Help Me With My Mazda Demio De3Fs 2007

[fookie]

Well the US version of the Mazda 2 Owners Manual does not specify a transmission oil change interval on the maintenance schedule. Forums indicate that the replacement varies from region to region or done after inspecting the fluid condition when car comes in for regular maintenance to the dealer.

[Kavvz]

I double checked my maintenance schedule just to make sure and for Nissan's it pretty much says 'inspect CVT fluid' all they way till 100k (which is as far as I got).

I did a bit of online googling trying to find a maintenance schedule for your 2007 Demio as well but nothing came up unfortunately. Does Davy have the same car as you? (For his service interval for the transmission oil seems to differ from yours?)

Edited April 24, 2015 by Kavvz

[Kavvz]

Well the US version of the Mazda 2 Owners Manual does not specify a transmission oil change interval on the maintenance schedule. Forums indicate that the replacement varies from region to region or done after inspecting the fluid condition when car comes in for regular maintenance to the dealer.

I don't think its the same version of the Demio / same generation of Demio that you're referring to as the 2007 Demio wasn't sold in the US. The same car may have been sold under the Ford Festiva / Ford C-Max brand though...

Edited April 24, 2015 by Kavvz

[fookie]

I don't think its the same version of the Demio / same generation of Demio that you're referring to as the 2007 Demio wasn't sold in the US. The same car may have been sold under the Ford Festiva / Ford C-Max brand though...

I guess it's the same platform in US it was sold 2010 afterwards , the facelift one. (smiley face)

[Davy]

I double checked my maintenance schedule just to make sure and for Nissan's it pretty much says 'inspect CVT fluid' all they way till 100k (which is as far as I got).

I did a bit of online googling trying to find a maintenance schedule for your 2007 Demio as well but nothing came up unfortunately. Does Davy have the same car as you? (For his service interval for the transmission oil seems to differ from yours?)

My father uses a 2008 Demio with CVT. Identical gearbox to Sameera's.

@Sameera, I think you should call up C0l0nial and get their recommendation about the service interval. Fookie is right, the US owner's manual does not have any information about CVT oil change interval. The interval might be different for SL conditions and C0l0nial might have a good recommendation, despite this being a JDM.

[Kavvz]

My father uses a 2008 Demio with CVT. Identical gearbox to Sameera's.

@Sameera, I think you should call up C0l0nial and get their recommendation about the service interval. Fookie is right, the US owner's manual does not have any information about CVT oil change interval. The interval might be different for SL conditions and C0l0nial might have a good recommendation, despite this being a JDM.

Ah! I see. Yeap should be interesting to say what Colonial has to say. Also would be interesting to ring up one of the independent places and ask what they suggest / what their customer base typically do as well...

Edited April 24, 2015 by Kavvz

[SamG]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the replies. I just called C0l0ni@l Motors and M@zn@ Motors to get their recommendation. Here's what they had to say.

C0l0ni@l Motors: Recommends CVT oil change in every 40,000kms. The oil is "Mazda CVT FZ". Cost is around Rs. 25,000/=.

M@zn@ Motors: Recommends CVT oil change in every 45,000kms (As per them, the original recommended interval is 75,000kms. But they advise us to change it in 45,000km intervals due to SL conditions). The oil is "Mazda CVT" ("Mazda CVT FZ" for SkyActive vehicles as per them). Cost is around Rs. 20,000/=

Edited April 24, 2015 by Sameera Gunasinghe

[Kavvz]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the replies. I just called C0l0ni@l Motors and M@zn@ Motors to get their recommendation. Here's what they had to say.

C0l0ni@l Motors: Recommends CVT oil change in every 40,000kms. The oil is "Mazda CVT FZ". Cost is around Rs. 25,000/=.

M@zn@ Motors: Recommends CVT oil change in every 45,000kms (As per them, the original recommended interval is 75,000kms. But they advise us to change it in 45,000km intervals due to SL conditions). The oil is "Mazda CVT" ("Mazda CVT FZ" for SkyActive vehicles as per them). Cost is around Rs. 20,000/=

Good advise I'm sure, and thanks for posting up the replies for future reference.

I do have a question based on the above though: " What kind of driving conditions in Sri Lanka necessitates changing the CVT oil change so early? (What kind of driving conditions do we have exactly that decrease the projected effective life of transmission oil by roughly 47% in Sri Lanka? ) "

Edited April 24, 2015 by Kavvz

[Davy]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the replies. I just called C0l0ni@l Motors and M@zn@ Motors to get their recommendation. Here's what they had to say.

C0l0ni@l Motors: Recommends CVT oil change in every 40,000kms. The oil is "Mazda CVT FZ". Cost is around Rs. 25,000/=.

M@zn@ Motors: Recommends CVT oil change in every 45,000kms (As per them, the original recommended interval is 75,000kms. But they advise us to change it in 45,000km intervals due to SL conditions). The oil is "Mazda CVT" ("Mazda CVT FZ" for SkyActive vehicles as per them). Cost is around Rs. 20,000/=

Well there you go. Thanks for the info. I guess the CVT oil change on mine was done on the agent's recommendation, because the mileage, oil and the cost matches what they gave you.

Good advise I'm sure, and thanks for posting up the replies for future reference.

