Mazda Protege5

glennisf

I saw on another Mazda board that the rattle is coming from the exhaust system. It seems that Mazda is aware of it, but doesn't have a solution yet. I'm taking mine in for a seatbelt replacement this week and will also inquire about the rattle.

ponyup

First of all, you havent identified your needs. But lets look past that. These are two different cars. You forgive the VW's less than excellent reliablity and then claim that you dont race the thing but like the tunability of the engine. Then you claim that the "Feel" of a mexican built VW is superior to the 98% japanese built Mazda. Furthermore, you really blow it and explain that you would buy the 2.0 VW for its feel and safety ratings, even paying a premium over the Pro5 if that was the case?????

Look, you probably love your VW. I can go along with that. But you obviously cannot be objective when comparing anything to it. I passed the Jetta, golf, and many other DECENT (any they are decent!) cars for the Pro5. It isnt the finest automobile on the planet. But I traded down from a world class automobile to the Pro5 so I can tell you from experience that this is a VERY well built car. And by trading down, Im havent had to sacrifice much in the process. Well, I guess Im a whole heck of alot wealthier for it.

Speaking of wealthier, Im gonna go look for a nice place to take my Pro5 on vacation. Any ideas where I can go for exactly $3285 US dollars (the EXact amount of money I saved in the first second of ownership by not buying the Jetta GLS 1.8T)_???? You probably dont wanna hear about the rest of the money Ill save as the years go by do ya????

Its kinda like this: If I gave you a Pro5 and a check for 3285 dollars, Do ya think you might understand? If you do, try adding that onto the Sticker of your jetta and comparing your car to one at that price. Then go ahead and post to THAT board. See how that flies and let us know. Have a SUPER day, Im going on vacation!

samsvoc

Well said,ponyup.

theritz2

Response to 1598, 1599 and 1600 -
Since I don't drive my wife's P5 very often and the weather hasn't been very cool down here in Texas yet, I didn't notice the "rattle" until recently. It does happen only when cold (which leads me to believe that it IS related to the exhaust linkage). Plus, we have now noticed a sulphur/exhaust smell inside the car when the re-circulate internal air button is active. I can open a window, place the switch in external air and blow the smell out of the car, but if you close the windows again and put it in recirculate, it comes back. So what's going on? Rattle coming from a bad/loose seal in the exhaust manifold, pipe or catalytic convertor linkage? Whatever it is, if the smell is connected with it I REALLY don't like that...

betaerror

maybe someone already posted this question, but i don't have the time and too lazy to read thru all 1603 posting. i'm just wondering where's the Protege 5 built in? cuz i saw on the window sticker that the final assembly point is Japan, while edmunds.com said it's built in St. Louis, MO. and does a vin number starting with a J indicates it's built in Japan?? thanks.

revka

Now that we're up to 1600+ posts in this discussion, I created a new discussion where owners can discuss their Protege5 problems and solutions. This will be helpful for those with problems, in that they won't have to scroll through thousands of messages in order to find a solution.

So if you're experiencing a problem with your Mazda Protete5, or have helpful information to offer those with problems, please join us in this in this new discussion: Mazda Protege5 (Problems & Solutions). If you've recently posted a problem in this discussion, you may want to copy/paste your message into that discussion. For future reference, look for a direct link this new discussion in the Additional Resources on the left side of the page. Hope this is helpful.

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

mazdadude1

Since the weather has turned cooler, I am getting an engine rattle in the morning. Sounds almost like hard spark knock, but worse. Goes away after about one tenth of a mile. So I just don't drive it hard the first minute or so. Seems to be a common problem. Someone earlier in this room said it might have something to do with iron block/aluminum head combination... different metals heating and expanding at different rates???? Greek to me... Guess I should post this on the new board. later

peteach_3

Okay I really need everyone help here!!!! After reading hours of posts here and at other forums, I am totally confused. Therefore, I have come back to the place that has never let me down before with GREAT advice.

1. I am thinking about buying a nose mask for my Pro5. I do not drive long distances regularly, but think I would need the protection when I do. When no excepting a long trip I would take off the bra. Is it worth the money and can it really damage your car?

2. I wash my Pro5 every weekend and think that is due for a waxing (bought Aug 15). What is a good wax? And do I need a cleaner?

Please help me with my problems!!!!!

Zoom Zoom

P.S. has anyone cashed in on Mazda's free boster seat offer through Toys r Us?????

bluong1

The Pro5 is buit in Hiroshima, Japan!

bluong1

1. IMHO, the bra is most effective when the road circulation is dense and there is plenty of gravel and stones flying around. On the long trip, you have more bugs and insects. I heard the bra can dammage the car if one let it mounted for long time, thus acid water and moisture located between the bra and the nose of the car can be harmful. If you mount it only for a long trip, it should not damage your car.

