First time posting after just now joining the forum. Thanks in advance for any comments.
Been having issues with wife's 2016 CX-5 batteries. Two Mazda batteries over the last 2-3 years. Maybe parasitic drain (Mazda dealer says is within what's acceptable), maybe not driving enough. Regardless, I want to start out again with a battery that I know is good, meaning a 60 or 65 amp-hour (Ah) one as specified in the owner's manual. I contacted Mazda to see what batteries (group 35) they sold and their Ah rating and was told the manufacturer no longer provides Ah information. After searching the web, I've been unable to find any non-AGM batteries with an Ah rating higher than 55. Most batteries don't even provide Ah information, only CCA. So, can anyone offer up any suggestions on whether a 60-65 Ah battery is needed for this vehicle, can a non-AGM 60-65 Ah battery even be found, can this vehicle handle an AGM battery (if I decide to go the AGM route so I can get 65 Ah. Waiting word from my dealer for answer to this question), etc? Thanks.

 

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

A couple things based on years of selling installing and diagnosing electrical problems and short-lived battery life dilemmas. What I found with new Mazda form about 2014 to 2021 (have not worked on enough 2022 to give an opinion yet) is that the ground cables as well the positive lead to the battery are too small or for grounds not enough of them. Adding a single larger diameter positive cable form the battery to the started and a couple larger diameter grounds will help any vehicle. Especially the MAZDAs. This will NOT void the warranty of your MAZDA in any way!
My choice of battery after my second Mazda OE battery failed was to replace it with an Optima. For your Mazda REDTOP 35 as per application guide on their website.
2016,Mazda,CX-5,L4 2.5L GAS (optimabatteries.com)

To support my recommendation I have used a Optima REDTOP in my Mazda going on 3 years without any problems. My personal Mazda has more added electronics ,i.e. upgrades muti-amplifier sound system, active alarm, several engine operating additions including addition cooling fans and a few other goodies.

I am not sure why you found and the reasoning Mazda is suggesting to use such a high AH rating? never the less the Optima AH is 44 and have used it in operating ambient temperature's from 22F through 113F without any concern or starting problems.I will add however that my stereo system with the sub-woofer amps can lower the voltage very quickly in less than 20 minutes to the point my low battery voltage alarm goes off. LOL Time to start the engine.

You can see my Mazda thread and the battery as well the cables I added. Here:
Mazda3 Things I like to do - Mazda Forum - Mazda Enthusiast Forums

 

In no particular order of importance...
I don't know why Mazda recommends a 60 or 65 Ah battery, but that's what the manual says. Since they can't tell me what Ah batteries they sell, I'm betting the one they put in my car is not what the manual recommends.
I will take a look at the battery cables to make sure they are secure. I don't imagine they are undersized and should certainly be the proper gauge to allow electricity to flow from the alternator to the battery. If I had a large electrical demand on my battery, I could see possibly beefing up the cables.
Mazda has already checked for parasitic drain and said it's within specs, though I don't remember offhand how high the drain was.
Didn't have battery problems before we moved to where we now live. Here, it's a short drive to anyplace in town and we don't drive the Mazda as often or on as long of trips as we used to before we moved (used to drive about 30-40 minutes each way to work 5X/week). Plus, Covid hit right after we moved, so even less driving because of that for a while.
A couple of weeks ago, I returned to the airport from a month-long trip. Absolutely nothing electronically was working. I'd brought a portable jump starter and was able to get the car started. Before I drove to the airport a month earlier, I'd topped off the battery at home using a battery tender. That, along with the 4-hour drive to the airport, should have fully charged the battery. So I'd think it would have not been dead after a month of not having been driven. But, my guess is that as many times as the battery had gotten low over the previous months, it just couldn't hold a charge very long any more.
So here are my thoughts and plan:
Buy a new battery, with Ah as close as I can get to what Mazda recommends.
Check cables to make sure they are secure and in good condition.
Check to make sure the alternator is working as it should.
Periodically hook up the trickle charger.
Don't take the portable jump starter out of the car.
Take longer drives when possible.
Take the car to a different dealership to check for parasitic drain (if all of the above don't work).
Thanks for the comments so far. If you can't remain civil, no need to comment further.
ctbale - I see you're in AK. Moved here from Eagle River 3 years ago after 22 years there. Miss AK, especially fishing and dipnetting.

 

You seem to have a good plan to me. When I first got my 2022 I was baffled at the way Mazda listed the battery specs. For mine they list 12V-60Ah/20HR. Most mfg just list group and the OE part number which will lead someone to the full specs. If within the parasitic drain specs you might just need to make sure there are some longer drive cycles depending on your driving habits. If the battery has been routinely running down replacement is optimal - Callisto up there has a good battery recommendation with personal long term owner experience.

I live in Michigan but visit Alaska almost yearly for a couple weeks sometimes in summer sometimes in winter. I have family in Eagle River. Hard to leave each time.

 

If your Mazda sometimes sits between trips, a Battery Tender, or something similar is a good way to keep the battery topped up. It seems like most newer cars have some parasitic loss. Cheap insurance.

