2013~2016 Should I change transmission fluid in Skyactiv cars?

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2016 CX-5 GT | FWD | Soul Red | Tech Package
I thought Mazda recommends to never change the transmission fluid. I have 55k miles on my 2016 CX-5 and took it to dealership yesterday for oil change. They said Mazda is wrong and showed me some internal Mazda paperwork saying transmission fluid should be changed every 30k miles. Is this true?

They said they will do a 'flush' not a 'drain and fill'. I have read somewhere that a flush might not be a good idea. What are your thoughts on doing a transmission fluid flush on this at this mileage? Should I go against what Mazda recommends and take the dealer's advice? My head says NO, but unsure how to proceed. I intend to keep this car for as long as I can and hence will do anything required to extend its longevity.
 
I thought Mazda recommends to never change the transmission fluid. I have 55k miles on my 2016 CX-5 and took it to dealership yesterday for oil change. They said Mazda is wrong and showed me some internal Mazda paperwork saying transmission fluid should be changed every 30k miles. Is this true?

First we have heard of internal paperwork recommending changing. This is a hotly debated subject between those of us who have changed our fluid and those who do not.

They said they will do a 'flush' not a 'drain and fill'.

Better ask them how they do that because the Skyactiv tranny does not have the external lines to hookup to a flush machine without modding some part on to do it.

Should I go against what Mazda recommends and take the dealer's advice? My head says NO, but unsure how to proceed. I intend to keep this car for as long as I can and hence will do anything required to extend its longevity.

I'd get details for how they are supposed to do a flush when it doesn't have the lines to hook up to a flush machine. Otherwise, yes, I'd recommend doing an ATF drain/fill. Ensure you use only Mazda Type-FZ fluid which can be a little pricey, but getting newer fluid in there is a great idea. I did my first drain/fill session at 71k miles, so I ended up doing 3 sessions a week apart. First drain/fill I took a sample and sent it to Blackstone and it was getting to be out of spec. So I personally do not believe in so called "lifetime" fluid.
 
Ther's at least one aftermarket adapter available now for Skyactiv transmission flush. Not much different from what I managed to derive from the stock heat exchanger, but more civil. There's a slight possibility that this particular dealer has got up to speed and has ordered the adapter. But chances are very slim..
 
Ther's at least one aftermarket adapter available now for Skyactiv transmission flush. Not much different from what I managed to derive from the stock heat exchanger, but more civil. There's a slight possibility that this particular dealer has got up to speed and has ordered the adapter. But chances are very slim..

Yeah that's the part I was thinking of.

I'd be very weary of any shop offering a "flush" without knowing exactly how they are proposing to do it.
 
Great inputs. Let me talk to them and find out how exactly they're planning to do this.

Irrespective of how they do this, is 55k a good mileage to change the ATF? Is it too early or too late?
 
I did mine at 51k for my 2013 and the viscosity of the fluid was slightly below spec per Blackstone. They guessed it was due to heat. As I live in FL I dont think thats a bad guess.
 
I have mine done at 30k interval.
Have been doing this since '08 CX9 on four Mazdas I owned/currently own.
Around $150 at Mazda dealers.
 
I'd like to get my hands on that "internal paperwork".
 
Great inputs. Let me talk to them and find out how exactly they're planning to do this.

Irrespective of how they do this, is 55k a good mileage to change the ATF? Is it too early or too late?
That's a good mileage. I wish I had done mine around 50k.
 
I have mine done at 30k interval.
Have been doing this since '08 CX9 on four Mazdas I owned/currently own.
Around $150 at Mazda dealers.
Still curious how these shops are doing a flush on a Skyactiv tranny...
 
I thought Mazda recommends to never change the transmission fluid. I have 55k miles on my 2016 CX-5 and took it to dealership yesterday for oil change. They said Mazda is wrong and showed me some internal Mazda paperwork saying transmission fluid should be changed every 30k miles. Is this true?

They said they will do a 'flush' not a 'drain and fill'. I have read somewhere that a flush might not be a good idea. What are your thoughts on doing a transmission fluid flush on this at this mileage? Should I go against what Mazda recommends and take the dealer's advice? My head says NO, but unsure how to proceed. I intend to keep this car for as long as I can and hence will do anything required to extend its longevity.

How much are they planning on charging you for this service?
 