2. If your car does not have a wax when you bought it (mine has), you should wax it now. The car must be waxed one or twice a year. I heard good review on "Nu Finish" product. An independent test said Nu finish's protection can last up to 1 year.

Bruno

mustang87

personally i would appreciate if it was combined back into ONE group. This way i don't have to go read through one group, then go read through another one. If its related to protege5, it should be in this forum not in 10 different ones. And since everybody is reading one group there is a bigger chance that they will see the post and reply to it. What does everybody think? Revka?

vocus

I currently have a 2001 Protege ES 2.0, and had a 1999 Protege DX before this one. They both had the cold engine rattle. Totally normal. It goes away when the engine is warm, so don't worry about it. Also, try not to exceed 2500-3000 rpm when the engine is cold, it's not good for it.

bluong1

Yes mustang87, I also didn't liked the idea of lurking in too many discussion boards. Being Protege5 owner, I have to lurk on:

- Mazda Protege
- Mazda Protege problems (maintenance)
- Mazda Protege5
- Hyundai Elantra GT vs Mazda Protege5
- Mazda Protege5 problems and solutions

That's too much. I vote for cancelling the last board, if it's not too late.

Bruno

bluong1

Yesterday, I spent three hours to clean the car and remove the black paint spots falling from a truck 2 weeks ago with a cream product called "turtle-wax, bugs & tar remover". All the paint spots are gone!

zoom-zoom,

Bruno

revka

Considering the amount of traffic here, we thought it would be helpful for Protege5 owners to have an additional discussion where they could focus on problems & solutions. Please understand that what may be convenient for your needs may not work so well for someone that has a serious concern with their vehicle... and is urgent to have the matter resolved.

A separate discussion focusing on problems/solutions also gives participants immediate access to this information via our Town Hall Search feature. Having a separate discussion for problems has worked well for a lot of the other groups here. Let's also keep in mind that the 2002 Protege5 is a first year model that may be prone to different kinds of issues than the Protege sedan. So let's give this a try and see how this works out. Okay? Thanks for your participation.

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

esto

What would REALLY be convenient is a search function that works (specific to discussions
being the first item on the list). A workaround would be the ability to get a LOT more than
20 messages on a page, so I could use the browser's search function. The way things are
now, it's hopeless to try and see if something has already been discussed.

Erik

elec3

I agree with the others who have already suggested recombining the new thread with this one. I generally read this thread and the Protege thread in the Sedans board. If there is a separate low-traffic Protege5 problems thread, instead of attracting my attention I'm simply likely to ignore it. I'd much rather read 30 messages a day in this one thread than 20 here and 10 over in problems. It's only a couple clicks away but it's just much easier to have it all in one place.

mazdafun

...from any negotiation on price. I'd look around at other dealers. Nothing gets them moving like competition...assuming they have some.

A friend of mine saved a few hundred on his Pro ES by just calling different dealers for their best prices. Luckily, we have 4 decent Mazda dealerships around here.

It shouldn't matter to the dealer whether you pay cash for, lease or finance the vehicle. The 0% means the company financing the deal eats the administrative costs etc.

The dealer's just trying to get more $$$.

the_big_h

Try the Message Center feature in the Edmunds Town Hall. At the bottom the last message in a thread there's usually 3 buttons there. Use the 'Subscribe' button to subscribe to the thread, and 'Message Center' to view a list of all the threads you've subscribed. The Message Center only shows topics that have new postings that you have not read. It is very useful for keeping tab on ONLY the threads that you're interested in. The Message Center feature makes tracking multiple Protege-related topics much easier, to me at least. Try it!

btw only registered Town Hall users can use this feature, so if you can post on this board, you can use this feature!

ashutoshsm

The two share over 90% of their content (ES and P5) and by separating the maintenance, repair, accessories and the plethora of other discussions already set up for the Sedan, you will deprive P5 owners of the opinions and info from the much larger owner base from the Sedans section (Way more sedans are sold than the wagon!)

For some cars, separate discussions may make sense, but these are two almost identical vehicles (except for the rear-end) and its just silly (and blind, IMHO) bureaucracy to insisit on going forward with this!

Unless you want to ensure that no Sedans owners that use TownHall ever bother to look at the P5 discussions, and vice versa!

bluong1

Yes, I completely agree with you. The different names of Protege/Protege5 are no more than the direct result from Mazda marketing folks. These two cars are virtually identical. In some country both have a same name, and they should have a same discussion boards. What we need is a simplification of the number of boards, and not the contrary.
Even if there is a lot of traffic in one particular discussion board and a lack of a search engine in Edmund towhall, a new participant can always (re)post his question without wonder if the topic is previously discussed or not, at least it never bother me. Multiplication of the number of boards will create more problems IMHO. For example I know that there is an instructions posted in Edmund for replacing front and back speakers of the P/P5, but I am unable to recall in which boards it was posted. In addition, by dividing the discussions, the chance for a urgent question to be read by someone who can answer will be reduced, thus IMHO it will not bring any good.

