I was looking at a couple of threads about protective screens for the oil coolers. That made me wonder why Mazda didn't put any in in the first place. It occurred to me that perhaps Mazda designed them to be rugged enough to handle the occasional bug or large pebble strike, and no other protection is necessary. That raises the question, has anyone here had their oil cooler seriously damaged by road debris?


BTW, smashing into the back of a garbage truck at 50 mph doesn't count.

 

the fins get bent just like a rad or ac condenser. the screens are just extra insurance. if you need an oil cooler lmk. i have a set for sale

 

Those screens won't protect from a big enough piece of debris to damage the cooler in one shot. It's for bugs and pebbles damage over time.

Mine are protected but my rad is not and the rad is in significantly worse shape.