Purchased a 2018 CX-5. Anything to look for while still have warranty?

I purchased a 2018 Red CX-5 with 20,000km from a Toyota dealer that got it on a trade. Carfax says no accidents. Car is in great shape under it, very little rust. Other issue I saw is couple small scratches that they will try and get out for me with a paint pen. I paid $27,000 Canadian. It was much lower km that other CX-5s listed for similar amounts. I have seen the CarFax. It will be delivered later this week.

I have no reason to believe there are any issues with it, but given that I did pay almost 30k after tax so I want to do my homework. I have till June 18th on the 5 year Mazda warranty, which I confirmed by calling Mazda. The salesman told me I had 14 days to return it to their dealership after purchase, but a finance guy said he had never heard of that after the fact, which is my first odd experience since I inquired about this car.

Is there anything I should look for? I researched the Ghost Touch issue and I played with the infotainment a fair bit and it seems fine.

There is recall # DRW13 open on the carfax, which seems to only be an issue with navigation saying it can't find a house. The dealership has said they will have Mazda fix that before I take possession, but it doesn't even have the nav package in there, so I don't know if they even can. Regardless, I plan to just use my phone with android auto.

I researched the coolant leak issue a bit, which didn't seem to be a widespread issue, compared to it being on Ford Escapes which I had also considered. I saw there was a fuel pump problem, but I am not sure if that applies to my model year, and if so I would assume it was done as it is not open on the carfax.

I am want to make sure there isn't anything major that I will only see when the manufacturer warranty is expired. I plan to take it to my garage and have them plug the scanner in and give it a solid look over, find anything of issue within the 14 days or before the Mazda Powertrain warranty expires.

I don't know why CarFax only shows open recalls, because I saw on the EpicVin free report that there were 4 total, which I am assuming have since been closed. I am guessing the other three would be: Fuel Pump, Cylinder Deactivation and Coolant Issues? What else could they be? I will specifically ask my mechanic to check for issues with these things, particularly the coolant.

Anything I should immediately do or look for just to ensure there are no monsters under the bed?

Given the minor scratch issues on the vehicle, and what I have since read online about thin paint, is there anything else I should do to protect the paint? I really like the Mazda Soul Red and searched for one with it specifically. I had actually previously almost bought a CX-30 new, but found the interior too cramped. How much would it cost to get a touchup at a dealer if I am not satisfied with what the dealership I am buying it off of does?

Also, I am honestly not sure about the trim of the vehicle. I had previously been looking mostly at the lowest trim models (GX I believe) due to budget, but a part of me did want the middle trim (GS) for some of the driver assist features like adaptive cruise, blind spot, real collision and smart braking. Admittedly, I am not the best driver.

The vehicle has the adaptive cruise, blind spot monitoring, rear warning and lane departure warning, which lead me to believe it was a GX trim. It does not appear to have smart braking, but their salesperson indicated some level of autobraking is part of the adaptive cruise. Their ad didn't say the trim. The paperwork I saw when I signed said GX, but the finance person on the phone said it was GS, so I am honestly not sure. Can anyone clarify this, and let me know if I can purchase the smartbraking if it doesn't have it but has the sensors installed?

Also, the vehicle doesn't have the nav package. I kind of wanted it, but I understand I can somehow just install Android Auto and pair my Huawei P20 to use google maps on the infotainment system, which is what I would prefer. How does that work?

The tires and rotors look really good, but I will look to buy winters on rims, probably used. Any advice on this?

I am coming from a 2014 Nissan Versa Note with a dying junk Nissan CVT. I am glad to be rid of that. It was in great shape and only 116,000km, so luckily I got 4k for it from a guy who knows a guy who works on them and can find him a new trans. But man, I am never buying another Nissan. That was my first car and lesson learned.

Thanks for any help and advice you can give.
 
For 2018 CX-5, the major potential problem to me is the first-year cylinder deactivation on its 2.5L NA. The related issues are cracked cylinder head which would cause the oil leak, and the failing switchable hydraulic lash adjusters which would cause valve noise. As for recalls the major one is for falling rocker arms from cylinder deactivation. You can go to NHTSA website to find all the recalls for the 2018 CX-5 even though you’re in Canada.

Actually I’d believe the previous owner knows the potential problems from cylinder deactivation, hence traded his 2018 CX-5 with excellent condition in for a Toyota right before Mazda’s powertrain warranty expires.
 
If you can’t get the window sticker of this 2018 CX-5, you can check this sales brochure on features to find out your trim level, GX、GS、or GT.

2018 Mazda CX-5 Canada
 
Actually I’d believe the previous owner knows the potential problems from cylinder deactivation, hence traded his 2018 CX-5 with excellent condition in for a Toyota right before Mazda’s powertrain warranty expires.