Bruno

mazdadude1

Thanks for the info on engine characteristics vocus. Got my zoom-zoom decal from Mazdatown today in the mail. Looks cool. later

redpr5

I asked my dealer for a zoom-zoom sticker, and he gave me three. I just purchased my red Protege5 with auto and moon roof Friday. It is a great car. I love the way it handles, the ride is great and it has enough power. I traded my 2000 Infiniti G20t in on the Protege5. That car is also a great car, just not enough power. Miss the Bose sound system though. Going to replace the stock one soon, along with the speakers.

I also bought a 2002 Tribute ES for my wife. Traded in a 2000 Honda Ex on it. My wife has always wanted a SUV. I am going to put one of the zoom-zoom stickers on it. Maybe put the other one on e-bay

vtec2

Don't you just hate when you post, and it's like nobody hears you?

esto

I thought I heard a post.

mazdadude1

I share in your joy of driving your p5. I have the auto too and am having fun learning the shift points. Mine p5 is silver with sunroof. In the 80s today and sunny, so I took the long curvy road home. Enjoy the ride... later

mdaffron

The Protege5 is going to lose the "5" next year. They'll all be simply called Protege, with four- and five-door models to choose from. If you start that topic now, you'll confuse buyers of the 2003 model next year.

Meade

mdaffron

The Protege5 has won Edmunds' 2002 Editors Best Pick for "Small Station Wagon Under $20,000."

If this is old news, sorry! I hang out, for the most part, on the Mazda Protege topic.

Meade

bluong1

... In addition, bellow is a quote from Edmund: "... think of the Protege5 as a Lexus IS 300 SportCross for the masses"! Flattered compliment I think.

Bruno

ateixeira

Very flattering, and I do think they are a nice looking pair. When the Mazda 6 wagon comes, if it comes, the two Mazdas may be the best looking pair of wagons on the market.

-juice

mazdafun

IMHO, I think the P5 looks much better than the IS300 SportCross. The rear of the IS300 SC looks kind of lumpy to me. Whereas the P5 looks like one integrated whole, the back end of the SC looks like it was lopped off and then smashed in. I thought that look went out with Pinto wagons and Maverick coupes.

The one view of the Mazda 6 wagon looks very nice. I'd like to get a full panoramic view when that becomes available.

toivo

To mfarmer2: I bought my Protege5 from Courtesy Mazda in Tampa. They have a web site (http://www.courtesycars.com/loc-mazda-tampa/index.asp), and you can request a quote via the web page.

The Internet sales person, Cherie Turner, was a bit new at her job but very nice to deal with. I also talked to Eric Watson, who was a tad more of a traditional car salesman. I stated on the outset that I was not interested in gimmicks or add-ons, and apart from the window etching they honored my request. Since the quoted price was low enough I decided to let them get away with the etchings. Financing was also trouble-free. They didn't even try to push protection packages, pinstripes or anything else on the car. Extended warranties and dealer alarms were offered once, and not pushed after I politely declined.

Mazda finance through them was very simple, no fees or anything else unexpected.

I'm happy dealing with Courtesy Mazda, but you definitely have to have a bit of smarts, double-check any figures they give you and be willing to say "no".

bluong1

Are both "heel-and-toe dowshift" and "double clutch" describing the same shifting technique?

Thank you,

Bruno

elec3

I'm coming up on my first oil change for my silver auto P5 and I'm trying to decide whether to go with synthetic (most likely Mobil 1) or good old-fashioned dino juice. A good friend of mine works at Jiffy Lube and can hook me up with a bit of a deal but says to get it done there will cost around $20 for natural and nearly $50 for synthetic. I also discovered that for about $20 at Wal-Mart I can get 5 quarts of Mobil 1 and a new oil filter which is not bad but I'd have to either change it myself or get Jiffy Lube friend to help me with it. What do you guys recommend? Is synthetic worth the extra cash? Is changing the oil yourself in a Protege/P5 relatively easy? If it helps my car spends most of its time in a hot, dry, dusty environment.

pjd58

park right next to my month old Mill. Red LX 2.0, at a local supermarket today. I parked out of the way, to avoid door dings. I guess the P5 owner knew his car was safe next to mine, or he just wanted to show off his new wheels:) Or let me know I should have gotten a P5 instead:)

newcar31

Buy the oil at Walmart and have your buddie at Jiffy Lube change it for you for free. I used to work at Jiffy Lube too and I did that for all of my friends. Its much more easy to change the oil on a Protege if you don't have to jack it up. Most Jiffy Lubes have pits which makes it a 5 minute job if the car is warm. Get the synthetic and change it every 4-5000 miles, thats what I do.

