What is the lifespan of a Mazda6 in kilometers?
3 Answers
A car's lifespan can generally reach 15 years, or approximately 600,000 kilometers. If the vehicle is well-maintained, it can even last longer. In fact, with proper use and maintenance, a vehicle's service life can easily exceed 15 years, which is also the reason for abolishing the mandatory scrapping policy after 15 years. Regulations on vehicle lifespan: In industrially developed countries, the average lifespan of a car ranges between seven to twelve years. According to the vehicle depreciation system previously implemented in China's transportation sector, cars reaching the depreciation period must undergo technical evaluation before being allowed to be scrapped. Reasons for limiting lifespan: During normal use, a car's performance gradually declines with age. Upon reaching a certain period, it must be scrapped. Indefinitely prolonging a vehicle's lifespan would lead to significant deterioration in both power and fuel efficiency due to wear and tear of individual components and the vehicle as a whole. This would result in increased fuel and lubricant consumption, higher maintenance frequency, excessive consumption of spare parts and labor hours, and a sharp rise in maintenance costs.
The Mazda6 can easily last 400,000 kilometers with proper maintenance. I've seen several old Mazda6 models still running strong with over 300,000 km on the odometer. Its engine technology is mature, especially the 2.0L naturally aspirated unit – just change the oil regularly with genuine products, and replace the timing belt and water pump as scheduled, and it'll rarely have major issues. Pay attention to the rear suspension as it tends to cause uneven tire wear; regular wheel alignment can fix this. For automatic transmissions, it's best to change the fluid every 60,000 km, while manual transmissions are more durable. The key factor is how well the previous owner maintained it – if there's a complete dealership service history, you could buy one with 250,000 km and drive it for another decade. Don't underestimate older cars – you still see plenty of 2008 Mazda6 models on the road today.
Last time at the repair shop, I met an experienced Mazda6 owner. He said the car's engine only needed major overhaul after reaching 500,000 km, with just regular fluid changes as per the manual. The main thing to watch is engine mount rubber aging causing vibrations - needs inspection around 100,000 km. Fast brake disc/pad wear is a common issue, and power steering fluid leaks in southern regions. The transmission is actually quite durable, but long-term oil neglect causes gearshift jerks. In owner groups, some shared that replacing all rubber parts at 250,000 km immediately restored chassis tightness. Aftermarket parts are cheap, keeping maintenance costs very low. Honestly, the real lifespan limiter is body rust, especially in northern areas using road salt - good undercoating can add ten more years.