I do have a question based on the above though: " What kind of driving conditions in Sri Lanka necessitates changing the CVT oil change so early? (What kind of driving conditions do we have exactly that decrease the projected effective life of transmission oil by roughly 47% in Sri Lanka? ) "

Any kind of oil breaks down faster when used in hot conditions and even in humid conditions. Sri Lanka is both, so oil wears out sooner than it would in a cooler and less humid country. There are many other factors as well (like idling for too long and repeatedly driving very short distances).

[Kavvz]

Well there you go. Thanks for the info. I guess the CVT oil change on mine was done on the agent's recommendation, because the mileage, oil and the cost matches what they gave you. Any kind of oil breaks down faster when used in hot conditions and even in humid conditions. Sri Lanka is both, so oil wears out sooner than it would in a cooler and less humid country. There are many other factors as well (like idling for too long and repeatedly driving very short distances).

Well:

1. Wouldn't it be the same for engine oil as well? How come the engine oil change intervals aren't shortened too then?

2. And what about countries like the States and Australia? The oil change intervals aren't shorter there either, despite parts of those countries being hotter and more humid that it is here. Kinda doesn't make sense to me when I take that into consideration.

3. What's really interesting though is that (IMO) the main threat to a CVT (or any transmission) would be metal on metal contact. In winter when the viscosity of the oil is thicker, there'd be a higher potential for that to occur before the tranny oil warms up and is able to lubricate the metal belts etc. If that's the case the resulting metal debris would then accumulate in the oil, and at some point compromise its lubricating properties. Makes sense so far right? So if that hypothesis is valid, in countries with a cold season the transmission oil change interval should be shorter, not longer than it is here...

Despite 1 through 3 seemingly being sound, they are not in keeping with current practices. So what am I missing here?

Edited April 24, 2015 by Kavvz

[Davy]

Well:

1. Wouldn't it be the same for engine oil as well? How come the engine oil change intervals aren't shortened too then?

2. And what about countries like the States and Australia? The oil change intervals aren't shorter there either, despite parts of those countries being hotter and more humid that it is here. Kinda doesn't make sense to me when I take that into consideration.

3. What's really interesting though is that (IMO) the main threat to a CVT (or any transmission) would be metal on metal contact. In winter when the viscosity of the oil is thicker, there'd be a higher potential for that to occur before the tranny oil warms up and is able to lubricate the metal belts etc. If that's the case the resulting metal debris would then accumulate in the oil, and at some point compromise its lubricating properties. Makes sense so far right? So if that hypothesis is valid, in countries with a cold season the transmission oil change interval should be shorter, not longer than it is here...

Despite 1 through 3 seemingly being sound, they are not in keeping with current practices. So what am I missing here?

1. Yes, the same principle applies to engine oil and change intervals for engine oils are shorter in SL compared to many other countries.

2. In countries like USA and Australia, you will not find people changing engine oils every 5000km or so. The average service interval ranges between 12,000 - 15,000km and this too changes depending on which state you live in. Hotter or colder, dusty or coastal states have an additional service between the service interval. Most parts of the States and Australia are far less hotter (and a lot less humid) than Sri Lanka, therefore the longevity of the oil is shorter in countries like ours.

3. The firs thing to note is that the transmission only takes a few minutes to reach operating temperature, therefore the damage remains insignificant unless the car is pushed too hard. Also, in such countries, people warm up their engines for a few minutes before moving off. The oil circulating through the radiator ensures that the oil is never too cold to a point that the transmission is affected. Your argument is sound (and valid), but my opinion is that the damage remains insignificant, hence the longevity is not affected for an average car.

[Kavvz]

1. Yes, the same principle applies to engine oil and change intervals for engine oils are shorter in SL compared to many other countries.

2. In countries like USA and Australia, you will not find people changing engine oils every 5000km or so. The average service interval ranges between 12,000 - 15,000km and this too changes depending on which state you live in. Hotter or colder, dusty or coastal states have an additional service between the service interval. Most parts of the States and Australia are far less hotter (and a lot less humid) than Sri Lanka, therefore the longevity of the oil is shorter in countries like ours.

3. The firs thing to note is that the transmission only takes a few minutes to reach operating temperature, therefore the damage remains insignificant unless the car is pushed too hard. Also, in such countries, people warm up their engines for a few minutes before moving off. The oil circulating through the radiator ensures that the oil is never too cold to a point that the transmission is affected. Your argument is sound (and valid), but my opinion is that the damage remains insignificant, hence the longevity is not affected for an average car.

I see, fair enough. Thanks for taking the time to make the clarification Davy.

[The Don]

The issue is one of chemical breakdown. A combination of high ambient temperatures, humidity and dust seems to cause lubricating oils to break down faster than manufacturers initially expected. This is the case with all the fluids. In fact even non servicable ZF auto boxes in BMWs need ATF fluid changed in SL (so much for lifetime fluid).

On another point, its now widely accepted that manufacture recommended service intervals are too long for most vehicles to begin with. Brands with patchy reliability like Alfa Romeo etc have had to publicly accept this and revise their service schedules but some like BMW have not.

The reason for these long service intervals are fleet sales, and to impress and keep fleet managers happy. Its supposed to portray the vehicle's total costs of ownership as lower due to longer service intervals, but as the vehicles age the effects are clear to see. So a lot of owners particularly of BMWs do an oil service in between the official service intervals