Decisions Decisions

[wesdev]

Guys,

I'm considering a 2.2D Auto 2015 but just wondered if there is any gotchas i need to know?

Previously i owned

CRV mk2, 2002
CRV mk3 2006
LR Disco 3 2009
VW Touareg 2012

and i've currently a 2009 Volvo XC60 S (the bottom model with 73k on it as i had to downgrade from the Treg as we moved house).

All of those above i just drove and religiously serviced every 10-12k. THat was it.

Is the CX-5 the same? Im hoping to get better fuel, VED, insurance and it should save me £1500-£1750 a year at least on 10k miles and i get a car a year old with say 15k on the clock.

 

[xtrailman]

In your position I think I would be considering a petrol car, assuming you don't tow.

[wesdev]

No, but i've had all diesels before and my wifes car is a diesel Grand C Max for the children so as not to worry when we swap. I'm also self employed and luckily i'm based locally at the moment but have driven to swindon from southampton daily on previous contracts.

[xtrailman]

Problem is there are issues with some of the early diesel cars.

Oil rise which can lead to other problems, turbo failures, cam wear, vacuum pump premature wear.
For that reason I couldn't recommend a pre 2015 car.

It's too soon to say whether the updated car has been sorted. But it still carries a warranty.

If you buy one make sure its been Mazda dealer serviced ideally, and comes with a warranty that cover the turbo ect.

[ROCKETRON]

Think you should be ok with 2015/16 model as they appear to be reliable. In fact even the last of the pre 2015 diesels  have been reliable so you should be ok.

[wesdev]

Im on the phone at the mo with 3 dealers

2015/15 20k miles
2015/15 16k miles
and 2015 facelift model

So just playing them off against each other.

Surely the warranty should cover the turbo even if the the dreaded DPF issue strikes?

[xtrailman]

Have a read through here.

http://mazdacx5forums.co.uk/index.php?board=14.0

Those cars you are looking at sound ok.

[Anchorman]

I’m wondering if some of this cam wear comes from the engine revving its nuts off when it starts from cold.  You can hear the cam rattle for a couple of seconds.

[wesdev]

Is this on all models or only pre 2015 ones?

Most dealers say they have done all recalls and updates but how do you know? Can you get a list?

[xtrailman]

I’m wondering if some of this cam wear comes from the engine revving its nuts off when it starts from cold.  You can hear the cam rattle for a couple of seconds.

I complained to Mazda about the "engine destroying" start up, i was taught never to rev a cold engine from start up as the oil may not have fully circulated. This is the email they sent me some years ago. At least with the auto you can put the car straight into Rev to stop the revving.

"Thank you for your recent email.

 

Having discussed your concern with our Technical Department, I can advise the following:

 

High idle speed is a normal function of the SkyActiv Diesel engine on start up, and is not related to any PCM updates; this has always been a feature of this engine.

 

After a cold start, the regulating valve and the wastegate valve are fully open to enable the exhaust gas to flow through the turbochargers without losing much exhaust gas heating capacity. Also the VVL mechanism slightly opens one exhaust valve per cylinder during intake stroke in order to recirculate a certain amount of high temperature exhaust gas back to the cylinder.

This is for early activation of the catalytic converter and improved exhaust gas purification. This does not indicate defect of the parts.

 

<Operating Requirement>

1. Water temperature (ECT) at engine starting: from 15 to 32 degrees Celsius.

 

Intake air temperature (IAT) at engine start: from 15 to 35 degrees Celsius.

Barometric pressure at (BARO) at engine start: from: 91 to 200 kPa.

2. Gear position: P, N, D with the engine idling (Accelerator pedal not depressed)

 

This is mentioned in the owner’s manual

 

<Owner’s Manual>

This concern is mentioned in the O/M “When Driving Start/Stop Engine” as follows:.

 

After starting a cold engine, the engine speed increases and a whining sound from the engine compartment can be heard.

This is for improved exhaust gas purification and does not indicate defect of the parts.

 

In closing, I trust the above information clarifies your Mazda CX-5 is operating as intended."

[xtrailman]

Is this on all models or only pre 2015 ones?

Most dealers say they have done all recalls and updates but how do you know? Can you get a list?

This is what a Mazda247 owner sent me when i had my last cx-5.



"The affected VIN number for possible camshaft problems is up to number 163230 as long as it start with JMZKE. You VIN ends with 160600 so for me it looks like you fall under the category of potentially having a bad camshaft material quality. To be sure, please check your built date, if your car was built before Sept 17th 2013 then your are in the affected batch. All cars built after that date are not affected.

 This doesn't mean you will get the problem, I have no idea what the chances of the problem happening are, probably very low.

 Next week I am looking at test driving some new CX-5's, it's my wifes car, she loves how it drives and the height is perfect for getting our daughter in and out easily. I will try the automatic diesel too, with so much torque, I think an automatic would be good, I liked my last golf DSG.

 Switzerland now gets the 2.5L petrol, so I will try that too (only automatic available) but I have a feeling I might miss the pull of the diesel, let's see."




Soon after that i had a service where the vacuum pump was checked for wear, it failed the checks and i wasn't allowed to drive away the car until it was replaced a week later.

After that i quickly lost confidence in the car and only traded in for aonther because i got an effective £5K discount.

[Anchorman]

I’m sick of the fuss that goes with running new diesels.  I would have that 2.5 petrol without hesitation but for some reason they don’t offer it to us.  My mate will pick up his new RAV4 Hybrid on the 23rd.  I might even try one of those next time (3 years) unless this CX-5 behaves impeccably.  I’m a teensy bit wary of this car which is a pity because I like it.

With regard to the revving, I don’t really know if they are being evasive with that answer.  I think the tech department has answered why it does it not what the effect might be.  Typical when you can’t ask directly.  I think 6 monthly oil changes might be the answer, unofficial of not.  Thanks xtm.

[BigAl]

OP - another one for your consideration could be the Subaru Forester diesel. I had one for 3 years and found it a great car, very reliable, good MPG (much closer to official figure than Mazda). Went over to CX5 primarily because of the lower CO2 improving the BIK tax figures. The CX5 does drive/handle better, but the Forester has a bit more space and is more practical. Forester also has a better 4WD system.

I’m wondering if some of this cam wear comes from the engine revving its nuts off when it starts from cold.

Not related AFAIK, early production run engines were fitted with improperly hardened cams. No recall on those to my knowledge, but Mazda fix them if the problem occurs under warranty.

Alan.

[Anchorman]

Not related AFAIK, early production run engines were fitted with improperly hardened cams. No recall on those to my knowledge, but Mazda fix them if the problem occurs under warranty.

Alan.

I hope you are right but its early days.  To the OP, its something to consider that there are some earlier models out there with possible problems - buy as new as you can.  The engine on my 175 pulls like a train and the car itself is a good alternative to those cars listed in your first post.  I like both the Discovery and the toe rag in your list but LR reliability is appalling and the VWs are not as good as they are cracked up to be in my opinion.  They can be trouble and when they do out of warranty, oh dear.

[wesdev]

So looks like the facelift 2015 car is in pole position.

19.5k is that about right. 16k miles?