My 2020 ND2 is coming up to 5 years old and has travelled about 9000 trouble free miles. The gear change action is fine. I use main dealer servicing (the dealer is excellent) and was thinking of getting them to change the gearbox and diff oils this time. Although I’ve searched other similar posts, I would just like confirmation that 5 years is the right change interval. Many thanks in advance.
You will need to replace the gearbox oil at 6 years 5 years according to the owner’s manual:
https://owners-manual.mazda.com/gen/en/mx-5/mx-5_8fl9ee16j/contents/07020100.html
As for the differential oil, the same website states:
If this component has been submerged in water, the oil should be replaced.
As recommended by several others, I change both annually as a preventive measure 
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My mechanic will only change those if they need it. Spotted some sparkly bits in the transmission oil so he changed that last service. He’s seen much much worse but only changed it because I’d mentioned it when booking. Rear diff looked like new after 12yrs. His opinion is that the service intervals have to cover many extremes of environment and usage so unless money is no object, trust your mechanic.
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Personally I change mine every 2 years with fully synthetic oil as both the gearbox and diff get quite hot
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Booked car in to have gearbox and diff oils changed during upcoming 5th service. I know some change more frequently, but I’m happy to go with 5 year intervals. Thanks to all for advice.
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How do you spot sparkly bits in the oil without draining it first anyway? Was the plan to put the old oil back in if it looked ok?
That link says gearbox oil at 60 months (5 years), right?
Oops, I’ve edited my post to correct the mistake, thanks
Looking at the charts there it’s interesting that engine oil change interval is 6 rather than 12 months in rest of world (except Israel).
I wonder how they determine this? Maybe ‘Europe has temperate climate’ and everywhere else is a bit of of a catch all? But, for example, places in the US have similar climate to Europe, right?
Another viewpoint is that service intervals have to reduce the risk of the manufacturer having to foot a bill for the length of the car’s warrenty.
It’s interesting in the same way as warranties are typically longer in countries where manufacturers want to get more/improve market share. I wonder if they wake up one morning and think hey, we’re selling fantastically in this country, let’s offer a longer warrenty lol
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No, the plan was to change the oil anyway as I’d asked for it to be done explaining that I’d just bought the car and wasn’t sure how it had been driven for the last 12 years.
Totally agree but I wasn’t thinking in terms of cars within warranty. I’ve not owned one of those for 10 years and am unlikely ever to do so. As you rightly point out, what a manufacturer recommends needs to be taken in that context. Experience and common sense also have a role to play.
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Yes, I agree with that.
I tend to go with manufacturer schedules, or a bit shorter. I still go to a dealership for all of my cars in the family and dealerships are ‘good’ in that they don’t say no to money. I used to have a car which went to a ‘trusty independent’ who didn’t want to do brake fluid (saying it’s not need), or any other ‘biggish’ job. But my impression was he could just pick and choose what he wanted to do and was lazy.
Or the local dirsibutors has a lot of power and wants the extra business.
My Audi A3 had a 7? year/50K scheduled cam belt change for a belt that the owner manual said was to be done at 120K miles. Nobody could fathom why this was UK specific. Long story short, it was aligned with the general recommendation a few years ago.
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Still though, it would be balanced by how much extra revenue would it generate via sales v how much it’d cost/costs via warranty repairs.
I like Renuat’s one, now 3 years, but has been 4 and 5 at times, with lovely politician-like reasons when it ‘inevitably’ reverts back to the rubbish one 
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