Mazda Transmission Fluid

[charlie368]

My car is a 2012 Mazda 5, automatic transmission. Mileage is 38,700. Car was purchased in June 2011. Date of manufacture was Dec. 2010.

Was at the dealership for an oil change. The warranty on this car purchased new at the same dealership I take for the oil changes was only 36K. I figured I would go to the dealer for oil changes while the car was under warranty. Now that the warranty is up, I need to purchase ramps because of the low clearance and I won't be able to get under there to change the oil. After the $40 oil change w/ 5W-20 blend, it may be a good time to start shopping for those ramps.

So, the dealer service tells me yesterday I need a transmission fluid replacement, my fluid is black. The charge will be $300. This is a new one to me, I have never heard of fluid needing to be replaced so soon. My '99 Mustang V6 convertible proably didn't get its first fluid change until 172k. My '05 Stratus w/ 150 is running with the original fluid. My first thought was dealership BS, trying to sell service you don't need.

I got home and checked the fluid. The fluid is not black, more like a clear grey, but then again it is not the traditonal reddish color? I was wondering if factory Mazda ATF is reddish in color? I'm confused about this because I've only seen ATF as a reddish color. Maybe the weren't BS'in me?

I checked the manual. No indication on when the fluid should be replaced, just have regular inspecion. I have read online someone got a letter from Mazda headquaters their engineers state the fluid should be good for the life of the car.

The all important sniff test...I wouldn't call it a burnt smell.

I guess it is the color that is throwing me off here.....

Any feedback appreciated.

Charlie

 

[mazdadude]

1. The Mazda ATF is dyed like others and should be Cherry Red.

2. There is no service interval listed in the Manual for the fluid. The design of the transmission does seem to wear out the fluid quicker than other makes, and it is good practice to change the ATF in the transmission at a regular interval. ~30k miles seems like a good one.

3. Judging by the high $300 price from the dealer, they are trying to sell you a FLUSH. However you would do just fine with a drain and refill, ~$75.

A remanufactured transmission bought and installed will be closer to $2000, so to me it seems like cheap insurance...

When you get your ramps, you will be able to drain ~4qts of the AT fluid and replace easily.

 

[MarkVII88]

First of all, if your car is a 2012 Mazda5 with the 2.5L engine, they specify 0w20 full synthetic motor oil. If your Mazda dealer is using 5w20 blended motor oil, something is wrong and, while it's not necessarily going to hurt your car, it'll hurt the fuel economy. You should not need to replace any trans fluid this early in the car's life unless you notice the car's not shifting well or that the fluid itself if burnt. Ramps should cost you under $50 and you can buy good, full synthetic trans fluid for your car for $7-8/quart from your local parts store (even less if you shop by the case online). The transmission takes about 8.5 quarts. Doing a drain & fill by taking out the plug on the transmission pan will require about 3 quarts at-a-time. You can do this 2-3 times in about an hour with a quick drive around the neighborhood in-between each drain & fill if you really think you ought to swap out your fluid.

$50 - Ramps
$10 - Large Catch Pan for Oil/Fluid
$65 - 8-9 Quarts Synthetic Trans Fluid
Grand Total = $125 + 60-90 minutes of your time.

My car is a 2012 Mazda 5, automatic transmission. Mileage is 38,700. Car was purchased in June 2011. Date of manufacture was Dec. 2010.

Was at the dealership for an oil change. The warranty on this car purchased new at the same dealership I take for the oil changes was only 36K. I figured I would go to the dealer for oil changes while the car was under warranty. Now that the warranty is up, I need to purchase ramps because of the low clearance and I won't be able to get under there to change the oil. After the $40 oil change w/ 5W-20 blend, it may be a good time to start shopping for those ramps.

So, the dealer service tells me yesterday I need a transmission fluid replacement, my fluid is black. The charge will be $300. This is a new one to me, I have never heard of fluid needing to be replaced so soon. My '99 Mustang V6 convertible proably didn't get its first fluid change until 172k. My '05 Stratus w/ 150 is running with the original fluid. My first thought was dealership BS, trying to sell service you don't need.

I got home and checked the fluid. The fluid is not black, more like a clear grey, but then again it is not the traditonal reddish color? I was wondering if factory Mazda ATF is reddish in color? I'm confused about this because I've only seen ATF as a reddish color. Maybe the weren't BS'in me?

I checked the manual. No indication on when the fluid should be replaced, just have regular inspecion. I have read online someone got a letter from Mazda headquaters their engineers state the fluid should be good for the life of the car.

The all important sniff test...I wouldn't call it a burnt smell.

I guess it is the color that is throwing me off here.....

Any feedback appreciated.

Charlie

 

[charlie368]

First of all, if your car is a 2012 Mazda5 with the 2.5L engine, they specify 0w20 full synthetic motor oil. If your Mazda dealer is using 5w20 blended motor oil, something is wrong and, while it's not necessarily going to hurt your car, it'll hurt the fuel economy.

Yes, 2.5 motor and nope, nothing wrong as it was explained to me prior by the dealer service. The book calls for OW-20, if not available 5W-20, if not available 5W-30 as a last resort. An OW-20 oil change is considerably more expensive and it was explained fuel economy will suffer (slightly) when using the 5W-20 blend.

