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Mazda Protegé

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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Mine's a 2000. It doesn't do it; after all this discussion, I tried.

    Meade
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Right...ok...I wonder why or what they changed in 2001 in the cruise system. Cost cutting? Sounds like a bad move to me.
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    newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Me too. I'm in downtown right now.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    About how far is that anyway? I am driving to Chicago next week, but also going with a friend who will split the driving with me. The only reason I am driving is because I am scared to fly right now. Also, it's alot cheaper for gas than to fly. We are staying with friends when we get there. So the only real "cost" we have are our meals and the gas to and from Chicago. Mileage isn't a problem either, because I will be taking the loaner car. :)
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    re: #13054...

    The TH membership agreement prohibits me from responding to that comment in the manner to which I am accustomed.

    (yeah, Malt, seems I'm getting a lot of mileage out of that one...why does everybody always pick on me???)
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Would you and Ray like to go over to the "Protege Posse" forum so we can all watch you beat up on him?

    Sorry, I haven't created the "Romper Room" topic just yet ...

    Meade
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    shriqueshrique Member Posts: 338
    I'm actually in Bloomington but I figured no-one would know what the heck I was talking about. (GRIN)
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    shriqueshrique Member Posts: 338
    Minneapolis is about 6.5 hours of drive time from Chicago. It all depends on your speed. However. Wisconsin is notorious for heavy handed troopers. The kicker is that you have to pay them on the spot.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    She would like me to (ahem) CLARIFY something I said here this morning:

    When I said I'm going to dinner with Dale, I SHOULD HAVE said, "My wife, my son, and I, are going out to dinner with Dale."

    Didn't want to give the wrong impression.

    Even if dinner IS going to be at a topless bar at Dale's request.

    Meade
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Here's a really stupid (the only kind I ask) question.

    My seat-belt buckle thingy (the plastic part that the seat belt locks into) is busted on the passenger side. Still works, but the mechanism is completely exposed.

    Can I just call the dealer, tell them what it is, (perhaps omitting the word 'thingy'), let them order it, and then bring the car in when it gets there?

    Or are they going to make me drive all the way out there to look at it, tell me they need to order it, tell me I need to come back, etc.?
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    They'll probably want to look at it to make sure they're ordering the right part. Especially since you're under warranty. But you could call them and find out!

    How'dja break it, btw?

    Meade
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I'd bet they want to see what you're talking about. Wouldn't hurt to call, but my money is on them having you come in and document everything.
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    newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    I've made it to Chicago in a little over 5 hours...just keep lots of cheese with you in your car, the State Troopers in WI love it.

    Bloomington? Cool, I live in Eden Prairie. BTW, I'm sure some people know where Bloomington is, it's the home of the Mall of America and the airport.
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    I didn't break it, my mom did...fastening the seat belt one day when I was giving her a ride. Not sure how it happened, just heard a loud 'CRACK' and then it was busted.

    Okay, trip to the dealer it is.
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I never accused you of breaking it...methinks you are somewhat defensive this morning.... :D

    Yeah get it fixed...Do you (or anybody else) think this will be covered under warranty? Just curious what falls into warranty and what doesn't.
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Meade accused me of breaking it, and I was responding to him. You just happened to be in the way...sorry :)

    And it BETTER be covered under warranty...only 11,750 mi on the odo; 15 months.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    safety systems like seat belts have their own warranty that's even longer than the bumper-to-bumper warranty. I'm not sure, and I don't have my owner's manual with me ... but I'm thinking they're covered longer, similarly to emissions stuff. But Dale shouldn't have any problem because of her mileage. And if MY dealer replaced two parts I broke, I don't see why a seat belt buckle cover should be any different.

    Meade
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    So if you (or another person) breaks something, then they still cover it under warranty? What about my rim? Should that have been covered then?

    Maybe I'm looking at this wrong...did your mom jam the seatbelt funny, or did it just suddenly fall apart?
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    It's gonna be hard for the dealer to assert that she must have broken it. All she has to say is that it fell apart when someone was trying to get it fastened. I'm almost certain they'll agree that seat belt housings are not supposed to fall apart under general use.

    (And if for some reason they won't cover it, how much is that plastic housing anyway ... 10 bucks tops?)

    Meade
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    They just updated the forecast ...

    A chance of morning thunderstorms ... by late morning, clearing skies!!! Hallelujah!!!

    Meade
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You hit something and caused damage to the car. There is no way you can blame that on the car.

    Someone ripped the windshield wiper off my roommate's 2000 Neon when he lived with me last year. I took it to the Dodge dealer for him, and innocently told them the wiper started flapping while I was driving in the rain. They fixed it for free. I was really surprised they did. :)

    There is a limit on what the dealer will do for free (even though it was your fault) though. Like Meade, you only broke the trunk springs in your car. Also, the CD player could have broken any way as well and had a disc stuck in it.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Yep, just like MAPP I. Storms are more frequent in mountainous areas though at night, so that's not an unlikely forecast.
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Well, according to my last trip to the dealer, a steel rim that should have cost $80, it cost $187.08...2.34 times as much. Therefore, if the part should cost like $10, I'm forecasting a price of $23.39 :D
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    maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Paul, it's not a safety issue if the car redlines in neutral so NHTSA wouldn't care.

