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The Mazda 3 maintenance schedule does not state the Auto Transmission Fluid Change interval. So, is it determined by inspecting the oil and see whether it needs replacing? The dealer recommends changing at 48k . I know that lot of people recommend changing at 48k. I wonder how they got this number. 48K seems to be a very low mileage to change trans oil. In other cars, I changed at 100k but again they are from different manufacturers.
48k is NOT low.... that's industry standard.... all conventional fluids go bad by 50k... anyone recommending 100k is either lying (trying to sell that "low maintenance" scam), or they're using synthetic fluid
mazdas, like many other cars, do not use synthetic fluids... if you choose to drain and fill any fluid, it till be a 50k interval.... you can try to push 120k intervals afterwards if you flushed out your original fluid with synthetic
50k is about right, especially when only a drain and fill is performed. It also depends on the driving style. In the end, though, automatic transmissions do last much, much longer with regular ATF changes, so doing it more often will not hurt a thing and will not cost that much more when DIY-ed.
I flushed the ATF at about 20k with regular Castrol Asian multivehicle ATF. I think I did two drain and refills after that, but it wasn't until 100k that I did another full flush, this time with Petro Canada synthetic MV ATF. I currently have almost 60k on the fluid and it looks and smells like new on the dipstick. The transmission shifts normal, even on the coldest winter days I have no shift shock, so I'm planning to leave this ATF until 200k, at which point I will do another flush with Petro Canada stuff.
i first did a drain and fill at 85,000km I wish it did it sooner as the fluid was very dark.
since the fluid is pretty cheap, i plan of doing it now every 18 months or so - probably a bit overkill but hopefully some cheap insurance to keep the tranny going
Around 48,000km is the norm for the Mazda 3. You can pull out the dipstick and check the colour yourself. They turn brown at around that mileage. I've seen some turn brown even earlier, depending on how the owner drives their car.Quote:
Originally Posted by sip
Yup, on my 05 Auto hatch mine was brown at around 48,000km. Used manual mode 90% of the time.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by highlineMotors
Also, if you're interested in getting your Automatic Transmission Fluid flushed, I do the service here at my shop for $160 using 9 litres of full synthetic ATF. Message for me details if you have any further inquiries.Quote:
Originally Posted by sip
My Dodge Caravan owner'smanual states to change at 77k with adverse driving condition. With Caravan's service, filter gets changed too but Mazda dealer said filter would not be replaced, as it is a sealed unit. Does Mazda 3 have a filter? If it has a filter, is it acceptable not to change the filter in a drain and fill? BTW, my trans. oil is still pink in colour at 52K.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMAN
it has just a steel mesh filter... dropping the pan is a waste of time, not necessary, and not recommended as the factory used special ford sealant for the pan (which is expensive)
so your caravan recommends 77k eh? how come so many chryslers have transmission problems? :rolleyes
Earlier model Chrysler's were notorious for transmission issues. I think they had that issue fixed though. And now I hear that Honda is having a lot of issues with their transmissions.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMAN
Sem did my transmission flush & fill for me. I was very happy with his service.Quote:
Originally Posted by highlineMotors
My previous car, a 2006 Cobalt, never had a Transmission fluid change, up to around 190K when it was totalled by a Camry. Never needed one, no weird transmission squeaks nothing.
But maybe I'm just lucky.