(Part 2) Best products from r/CX5

My 2018 CX-5 GT has been a dream car since I bought it last October. I’ve had absolutely zero issues with it, beyond extremes in environment.

Some things I’ve noticed:

Door locks set to Walk Away mode sometimes get confused when you have late-exiting passengers. Also, if you don’t want the car to lock as you walk around the outside of the vehicle, you have to go around the rear, not the front.

Extreme cold can cause the headlight pan feature to lock and fail. It’s a little motor, we cut it some slack at -17F. ;) after it warms up, it shrugs off the error.

Extreme cold also hit the infotainment center hard. Bluetooth pairing glitch sent it into a super-cold reboot and crash cycle. Once it recovered it was behaving oddly. Learn the button combo to reboot it. It only happened once, again, -17F. After that, it was fine.

There is a normal at-stop lurch in the CX-5. I feel it when stopped at a light. It feels like someone bumped my car with their hips. I’ve seen similar reports and people suppose commonly that it is factory oil (disappears after first oil change), or is a side-effect of the transmission design. I assume there is a bumper crop of things it could be, auto hold checkpointing, something from AWD, an engine feature buried in some technical manual... it’s not a bug. It’s... a... feature...

I clean the inside of my CX-5 with a microfiber cloth (Dollar Tree), a spray bottle of bottled water (my tap water is unacceptable), spritz the cloth, wipe down everything inside. I do this every week. Chemicals might be okay, but I know water on cloth is the only thing Mazda is going to stand behind.

I get touchless car washes weekly, or thereabouts. There’s a lot of salt on Michigan roads.

I’ve had some scratches, but I immediately bought touchup paint, Mazda OEM, you can find it on Amazon, $11. Applicator is clever once you get the trick of it. They should give you one by default when you buy it, IMHO. But buy one anyways.

I also put WeatherTec floor mats in before I drove it off the lot. I also bought a Tonneau cover aftermarket on Amazon, fit like a glove. The cargo netting for the CX-5 is a fib, the deck lacks the metal loop stays that some stock photos insist are there. So, be careful on that.

I also got a windshield cover for Christmas and use that a lot. It’s great to keep ice and snow off, a bit of a run around to secure it, but in the morning just to run out and strip off a cover and give it a good shake? Super convenient.

Oh, and watch out for interior recirculating air in cold climates. It will fog up your windshield and make the lane detector and sign camera wig out. It clears up on its own in time. Learned that one with a mini-panic. LOL.

All in all, I LOVE my CX-5. The best car I have ever had. My friends mock me, suggesting that if I could marry it, I would. If it had the parts, I’d date it. LOL. I am exceptionally fond of my car. :)

Hope some of this helps you, or anyone else with their CX-5.

EDIT: Touchup Paint: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K8XDGSC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Tonneau Cover Link in Comments area.

Love my trunk liner, cargo cover, front mats and trunk organizer.

Trunk liner gives me peace of mind when carting around liquids and such. The cargo cover also gives peace of mind, hiding any valuables in the trunk. The front mats are amazing and I leave them in year-round. All three of these are OEM.

My trunk organizer is [Rola from Amazon](Rola 59001 M.O.V.E. Rigid-Base Trunk Organizer https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000E81VN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_NVjGzbY43P412) and I love it because it folds almost flat and I actually slip it under the trunk liner when I need the space.

I have a 2016 CX-5 GT, here's what I ordered and I love every one of them:

1. Steering wheel cover - Much more comfy to hold, especially in winter with gloves on
   
   
2. Interior LEDs - Better and brighter white color
   
   
3. Cargo Tray - Great for hauling things that would scratch your interior up. Also great for spills. I was hauling a lawn mower that leaked gas. No problem at all. Hosed off the tray and done.
   
   
4. Soft Cargo Liner - This will protect the back of your seats when folded down, and puts a soft pad to protect things you put in the cargo area. Works nice in combination with the Cargo Tray above.
   
