2014 Mazda Mazda3 - 30K service

I have a 2014 Mazda3 iTouring 4 door automatic transmission sedan. I have just come up on 30K miles on my car. I’m planning on taking it to the shop, primarily for an oil change. Are there any additional maintenance services (alignment, transmission flush, braking fluid, etc) that I need to have done at the same time?

Almost certainly there will be. It would be wise to look closely at your manual and make a list to discuss with the shop before arriving That way, you can sort out all the unnecessary stuff a dealer may wish to add

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Brake fluid flush! 5 year old car, it is due even if the manual doesn’t say it is, it is god preventive maintenance. Since this car has a transmission filter, I’d wait until 50 or 60K to change the fluid and filter.

User manual has a good info on the maintenance schedule, at least the older 2013 model we have makes it very clear what to maintain at what mileage and time intervals.

You are definitely overdue for the brake fluid.

Depending on coolant type your car had filled at factory, it may be overdue for the coolant as well.
Coolant type is noted on the sticker attached on the overfill coolant tank under the hood.
They do have a “long-life” one with a special label and “regular”, which is something like “replace every 3 years” or so.

As far as I recall, air filter is due at exactly 30K, together with cabin air filter.

Transmission fluid is SUPPOSEDLY “lifetime”, but if you want to drive your car after 100K miles, you better do what @Mustangman suggests around 60K miles. I replaced fluid at 68K when I bough car used and I felt a definite performance improvement, not to mention it is good failure prevention thing.

Reading the manual book is your friend :slight_smile:

Follow Mazda’s maintenance schedule for the type of driving you do. Most car owners do a lot of short trip driving and should follow the extreme schedule, not the normal schedule. I’ve no experience w/that vehicle, but if I owned a 5 year old 30 K vehicle, runs like new with no diagnostic codes showing or pending, driven moderately, and it hadn’t been done already, I’d be doing all this stuff

  • Change oil and filter
  • Change engine air filter
  • Check warm idle rpm and ignition timing
  • Check valve clearances (if applicable)
  • Check transmission fluid level and appearance, replace fluid & filter if necessary
  • Check brake pads/rotors/shoes/drums for proper dimensional specs and for anything leaking replace as required
  • Replace brake fluid
  • Check power steering fluid level and appearance
  • Check tires for unusual tread wear, damage, and tread thickness, properly inflated
  • Basic suspension system check
  • Lube door latches, hinges, hood latches, hinges.
  • Replace coolant

Good items list, @George_San_Jose1!

I will correct only what I know as “not needed”.

This is distributor-less engine, everything is ECU-controlled, so nothing to do unless vehicle experiences severe drive-ability issues

If this is Skyactiv-G engine (which is 99.9% chance), it has automated hydraulic adjusters, nothing to do

Transmission is “sealed”, has no dipstick and/or filler tube.
If one goes under, removes under-engine-protective cover and uses light and mirror, it is possible to find a “stubby dipstick” made of plastic and a “hole in the ground” type of filler hole.
It is a normal drain plug, removing which drains something like 3/4 of the fluid, so drain&fill is a name of the game, but it is way too early at 30K miles, spare that for 60K.

What do you compare your observations to? Idle speed and ignition timing is dependent on specific operating conditions and manufactures don’t publish this information.

I do a transmission drain, filter, and fill at 30,000. I usually do air filter and cabin filter at 20,000 but if that hasn’t been done, it’s time. Then all the other stuff mentioned should be checked after this amount of time rather than just mileage.

This information is published both by Ford for my truck and by Toyota for my Corolla. It may not be published by Mazda for a 2014 Mazda3 though. hmm … Let me take a look … ok this is the spec I’m seeing

Idle rpm: 500-600 rpm in N for MTX, 550-650 rpm in P, N for ATX
Ignition timing: SkyActiveG 2.0 – 14 deg BTDC (MTX), 12 deg BTDC ATX

So there would be something to compare against.