100,000 km service questions

[TheAnswer_03]

The '07 Mazda 3 GT sedan (2.3L) 5-speed Auto I purchased recently had 99,000km and the only service records appears to be a regular oil changes its first 2 years and no records after so I doubt anything else was changed.

Servicing I'd like to get done:

- New spark plugs (4 x NGK (3811) ILTR5A-13G Laser Iridium)
- Transmission flush (Mobil 1 ATF synthetic)
- Coolant flush
- Air Filter (K&N)
- Oil change (synthetic oil + K&N oil filter)
- Cabin Air Filter

Questions..

1. Should I go to a Mazda dealership or my local shop even though I bought the car used from a non-Mazda dealer? From my research, the cabin air filter is a nightmare and I'm not sure if a local shop would know how to do it properly.

2. Should I notice a major improvement in ride quality and gas mileage after the servicing? The car drives decent, not great, and the shifting is poor: Rough 1st to 2nd shift when cold and I can feel the car downshift from 5th to 4th. Is this a sign of transmission failure? I heard the ECU reflash was for older Mazda 3's prior to 2007 model year.

Last thing is when I hit the Gas pedal from a stop, if I apply a bit too much gas, the car has this abrupt acceleration and this has not happened to other cars I've driven before.

[Harbour Rat]

All the things on your list are appropriate maintenance items at 100,000 km. I would certainly do all of them and consider it a good investment.

I'm not sure I'd bother with a K&N filter on an otherwise stock vehicle though. You are not going to gain any performance, not even the minor gains you get from a CAI, the kind of "dyno proven" power boost that is less than the margin of error on most dynos. Just stick with an OEM filter or a good OEM style filter, like a Fram, Purolator, WIX etc.

Of the items you list, the only things likely to affect driveability are the plugs and transmission flush. Especially if the transmission fluid has never been changed/flushed I would expect some change in transmission behaviour; I don't know if it will remedy the issues you describe but you should notice some change.



**NB** Another almost universally overlooked maintenance item which is very critical on these new-fangled computer cars, one which will definitely affect things like throttle response and transmission behaviour, something I natter on about incessantly:

Clean electrical grounds.

You don't have to add extra ground wires, like to the throttle body or fuel rail as many of us do. No, I mean just remove the negative cable from the battery, clean the post and terminal with a wire brush or sand paper and put it back together with a bit of silicone grease to keep future corrosion at bay. Also, do the same thing at any chassis and/or engine/transmission ground points you can access - there are several very easily accessible under the hood if you look for them. I go so far as to use a tap or die to clean the paint from threads on chassis ground points.

Seriously, electricity is not just power any more, it is data. Poor quality grounds affect voltage readings and voltage on various wires is all the computer measures to decide when and how much to open the throttle, how much fuel to inject, what ignition advance to set, when to shift gears, etc. Even when my Mother was programming computers, back when the company she worked for was looking at the then about to be released IBM 360, the rule was GIGO - Garbage In, Garbage Out. Nothing has changed - if the ECU and/or transmission computers get incorrect voltage readings due to increased resistance across a corroded ground nothing will work the way it is supposed to.

[aris]

1.Spark plugs don't need to be changed till 120,000km so no need to change them now.

2.Manual says coolant to be changed at 192,000km or 10 years .. So changing it now is a waste of money.

3.K&N air filter is a good idea. You will not notice any performance difference but this filter is for life... You never replace it just clean it. It will save you money in long run... I always put one in in anything I own.

4.Transmission flush is a good idea... If its dark it's do.

5.K&N oil filter is good but so is the oem oil filter.

6.Cabin filter is a good idea I just changed mine and was black as hell


A good cabin air filter is this one I bought.. $25+ tax at candian tire compared to 39+tax at dealer

[Hoodzy]

Coolant flush is at 96k UNLESS it says Fl22 on the rad cap.. which it most likely doesn't as my 08 GT doesn't use the long life coolant.

[cwp_sedan]

Coolant flush is at 96k UNLESS it says Fl22 on the rad cap.. which it most likely doesn't as my 08 GT doesn't use the long life coolant.

+1.

[aris]

Coolant flush is at 96k UNLESS it says Fl22 on the rad cap.. which it most likely doesn't as my 08 GT doesn't use the long life coolant.

I was going buy my car and my sister in laws..both are 08's and ours says 192,000km or 10 years

[stock3]

Your maintenance list is very good, the only thing I would not use is the K&N air filter. Get Mazda air filter and change it every 2-3 years, it's a very good quality air filter.

[cwp_sedan]

I was going buy my car and my sister in laws..both are 08's and ours says 192,000km or 10 years

I think you are a little confused on this one bud. Like mentioned above unless you have the FL22 coolant, which you probably don't, your manual says 96k/48mths

This is from the 08/08.5 manual


*1 Use FL22 type coolant in vehicles with the inscription “FL22” on the radiator cap itself or the surrounding area. Use FL22 when replacing the coolant.

