Mazda Protege5

dolce2

My experience with the factory installed 6CD changer: so far no skip whatsoever on normal CDs with 1000 miles.

csuftitans

meaford, we have an 85 lb Golden Retriever (yes, she's overweight) and she fits in the back just fine and she still have some room to move around; can't make a Ui though; maybe. You do need to take the hatch part off, so she can poke her head through the back seat and look at the beautiful P5 interior :-).
anyway, the hardest part is to get her in and out of the car. She can't jump that high by herself, so I have to pick up her 85 lb fat up to the car; man I'm tired just thinking about it. But it's all worth it for us and for her I'm sure. Good Luck.

ateixeira

My Miata's CD player skips, too. It is 8 years old, though.

-juice

mustang87

>The yellow leather seat looks cool...but my car >is silver...i'll be happy with all black >leather...

This is nice:

Sporin

My car is silver. I think charcoal leather with red sttching would be nice.

bluong1

never skips with commercial CDs during 7000 miles.

Bruno

vocus

Mine in my 2001 ES used to skip sometimes, but it had to be a really big bump to make it do that. I also had other problems with the radio though. I turned it way up once (about two notches from all the way), and it eventually blew out. The sound stopped coming out of it. The dealer said it was a defect, and replaced the radio. But the new one did the same thing. Anyone ever have that problem before?

ateixeira

Easy on your ears, or you'll need a hearing aid by the time you turn 40! ;-)

-juice

vocus

HUH????

ateixeira

I said "EASY ON..."

Oh, never mind! ;-)

-juice

dolce2

Just curious...now that we're seeing so many nice leather seats in the P5, does anyone know how much would it actually cost to install them? (even just regular ones)

ateixeira

Prices start around $900 or so, maybe $1200 if you want heat as well. At least that's what I've seen.

-juice

elec3

I like leather but didn't want it for my Pro5. I wanted a black Pro5 that was on the lot and equipped just right but the dealership sold it. A couple weeks later they had a silver one that was close but was lacking ABS, side airbags, and a moonroof. I told the dealer I could compromise on the color (cause silver is still pretty nice), and the ABS and side bags (especially with the money it saved me - it doesn't rain or snow here so I'm not likely to need the ABS and I honestly don't care about side airbags at this point) but I wanted a roof. He was more than happy to find a shop that would put one in for the same price as the factory option and in 2 days, no less. The salesman then offered to put in anything else I wanted - window tint, leather seats, a big CD changer in the trunk perhaps? He's a young guy and was fairly eager, let's say Had I asked, he would have found a place to do it. But the Protege is not really a leather kind of car and, while some people have said the cloth looks cheap (or they don't like the patterns on it), it's holding up and very easy to clean.

mazdadude1

with my cd player in my p5. Got just the single cd player that comes standard. 3000 miles and 3 months later they are all sounding fine to me. I only have store bought cds; none that were burned. That pic of the white and black interior looks cool.

khoa_98

Does anyone know about the alarm system and an Immobilizer system? My saleswoman says they have to go through some weird door closing ritual to get the keys to work with the alarm system that's on there? Also, how many keys did you get with your car? I got a normal one, plus a valet key. She thought that's all you were supposed to get, but she agreed to make me this other one.

maltb

Your salesperson needs to take Mazda 101.

protege_fan

Sporin

So after *2* attempts to do it myself, I brought my oil and filter to my local garage and had them do it. they charged me $15 and it was worth every penny. He let me hang out and watch. He checked my gear oil, antifreeze and other fluids too, topping off as necessary. It's nice to have a competant, trustworthy independent shop right in town.

The filter was a bear to get off and my filter wrench was too big. The oil drain bolt is the obvious one on the bottom, back of the black oil pan. The manual says it's on the front.

I used the Bosch filter and 5W-30 Valvoline Synthetic Blend oil. It took about 3.5 quarts. I'm at 4400 miles and intend to change around every 5k as recommended in the manual. I'd love to find a bigger filter.

At this mileage, I have no problems to report. The engine has really loosened up and revs smoothly and sweetly to redline without much prodding. The interior is quiet except for one small rattle/buzz coming from the glove-box. I need to empty it and see if my wife can track it down on our commute. I'm not really worried about it.

Does anyone have tourqe specs for the lug nuts? I need to switch over to mywinter wheels/tires soon and want to get it right.

onboost91

I don't know about you but I get FREE oil changes every 5k at the dealer for the life of the car. The only annoying thing is that there is usually a bit of a wait.
-Finn
Silver P5

maltb

At least tell us why or how you got the sweet deal.

Sporin

I've been getting $19.95 coupons fr oil changes from where I bought my car, but they are an hour and a half away so it's really not practical.

I bought my own oil and filter for around $14, plus the $15 charge at the garage. I'm OK with that every 5k miles.