qddave

I was just reading about the new 6 and the base engine is a 2.3L 160HP four banger. Has anyone heard of this engine becoming an option for the Protege?

pjd58

slated for the 2003 Protege. Don't be surprised if Mazda drops the Protege name for 2003.

boopoppa

there was a recent post asking about heel-toe and double clutching if they were the same thing.

can someone explain to me also what heel-toe shifting is? as well as double-clutching

thanks
boo

elec3

He works at Jiffy Lube but I don't think he'd do it free if I showed up at the shop with my own oil and filter. Well maybe if it was a really slow day, but I'll bet his boss would frown on it. Is it difficult to change the oil assuming it would be a done-in-driveway job?

newcar31

Nah, it won't be difficult to do in the driveway. You'll have to jack it up though. You WILL NOT get the oil filter off unless you jack it up. Unless you already have them, I think its time to go out an invest in a jack and some jack stands.

Sporin

"Heel-and-toe downshift" and "double clutch" are two different techniques. I occasionally double-clutch on high-RPM downshifts, but have never gotten the hang of heel & toeing. :-)

You can read good summaries and instructions here --> www.turnfast.com

bluong1

Thanks for the link! I'm trying to practice now the heel-and-toe downshift with my P5. My problem now is the brake pedal is higher and the gas pedal, therefore it's not easy to push both pedals in the same time with the right foot.

Bruno

ateixeira

I'd wait about 15k miles before switching to synthetic to allow the engine to break-in properly. You need some friction for that to happen.

160hp sounds good in a Protege. Gives it the power to compete with the Civic Si and Sentra SE-R.

For the easiest oil changes, invest in a set of Rhino Ramps. I paid $35 at Pep Boys, and you just drive up, change the oil and filter, drive off. I do all 3 of our cars in less than one hour, though it took longer the first time.

Get an oil filter wrench to remove the oil filter (but only hand tighten the new one), and a ratchet set or at least a crescent wrench to remove the drain plug (make sure it's the one on the oil pan, not the transmission!).

If you want to be a real pro, pick up a torque wrench to work with your ratchet set.

-juice

elec3

Ok, thanks guys. Definitely good to know I need a jack or ramps or something to get the car off the ground to do it in the driveway. I'll ask friend at Jiffy Lube about doing it in the shop if I bring my own oil and filter.

re: juice - My Pro5 doesn't really get very many miles, so 15k would likely take me another 2 years. Each year I make 2 1500 mile journeys to/from school and most of my driving while I'm at school is either 10 miles round trip (cause any farther and you're out of town) or the occasional 50-60 mile trip to El Paso or Elephant Butte Lake. I've had the car since early June and I only now have 3700 miles on it, including one 1500 mile trip to school.

Still maybe I should just go with the cheap stuff for now. Beats me.

protege_fan

Are the drain plugs clearly labelled as to which one is oil/tranny?

ateixeira

Not usually, but look for the oil pan. The transmission looks a lot different, much bigger and longer.

I don't have a photo of the underside of a Protege, but if you have one I'll try to point them out to you. Your owner's manual just might.

-juice

mazdafun

I have a '99 LX. The drain plug for the oil pan is just inside the rear end of the right-front wheel. It should be accessible through a cut-out in the corner of the plastic shield under the engine bay.

Rhino Ramps, eh? Is that the brand name? I got a set of ramps that are too steep (the bumper cover hits them before the tires even touch them). Bummer. At least the mistake cost me only $15.

swales

Hey Everyone!

I'm a real rookie when it comes to working on my car so my question is kind of stupid. :-)

I want to change my tires to winter one's but I don't want to use the jack that comes with the car and change one at a time etc. like I did last year on my old 626, it's such a pain. Now if I go out and buy a jack and some jack stands, can I change all four at once? or just two? Do I need two jacks to change all four at once?

Thanks a lot guys for helping a rookie.

mazdafun

I'd feel nervous with any vehicle up on 4 jack stands and nothing else. Probably nothing wrong with it, but it still makes me nervous.

I too find the screw jack time-consuming to use. They don't call it an emergency jack for nothing. I use a hydraulic jack. I chock the other 3 wheels and jack up the car (it takes only a few seconds). Make sure the jack you get has a head like the one on the emergency jack (two flat rectangular pads, separated by a notch). The round head that looks like the top of a chess rook will deform the sheet metal at the jacking locations.

To lower the car, slightly unscrew the bleeder screw on the hydraulic cylinder and the car will float down (or drop down hard, if you unscrew it too quickly and too far).