simple auto transmission oil change

[gramps]

Hello,
I am coming up on my 4 year next month, and I understand it is time for a transmission fluid change.

I have an 06 hatch auto, I drive like an average commuter, mostly on city streets. (no racing) with 50 000kms on the car

I have read in the forums here that a flush is better than a drain.
I care about the longevity of the car. what I want to know is,

Because I am low in kms, am I still due, or wait until I have more kms on the car before doing the flush??

Do the mazda dealerships supply synthetic oil as an alternative? And if so, is it good enough for an average commuter's needs????

Is the markup on the oil sold at a dealership very high? (meaning, should I get some somewhere else)? and how much should I expect to pay for oil and oil + service at a dealership

And finally, what synthetic brands are sufficient for regular driving? Is there an overkill factor?. I like to use the example of Hawk HPS brake pads, that are spectacular in everyday driving (IMO), but Hawk HP+ is overkill for my needs.

input is appreciated.
thanks
-gramps

[Fuman]

Synthetic transmission oil is a bit overkill.
If you are out of warranty, just take it to Jimmy for a flush and buy the oil from MoT

[TheMAN]

synthetic can help make the tranny run cooler... heat is the #1 killer for trannys
there is no point putting in synthetic if you aren't going to flush the old stuff out and replace it with all synthetic... this is why it costs a LOT of money but its worth it if you plan on put a lot of miles on the car

otherwise, drain and fill is perfectly fine

[Flagrum_3]

Synthetic transmission oil is a bit overkill.
If you are out of warranty, just take it to Jimmy for a flush and buy the oil from MoT

I don't think it's ever 'overkill' to use synthetic, especially if your coming to the end of your warranty! Isn't that when you think you'd need the best protection? It's maybe $100 verse thousand$$ possibly for a new tranny down the road!...It's a no brainer imho.

As theMan says synthetic will help the tranny run cooler and it will cut down on gear-shearing amongst other things....

Gramps, if your going to keep the vehicle long term buy some synthetic off one of our sponsors, enough for a complete flush and get Jimmy to do the flush...just my 2c.



_3

[Fuman]

I don't think it's ever 'overkill' to use synthetic, especially if your coming to the end of your warranty! Isn't that when you think you'd need the best protection? It's maybe $100 verse thousand$$ possibly for a new tranny down the road!...It's a no brainer imho.

As theMan says synthetic will help the tranny run cooler and it will cut down on gear-shearing amongst other things....

Gramps, if your going to keep the vehicle long term buy some synthetic off one of our sponsors, enough for a complete flush and get Jimmy to do the flush...just my 2c.



_3
true, but I can't find a synthetic ATF that meets all the Mazda requirements.
If you can find one let me know. I would love to go synthetic.

Never knew about synthetic running cooler. Can you briefly explain, for my curiosity?

[gramps]

true, but I can't find a synthetic ATF that meets all the Mazda requirements.
If you can find one let me know. I would love to go synthetic.

Never knew about synthetic running cooler. Can you briefly explain, for my curiosity?

yes please, and why is it hard to find a synthetic that meets all of mazda's requirements? What is falling short on most brands?

[Fuman]

yes please, and why is it hard to find a synthetic that meets all of mazda's requirements? What is falling short on most brands?
I got to look this up for you, my Mazda ATF bottles are at home. I'll add it to the tread tonight.

[Flagrum_3]

true, but I can't find a synthetic ATF that meets all the Mazda requirements.
If you can find one let me know. I would love to go synthetic.

Never knew about synthetic running cooler. Can you briefly explain, for my curiosity?

There's a thread here somewhere that discusses ATF synthetic pretty indepth and has a couple of choices mentioned.It does take some time to find the right stuff!!...Actually we use it (Synthetic ATF) in bulk at the TTC, as the Buses must use synthetic ATF fluid...I believe the same would work in the 3s as it meets all the standards.Studies have been done by the manufacturers and show transmission temps lowered by using such...and it has to do was friction or 'the lack' of friction as to why it runs cooler.