Yeah I did consider that, could well be the possibility, but I am hoping it is not. The mileage is so low on it, I am inclined to think it is just someone who realized they don't need such a valuable car given they are driving like 4000km a year.

That is why I want to drill into those issues before the warranty expires.

How widespread were those issues? Virtually every 2018 having them or just some?

Looking at the NTHSA for my VIN, it says there are no open recalls. Is the cylinder deactivation an issue after the recall has been completed?
 
If you can’t get the window sticker of this 2018 CX-5, you can check this sales brochure on features to find out your trim level, GX、GS、or GT.

2018 Mazda CX-5 Canada

I definitely don't have a GS. It looks like I have a GX, which, according the brochure you linked does not have cylinder deactivation. It is explicitly asterisked under only the GS and GT.

But I do still wonder if someone traded this in to avoid a big problem, which is why I will have my mechanics give it a good look.

However, I should also have SCBS, which neither myself nor the salesperson could figure out if it was somewhere. Perhaps it is in the infotainment and not a button?

I also emailed around for quotes on repairing the scratches, and the one place who got back to me tonight told me it is a 3 stage red colour, so the touch up will always not look great. Which is maybe why people say the paint pen is a bad match. But I will see what other places say as I contacted 5.

Is it possible to upgrade to the i-Active safety features of the higher trims? Like surely all the needed sensors are already in my car, and I would think for a fee I can pay Mazda to activate it in the software?
 
I hope this thread is helpful.

 
I definitely don't have a GS. It looks like I have a GX, which, according the brochure you linked does not have cylinder deactivation. It is explicitly asterisked under only the GS and GT.
The 2018 CX-5 Canadian base model GX comes with a 2.0L NA with a 6-speed manual which has no CD. But I’d imagine your CX-5 GX has an optional AT which comes with a 2.5L NA with CD.


But I do still wonder if someone traded this in to avoid a big problem, which is why I will have my mechanics give it a good look.
Even the best mechanic can’t “predict“ when the cylinder head would crack, or when the switchable HLAs would fail unless they have been showing symptoms already.


However, I should also have SCBS, which neither myself nor the salesperson could figure out if it was somewhere. Perhaps it is in the infotainment and not a button?
Yes, the SCBS setup is in the infotainment setup.


I also emailed around for quotes on repairing the scratches, and the one place who got back to me tonight told me it is a 3 stage red colour, so the touch up will always not look great. Which is maybe why people say the paint pen is a bad match. But I will see what other places say as I contacted 5.
Yes, Soul Red Crystal Metallic is hard to touch up and looks nice:



Is it possible to upgrade to the i-Active safety features of the higher trims? Like surely all the needed sensors are already in my car, and I would think for a fee I can pay Mazda to activate it in the software?
No, don’t even think about i-ActivSense upgrade! None of the sensors is here for your upgrade. It’d be too costly if you can find someone who is willing to do the upgrade. Just think, you need a different windshield for the upgrade!
 
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I find the NHTSA data interesting. There is definitely a higher engine failure rate in the 2018s, and there is an oil consumption issue with some 2021 turbo models. The NHTSA data provides partial VINs of affected vehicles.
 
The 2018 CX-5 Canadian base model GX comes with a 2.0L NA with a 6-speed manual which has no CD. But I’d imagine your CX-5 GX has an optional AT which comes with a 2.5L NA with CD.


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This screenshot from the brochure indicates there is one Canadian GX trim with a 2.0L and three with a 2.5L. None of them have the CD label that is present on the GS and GT.

I will confirm tomorrow that I have a GX (I am like 75% certain, as I don't have power seat adjust) but it looks like if I have a GX I avoided CD.

Never been so stressed about trying to make sure I don't have a "feature".

I hope I don't sound like a dick, I am not trying to prove you wrong, just hoping I don't have CD.

Nice to hear that I might have Smart City Braking though.

I also ran my VIN through the NHTSA website and did not see anything about cylinders, only the fuel pump, an airbag thing and one other I forget.
 
What type of upholstery do the seats have?

Cloth = GX
Leatherette = GS
Leather = GT

I am pretty sure I recall it being cloth seats. There was no heated seats, no heated steering wheel, no power seat adjustments, no power hatch opening.

Originally when I went and saw it, I thought it was GS, because of adaptive cruise, lane keep, SCBS. I had previously tested a 2023 CX-30, which I understood to not have those features on the GX trim. So I assumed those features on the CX-5 meant it wasnt GX.

However, I saw the paperwork at the end when I signed to buy and it said GX. Howver, the bill of sale now says GS, but I suspect that is wrong, because I very clearly remember no heated seats and no power seat adjustment, both of which shocked me on a higher end 2018 car, as my sh*tbox 2014 Versa had heated seats.

Edit: I called Mazda Canada and they confirmed it is a 2.5L GX AWD built for the Canadian market, which according to that brochure does not have CD.
 
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