In warm weather, I'll do it myself... now that the original factory filter is off.

onboost91

No I'm certainly not trying to rub it in anyone's faces. You may have the same deal and not know it - its worth finding out anyhow. Back in late May/early June when I bought my P5, Mazda was giving free lifetime oil changes for ANY new car purchase. I believe that since then they have stopped this policy, as it probably isn't the most cost effective thing to do. I have no idea when the cut-off date was though.
-Finn
Silver P5

protege_fan

I called my dealership and they told me it's only $7.70 (CDN) for an oil filter. You paid $14? Maybe he thought I said air filter. BTW, Sporin, did u read my post on the Sedans board about the $129 for oil changes for life (4/year)? Sounds like a good deal but I wanna know more about it first.

Pro_Fan

Sporin

The Bosch filter is something like $5. I've used them in the past with no problems. HTe oil I bought was about $2.50 a quart.

I think I will try to pick up a case of Purolator filters though. They are supposed to be the best.

I guess I'm nto a big fan of "lifetime-anything" because you never know how long you will have the car, how long you'll live in that area, or whatever.

ateixeira

Purolator makes a high quality oil filter, as do Champion Labs (sold as "Car & Driver" at Target). Mobil 1 also makes a good filter.

You don't have to buy OE. I'm discovering that Mazda OE parts are WAY overpriced, after paying $212 for an O2 sensor for our 626 and $28 for a silly little gas cap on my Miata. Oil filters usually cost $2-5 aftermarket.

Don't forget the new crush washer for the drain plug.

-juice

razorrabbit

I have 4000 miles on my P5 and I just put in conventional oil. I heard from this forum that its best to put synthetic in after the fourth oil change. Does anyone notice synthetic oil differences in their driving? Theoritically, it supplies to add 1 or 2 HP and improve gas efficiency.

Second, would a Hi-Flo air filter screw up the combustion ratio of air to gasoline? as a result wouldn't decrease gas mileage....

inquiry mind wants to know!

razorrabbit

protege_fan

There are soooo many wives tales about Synth vs. conventional. I think what it comes down to is personal preference. Some will tell you that they have better cold starts. Some will say that there is no difference they can notice.
Personally, I'm too cheap to go the synth route.

Not sure about air filters. I looked at K&N filters, but the HP gains that are supposedly made are inconsequential for low HP engines. Also, sure there's a million mile warranty, but who can drive their cars 1 million miles? Just my thoughts.

PF

ateixeira

Look under Automobile - Upholstery in your yellow pages.

-juice

douglam

Yeah, some people swear by synth oil, but i think the frequency of oil changes is the key.

Some people put in synth so that they can change oil less frequent (because synth oil doesn't break down as easy). But i don't think that's a good idea. And if you change synthetic oil as frequent as regular ones, you might be throwing money down the oil drain.

Personally, i think the filter is more important. No point having the best synthetic oil if your filter does not trap dirt or other particles and allows it to flow round and around the engine.

So in short, get a good oil filter, change every 3000 miles and you should be in good shape!

As for the K&N filter, I have added a K&N drop in for my P5 and it is fine. The computer will re-adjust the fuel-air ratio, so you don't really have to worry. Don't know about increase in HP though, but don't expect major increase with just this little upgrade (at least I didn't feel any, partly because I haven't driven it hard yet). But it definitely helps in air-flow to the engine (just by taking a look at the stock filter vs K&N)

bluong1

Did you tried to call your mazda dealer? I saw a yellow P5 with leather seat (including the nice embroidered Mazda logo) the show room at my local dealer. I didn't asked how much it costs.

Bruno

doctor_r

I had put up a post previously on the M&R page about my encounters with changing the oil in my P5. I too was unsuccessful and ended up going into the dealer right upset beacause I was unable to remove the factory installed filter. They only charged my $7cdn for the labour and I brought in my own filter (which I purchased from mazda for $8) and a 4l of Castrol Syntec 5W30. I watched the proceedings in the shop and saw the filter tool that they use. The tech told me that I could buy a knock off of the wrench they use at Canadian tire.

I think I will purchase this tool; however $7 and 15 minutes may be worth the trouble, especially in winter.

I haven't noticed much of a difference with the synth oil, but the tech said it was probably a good idea for the cold starts in winter up here...

R

Sporin

My mechanic used a conventional metal "loop" wrench on my filter. That and some serious grunting took it off. I'm going to pick up a similar wrench to use myself.

I used Mobil 1 Synthetic in my turbo Passat because it is GREAT for turbo engines. Withstands high heat, doesn't coke the oil lines as easily, better flow in the cold, etc.

I don't think it's necessary for our low compression, normally-aspirated 2.0 DOHC engines though. But I wanted better cold flow and some margin of error on change intervals... so I bought Valvoline's Synthetic BLEND. Split the difference. :-)

mazdafun

I DO notice a difference in cold starts when the weather dips below 15F, and my car's been sitting out there for 9-10 hours.

