Should you buy a Turbo CX-5?

[madar]

Now you have me curious what usernames they were on here. I can think of a few members over the years that got banned. I don't use that other forum.

Tribe&TrueRacin is one

 

[madar]

You said your 2021 2.5T “add about 10-12 ounces of oil to bring the level back to the upper dot on the dipstick after 2,500 miles”, this means your 2.5T burns ¾ quart of oil per 5,000 miles. While it isn’t excessive to car manufactures but it is to most enthusiastic car owners especially for a new engine. My 2.5L NA burns ½ quart per 5,000 miles and I’m not really happy about it but at least I don’t have to add any oil between oil changes. For comparison, my 1998 Honda CR-V didn’t use any oil when new, and uses about ½ quart of oil in 5,000 miles right now at 191,776 miles.

Burning oil isn’t good to your expensive catalytic converter and oxygen sensors in the long run. If you don’t plan to keep your CX-5 long then you may not to worry about burning some oil at your rate. I personally would take all my effort to get those defective exhaust valve stem seals replaced under warranty if I had a 2021 2.5T. Just like I pushed my Mazda dealer to replace the defective rear disk calipers under warranty once I saw the related TSB posted here.

I think it's a trait on the newer GDI engines in general. Newer engines are using looser fitting compression rings around the piston to reduce internal drag. Oil slipping by these rings is a fact of life. Granted some people have more oil usage than others, that's why I think 0w-20 in particular is a bad grade for these motors.

 

[Koko_Bandit]

This forum is waaayyyy more civil than most, and has a lot more class as well as top notch information, really appreciative on my part..

^^^^Agreed^^^^^

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

@madar - Thanks! Now a flood memories

 

[7eregrine]

Some people don't get that. The other point is that while reliability is better, longevity has yet to be proven. I doubt you'll see many of these bad boys at 150k miles on an original turbocharger. It's a hard working unit spinning at high RPM and subject to high heat. Longevity is not the nature unless you're talking about a Kenworth or a Mack truck.

Everybody "gets that". Literally the #1 argument when people debate getting a turbo.
"It's so much more complicated! More to break". Literally almost every single post.
More parts does not automatically mean more to break. THAT'S what most people don't get. You think a modern turbo can't go 150,000 miles? That's crazy. It's like we've forgotten turbo engines have been around for over 50 years.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with this engine and the primary reason I chose a Mazda was because they were the only manufacturer to offer a turbo within the vehicles that I was considering. I previously owned SAAB turbos and it's hard to give up a turbo once you've owned one.

My brother. Went through 5 turbo Saabs, now into Volvo turbos. (on my 2nd and 3rd)

 

[madar]

Everybody "gets that". Literally the #1 argument when people debate getting a turbo.
"It's so much more complicated! More to break". Literally almost every single post.
More parts does not automatically mean more to break. THAT'S what most people don't get. You think a modern turbo can't go 150,000 miles? That's crazy. It's like we've forgotten turbo engines have been around for over 50 years.


My brother. Went through 5 turbo Saabs, now into Volvo turbos. (on my 2nd and 3rd)

No, some don't. It really has more to do with higher operating temps and higher operating speeds combined with complexity. As far as the longevity mileage on this particular new Mazda turbocharger, only time will tell. I wasn't referring to all modern turbos.

 

[GTXT23]

Everybody "gets that". Literally the #1 argument when people debate getting a turbo.
"It's so much more complicated! More to break". Literally almost every single post.
More parts does not automatically mean more to break. THAT'S what most people don't get. You think a modern turbo can't go 150,000 miles? That's crazy. It's like we've forgotten turbo engines have been around for over 50 years.


My brother. Went through 5 turbo Saabs, now into Volvo turbos. (on my 2nd and 3rd)

Im going to get buried on this one because ....I try to stick with provable facts- BUT ....I believe from my 30 years working in car dealerships ...that turbos arent just inherently flawed or are prone to failure , or dont last- I believe its NEGLECT on the part of most owners .....I posted a thread specifically to help turbo owners ( as I was ) to become aware of things they can do to prolong and maintain the turbo engine , thus making it reliable and a good investment - I was attacked summarily - but the fact remains -- warm-up , cool-down , change the oil excessively , use premium gas , change the AIR FILTER like toilet paper , and of course the plugs --- Ive talked with many owners that drive turbos and they didnt do most of that - one car maker says that their turbo engine should have the oil changed every 15K miles ..WHAT ! Turbos make dealerships money - so uneducated owners are cash cows

 

[madar]

