Mazda MX-5 RF (2017 year). Instruction — part 29

6–28

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

Battery

WARNING

Read the following precautions carefully before using the battery or inspecting
to ensure safe and correct handling:

Always wear eye protection when working near the battery:
Working without eye protection is dangerous. Battery

À uid contains SULPHURIC

ACID which could cause blindness if splashed into your eyes. Also, hydrogen gas
produced during normal battery operation, could ignite and cause the battery to
explode.

Wear eye protection and protective gloves to prevent contact with battery

À uid:

Spilled battery

À uid is dangerous.

Battery

À uid contains SULPHURIC ACID which could cause serious injuries if it gets

in eyes, or on the skin or clothing. If this happens, immediately

À ush your eyes with

water for 15 minutes or wash your skin thoroughly and get medical attention.

Always keep batteries out of the reach of children:
Allowing children to play near batteries is dangerous. Battery

À uid could cause serious

injuries if it gets in the eyes or on the skin.

Keep

À ames and sparks away from open battery cells and do not allow metal

tools to contact the positive ( ) or negative ( ) terminal of the battery when working
near a battery. Do not allow the positive ( ) terminal to contact the vehicle body:
Flames and sparks near open battery cells are dangerous. Hydrogen gas, produced
during normal battery operation, could ignite and cause the battery to explode. An
exploding battery can cause serious burns and injuries. Keep all

À ames including

cigarettes and sparks away from open battery cells.

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6–29

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

WARNING

Keep all

À ames, including cigarettes, and sparks away from open battery cells:

Flames and sparks near open battery cells are dangerous. Hydrogen gas, produced
during normal battery operation, could ignite and cause the battery to explode. An
exploding battery can cause serious burns and injuries.

NOTE

Before performing battery maintenance, remove the battery cover.

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6–30

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

Battery Maintenance

To get the best service from a battery:

Keep it securely mounted.

Keep the top clean and dry.

Keep terminals and connections clean,

tight, and coated with petroleum jelly or
terminal grease.

Rinse off spilled electrolyte immediately

with a solution of water and baking
soda.

If the vehicle will not be used for an

extended time, disconnect the battery
leads and charge the battery every six
weeks.

Inspecting Electrolyte Level

A low level of electrolyte

À uid will cause

the battery to discharge quickly.

Upper level

Lower level

Inspect the electrolyte level at least once
a week. If it is low, remove the caps and
add enough distilled water to bring the
level between the upper and lower level
(illustration).

Do not over

¿ ll.

Examine the speci

¿ c gravity of the

electrolyte with a hydrometer, especially
during cold weather. If it is low, recharge
the battery.

Battery Recharging

NOTE

Before performing maintenance or

recharging the battery, turn off all
accessories and stop the engine.

To disconnect the battery, remove the

negative lead

¿ rst. Install it last when

connecting the battery.

Be sure to remove the caps before

recharging the battery.

(With i-stop system)

Do not quick-charge the battery.

If the battery quickly discharges

because, for example, the lights were
left on too long with the engine off,
slow-charge it as required by battery
size and charger capacity.

If the battery gradually discharges

because of high electric load while the
vehicle is being used, recharge it as
required by battery size and charger
capacity.

Battery Replacement

Contact an Authorised Mazda Repairer for
a battery replacement purchase.

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6–31

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

Key Battery Replacement

If the buttons on the transmitter are
inoperable and the operation indicator
light does not

À ash, the battery may be

dead.
Replace with a new battery before the
transmitter becomes unusable.

CAUTION

Make sure the battery is installed

correctly. Battery leakage could
occur if it is not installed correctly.

When replacing the battery, be

careful not to touch any of the
internal circuitry and electrical
terminals, bend the electrical
terminals, or get dirt in the
transmitter as the transmitter could
be damaged.

There is the danger of explosion if

the battery is not correctly replaced.

Dispose of used batteries according

to the following instructions.

Insulate the plus and minus

terminals of the battery using
cellophane or equivalent tape.

Never disassemble.

Never throw the battery into

¿ re or

water.

Never deform or crush.

Replace only with the same type

battery (CR2025 or equivalent).

The following conditions indicate that the
battery power is low:

The KEY indicator light (green)

À ashes

in the instrument cluster for about 30
seconds after the engine is turned off.

The system does not operate and

the operation indicator light on the
transmitter does not

À ash when the

buttons are pressed.

The system's operational range is

reduced.

Replacing the battery at an Authorised
Mazda Repairer is recommended to
prevent damage to the key. If replacing the
battery by yourself, follow the instruction.

Replacing the key battery

1. Press the knob and pull out the

auxiliary key.

Knob

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6–32

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

2. Twist a tape-wrapped

À athead

screwdriver in the direction of the
arrow and open the cover slightly.

Cover

3. Insert the tape-wrapped

À athead

screwdriver into the gap and slide it in
the direction of the arrow.

Cover

Gap

4. Twist the

À athead screwdriver in the

direction of the arrow and remove the
cover.