   
5. Weathertech Floor Liners - These are great and fit perfectly front and back. I live in a snowy winter area, so these have seen snow, ice, salt, spills, boots, etc. And they hold up excellently. You REALLY want these, trust me.
   
   
6. Moonroof Deflector - The moonroof on my CX-5 was really noisy, this helped a lot. I installed it myself, was a little bit of a pain but anyone could do it.
   
   

Before I upgraded to AA/CP, I used to use a suction mount to put my cellphone on the left-hand side above the AC vent. I then installed one of these in that little box: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GKK9HZT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It took a little work to get that insert out, and then I used my dremel to cut it down, but it turned out to be a pretty clean install. I was able to run a super short usb cable to the phone, so it was pretty tidy. The close proximity to the fuse box helped too.

I did order a second insert to swap in later when I sell the car.

Installing the OEM roof rack and cross bars yourself is super easy if you want to save some $.

For skis (and probably a kiteboard in the Summer) I went with the Yakima FatCat 6. Looks great, was a snap to put on and is very easy to get skis in and out of.

https://www.amazon.com/Yakima-FatCat-Locking-Snowboard-Rack/dp/B008YPPVS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480192952&sr=8-1&keywords=yakima+fatcat+6

Not sit in the car? Lol, all kidding aside, you could get very thin plastic seat protectors on amazon, they come by the role, or in a reasonable bunch. Avoid squirming around in the seat, I honestly couldn't say what else you could do. But congrats! It's an amazing vehicle. You should be proud you chose a Mazda!!! xD

Links to amazon listings:
[Link 1] (https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Plastic-Vehicle-Protector-Mechanic/dp/B017M0G004/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491859717&sr=8-1&keywords=plastic+car+seat+cover)
[Link 2] (https://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Interior-Protection-10-004-250PK-Disposable/dp/B00UCTY1PE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491859717&sr=8-2&keywords=plastic+car+seat+cover)

Might be annoying long term, but my friend does this with his car seats and their still brand new.

I got the iOttie Easy Flex 3 and have been very happy with it. It mounts on the small flat area forward and to the left of the shifter, just ahead of the transmission display. In this position it's just below the center console and easy to see at a glance. It's also easy to reach with your right hand. A one-foot long lightning cable will reach the charging outlet, so there's very little cable clutter.

Photo

Amazon link

I recently purchased this. Got it for $50 with a promo code. So far it works great. Would recommend if you can find it on sale.

Two issues I've encountered are the placement of the power socket under the arm rest and the fact that the socket continues to produce power while the car is turned off. The socket is far away from the windshield so until I can figure out a cable management solution it's going to look somewhat ugly with cables running down the center console. This particular camera has the ability to turn on/off when the car is turned on/off (while plugged in), so with constant power this feature is useless. The camera does have a rechargeable battery though so i'll just have to keep it charged as best as possible.

There's also a parking feature that allows the camera to use motion detection while you're parked. I've only had it for a few days but it's pretty solid. The only thing I'm concerned about is the Texas heat. If I were to leave it mounted in direct sunlight I don't think it survive.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

I'm not familiar with that model/manufacturer. I've had good success with 3 Viofo models.

https://www.amazon.com/VIOFO-2-Channel-1080p-Camera-Logger/dp/B07CT6JPYW

This is their newest one that is dual camera. You basically run a long USB cord to the back.

In my 2015, I have two separate cameras. Older A119 and A118C. I have a multi-port USB charger in the front console (because it shuts off when the car is off). I run like a 15-20' USB power cord to the back and like a 10' power cord to the front camera. The rear one I have drop under my seat and under the floor mats along the side to the rear. Use some cable ties and mounts to keep the cable from moving around.

*The rear 12V outlet in the CX-5 stays on all the time so that didn't work for this application.

www.dashcamtalk.com is a great resource.

I got Smartliner floor mats and I honestly like them better than the weathertechs. 0 issues. The listing shows 17 and 18, but they fit my 19 perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07BZT99B8/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did this about a year ago, super easy and a great turn out. here's the link to Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X9RPLLS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Congrats on the CX5!