_3

[TheMAN]

Type M-V (not to be confused with Mercon V) is what the tranny needs
Amsoil makes a compatible one and so does Red Line
I'm running Red Line D4 (flushed completely) myself and it shifts buttery smooth

if you don't want to go through the expense/trouble, then get the Mazda fluid or another quality fluid like Valvoline Max-Life and a bottle of Lubegard (it sounds like snake oil but isn't... the stuff works and has gotten good reviews on BITOG) and just drain/fill it

[Fuman]

Type M-V (not to be confused with Mercon V) is what the tranny needs
Amsoil makes a compatible one and so does Red Line
I'm running Red Line D4 (flushed completely) myself and it shifts buttery smooth

if you don't want to go through the expense/trouble, then get the Mazda fluid or another quality fluid like Valvoline Max-Life and a bottle of Lubegard (it sounds like snake oil but isn't... the stuff works and has gotten good reviews on BITOG) and just drain/fill it

On the bottle it says
M5, M-V (depending on packaging), it also says ATF-5.
I still haven't found a synthetic that has ATF-5.
There's also Mercon V on the old package, but not new. I'm lost...

[TheMAN]

like I said... Red Line or Amsoil makes compatible fluid
with Red Line, they haven't updated their bottle labels yet, but on their website, it says the D4 is suitable for M-V requirements

[gramps]

if you don't want to go through the expense/trouble, then get the Mazda fluid or another quality fluid like Valvoline Max-Life and a bottle of Lubegard (it sounds like snake oil but isn't... the stuff works and has gotten good reviews on BITOG) and just drain/fill it

What is the approximate price difference between a flush/synthetic job and a drain method?

If i don't go synthetic, is mazda's brand (whomever they use) of reasonable quality?

-gramps

[Flagrum_3]

What is the approximate price difference between a flush/synthetic job and a drain method?

If i don't go synthetic, is mazda's brand (whomever they use) of reasonable quality?

-gramps

Couldn't quote you on the prices, just call one of our Affiliate dealers for the price differences or just call Jimmy.

I've heard the Mazda brand MV is pretty good, if you decide not to go the synthetic route....Point is to get the complete flush with nice fresh fluid in there, only doing a drain will not do the trick. :)

A complete flush is good preventative medicine, especially with the Mazda3s auto tranny from what I hear.


_3

[TheMAN]

drain and fill will be ok if you're not switching to synthetic.... there's hardly any cars that does it and it runs fine for the next 50k!

but how is the mazda stuff good when the original turned pretty nasty after 50k?

a flush is only truely necessary if you're switching to synthetic... don't even consider any sort of flushing if you've driven the car way past the drain interval as all the crap that's in the bad fluid is acting as friction material that is helping keep the transmission from slipping... I've seen plenty of high mileage cars that never had the fluid changed and after a flush, the transmission burned up within a week!

[gramps]

I've heard the Mazda brand MV is pretty good, if you decide not to go the synthetic route....Point is to get the complete flush with nice fresh fluid in there, only doing a drain will not do the trick. :)

_3

If that is the case, that the mazda brand fluid is good, is it really necessary to switch to synthetic?

I mean, its not like the oem rear brakes, where we know they are of poor quality and call for an aftermarket alternative.

I think i may go with the Mazda mv brand, if there is anyone here who believes, or has bad experience with the mazda mv?

thanks
-gramps

[Flagrum_3]

If that is the case, that the mazda brand fluid is good, is it really necessary to switch to synthetic?

I mean, its not like the oem rear brakes, where we know they are of poor quality and call for an aftermarket alternative.

I think i may go with the Mazda mv brand, if there is anyone here who believes, or has bad experience with the mazda mv?

thanks
-gramps

The Mazda brand is good as conventional fluid goes, and is exactly specified for your tranny.It will not protect or work as well as a synthetic though!....I was getting the impression you don't seem to want to spend the extra to do the switch over.

A full flush is necessary as you'd want to get all contaminants out!!...Just draining will do nothing!.The original fluid from the factory takes the brunt of the work when the tranny is breaking in, accumulating any metal particles from the initial gear/syncro wearing...At your mileage which is still quite low (50k) it would have no detrimental effects...I wouldn't worry about slippage occurring afterward due to the change, whatsoever.

Spend the money now for the full flush and feel assured your tranny should give you trouble free motoring for many years.:.02


_3

[Harbour Rat]

Personally, I'd get a flush and fill with a new filter. And especially if you don't go with synthetic fluid you should have a transmission cooler installed. But even with synthetic fluid I'd still install a cooler.

