5th Apr 2011, 10:53

This is the original poster again.

I took the car again for its scheduled service. Now closing in on 33k miles. The only thing they noted was that the tranny fluid is starting to get dark in color. I will be taking it in for a complete trans fluid replacement (flush). That will be around 200 bucks.

Everything else is still good with the car. My next service will be in June of this year. It will be four years and no brake work yet. This is the first vehicle I have had that I haven't done brake work after a year. I know that it will be coming soon though.

I will be posting updates as mileage and time pass.

16th May 2011, 16:22

The original poster here again. I had the tranny flushed and full fluid exchange. The car shifts beautifully now.

My next service will be in June. Hopefully I won't need anything else done. I cannot complain. The maintenance per year has been around 100 dollars with the exception of the tranny flush.

I will keep updating as the mileage and time accumulate.

1st Jul 2011, 09:16

This is the original poster again updating on the car. The CX-9 has 34954 miles, and I had to take it in for a regular service as well as a flashing check engine light. It was a misfire of cylinder 6. They replaced the coil and plug and billed the warranty company. I paid 100 for the deductible, plus the 6 dollars for the spark plug that they didn't cover. The company paid the other 250. The only thing I am not happy with is that it happened so soon. I would expect something like this at around 100k miles. Hopefully nothing else happens to this car.

20th Sep 2011, 15:32

This is the original poster again. I went in to the dealer in September to have the brake pads replaced. The service adviser wanted me to have the rotors resurfaced and charge me 110 dollars. I told him no; he said if I had any vibration or squeal from the pads, that they would not be warranted. I told him straight out that I can have the rotors resurfaced for 20 bucks. The only reason I brought the car in was because I was feeling lazy. That was the end of that conversation. You have to speak up when they try to sell you something that either you don't need, or is way too expensive. I cannot believe that this dealer would try to charge that price.

18th Jun 2012, 11:16

I am here with an update. The car now has about 47k miles and 5 years. No major problems except for a bad coil, which was replaced. Hopefully it will last as long as my Windstar, which I had for 16 years. I hear that now all makes of cars have problems, regardless of it being import or domestic.

12th Sep 2012, 15:07

This is the original poster again. I am at a little over 50k miles. The car has been good so far.

I just replaced the OE tires with a set of Yokohama Parada Spec-X, which the members of the Mazda CX-9 forum recommended. Hopefully these tires will be as good as the original ones in the snow.

I will be taking it in for its scheduled service in October. I will then see what happens. Hopefully nothing.

The battery is also over 5 years old, so I am planning for that in the near future. Hopefully this will be as good as my Ford Windstar was.

If anyone else owns a CX-9, please feel free to share your thoughts on your ownership experience.

12th Oct 2012, 16:12

The original poster again. I took the car in for service, and was told it needed a new battery and oil drain plug. No surprise as far as the battery, but the drain plug kind of surprised me. It only cost 5 dollars and they showed me the old one. The threads were kind of stretched I guess from over tightening. Also had coolant service done. Total came out to 280 dollars. The battery was the big ticket item at 150 dollars. Hopefully nothing major goes wrong. I really can't complain as I haven't really spent much on this vehicle. I guess time and mileage will tell. Right now I am at 52k miles. Will continue to update as time and mileage accumulate.

13th Oct 2012, 16:48

To the reviewer, thanks for being so up to date on keeping everyone informed on the CX9 repairs. I'm looking for another vehicle, and am stuck between a CX9 and a Toyota Venza.

BTW, the mechanic who stripped your oil drain plug used an air gun to tighten the plug. Shame on dealers for cutting corners.

18th Oct 2012, 11:34

Once I am out of the extended warranty, the dealer will only see me periodically. That will only happen for the things I cannot do that require a lift. Otherwise I will be doing the maintenance myself. The tech at this dealer didn't use any air ratchets, as I was there watching him do the service.

20th Mar 2013, 12:29

I am the original poster updating once again. Took it in for service on Feb 16, 2013. This visit was for the spring service special and trans flush. The car now has a little over 57k miles. The only thing that I will have to do in the near future is the brakes all around. The service was 39.99 for the oil change, tire rotation and lube, and 150.00 for the trans flush. Hopefully the maintenance costs remain the same for many years to come. Will keep updating as time and mileage accumulate.

21st Oct 2013, 16:16

This is the original poster here again. I see that I forgot to update in June of this year. I had that service done with no problems to speak of.

In August of this year I took a trip to Florida from NYC. I had to make an unscheduled stop in South Carolina at a Mazda dealer for repair of the gas tank heat shield. This cost me 110 dollars, which was no big deal. I thought that it was something worse as it made a loud noise while driving. I also picked up a flat near my destination at Ft. Myers.

Anyway, now I am at 66,567 and I was supposed to go to the regular dealer for service. Unfortunately I had a coolant leak and had to take it to the nearest Mazda dealer. I was told that it was the water pump and that it was a big job. I am now on my second week without a car, as they had to deal with the adjuster for the extended warranty company. I was told that it was covered, and that I would only have to pay for the deductible. The water pump is internal and requires removal of the engine to replace. I hope that everything comes out well, especially since they have to remove and re-install the engine and tranny.

If I didn't have this warranty, I was told that this would have cost me 2 grand. I really have to look at how the vehicles are made when buying a new car again. I hope that I don't have any more problems.

I was also told that the Ford Explorer is exactly the same. I guess I won't be buying one of those.

I will keep updating as time and mileage accumulate.