A lot of modern transmissions don’t have a dipstick at all, particularly as manufacturers move towards transmissions that have very long service intervals and are considered sealed systems. Which is fine until it’s not. And that’s when you need to check the level and condition of the transmission fluid.

The good news is that the BT-50 in question does have a dipstick. The bad news is that’s mighty difficult to get to. You need to be under the car (so safety is the key here) and then locate a 19mm fitting on the driver’s side of the transmission. By unscrewing this fitting, you can withdraw the dipstick and check the level. The other catch is that you need to do this with the engine running (to get an accurate reading) and the dipstick is located close to what will therefore be a hot exhaust system.

All of this means it’s really a job for a specialist with a hoist and is a great example of a carmaker saving a few cents per car in production at the expense of the greater running costs for the owner over the life of the vehicle.

The first thing to do is take a look at where the car was parked. You’re checking for a pool of transmission fluid that has leaked out over time while the car has been stationary. A low of fluid can cause all sort of problems in an automatic transmission, including the one you’re experiencing.

However, the transmission in this vehicle is well known for noises when selecting gears from Park, particularly after it has been sitting for a while. The problems were usually traced to the valve body of the transmission and some valve-body assemblies were replaced as part of a technical program conducted by the manufacturer.

The catch, though, is that the service bulletin involved suggested that only transmissions in cars built up to 2014 were affected, and since your car is a 2018 model, it shouldn’t have the same problems. But it wouldn’t be the first time a problem thought solved by a car-maker has resurfaced in subsequent models.

Mazda has confirmed the current BT-50 generation will not be replaced until after 2020, though it has recently received a minor facelift update.