I bought a 2016 CX-5 GS AWD at 86,000kms in the fall. It's been to the dealership to get serviced twice. Once at 81k and once at 86k before I bought it. I'm sitting at 91k currently on the odometer.

The dealership is telling me I need to do the following
- transmission fluid (flush?) for $410
- engine coolant for $220
- brake maintenance package for $430
- oil change/multi point inspection for $190

Now as far as I know the SkyActiv engines have a lifetime transmission fluid rating and should not be tampered with unless something seriously bad is happening with the drive train. Can someone confirm this?
The maintenance schedule also tells me the engine coolant should be replaced after 200k or 10 years so I suppose that's coming up as it's been 9 years.
I bought new spark plugs a while back as I'm not so sure they've ever been replaced but at 91k I'm not sure it's required. Schedule says every 120k. Might toss these in as they're cheap.

Can someone spin me in the right direction for this stuff? I'm phoning around shops to see what the collective opinion is

Cheers

 

Interesting - There is no fluid I am aware of that lasts a " lifetime " which in itself is wrought with ambiguity - The lifetime of the warranty ? Lifetime of the owner ? Keeping the transmission fluid clean is just common sense and if yours is at 91 K miles or even 1/2 that I would do it for my CX5 as well as rear diff fluid- and transfer case ( older CX5s only ) - What concerns me is the " flush " part --- reread the paperwork -- Usually its a drain and fill , in which the pan is removed after draining from the plug -thus showing any accumulation of metallic parts on the magnets inside --also allowing more ATF to drain out as well then the transmission filter can be replaced . Then the pan is resealed with RTV - allowed to dry and then refilled with ATF . Flushing can cause valve body issues and is not recommended particularly on higher mileage vehicles -- So yes to that service - Also on the early CX5s with AWD there is a transfer case which should also be drain and filled ----todays are married into one cavity the automatic transmission -------- Yes to the coolant (FL22 ) which is about keeping the corrosion down and all the seals and hoses in good shape --- So yes to that - it cant hurt ! , Brakes - depends on condition , Oil changes always a good idea when you are starting with a vehicle you have just acquired - Get it done if you arent a DIYer and can afford it - best

 

The transmission service is the most widely misunderstood service. Most often from owners reading that term NO SERVICE LIFETIME Transmission.
FIRST the term lifetime really means until your new warranty has expired. In your case you are not he original owner so even if the transmission failed at this point it would be 50/50 if it would be covered. Likely based on the miles NO! This is not an opinion but based on having so many cases to try to get auto manufacture to cover some items on used vehicle less then 100k miles and something fails.
NOT doing a transmission service may cost you more trouble as you acquire more miles. You may want to contact a Specialty Transmission service shop in your country and city and get a quote about a transmission service?

The rest of the service recommendation are very reasonable, and a good investment based on this is now your Mazda and you need to get a baseline of service now and also all those services will show if there are other concerns. But again, I would suggest finding an independent service shop that employes certified mechanics or better.

Ok so that you can get a better idea why I am stating these...

If you were to come into the shop I manage, I would likely recommend all of the same services but only after we did aa complete vehcle inspection and walk you through everything we recommend and needed service work. Unless you are a frequent DIY then which my guess based on your response perhaps not then you should find a service shop that will treat you in the same way we do to our customers.

There is NO real way that anyone can really advise without physically inspecting your newly purchased Mazda.

 

It is called a full transmission service. The Service slang term is "FLUSHING". I don't use that term unless the customer gets a blank look on their face and then I say "A transmission FLUSHING! And they go ohhhh ya!!

A transmission Professional "FLUSHING" using specific Transmission equipment designed for this service is the BEST way to fully service the transmission fluid in a transmission. Not only will it clean out all the old fluid but when the pan is dropped to change the filter the valve body and oil pan gets cleaned and the pan magnet gets inspected to see what has worn or broken and stuck to the magnet.
If the dealership is using that term, then they, 1) likely know better to service automatic transmissions and 2) they have a Professional Grade transmission service machine to do the service.


A proper professional transmission service WILL NOT CAUSE any problems with the valve body or any other transmission part with the exception if the transmission already had damage or the disc have completely worn all their frictional material off. But if either were the case you would already be experiencing transmission shift and other issues.
Home grown DIY and bad so called mechanics that do not do a proper transmission fluid replacement are the number one cause of the wide spread belifs that changing the complete transmsiion fluid will cause problems.

 

Sounds like I need a drain and fill transmission service then from what I'm reading. Also the vehicle has 91,000kms not miles so it's semi-low mileage. There are a small handful of transmission shops around town, one is fairly reputable so I'll phone him and ask if he's done the CX5's before - I'm assuming you need to use the proper Mazda fluid.

Also I guess the coolant is a good idea since it's nearly 9 years old - I'll have to review all the maintenance records to confirm it hasn't been done yet.

Probably looking at $1k+ , ouch

 

I might just be lucky, but my private mechanic would charge a lot less for all that. He would do the transmission fluid drain + refill for around $180, oil change with inspection for $100 or less, all four pads + rotors along with the brake fluid for $800, and I'd assume the engine coolant would be around $100 or a little more. What exactly is included with the "brake maintenance package" they quoted?