[TheMAN]

The Mazda brand is good as conventional fluid goes, and is exactly specified for your tranny.It will not protect or work as well as a synthetic though!....I was getting the impression you don't seem to want to spend the extra to do the switch over.

A full flush is necessary as you'd want to get all contaminants out!!...Just draining will do nothing!.The original fluid from the factory takes the brunt of the work when the tranny is breaking in, accumulating any metal particles from the initial gear/syncro wearing...At your mileage which is still quite low (50k) it would have no detrimental effects...I wouldn't worry about slippage occurring afterward due to the change, whatsoever.

Spend the money now for the full flush and feel assured your tranny should give you trouble free motoring for many years.:.02


_3
there are no syncros in automatics ;)

like I said... it's not necessary to do a flush if you keep to the drain intervals... this is hardly done at dealers and nobody ever have issues with half the old fluid still in there... but I do agree that flushing it will get rid of all the other old fluid and residual contaminants... but again, not really that necessary if you didn't ignore the service intervals as the fluid hasn't deteriorated to a point where it no longer protected from any wear

[TheMAN]

Personally, I'd get a flush and fill with a new filter. And especially if you don't go with synthetic fluid you should have a transmission cooler installed. But even with synthetic fluid I'd still install a cooler.
yeah... that is an alternative and is the tried and true way of extending transmission life

[Flagrum_3]

there are no syncros in automatics ;)

like I said... it's not necessary to do a flush if you keep to the drain intervals... this is hardly done at dealers and nobody ever have issues with half the old fluid still in there... but I do agree that flushing it will get rid of all the other old fluid and residual contaminants... but again, not really that necessary if you didn't ignore the service intervals as the fluid hasn't deteriorated to a point where it no longer protected from any wear

I knew that!! ...Can't explain why I typed it though...tough day :) Anyways...

I believe although not necessary to do, a compete flush is a smart thing to do! Here's my reasoning, he has 50k on his tranny, probably never been serviced, yet low enough in mileage not to worry about slippage. So....best method is to spend the extra cash have the tranny completely flushed, and refilled with fresh fluid (preferably synthetic)...Basically starting from a fresh slate, then 50k servicing (which I believe is excessive anyways) would be unnessary as the new fluid cannot get contaminated to the same extent as the original nor should it break down for a very long time.

I've had several auto trans vehicles and always practiced this method and not one ever gave me any problems....as an example.

I also believe most dealers do not do Complete flushes as they can be quite tricky and time consuming, if procedure is followed correctly to Mazda's standards according to the shop manual.


_3

[TheMAN]

I only believe 50k services to be excessive if you're running synthetic... otherwise I'd always do 50k drain and fills since it's "cheap" and definitely cheap insurance

[gramps]

If it is so difficult to find some of these fluids, I am curious, if it is okay to mix different brands in the future.

For example, say I get a flush and put in new amsoil. Three years from now, I may have a more difficult time finding this brand, so I decide to switch, say to Redline. When switching, must I do a flush? or can I do a drain and fill? (which two different brands mix, may be a bad thing)?

It may be prudent to make a decision on which ATF to buy based on availability. Is it easy to find redline, amsoil, or motul? On a semi regular basis?

-g

[TheMAN]

it is ok to mix brands as long as the fluid is the same type

[cntrl]

not sure if this is the right thread, but who does a tranny oil change (for my wife's 5 spd 06 gt) over $165!!!

my honda tranny oil change is only $70 @ a honda dealership!

am I missing something?

[Flagrum_3]

not sure if this is the right thread, but who does a tranny oil change (for my wife's 5 spd 06 gt) over $165!!!

my honda tranny oil change is only $70 @ a honda dealership!

am I missing something?

What you missed is that we're talking about "automatic transmissions" and a "full flush" which would cost approx $160 or less.With a standard transmission as your wife's car, it's just drain and fill, hense the much lower cost....no more then $60-$70, if that.


_3

[cntrl]

gotcha, thanks.

[gtloaded]

Do you guys think a tranny flush at jiffy lube or mr lube is good enough,i just checkedmy tranny oil and its brown

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Do you guys think a tranny flush at jiffy lube or mr lube is good enough,i just checkedmy tranny oil and its brown

No. Unless you hate your car...

Take it to a proper mechanic. See link for details and it will still probably be cheaper than either of those 'hack' places you mentioned. At least you will have someone who knows what they are doing...

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=513382#post513382