mention a Sportage. Might want to research the amount of Hyundai/Kia engine failures, I think it eclipsed over a million spanning certain model years. Engines on backorder and owners waiting many months for replacements. I'd be very careful considering a Hyundai/Kia product. I wouldn't do a Nissan product either. Just my opinion. The year end is approaching and your Mazda dealer might soon be wanting to clear out inventory. Winter is a slower season and Mazda has released the new models very early in the spring. Waiting a few months might land you a deal on a new one for not much more since you're at 22K already. And you might get one that still has knobs instead of everything on a touch screen(if I recollect the new models will be like this-- others here might elucidate on this). And a new car warranty which is major in my book. I'd see a real benefit getting the last year of a generation that's had at least some of the bugs worked. Especially since the new generation will likely be more complicated.

 

[cz5gt]

later sportage 2022 (the new facelift) dont have those engines anymore.

Important to look for the facelift model. Same for the current facelift Tuscon.
I dont inderstand why the obsession with CX5

Not sure how a new CX5 even barebones can be purchased for 22k...may be possible but not that easy. If it was me, I would probably look at 22-23 CPO CX5 if Mazda is a must.

 

[AusDen]

Price is too high for what is a 5 year old car. The original selling price couldn't have been too many more thousands of dollars. I'd pass on it. Especially with this leak. You mention a Sportage. Might want to research the amount of Hyundai/Kia engine failures, I think it eclipsed over a million spanning certain model years. Engines on backorder and owners waiting many months for replacements. I'd be very careful considering a Hyundai/Kia product. I wouldn't do a Nissan product either. Just my opinion. The year end is approaching and your Mazda dealer might soon be wanting to clear out inventory. Winter is a slower season and Mazda has released the new models very early in the spring. Waiting a few months might land you a deal on a new one for not much more since you're at 22K already. And you might get one that still has knobs instead of everything on a touch screen(if I recollect the new models will be like this-- others here might elucidate on this). And a new car warranty which is major in my book. I'd see a real benefit getting the last year of a generation that's had at least some of the bugs worked. Especially since the new generation will likely be more complicated.

And it's gonna be 6 years old soon. Not only is there the leak, but the sway bars are showing age too. The spark plugs will need replacing too. but I can do that easily. The 2022 Sportage I've been looking at does seem like those engine issues were remedied, but it's not without its own other issues. I'm not even looking at Nissan, unfortunately it seems like current ones aren't built the same as my 2005.

I'd be very surprised to see a new one around 22k since many that are a year or more older are 25k.

 

[AusDen]

later sportage 2022 (the new facelift) dont have those engines anymore.

Important to look for the facelift model. Same for the current facelift Tuscon.
I dont inderstand why the obsession with CX5

Not sure how a new CX5 even barebones can be purchased for 22k...may be possible but not that easy. If it was me, I would probably look at 22-23 CPO CX5 if Mazda is a must.

The Tuscons I've looked are post-2021.

For me, I'm gravitating toward the CX-5 because it's seems like a good long-haul vehicle without spending extra to get a RAV4 or CR-V (kinda wary with Honda given CVT usage).

Regarding the leaky 2021 CX-5, they said they didn't have to do a dye test on it (that the PPI recommended) and found the leak around the valve covers and "did what needed to be done to fix it". Eh, I'm not sure about that given that the timing cover is the common culprit.

 

[Jmaz]

later sportage 2022 (the new facelift) dont have those engines anymore.

Important to look for the facelift model. Same for the current facelift Tuscon.
I dont inderstand why the obsession with CX5

Not sure how a new CX5 even barebones can be purchased for 22k...may be possible but not that easy. If it was me, I would probably look at 22-23 CPO CX5 if Mazda is a must.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I wasn't implying a new one for 22k, I meant that the 22k allocated was a large portion of the price of a new one, so maybe another 6k (?) or so for brand new with warranty. Driving around I see a lot of new cars on dealer lots and year end /slow season is coming.

 

[cz5gt]

Understood. But that would still be 30k with the tax, title and registration. It would be a bad financial decision if the budget is 22k vs a CPO where the depreciation is already eaten by the original owner. If budget is higher then more options exists for sure.