Im going to get buried on this one because ....I try to stick with provable facts- BUT ....I believe from my 30 years working in car dealerships ...that turbos arent just inherently flawed or are prone to failure , or dont last- I believe its NEGLECT on the part of most owners .....I posted a thread specifically to help turbo owners ( as I was ) to become aware of things they can do to prolong and maintain the turbo engine , thus making it reliable and a good investment - I was attacked summarily - but the fact remains -- warm-up , cool-down , change the oil excessively , use premium gas , change the AIR FILTER like toilet paper , and of course the plugs --- Ive talked with many owners that drive turbos and they didnt do most of that - one car maker says that their turbo engine should have the oil changed every 15K miles ..WHAT ! Turbos make dealerships money - so uneducated owners are cash cows

Totally agree. You see a lot more nonsense when you're in the service industry, and sometimes it's almost funny, it's also what's wrong with the 10k OCI. Customers not taking time to understand what conditions allow these things.
I work with a guy who just leased a 2023 CX5 and was complaining about bad gas mileage. The first thing I asked was about his tire pressures. He didn't have a clue on how to check that, 56 years old. Not that it's an ignorance here, it's just the way some people are with cars. Turns out his pressures were way over 50 pounds in each tire, a dangerous pressure to have.
Now, you get some one like this in a turbo where the only thing they know is it makes it go fast, not being diligent with checking oil or making sure the right oil is in there, which is crucial to the life of this thing. I don't believe it's bad design, but bad care most of the time. It's just the way quite a few people are with things. Quite a few people, I find, just can't grasp even a simple task like checking oil. So, yeah, 7eregrine, you're right to a point, but the wild card is the human element.

 

[dunhillmc]

Im going to get buried on this one because ....I try to stick with provable facts- BUT ....I believe from my 30 years working in car dealerships ...that turbos arent just inherently flawed or are prone to failure , or dont last- I believe its NEGLECT on the part of most owners .....I posted a thread specifically to help turbo owners ( as I was ) to become aware of things they can do to prolong and maintain the turbo engine , thus making it reliable and a good investment - I was attacked summarily - but the fact remains -- warm-up , cool-down , change the oil excessively , use premium gas , change the AIR FILTER like toilet paper , and of course the plugs --- Ive talked with many owners that drive turbos and they didnt do most of that - one car maker says that their turbo engine should have the oil changed every 15K miles ..WHAT ! Turbos make dealerships money - so uneducated owners are cash cows

How does that work somewhere like Europe where the Mazda recommended OCI is 1 year or 20k km (12k mi)? I've seen people posting on reddit that some dealers there won't do them sooner because they consider it wasteful. You would think that there would be tons of dead engines being reported, but there aren't

 

[7eregrine]

Im going to get buried on this one because ....I try to stick with provable facts- BUT ....I believe from my 30 years working in car dealerships ...that turbos arent just inherently flawed or are prone to failure , or dont last- I believe its NEGLECT on the part of most owners .....I posted a thread specifically to help turbo owners ( as I was ) to become aware of things they can do to prolong and maintain the turbo engine , thus making it reliable and a good investment - I was attacked summarily - but the fact remains -- warm-up , cool-down , change the oil excessively , use premium gas , change the AIR FILTER like toilet paper , and of course the plugs --- Ive talked with many owners that drive turbos and they didnt do most of that - one car maker says that their turbo engine should have the oil changed every 15K miles ..WHAT ! Turbos make dealerships money - so uneducated owners are cash cows

I don't completely disagree at all. I disagree with "Change the oil excessively" or "change the air filter daily"...

 

[macanix]

Turbos can be reliable. Its just how the PSI is set, and that companies like VWoA/Audi tend to make sub-par waste gates (is it Bosch?) that are integral. That means the entire turbo/waste gate need replacement. Where as some automotive companies with turbos have a replaceable waste gate/actuator allowing a less costly repair. (Friends have Audi that is on its 3rd Turbo and at over 80K... first one went under warranty, second went at 55K and third went at 79K... all failures of the wastegate actuator and not the turbo/bearings. Need I say, "Lease German unless you have a conditioned shop with lift" !

 

[7eregrine]

Saab and Volvo know turbos. There are never many failures on any of their turbo cars. Mazda doesn't have QUITE the experience as some car makers, but I do trust them enough to know how to source or build (not sure who makes Mazda's turbo or if they do) good ones.