 

^^^ this will also help prolong the life of a battery as well. ^^^^

General response not direct at any members!!!!
I think based on this subject coming up often is many are perhaps not fully understanding what AH is and how it works. No need to to explain it lengthy and there is not real short version. The simple way to think about it is how long are you going to use the battery only to supply the needed power to keep things running.

Parasitic drain gets a bad rap on forums because IMHO many think of anything that drains the battery when the engine is off is a parasitic drain. Its not really like the old school thoughts. The newer vehicles have many electronics that continue to draw small amounts of energy from the battery. This is why on dealership lots you will frequently see the lot "boys" (or girls) charging the batteries. On new vehicles. It is also somewhat common that during the pre-delivery to the customer of thier new vehicle that part of the inspection is load testing the battery and charging it up. Take a peek in the service bay next trip to your dealership.

As for battery choices the word in most all MADZA oem is that word recommend or suggested. NOT always and very rarely REQUIRED for any specific battery specification except maybe the physical size.

My recommendation for adding or installing larger battery cables go without saying it is a mathematical equation on energy draw and capacity to carry the current loads. As a higher demand for voltage needs to be supplied careful consideration for cable size and type should be thought out. MAZDA as well many auto manufactures use what most of cable type and mounting location to fit the most common usage. Lower or high temperatures or the age of the charging system parts battery and alternator, added electronical play a part in consideration to cables size and type. Example if your engine does not start on the first 2-4 engine revolution the amp draw becomes greater and the efficiency to carry the voltage demand through the cables increase at time exponentially.
The MAZDA ECU controls the charging rate of the battery. So even small drives less than a few miles if the system is to specification can fully charge a battery to rested voltage of 12.5-12-7 volts Depending on your model there is in the FSM the voltage drop table for storing, parking for long periods of time.


As policy in our service shop whenever a customer comes in and has electrical problem before we write up a work order the battery is load tested and all the battery connection are inspected. The results are noted on the service order.

NEW BATTERIES:
The industry for manufacturing of NEW batteries began to use "re-cycled " material. Currently there is no regulation that requires notification to consumers of this. The good news is there are many battery manufactures that will state 100% new materials in the manufacturing of their batteries. It has not been established yet that these NEW batteries with recycled materials has a effect on the longevity of battery life but in the last ten years the increase in replacement batteries has come close to double what it ever has.
When buying a battery, I recommend to always have the battery low tested and try to buy the newest production manufactured battery you can find in the retailer you are buy it from. DO NOT go by the date code sticker that is not the manufactured date. The actual date of manufacture is melted in code on usually the top plate or cover of the battery. You would need to go to the supplier's website or contact the manufacture direct to get the date code in formation.


I often have customer's and read on forums that batter fails in less time than their warranty period and base the usage information on when they purchesed the battery and not the actual life of the battery.

As an example, INTERSTATE batteries, , having sold hundreds when I worked for a RV Dealership, and almost monthly won contests they had.... for numbers sold LOL I also stock and retailed them in my own personally owned shops. The Interstate Battery distributor carried batteries from other brands as well that I stocked and sold. He would often pull from my inventory any battery that had a sticker date code over 2-month-old. Replacing it with a newer battery and date code. Those batteries are returned to their warehouse and inspected, and load tested re-stickered with a new date code and redistributed. This is a COMMON PRACTICE even with large Autoparts chain stores and large retailer's like COSCO. Look how the stock is set up on the battery racks. The older sticked date codes to the front and newer stickered date codes to the rear:

My pictures in the earlier post can be a bit confusing because I have many added electronics and connect directly to the battery. . There is basically only 2 cables of larger diameter connected to the battery positive lead/terminal to starter and negative terminal/lead to engine. A DIY (do-it-yourself) can install both these cables in less then an hour labor and simple garage tools. Nothing hard or complicated.

Anyone contacting a Auto electrical specialty service shop and asking about the installation of larger power leads when they know your application or vehicle in formation, I am sure will recommend my suggestion.

 

Another tip to keep a healthy battery healthy is unhooking the neg cable. Most vehicals I own, if its going to sit for more then a month I pop off the neg cable at the battery. Did that on my 2022 cx-9 from March till September. Started right up. I keep a cheap 10 mm wrench in the glove box just for that reason. All modern cars have some drain going on so at least on all my newer vehicles I isolate the battery. Yeah definitely some upsides for living up in alaska. But we always try to get out for a few months a year.

 

Not bad advice from my good friend ctbale.
But remember that you will need to re-set many of your Mazda's features and settings when you reconnect the battery.
I might add which I am sure he forgot to mention that in freezing temperatures a battery stored by disconnecting should be warmed up before starting the engine. The highest energy draw will be on the start cycle. A super chilled battery cannot support the amps to maintain a good battery life if subjected to disconnect or storing and starts without pre warming it.Most Batteries rely on chemical reactions to work, and freezing temperatures slow or stop those reactions.

 

lots of information for a battery thread!

 

You will find I tend to be long winded when responding to the few threads I participate on. LOL
I cant post on all the threads it would take my whole day. I do try to help a few members and participate on threads that have my interest.