This is noticeable in my '99 Pro, but is REALLY noticeable in my '89 323. I switched mid-way through one winter and it was remarkable how much difference it made. Start-up was faster (less load on the starter motor) and the engine was running more smoothly.

I don't notice any difference in the warmer months.

ateixeira

If you do it yourself, it may be hard to remove the first time, but after that, as long as you only hand-tighten, you can remove it with your hands also (usually).

Use some old sand paper to grip it if it's oily. You can usually get it off without tools.

-juice

protege_fan

Here's something I just remembered. Back when I first got my Pro at the end of June, I was talking to the service manager at a Mazda dealership (not my dealership, btw) about synth vs. conventional. Basically, what he told me was that the Pro, not being a high-end car, was not worth the price of synth. Man, did I want to slap him silly.
The assistant service manager at my dealership told me that Mazda did not recommend putting synth in the car.
Why would these service people be so against synth? IMHO, it comes down to them wanting more frequent oil changes from the customer which to them=more cash. I can't honestly believe that Mazda would not recommend using synth. Nowhere in the manual does it state this. Nowhere on the website does it say this either.

PF

bluong1

I'm not sure about the Protege/Protege5 engines, however I used to change oil filters on cars I owned previously. I always hand-tighten the filters, but it seems that they are sucked strongly after few runs of the engine. Tools are always necessary in order to remove the filters.

Bruno

ateixeira

You only turn it something like 1 1/6 turn after it touches. Even with your hands, you often tend to overtighten.

Yes, with heat cycles it will be harder to remove than it was to install, but I've never had trouble getting them off my cars, including several Mazda engines.

-juice

iamz

An independent garage and Morrie's recommended 80-85 ft/lbs. If your winter wheels are alumnium, re-torque them after about 100 miles.

ateixeira

That seems a bit high. That may be for steel wheels, alloys usually require a little less (70 or so). Anyone have a shop manual handy?

-juice

Sporin

My winter tires are on steel wheels so 80 ft. lbs. sounds right.

ateixeira

Good to go. That's about what I would use for steelies.

-juice

westy5

How do the rear seats work/fold?? Does the bottom seat cushion come up/forward, then the seatbacks lay down flat?? If so, do you have to take the head rests off?? With the seats folded, is the cargo room flat and spacious??

I will be test driving one this weekend so I can find out, but I was just curious.

Thanks for your help.

bluong1

1) You can fold down the seatbacks without touching the seat cushion, however the cargo surface will not be flat.

2) The second way is like you said: the back cushions come forward and vertically, and then fold the back seats. Yes, the head rests need to be removed. The cargo surface will be almost flat (there is a step about an inch).

3) The third way is: the seat cushion can be removed completely away, then fold down the back seat. The head rests can stay if the front seats are not moved too much backward. The cargo surface will be almost flat like in the second case.

Bruno

dplatnyc

I am close to a deal on a basic Pro5 at $500 over invoice--with only carpeted floormats, that puts me at $16,315.00. This seems like a very decent price to me--it's $140.00 below Edmunds TMV. Should I try to do better? I am in the NY area. My first choice was a Hyundai Elantra GT, similarly equipped, but none are available and the dealers are horrible, so I am happy to go with a Pro5.

protege_fan

From what I've heard, dealers don't do a whole lot of "dealing" on the P5 b/c it's so new and "hot". It sounds like a good deal to me...but then again I don't know what that price would translate to in CDN dollars.

bluong1

The price seems reasonable to me. I just some how prefer that you go with the Elantra, so that there is less P5s on the road.

Bruno

elec3

When I bought mine back in June, my dealer (a good guy from whom my family has now purchased 6 Mazdas) confided that he was absolutely amazed that Mazda would offer 4.9% financing over 60 months on the Pro5 - it being a brand new next-year model and all. My father agreed and, since the best rate he could get from his credit union at the time was around 7%, didn't bother to haggle much on the price they gave us. Take that for what it's worth.

Your price sounds good. Mine was a little over 18k sticker including auto, a dealer installed sunroof (so no ABS or side airbags), and floor mats. At the time and for a car that flew off the lot, this was a good deal for me. If yours is a good deal for you, go for it!

thel

Here in mid-Missouri, Pro-5's are littering the two local lots. One place has about 12, the other around 10. If the NY market is like in Mid-Mo, $100-200 over invoice may be doable but may not be worth the headache for just a couple of hundred bucks.

audia8q

if you were in my showroom I might bend another $100 and I stress might, based upon my inventory and incoming inventory... But the P5 is doing well here in our neck of the woods and a better price might not be worth the hassle. If your happy with the dealership and your salesperson go for it. The price is long forgotten with a poor buying and serivce experience. Trying to grind out a few hundred more might not be worth the hassle of driving all over, but it can't hurt to ask...

Your doing fine.

Rich