Cover

5. Remove the battery cap, then remove

the battery.

6. Insert a new battery with the positive

pole facing up, and then cover the
battery with the battery cap.

7. Close the cover.

8. Reinsert the auxiliary key.

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6–33

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

CAUTION

Be careful not to allow the rubber

ring shown in the

¿ gure to be

scratched or damaged.

If the rubber ring detaches, reattach it

before inserting a new battery.

Rubber ring

Tyres

For reasons of proper performance, safety,
and better fuel economy, always maintain
recommended tyre in

À ation pressures and

stay within the recommended load limits
and weight distribution.

WARNING

Using Different Tyre Types:
Driving your vehicle with different
types of tyres is dangerous. It could
cause poor handling and poor braking;
leading to loss of control.
Except for the limited use of the
temporary spare tyre, use only the same
type tyres (radial, bias-belted, bias-type)
on all four wheels.

Using Wrong-Sized Tyres:
Using any other tyre size than what is
speci

¿ ed for the vehicle (page 9-8 )

is dangerous. It could seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clearance,
tyre clearance, and speedometer
calibration. This could cause you to
have an accident. Use only tyres that
are the correct size speci

¿ ed for the

vehicle.

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6–34

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

Tyre In

À ation Pressure

WARNING

Always in

À ate the tyres to the correct

pressure:
Overin

À ation or underinÀ ation of tyres

is dangerous. Adverse handling or
unexpected tyre failure could result in
a serious accident.
Refer to Tyres on page 9-8 .

Use only a Mazda-genuine tyre valve
cap:
Use of a non-genuine part is dangerous
as the correct tyre air pressure cannot
be maintained if the tyre valve becomes
damaged. If the vehicle is driven under
this condition, the tyre air pressure
will decrease which could result in a
serious accident. Do not use any part
for the tyre valve cap that is not a
Mazda-genuine part.

Inspect all tyre pressures monthly when
the tyres are cold. Maintain recommended
pressures for the best ride, handling, and
minimum tyre wear.
Refer to the speci

¿ cation charts (page

9-8 ).
(With tyre pressure monitoring system)
After adjusting the tyre pressure,
initialization of the tyre pressure
monitoring system is necessary to make
the system operate normally.
Refer to Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Initialization on page 4-143 .

NOTE

Always check tyre pressure when

tyres are cold.

Warm tyres normally exceed

recommended pressures. Do not
release air from warm tyres to adjust
the pressure.

Underin

À ation can cause reduced

fuel economy, uneven and
accelerated tyre wear, and poor
sealing of the tyre bead, which
will deform the wheel and cause
separation of tyre from rim.

Overin

À ation can produce a harsh

ride, uneven and accelerated tyre
wear, and a greater possibility of
damage from road hazards.

Keep your tyre pressure at the correct

levels. If one frequently needs
in

À ating, have it inspected.

Tyre Rotation

WARNING

Rotate tyres periodically:
Irregular tyre wear is dangerous. To
equalize tread wear for maintaining
good performance in handling and
braking, rotate the tyres every 10,000
km (6,250 miles), or sooner if irregular
wear develops.

During rotation, inspect them for correct
balance.

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Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

NOTE

Because your vehicle is not equipped
with a spare tyre, you cannot do a tyre
rotation safely with the jack that comes
with your vehicle. Have an expert
repairer, we recommend an Authorised
Mazda Repairer perform tyre rotation.

Do not include (TEMPORARY USE ONLY)
spare tyre in rotation.

Forward

Also, inspect them for uneven wear and
damage. Abnormal wear is usually caused
by one or a combination of the following:

Incorrect tyre pressure

Improper wheel alignment

Out-of-balance wheel

Severe braking

After rotation, in

À ate all tyre pressures to

speci

¿ cation (page 9-8 ) and inspect the

wheel nuts for tightness.
(With tyre pressure monitoring system)
After adjusting the tyre pressure,
initialization of the tyre pressure
monitoring system is necessary to make
the system operate normally.
Refer to Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Initialization on page 4-143 .

CAUTION

Rotate unidirectional tyres and radial
tyres that have an asymmetrical tread
pattern or studs only from front to rear,
not from side to side. Tyre performance
will be reduced if rotated from side to
side.
(With limited-slip differential)
Do not use the following:

Tyres not of the designated size

Tyres of different sizes or types at the

same time

Tyres not suf

¿ ciently inÀ ated

If these instructions are not followed,
the rotation of the left and right wheels
will be different and will thus apply
a constant load on the limited-slip
differential.
This will cause a malfunction.

Replacing a Tyre

WARNING

Always use tyres that are in good
condition:
Driving with worn tyres is dangerous.
Reduced braking, steering, and traction
could result in an accident.

Replace all four tyres at the same time:
Replacing just one tyre is dangerous.
It could cause poor handling and poor
braking resulting in loss of vehicle
control. Mazda strongly recommends
that you replace all four tyres at the
same time.

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6–36

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

*Some models.

If a tyre wears evenly, a wear indicator
will appear as a solid band across the
tread.
Replace the tyre when this happens.

