Several questions incoming any help would be greatly appreciated. I have a 2004 Mazda3 4Door 2.3L with low mileage. I am trying to get my car maintenance and take care of any and all things that may need to be done. I have had the car looked at by a few places and after talking to a few people have narrowed it down to the few things I would like to get done first. Here are some questions I have...

I'm trying to get this done on a very tight budget and thankfully one of my friends who does mechanic work on the side said he would take care of all the labor for what I need done as long as I supply the materials. So...

1. Transmission Drain and Fill - What is an ample amount of transmission fluid for this and what is the best, cheap, fluid I can use for this as well? Would something like this... http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...smission+fluid ... Work perfectly fine?

2. Radiator flush - Is there an amount needed over 1 gallon? Or would ... http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...chTerm=coolant ... work as well?

3. Rear brake pads - I have had several places say the rear brake pads are looking bad again trying to keep the budget tight and recommendations for this or will something from a local auto parts store work?

4. Cabin Air Filter - I have seen many different filters come up with various different part numbers while searching for a cheap replacement... Would just about any of these other air filters fit in this spot? Such as... ?

5. General maintenance - Is there any other general tips for maintaining the cars health as long as possible? Or any other problems Mazdas are notorious for that I should continue keeping my eye out for?

Any help is greatly appreciated and I thank anyone who can offer any insight.

 

Real quick
Auto Trans Fluid - Castrol Multi Import -is ok approx 8 qts
Radiator Fluid Replace- Peak -would get the full strength and 2 gallon of distilled water and mix you might need more the 1 gallon to purge the system and fill the Reservoir
Back brakes shoes -Akebono- and possibly your rotors turned older Mazdas were biased to the rear brakes.
Cabin Air Filter use WIX 24482 amazon approx $19
Change oil and filter if needed
Check battery and connections clean and put valeline on post
Check tire air pressure to 34psi

Oh and btw buy you mechanic a 6pack of his favorite beer for changing that Cabin Air Filter its a PITA