Mazda’s turbo timeline

Mazda’s history of turbocharging isn’t as extensive as the bulk of its rivals, but that hasn’t stopped the Japanese automaker from having some solid cracks at forced induction over the years.

www.whichcar.com.au

 

[madar]

How does that work somewhere like Europe where the Mazda recommended OCI is 1 year or 20k km (12k mi)? I've seen people posting on reddit that some dealers there won't do them sooner because they consider it wasteful. You would think that there would be tons of dead engines being reported, but there aren't

I don't believe it's something you'd see early on, but problems you'd run into over the 150k mile mark as the rings and piston oil passages stat to clog up and high oil burning takes place. 20k km being 12k miles, I wouldn't even consider even going to the 10k mile OCI recommended in some of today's cars. I'd be doing my own OC.

 

[Odrapnew]

Im going to get buried on this one because ....I try to stick with provable facts- BUT ....I believe from my 30 years working in car dealerships ...that turbos arent just inherently flawed or are prone to failure , or dont last- I believe its NEGLECT on the part of most owners .....I posted a thread specifically to help turbo owners ( as I was ) to become aware of things they can do to prolong and maintain the turbo engine , thus making it reliable and a good investment - I was attacked summarily - but the fact remains -- warm-up , cool-down , change the oil excessively , use premium gas , change the AIR FILTER like toilet paper , and of course the plugs --- Ive talked with many owners that drive turbos and they didnt do most of that - one car maker says that their turbo engine should have the oil changed every 15K miles ..WHAT ! Turbos make dealerships money - so uneducated owners are cash cows

Premium gas - if manufacturer recommends or requires, yes, otherwise, meh.

Air Filter - Why would you change the air filter so often? I sure hope the argument is not to keep the air clean.

 

[1killera4]

Turbos can be reliable. Its just how the PSI is set, and that companies like VWoA/Audi tend to make sub-par waste gates (is it Bosch?) that are integral. That means the entire turbo/waste gate need replacement. Where as some automotive companies with turbos have a replaceable waste gate/actuator allowing a less costly repair. (Friends have Audi that is on its 3rd Turbo and at over 80K... first one went under warranty, second went at 55K and third went at 79K... all failures of the wastegate actuator and not the turbo/bearings. Need I say, "Lease German unless you have a conditioned shop with lift" !

So wrong in so many ways I don't know where to start. I am on my third Audi. Never ever have I had a "Waste Gate" fail. And on top of that all 3 have been tuned stage One or Two and I drive the piss out of them.
The simple facts are that people need to understand turbo cars require an increased vigilance to all Service Intervals. Again, Audi owner since 2008, NEVER had any Wastegate or Wastegate Actuator failures.

 

[1killera4]

In addition we have no intention on further Mod to the 2021 CX 5 Carbon Turbo because of the head issues. It has an Intake and Corksport Exhaust as it sits now with 14k miles. The oil will be changed every 7-8k miles just like my Audi and all Mazda recommended Service will be performed on time all the time. This is my wifes 5th Mazda Vehicle she loves them. I had a 2006 Mazdaspeed 6 brand new to 50k miles, only thing ever went wrong with it was a clutch which was replaced under warranty. After that I switched to Audi.

 

[Koko_Bandit]

So wrong in so many ways I don't know where to start. I am on my third Audi. Never ever have I had a "Waste Gate" fail. And on top of that all 3 have been tuned stage One or Two and I drive the piss out of them.
The simple facts are that people need to understand turbo cars require an increased vigilance to all Service Intervals. Again, Audi owner since 2008, NEVER had any Wastegate or Wastegate Actuator failures.

Well I was batting .500 on Audis and wastegate failures. Had AudiCare so all services were performed on time and by the dealer. Also had engine mounts go bad at 66K. Some people have good luck with Audis, and other don't.

Congrats, you are one of the lucky ones.

 

[7eregrine]

He's one of many normal people that don't have WG issues.
My 2 current turbo cars are my 5th and 6th turbo cars. Zero WG failures.

 

[N7turbo]

Air Filter - Why would you change the air filter so often? I sure hope the argument is not to keep the air clean.

Turbo cars need new air filters more often. 18psi of suction causes them to clog up faster.

 

[N7turbo]

I don't believe it's something you'd see early on, but problems you'd run into over the 150k mile mark as the rings and piston oil passages stat to clog up and high oil burning takes place. 20k km being 12k miles, I wouldn't even consider even going to the 10k mile OCI recommended in some of today's cars. I'd be doing my own OC.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure these regional differences come down to regulations.

What the motor needs to stay healthy doesn't change. I'm sticking with my 12 mo / 5k interval.