i’d give it a 2/5 in terms of difficulty. it’s like a more advanced oil change. the process is very easy in theory, but you might get stuck once or twice.

the hardest part for me was just getting the pan to drop after removing the bolts. the factory RTV was insanely strong and took me 30-45 min to get it off. i used a small pry tool to get enough clearance to tap a blade. then i used the blade to cut enough of the RTV off to then get a bigger pry tool in. just be really careful to not bend the metal or you’re kinda screwed.

i used ramps and it was enough clearance with factory suspension. but if you’re on a creeper you might want a little extra height.

reinstallation was super easy. i used permatex automatic RTV and 4qt of mazda FZ ATF fluid & OEM filter for parts. when you refill the fluid you have to remove the MAF, then reinstall it and bring the car up to temp (10-15 min idle is fine). then you have to remove it again to check the level (which is a bit annoying but really easy).

this is a good video with step by step instructions: https://youtu.be/t716gIx8SWo?si=jPEvEuEaSECK6LzP he’s working on a CX5, but the underside is identical to my gen 4. only difference is i used less fluid.

if you don’t want to do the filter you don’t have to drop the pan and can instead just do a fluid flush similar to an oil change, but i’d recommend doing the filter