I thought Mazda recommends to never change the transmission fluid. I have 55k miles on my 2016 CX-5 and took it to dealership yesterday for oil change. They said Mazda is wrong and showed me some internal Mazda paperwork saying transmission fluid should be changed every 30k miles. Is this true?

They said they will do a 'flush' not a 'drain and fill'. I have read somewhere that a flush might not be a good idea. What are your thoughts on doing a transmission fluid flush on this at this mileage? Should I go against what Mazda recommends and take the dealer's advice? My head says NO, but unsure how to proceed. I intend to keep this car for as long as I can and hence will do anything required to extend its longevity.
Agreed totally with what ColoradoDriver had said in post #2.

Great inputs. Let me talk to them and find out how exactly they're planning to do this.

Irrespective of how they do this, is 55k a good mileage to change the ATF? Is it too early or too late?
Yes, it's at a great mileage to do the ATF drain-and-fill or "ATF flush". If anything goes wrong right after, you do have 60K-mile powertrain warranty to cover it. And since the job of ATF change is done by a Mazda dealer, Mazda North American Operations would have no excuse to deny any transmission warranty claim.

They're quoting $159.
For this price, it further proves that your Mazda dealer is doing only drain-and-fill. Go ahead do it. Of course I'd want to find out if they really are doing a "flush", if it is, how are they going to do it without the external ATF lines to hook up an ATF flush machine? Further, I'd like to find out if the ATF filter / cartridge replacement is included for the job. Finally, what kind of Mazda ATF they'll use? Make sure it's the Mazda ATF FZ.

I believe your service advisor doesn't know too much about the SkyActiv-Drive automatic transmission. He only uses his common knowledge telling you it's a flush, not a drain-and-fill. Even Mazda Factory Service Manual has mentioned only ATF drain-and-fill. Although someone found an adapter which can be used for an ATF flush machine, but I doubt Mazda would authorize its usage, or the Mazda dealer themselves would be responsible to fix any problems afterwards if any.
 
I have mine done at 30k interval.
Have been doing this since '08 CX9 on four Mazdas I owned/currently own.
Around $150 at Mazda dealers.
When you say you've been changing the ATF by Mazda dealer for $150, do you know the job is an ATF drain-and-fill or an ATF flush?

2008 CX-9 has a totally different automatic transmission from CX-5's SkyActiv-Drive transmission. One of the unique design on SkyActiv-Drive transmission is the ATF cooler is a part of transmission, and there's no external ATF lines usually go to radiator with an ATF cooler inside. Hence there's no place to hook up an ATF flush machine unless an ATF cooler adapter is used to provide ATF ports. But I doubt Mazda North American Operations would authorize this adaptor to be used, or it'd be mentioned in Factory Service Manual.
 
I did mine at 51k for my 2013 and the viscosity of the fluid was slightly below spec per Blackstone. They guessed it was due to heat. As I live in FL I don*t think that*s a bad guess.

Would like to see that report. CX-5 at 100k miles. Did drain and fill 2x so far. May do another at 120k miles.

Oh and if your dealer does it the typical price is $150. Try to use a coupon.

That said this is a quality transmission made by Aisin which is same supplier to Toyota.
 
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When you say you've been changing the ATF by Mazda dealer for $150, do you know the job is an ATF drain-and-fill or an ATF flush?

2008 CX-9 has a totally different automatic transmission from CX-5's SkyActiv-Drive transmission. One of the unique design on SkyActiv-Drive transmission is the ATF cooler is a part of transmission, and there's no external ATF lines usually go to radiator with an ATF cooler inside. Hence there's no place to hook up an ATF flush machine unless an ATF cooler adapter is used to provide ATF ports. But I doubt Mazda North American Operations would authorize this adaptor to be used, or it'd be mentioned in Factory Service Manual.
It is a drain-n-refill and replacement of gasket.
 
Would like to see that report.
Check out the Transmission Fluid Analysis thread that ColoradoDriver started several months back. My 51k report is in there as well as a few others.
 
Would like to see that report. CX-5 at 100k miles. Did drain and fill 2x so far. May do another at 120k miles.

Oh and if your dealer does it the typical price is $150. Try to use a coupon.

That said this is a quality transmission made by Aisin which is same supplier to Toyota.

This transmission is not made by Aisin, but rather, Mazda.
 
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