New tread

Tread wear indicator

Worn tread

You should replace the tyre before the
band crosses the entire tread.
(With tyre pressure monitoring system)
After adjusting the tyre pressure,
initialization of the tyre pressure
monitoring system is necessary to make
the system operate normally.
Refer to Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
Initialization on page 4-143 .

Replacing a Wheel

WARNING

Always use wheels of the correct size
on your vehicle:
Using a wrong-sized wheel is
dangerous. Braking and handling
could be affected, leading to loss of
control and an accident.

CAUTION

A wrong-sized wheel may adversely
affect:

Tyre

¿ t

Wheel and bearing life

Ground clearance

Snow-chain clearance

Speedometer calibration

Headlight aim

Bumper height

Tyre Pressure Monitoring System

*

NOTE

When replacing a wheel, make

sure the new one is the same as the
original factory wheel in diameter,
rim width, and offset (inset/outset).

For details, contact an expert

repairer, we recommend an
Authorised Mazda Repairer.

Proper tyre balancing provides the best
riding comfort and helps reduce tread
wear. Out-of-balance tyres can cause
vibration and uneven wear, such as
cupping and

À at spots.

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MEMO

6–37

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6–38

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

Light Bulbs

6

15

13

16

1 5

2 3

4

10 11

14

10 12

7

8

9

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6–39

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

*Some models.

Headlights (Low beam)
Headlights (High beam)
Running lights
Position lights
Front direction indicator lights
Side direction indicator lights
Brake lights
Rear direction indicator lights
Tail lights
Reverse lights
Rear fog light (Left-hand drive model)

*

Rear fog light (Right-hand drive model)

*

High-mount brake light
Number plate lights
Overhead light
Boot light

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6–40

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

CAUTION

When removing the lens or lamp unit
using a

À athead screwdriver, make

sure that the

À athead screwdriver does

not contact the interior terminal. If
the

À athead screwdriver contacts the

terminal, a short circuit may occur.

NOTE

To replace the bulb, contact an

expert repairer, we recommend an
Authorised Mazda Repairer.

Use the protective cover and carton

for the replacement bulb to dispose
of the old bulb promptly and out of
the reach of children.

Replacing Exterior Light Bulbs

Headlights, Running lights (LED type),
Position lights, High-mount brake light,
Brake lights, Tail lights

The LED bulb cannot be replaced as a
single unit because it is an integrated unit.
The LED bulb has to be replaced with
the unit. We recommend an Authorised
Mazda Repairer when the replacement is
necessary.

Running lights (Bulb type)

1. Make sure the ignition is switched off,

and the headlight switch is off.

2. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer

and remove the retainers.

Removal

Installation

3. Turn the screw anticlockwise and

remove it, and then partially peel back
the mudguard.

4. Turn the socket and bulb assembly

anticlockwise and remove it.

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6–41

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

5. Disconnect the bulb from the socket.

6. Install the new bulb in the reverse order

of the removal procedure.

Front direction indicator lights

1. Make sure the ignition is switched off,

and the headlight switch is off.

2. If you are changing the right bulb, start

the engine, turn the steering wheel
all the way to the right, and turn off
engine. If you are changing the left
bulb, turn the steering wheel to the left.

3. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer

and remove the retainers, and then
partially peel back the mudguard.

Removal

Installation

4. Disconnect the connector from the unit

by pressing the tab on the connector
with your

¿ nger and pulling the

connector rearward.

5. Turn the socket and bulb assembly

anticlockwise and remove it.

6. Disconnect the bulb from the socket.

7. Install the new bulb in the reverse order

of the removal procedure.

Side direction indicator lights

1. Make sure the ignition is switched off,

and the headlight switch is off.

2. If you are changing the right bulb, start

the engine, turn the steering wheel
all the way to the right, and turn off
engine. If you are changing the left
bulb, turn the steering wheel to the left.

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Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

3. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer

and remove the retainers, and then
partially peel back the mudguard.

Removal

Installation

4. Remove the unit by pressing the tab on

the unit with your

¿ nger and pulling the

unit forward.

5. Detach the electrical connector from

the unit by pulling it to the rear.

6. Install the new side direction indicator

unit in the reverse order of the removal
procedure.

Rear direction indicator lights

1. Make sure the ignition is switched off,

and the headlight switch is off.

2. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer

and remove the retainers and the boot
end trim.

Removal

Installation

3. Disconnect the connector from the unit

by pressing the tab on the connector
with your

¿ nger and pulling the

connector downward.

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6–43

Maintenance and Care

Owner Maintenance

4. Pull the centre of each plastic retainer

and remove the retainers, and then
partially peel back the boot side trim.

Removal

Installation

5. To provide a hole for inserting a

¿ nger

to remove the rear combination lamp
unit later in the procedure, pinch the
top and bottom of the grommet shown
in the

¿ gure and press it out of the hole

in the direction of the rear combination
lamp unit.

Grommet

Rear combination lamp
unit

Grommet

Body

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