Mazda ATF FZ "lifetime", 46k,UOA, 2015 Mazda 3

[DzoG20]

I have seen only one UOA on the "lifetime" Mazda ATF FZ, so I decided to share mine. It is 3rd gen Mazda 3 with 46k miles - factory fill. There are a lot of discussions what the "lifetime" means and several post with D-F showing the discoloration of the ATF-FZ after 30-70k miles ( I know "the color doesn't ....") . So out of curiosity I puled the dipstick and ... look at that color!!! ... The blue stain is the new fluid, the brown is the used one. So here is the UOA. The transmission has magnets and paper filter, so the oil looks somewhat clean to me. I've seen claims that the ATF-FZ is originally a bit on the thin side, so I'm curious if this is the reason for the comment that this is the end of the life of this oil. So I'm tempted to send a VOA. The other UOA with 67k has exactly the same viscosity: CX-5 67K UOA

 

[Mr Nice]

Does this transmission have a drain plug or is it sealed ? I don't believe in lifetime ATF for any vehicle.

 

[DBMaster]

I did a simple D&F on mine at 60K miles. The pan has a drain plug. I didn't pull the pan so I wouldn't have to mess with scraping away all the sealant. While it looks "brown" on the paper towel it is close to clear when run between your fingers. The FZ fluid is specific to Skyactiv Drive and is ultra low viscosity synthetic fluid. I wouldn't lose any sleep about a decision to leave it alone.

 

[LotI]

Originally Posted by Mr Nice

Does this transmission have a drain plug or is it sealed ? I don't believe in lifetime ATF for any vehicle.

Drain plug and a temperature sensitive dipstick. Who's lifetime?

 

[DzoG20]

Here is the VOA for the Mazda FZ ATF. It is indeed quite thin and I'm curious what is the real acceptable viscosity range, given that Mazda has no recommended intervals for replacing the fluid. My UOA results were not that far from the original values.

 

[Ablebody]

It looks like it was a good choice to change it out. I bet a pan drain and fill every 20k or so would be fine now for the rest of the cars life.

 

[MolaKule]

Lifetime means, "to the end of the warranty period," if you're lucky. People who want to keep their vehicles past 35,000 miles need to change fluids every 30k or so. You were wise to change it out because of the wear material loading seen in the UOA and because it is a Low Viscosity (LV) fluid. Had a particle count been done, you would have most likely been appalled. One nice thing is it did not appear to have sheared much.

 

[RayM]

My situation is a bit similar: 2015 Mazda3 that takes FZ. (The car is approaching 59K miles and I now realize I'm overdue for ATF change despite Mazda's "lifetime" statement. I'd prefer to not have the transmission dying be the way to detect that the fluid's lifetime is over. Did you end up using the OEM FZ ATF? I was told by the dealer that they are the only game in town for sourcing Mazda FZ ATF. Recently I discovered Valvoline MaxLife full synthetic ATF documentation (https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/automatic-transmission-products/maxlife-multi-vehicle-atf . click on PI) states that it works for Mazda FZ. Should I believe it? Best regards, RayM

 

[zeng]

I would think so , or go thicker.

 

[RayM]

What specifically do you recommend? (The 2015 Mazda is "SKYACTIV".) Please note Mazda cautions: * ATF-FZ is designed ONLY FOR SKYACTIV-DRIVE series AT. * If an ATF other than "ATF-FZ" is used in the SKYACTIV-DRIVE AT, the performance and reliability cannot be guaranteed. The resulting damage will not be covered by warranty. * Use of ATF-FZ in non SKYACTIV-DRIVE ATs may result in serious internal damage that will not be covered by warranty

 

[zeng]

Originally Posted by RayM

What specifically do you recommend? (The 2015 Mazda is "SKYACTIV".) Please note Mazda cautions: * ATF-FZ is designed ONLY FOR SKYACTIV-DRIVE series AT. * If an ATF other than "ATF-FZ" is used in the SKYACTIV-DRIVE AT, the performance and reliability cannot be guaranteed. The resulting damage will not be covered by warranty. * Use of ATF-FZ in non SKYACTIV-DRIVE ATs may result in serious internal damage that will not be covered by warranty