Thanks for both replies in regards to my concern about the ATF. I will probably opt for the drain and fill as opposed to the flush. As mentioned, no burnt smell but the color has without question broken down and not cherry red.

 

[MarkVII88]

I guess whatever your dealer says but if, like most Mazda dealers, their highest volume seller is the Mazda3 w/ Skyactive 2.0L, then they should have a ton of 0w20 available in their service department. I find it very difficult to believe they'd run-out. And sure, a 0w20 oil change is going to be more expensive than a traditional oil change but it's a better product. If the cost is an issue, it's much cheaper to do it yourself because dealers and shops always charge a premium, sometimes double to do a full synthetic oil change.

Yes, 2.5 motor and nope, nothing wrong as it was explained to me prior by the dealer service. The book calls for OW-20, if not available 5W-20, if not available 5W-30 as a last resort. An OW-20 oil change is considerably more expensive and it was explained fuel economy will suffer (slightly) when using the 5W-20 blend.

Thanks for both replies in regards to my concern about the ATF. I will probably opt for the drain and fill as opposed to the flush. As mentioned, no burnt smell but the color has without question broken down and not cherry red.

 

[DougNuts]

Yesterday I did a drain and fill on my 2010 with 55k miles. 3 quarts of Amsoil and it's shifting smoother than before. I'll do it again in 10-15k miles.

My fluid prior to the change was light brown, but not burnt looking or smelling. It is now red on the dipstick.

 

[kw_da]

Many threads on this site about replacing ATF fluid. The general conclusion is that the M5 transmission doesn't have life-time fluid - contrary to Mazda's recommendations. Replacing ATF fluid is cheap insurance - I'd replace your ATF fluid immediately - 3x drain & fill.

So, the dealer service tells me yesterday I need a transmission fluid replacement, my fluid is black. The charge will be $300. This is a new one to me, I have never heard of fluid needing to be replaced so soon. My '99 Mustang V6 convertible proably didn't get its first fluid change until 172k. My '05 Stratus w/ 150 is running with the original fluid. My first thought was dealership BS, trying to sell service you don't need.

I got home and checked the fluid. The fluid is not black, more like a clear grey, but then again it is not the traditonal reddish color? I was wondering if factory Mazda ATF is reddish in color? I'm confused about this because I've only seen ATF as a reddish color. Maybe the weren't BS'in me?

I checked the manual. No indication on when the fluid should be replaced, just have regular inspecion. I have read online someone got a letter from Mazda headquaters their engineers state the fluid should be good for the life of the car.

The all important sniff test...I wouldn't call it a burnt smell.

I guess it is the color that is throwing me off here.....

Any feedback appreciated.

Charlie

 

[DougNuts]

Yesterday I did a drain and fill on my 2010 with 55k miles. 3 quarts of Amsoil and it's shifting smoother than before. I'll do it again in 10-15k miles.

My fluid prior to the change was light brown, but not burnt looking or smelling. It is now red on the dipstick.

Update: Since changing the fluid I have smelled hot transmission fluid when coming to a stop (it comes in the cowl vents). I did not spill any fluid, there are no leaks and the dipstick is fully seated.

My honest opinion is that the transmission does not like the Amsoil fluid. I went to Mazda and bought some OEM fluid and am in the process of changing it right now. I will let you guys know if the smell goes away.

 

[Silentnoise713]

Update: Since changing the fluid I have smelled hot transmission fluid when coming to a stop (it comes in the cowl vents). I did not spill any fluid, there are no leaks and the dipstick is fully seated.

My honest opinion is that the transmission does not like the Amsoil fluid. I went to Mazda and bought some OEM fluid and am in the process of changing it right now. I will let you guys know if the smell goes away.

Hmmm. Can you extrapolate a bit more on why/how you determined the Mazda does not like Amsoil?? Regarding the smell, are eluding to it getting burnt?

It's been 5k for me on Amsoil and no smell whatsoever. I did the full flush, drop pan, and replaced the filter and I can honestly say it is freaking fantastic!! Up shifts are sooooo smooth and down shifts are quick. I can quickly shift between D and R (and back again) with only a slight hesitation. It was terrible before where I had to hold the gear for fraction of a sec to ensure smooth transmission.

 

[DougNuts]

Hmmm. Can you extrapolate a bit more on why/how you determined the Mazda does not like Amsoil?? Regarding the smell, are eluding to it getting burnt?

I did a drain and fill with Amsoil, so call it 33% new and 67% old fluid. Before much time passed, I noticed that I could smell hot transmission fluid each time I came to a stop. Over the last week, the shifting got a little worse and there were a few times when it would lug the engine from keeping the RPMs too low. I may be wrong that the transmission didn't like the Amsoil, but I do not think it liked the 67/33 mixture of fluids.

When I drained 3 quarts last night, it smelled putrid. I put in 3 quarts of new Mazda fluid and we took the van to go shopping, which included 10 minutes of highway driving. The shifting was noticeably improved and there was no smell noticed. I will be sure to post again if the smell or poor shifting returns.

Full disclosure: I am an Amsoil dealer, so I have more to lose than to gain by saying it didn't like the mix.