[Harbour Rat]

I don't care what Mazda says, no way in hell I'd leave a set of plugs in for 120,000 km. Three, maybe four years at most, regardless of mileage.

Ditto for 10 years on the coolant. That is just nuts, I don't care what sort of super long-life life pixie juice they put in at the factory.

The car is 5 years old now, both are due to be changed. Mazda is wrong, simple as that.

To me maintenance means replacing stuff like plugs, fluids etc while they are still have some life left and are performing well, not waiting until they are worn out and start to impact vehicle performance and/or lead to un-necessary wear and tear on expensive stuff like aluminum radiators, which dissolve quicker than a dog can lick itself when the anti-corrosion package in your coolant is used up.

[aris]

Ryan you and hoodzy right about the coolant ...I do apologize ...

@harbour rat what's the problem with changing your spark plugs at 120,000km? I did on mine and try we're fine

[TheAnswer_03]

My 3 did not come with FL22 which is why I listed the coolant flush, also I make a lot of short distance driving from place to place, so the spark plugs should be switched soon anyways.

aris, do you have to buy 2 boxes of the cabin air filter as the box says 1 piece? $25.00 for a pair or just one?

Thanks for everyone's suggestions btw.

[Hoodzy]

My 3 did not come with FL22 which is why I listed the coolant flush, also I make a lot of short distance driving from place to place, so the spark plugs should be switched soon anyways.

aris, do you have to buy 2 boxes of the cabin air filter as the box says 1 piece? $25.00 for a pair or just one?

Thanks for everyone's suggestions btw.

Yah that box is actually 2 physical pieces which makes up the 'one' cabin air filter unit. They just stack on top of each other. So just have to purchase one box.

[aris]

My 3 did not come with FL22 which is why I listed the coolant flush, also I make a lot of short distance driving from place to place, so the spark plugs should be switched soon anyways.

aris, do you have to buy 2 boxes of the cabin air filter as the box says 1 piece? $25.00 for a pair or just one?

Thanks for everyone's suggestions btw.

Both filters come In the box

[stock3]

My 3 did not come with FL22 which is why I listed the coolant flush, also I make a lot of short distance driving from place to place, so the spark plugs should be switched soon anyways.

There is no basis for that whatsoever. Spark plugs are not affected by short trip, motor oil is. If you have some other engine related problems, like running rich, pinging or one of the coils fails, then yes, these things can affect the spark plugs and they should be looked at, but otherwise mileage is the only factor that should be followed.

I pulled my spark plugs at around 80k, just to put some antiseize on them and they looked very good, when I changed them at recommended 120k, they looked almost the same, except the gap got bigger. If I corrected the gap, they could've easily gone to 200k, but since I bough new plugs, I just changed them.

I agree that some manufacturer recommendations should be taken with caution, like lifetime ATF or no mention of brake fluid changes, but in general they are spot on. Of course, changing maintenance items earlier never hurts, but if there is no logical basis to do so, why waste money?

[TheAnswer_03]

Alright, just a last question regarding the Cabin air filter: Is there a specific model type on the box or they're all the same? I don't have the ability to switch this out myself, so would a local mechanic do it or I have to go to Mazda? I can change out the air filter but that's about it

[aris]

Alright, just a last question regarding the Cabin air filter: Is there a specific model type on the box or they're all the same? I don't have the ability to switch this out myself, so would a local mechanic do it or I have to go to Mazda? I can change out the air filter but that's about it

I think their all the same 04-09

A for dealer I think they charger over $100 to replace the filter...But it is a lot of work and Probally the dealer would be your best option for this if you can't do it your self. At Least the dealer done so many so they would know exactly how to change it without breaking anything

[TheMAN]

I was going buy my car and my sister in laws..both are 08's and ours says 192,000km or 10 years

the reason why some 08s have FL22 and some don't was because of mid cycle production changes... I could go through the trouble of figuring out which production dates/VINs, but that's a waste of time... no point anyway when you should check if you have FL22 or not first!

I don't care what Mazda says, no way in hell I'd leave a set of plugs in for 120,000 km. Three, maybe four years at most, regardless of mileage.

Ditto for 10 years on the coolant. That is just nuts, I don't care what sort of super long-life life pixie juice they put in at the factory.

The car is 5 years old now, both are due to be changed. Mazda is wrong, simple as that.