First off, I'm NOT as knowledgeable as the full team of Engineers behind Mazda. This 'sophisticated' SKYACTIV-DRIVE AT has mechanical components (torque converter, lock up clutch, speed clutches, planetary sun gear trains etc) similar to traditional Step torque converter type auto transmissions. It calls for 'extra' low viscosity KV100*C 5.45 cSt strictly for fuel economy, shear stable though. I reckon a shear stable full synthetic (step) ATF in Maxlife having 5.9 cSt may be considered as it's replacement. Personally I would prefer a shear stable Chrysler ATF+4 of KV100C of 7.5-8 cSt to a shear stable Dexron 6 of 6.2ish cSt for components protection hopefully capable to hold down Fe and Cu ppm in UOA's , minus imperceptible fuel economy IMHO.

 

[DzoG20]

I got OEM FZ ATF online from a Mazda dealer. Price-wise was the same (inducing shipping) as I would get from local dealer - it just saved me the trip to the dealer. I would not put anything else than OEM FZ ATF in my 2015 M3 at this point. Yes, the ML would be $30-40 cheaper, but do I care if I do D/F once every 2-3 years? Any other reason to consider non-exact generic substitute ATF?

 

[DBMaster]

I did a D&F at 60,000 miles and probably won't do another one. It is true that the blue color was gone, but the fluid was straw colored and very clean. I ordered four quarts of the stuff online from a Mazda dealer for about $60, including shipping. I used about 3.75 quarts to replace what I drained out. You do have to remove the entire plastic splash pan under the front end to access the plug.

 

[RayM]

Considering the high residual (unchanged) volume for a drain and fill, I'm considering doing it 2x or 3x. This would make the price $60 to $120 higher to go with the Mazda-brand juice.

 

[littlehulkster]

Originally Posted by RayM

My situation is a bit similar: 2015 Mazda3 that takes FZ. (The car is approaching 59K miles and I now realize I'm overdue for ATF change despite Mazda's "lifetime" statement. I'd prefer to not have the transmission dying be the way to detect that the fluid's lifetime is over. Did you end up using the OEM FZ ATF? I was told by the dealer that they are the only game in town for sourcing Mazda FZ ATF. Recently I discovered Valvoline MaxLife full synthetic ATF documentation (https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/automatic-transmission-products/maxlife-multi-vehicle-atf . click on PI) states that it works for Mazda FZ. Should I believe it? Best regards, RayM

Ravenol makes a FZ fluid that's quite a bit cheaper than Mazda OEM and it's available on Amazon. It may be the only case in recorded history where Ravenol is the best value fluid. There are also filter kits for these cars, and you may as well do that when you're in there.

 

[RayM]

Valvoline MaxLife is cheaper and easier to source than both Mazda and Ravenol ATFs. The difference really adds up when doing repeated drain & fills that I think is worth doing given that the drain volume is less than half the system volume. Agree. The pan will be dropped and filter changed.

 

[littlehulkster]

Originally Posted by RayM

Valvoline MaxLife is cheaper and easier to source than both Mazda and Ravenol ATFs. The difference really adds up when doing repeated drain & fills that I think is worth doing given that the drain volume is less than half the system volume. Agree. The pan will be dropped and filter changed.

True, it's just a matter of if you're comfortable with MaxLife and it's "suitable for" spec as opposed to real deal 100% unadulterated Mazda FZ spec. It will probably be fine, but if you want the peace of mind of real FZ the only options AFAIK are Mazda and Ravenol.

 

[RayM]

FYI My independent mechanic did the train and fill. He dropped the pan and let it drain over night. To refill required 5.25 quarts.

 

[Eddie]

I have never seen MAZDA state that the ATF in my SkyActiv AT was a lifetime fluid. My MAZDA mechanic suggested that for my normal driving that I change it at ~100,000 miles. Ed

 

[RayM]

Do a Google search. The first hit that I had was at mazdaoflodi dot com - not my dealership. Many others have similar statements: You probably know by now how often you should be changing the oil in your Mazda, but what about the transmission fluid? Well, there's a good chance the answer is "never." Or, at least, almost never. If you purchased your Mazda new and it is equipped with SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY, it will have lifetime transmission fluid that only requires changing should a critical component or the whole transmission need to be replaced. If you have one of the newer models produced in the last few years, there's a good chance it has SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY, but be sure to contact us if you're unsure.