I’m new to Mazdas but my dealer Service Dept just told me the transmission is sealed and the fluid doesn’t get changed. I’ve never heard of that and it can’t be good.
Any opinions?

 

Check youtube. IIRC there was one about exactly that subject.
Mazda changed transmissions a few years ago. Older outsources ones
were a problem warrantee wise. Newer units are inhouse transmissions.
Better but may be sealed. I doubt it though.
Check under the car. If you find a drain plug, there's your answer.
Make sure you use synthetic fluid if not the factory stuff.

My 2¢

 

Not all transmission come with a drain plug. Many of the lifetime transmission simply have a sticker indicating no service required on the pan itself. Yet those same transmissions most all you can get pan gaskets and filtered to do a service on.

This topic of should you or should you not service a lifetime transmission gets hashed out on virtually every vehicle related forum. Bottom line if you want to know what going on in your transmission get a small sample annualized.

Read:

https://www.blackstone-labs.com/engi...5yrmmdjun))%2f

 

I know about the debate regarding lifetime fluids in the PTO’s on some cars and in transmissions. I want to change the fluid to be safe every 60,000 miles or so.
Trans shop near me said they can’t change it. Another (large national chain) said they could but don’t do them often enough to even keep fluid for it on hand.

 

Find another shop. Any shop that does Transmission service work on automatic transmissions will have a Professional Transmission Service Machine. Most all these machine in the last 15 years have adapter to perform a service on LIFETIME NO SERVICE REQUIRED TRANSMISSION.
I have done several service to those for customers and IMHO was a good fricken thing I did! It may have saved and did prolong the life of the transmission and its performance.
I have a 2018 Mazda # almost close to the 25k miles and I will be doing a complete fluid replacement and filter service! I will be documenting everything and although I am confident I will have no problems I will have my **** covered should a problem arise with my transmission!
BTW I had my Transmission analysed just recently and although they did not find anything wrong.
Post #98
https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/maz...-44018/page10/

 

What is ATK?

 

sorry ATX, type-o. Thanks, I edited and corrected for better reading in the last response.
And ATX is a short term for automatic transmission(ford) a term some of us Gear-heads use as a general identification grouping all automatic together(not technically correct) . In reality it was more for older automatic transmissions and not the newer 4,5,6 speed automatics.
Soo I suppose my bad. I forget at times which forums I am posting on. LOL

 

VW transmission fluid was lifetime as well, but they recently changed back to every 80K miles. My VW is currently at 56K so I still have time. Our CX-5 is roughly around 20K, I will decide what to do once we are at 60K and the powertrain warranty expires.

If Mazda says lifetime and you still decide to change, make sure that the fluid you are changing with meets Mazda's specifications.

 

The big question is, " What is the definition of Lifetime"?

If it equates to 100,000 miles, then if it dies after 100,000 miles, its had its intended life by the manufacture, and you throw the vehicle away & buy a new one. They don't design them to last forever.

 

All CX-5 transmissions can be drained & refilled. They do in fact have a short/stumpy dipstick, low on the front of the transmission, hidden below the cold air intake.