I just recently picked up this magnetic vent phone holder for mine. I had the same concerns about the placement being too low. It's definitely lower than I've had in prior vehicles, but this one is adjustable and for me it works out perfectly fine. I'm very happy with it. I uploaded a few photos for reference: https://imgur.com/a/QaFPzE4

One note on the this mount: I absolutely had to put it on the bottom vent bar and let it rest against the vent frame, since I feel that the torque when taking the phone on/off (even though it's magnetic) could damage the vent. But in this position it feels very sturdy.

Curt Manufacturing CURT 13127 Class 3 Trailer Hitch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009GLDSTO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KhpNBbSMHBVK5

You need two people for the install but it’s super easy. There’s videos on YouTube for how to install it.

Just did this over the weekend. As the others have stated, if you're not forceful, you shouldn't be breaking any clips. I could probably tear the dash apart again in about 15-20 mins if I had to do it again.

I do highly recommend purchasing a plastic auto trim remover kit. They made popping the panels and clips ALOT easier. I purchased this one: https://www.amazon.com/Tresalto-Auto-Trim-Removal-Tool/dp/B01L8GHB7O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1539017376&sr=8-4&keywords=auto+trim+removal

The trim remover comes in handy when you're trying to pop the clips to loosen the old AUX hub unit. You can find details instructions on how to remove the TRIM panel in the TRIM PDFs here: https://my.hidrive.com/share/hsodpqja.l#$/Mazda_Firmware/1%20CarPlay-AndroidAuto%20INSTALL

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IMO, I was more nervous about the software update than the physical labor of running the cables. I spent more time doing the software update because I needed a FAT32 formatted USB stick. That was a challenge since most of my memory sticks are 64gb+ and can only be formatted in exFAT/NTFS on Windows 10. Partitioning the 64gb drives to <32GB didn't really help me either, so I had to go purchase a <32GB usb stick and formatted to FAT32. Other than that, I was nervous about the installation failing, but it was also pretty straight forward. You need to complete the update ahead of the physical installation, so I'd recommend just getting that out of your way first.

I'm glad I did the installation myself, I don't know how neat the dealers would be in terms of dampening and tidying up the new cables.

Got these on Amazon. Super easy install.

I use this on the left vent under the infotainment display: https://www.amazon.com/Maxboost-Universal-Magnetic-Mounts-Compatible/dp/B01M0GTZDN/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=magnetic+vent+mount&qid=1571059482&sr=8-1

it works great for my 6.4" LG phone.

You can use a vinyl pencil eraser - works like a dream for getting wax off of trim. I use these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0141NARKO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yeah, I didn't want to do anything too drastic, just give the car a more luxury feel to it without it being obvious to the average bystander I modded it.

All from Amazon. About 550CAD$ worth.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0772BYVRY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B079294M35/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B076LBT75F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B073P6FQQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0792FLQD5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07B68XHNX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0784Q49FC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (Still waiting on this piece, slower delivery, will update post once applied but cetain it'll cap off the look)

I this hitch and this rack for our CX-5

Yeah is a class III and overkill but you never know if you need to tow something.

Mazda Cx-5 Cx5 Led Interior Lights Led Interior Car Lights Bulbs Kit 2013-2018 White 11Pcs

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06X9RPLLS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_-oxXAbQCX3DRM

I have one of [these] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0GTZDN) clipped to the vent.

If you follow the instructions in the initial post (which indicates for each part where to apply pressure and in which sequence) and get a trim kit (ex: Tresalto Auto Trim Removal Tool Kit, Set of 5 Pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L8GHB7O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nspyCbJVYTMH4), you will not break anything.

No contex. Self install, pretty normal post in the sub reddit.


Tresalto Auto Trim Removal Tool Kit, Set of 5 Pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L8GHB7O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_j0A9BbCR2Y5GC

Your just a moron bud, this is pretty BASIC knowledge