What do I need to look for and how real is the issue, - high, medium, low, very low probability.
Car is not tracked or autocrossed etc
It’s not a myth, but most of them don’t break. That’s about all anyone can say. The original gearbox was certainly not up to racing use and the fact that there have been 5 or so versions suggests that Mazda did not completely fix it early on.
If you have bought a used car and you want to know what version is in it, , you might be able to see the label on the left side of the gearbox by getting your head/phone camera down behind the engine from under the bonnet.
If you search I’m sure you’ll find more information including on this forum.
Roddison’s can fix them, but you’re on a scale of £2,000 from memory. The 1.5’s have the same gearbox but fare somewhat better in terms of not breaking. Mine is a 1.5, but I’m philosophical about it. If it breaks, I’ll get it fixed.
Oil changes every 2 years will certainly help using a full synthetic lubricant as the OEM oil doesn’t cope very well with the heat the gearbox sees. I have a Recaro with a V1 gearbox and done 30k but have seen another one do over 100k. Don’t do Grand Prix starts.
thanks that is comforting. The car has had gearbox oil changes into the synthetic stuff and I dont tend to do starting starts etc
My ND1 is 2016 , looked after by Roddison’s and the gearchange is nicer now that when I bought it in 2017.
What oil is recommended? I’m due to have my 2018 box and diff oil replaced soon and want the best stuff.
There is no magic bullet as all the gearboxes have variable build quality, but these have worked for people
Gearbox (and differential for the 1.5)
Millers CRX 75w/90 NT+
Millers EE Transmission 75w/90
Differential
Millers CRX LS 75w/90 NT+