To me maintenance means replacing stuff like plugs, fluids etc while they are still have some life left and are performing well, not waiting until they are worn out and start to impact vehicle performance and/or lead to un-necessary wear and tear on expensive stuff like aluminum radiators, which dissolve quicker than a dog can lick itself when the anti-corrosion package in your coolant is used up.

the reason why the stock plugs can easily last 120k is because they're iridium
the coolant formula has also changed... they now use hybrid organic chemicals as corrosion inhibitors instead of phosphate like the older mazda coolants... I assure you they work fine and it's not like the infamous dexcool
your entire cooling system is also aluminum... engine is fully aluminum, your heat exchangers aluminum... aluminum is friendlier to the cooling system than an iron block engine is and won't leach sand into it like an iron block does

you need to stop thinking the old ways because technology has advanced a lot in the past 10 years... no longer do we really need to keep to old 5000km oil changes, etc
you'll only not save money but also time by accepting the way things are now... manufacturers don't always make up numbers for no reason... there is a scientific basis behind it and there's a lot of "home chemists" who had sent samples of their car's fluids to testing labs and confirmed the basis for these recommendations.... a lot of people now run 16k synthetic oil change intervals without problems... believe it!

There is no basis for that whatsoever. Spark plugs are not affected by short trip, motor oil is. If you have some other engine related problems, like running rich, pinging or one of the coils fails, then yes, these things can affect the spark plugs and they should be looked at, but otherwise mileage is the only factor that should be followed.

I pulled my spark plugs at around 80k, just to put some antiseize on them and they looked very good, when I changed them at recommended 120k, they looked almost the same, except the gap got bigger. If I corrected the gap, they could've easily gone to 200k, but since I bough new plugs, I just changed them.

I agree that some manufacturer recommendations should be taken with caution, like lifetime ATF or no mention of brake fluid changes, but in general they are spot on. Of course, changing maintenance items earlier never hurts, but if there is no logical basis to do so, why waste money?

do NOT put antiseize on these spark plugs, it will cause overtorquing and also the dried up antiseize will in effect seize up the plugs instead!
the spark plugs have already been treated with an antiseize metal plating that prevents it from seizing in the aluminum heads... don't believe me? ask NGK... they have a bulletin published specifically stating it's a big NO to do this
the only time you should use anti seize is on those old domestic engines where the metal on the plugs is still black instead of shiny silver

[Harbour Rat]

Ryan you and hoodzy right about the coolant ...I do apologize ...

@harbour rat what's the problem with changing your spark plugs at 120,000km? I did on mine and try we're fine

The time factor is actually more important to me than the mileage. Iridium plugs probably will last 120,000 km. But OP's plugs have been in service for 5 years. After that much time there is a real risk of plugs seizing in the head. If one breaks off or you damage the threads in the head it can be pretty expensive to fix the problem. I used to see 1 or 2 of these cases per month when I worked in the shop. I'd rather put in a new set of plugs every 3-4 years than wait 6-7 years just to run them to the rated 120,000 km then have to pay to have a have a helicoil installed to salvage the cylinder head.

[aris]

^^ fair enough

[stock3]

do NOT put antiseize on these spark plugs, it will cause overtorquing and also the dried up antiseize will in effect seize up the plugs instead!
the spark plugs have already been treated with an antiseize metal plating that prevents it from seizing in the aluminum heads... don't believe me? ask NGK... they have a bulletin published specifically stating it's a big NO to do this
the only time you should use anti seize is on those old domestic engines where the metal on the plugs is still black instead of shiny silver

You got it backwards, the old iron heads did not have any problems with spark plugs getting stuck and damaging threads because iron is hard and not brittle like aluminum. While I understand that NGK and other spark plug manufacturers do not recommend using antisieze because the application process and torquing cannot be controlled by them, but damaging aluminum heads is a very real problem and it is very easy to strip the threads. To overcome this issue you can change plugs often, like someone mentioned already, or use antisieze.

I put a very thin layer of antisieze covering maybe 5-6 threads in the middle and I never use torque wrench on spark plugs. I just thread them by hand and then give 1/8 of a turn with the wrench for tapered plugs and 1/4 turn for plugs with crush washer. I never had a problem and plugs always come out with no drama.

[TheMAN]

backwards? the early aluminum heads had problems with spark plugs because those plugs did not have any plating... the new spark plugs don't do this anymore because they are plated... I NEVER had problems taking out spark plugs after many miles without antiseize... in fact, I had problems taking out spark plugs that used antiseized instead! not only were the too tight, but after breaking them loose, the antiseize prevented smooth movement in the threads which can easily cause the threads to be stripped out! using antiseize unnecessarily causes the very problems you are trying to prevent! you use antiseize on unplated plugs only, which is still used on many domestics, such as pushrod ford engines

you're simply wrong and still using old information that doesn't apply anymore

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/TB-...1antisieze.pdf

[aris]

Ryan I don't think I'm confused... This is out of my manual

[TheMAN]

see the row below that says "others"?
you're confused, simple as that

[aris]

see the row below that says "others"?
you're confused, simple as that

Ya I do see the row "others" all it says is others nothing else... The picture of the manual Ryan posted is different then mine.

No need to be an ******* about it

[TheMAN]

you see that "R" there on the 40k km column? it does say something!