    Others, the cruise will not set below 25mph on any of your Proteges.

    Why would you hit it in neutral? I'm with you meade, it just won't happen.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    ... about two months ago, and now there's something I'll be embarrassed about about my car at MAPP:

    I was up in Woodbridge, VA on a rainy day (actually right after I got the new Dunlops on the car) and was going down a residential street when my driver's side wiper started making a clicking noise. I stopped the car, got out and lifted the wiper off the windshield. The damn thing FELL off the arm! The little plastic insert in the wiper has a tab that clicks when you install the wiper; this tab had broken. These wiper blades were only a couple months old and I THOUGHT I was buying the best -- ANCOs!!! To my dismay, I cannot find ANY auto parts store that sells just that little plastic insert. So I've resorted to a nylon zip tie that now loops through the little hole and holds the wiper on the arm. And it's white. It really isn't that noticeable, but since it's right in front of me all the time, I curse it every time I get in the car!

    I REFUSE to buy new blades when these still have some good life left in 'em! (Knowing myself, however, and how I want the car to look "showroom new" at MAPP, I'm predicting I'll be making a slight detour on the way home from work today ...)

    Damn you MAPP perfectionists!!!!

    ;-)

    Meade
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Talk about MAPP perfectionists, Larry was waxing his car right before everyone got there last year. I felt bad, because my car was dirty (of course, it was black and always dirty), and everyone else's was shining.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I'm on the phone AS I SPEAK with my dealership. Here's your price, Dale: Unfortunately, you have to buy the whole assembly -- they don't just sell the plastic cover. Jury verdict?

    $23.96.

    Nice work, Mike. You have astounded me. Mere pennies off.

    But the guy did say I (oops, I mean Dale) will probably get it covered under warranty -- as long as it "appears to have been damaged while you were trying to fasten it."

    There. You're welcome. I love posing for you guys. My parts guy now thinks I have bad seat belt covers and a screwed up ABS unit -- all because of my fellow Townhallers.

    Meade

    P.S. Paul, yes, I was there too. I remember good ol' anal Larry. In fact, I've got a pic of him doing just that in the MAPP II folder in the Yahoo group.
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Yeah, I don't think my mom did anything wrong to it...I really think she was just trying to fasten the seat belt. I'm with Meade on that one...the housing (that does sound better than 'thingy') shouldn't fly apart so easily in a car that's still relatively young.
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    chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    Okay, quick work on that..thanks. Are you sure you don't want to come with me to the dealer?
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Mike, how much will my plane ticket be?

    ;-)

    Meade
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    That's something for which I'd load up my tools and head to my favorite junkyard. Since you're a girly-girl, however, you can always find a used Mazda parts outlet in the yellow pages and call them. Those kind of parts are all over the place, and unless there's bones and blood all over them, they'll probably look just like new.

    I know, I know ... sorry. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!

    (I really don't think you'll have a warranty problem -- unless you take it to Paul's Mazda dealer.)

    (Uh-oh, is it Posse time?) :D

    Meade
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    mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    I'm sure they'll cover it under warranty Dale. It CAN become a safety issue if a plastic shard got wedged somewhere and caused a malfunction. It's not a big deal. Undo a bolt, replace the buckle assembly and bolt the new one back in. I don't think the passenger unit has a wire hooked to it like the driver one does (that's what trips the little "buckle your belt" reminder).

    I had the buckles on my '89 replaced under a recall program several years after the original warranty expired. They weren't busted, but they were covered, so I had it done.
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Here's an alternative for your blades...
    Take out the blade inserts from your current wipers. Get new wipers and use them. When those blades get old, replace them with the ones you first took out. Not sure if they'll fit or not, but maybe worth a try.
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    jbolltjbollt Member Posts: 736
    Speaking of wipers, don't you just hate the fact that they are two different sizes for left and right? I finally figured out buying two pairs..one of the driver's side size and one for the passanger's side size, then you have a ready set (1 of each size)for next time they need replacement.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Why didn't I think of that? Sure, I'll need new wipers eventually anyway; I can just go out now and buy a new set of the same brand, and (in a slight twist from your recommendation) insert the new inserts in the current blades, and just hold onto the new ones until the old ones wear out!

    "Can't see the forest for all of the trees" ... thanks dude!

    Guess I'm still buying wiper blades today ...

    And I've learned something. No one replaces their wiper blades often enough. Now I do it, whether I feel they need it or not, every six months or so. You really don't know what you're missing in good vision until you replace those blades!

    Meade
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    While we're on the topic, anybody have a good brand/recommendation? I definitely need some new ones. Don't both sides take 19" blades?
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Well, I just buy mine in single-packs. It does seem funny, though; car wipers used to be all the same length until a few years ago; now it's all the rage to have different lengths at each side. My wife's 1995 Cavalier (RIP) was really troublesome in this department, because if I remember correctly, the driver's side one was a 21 or some other ungodly long length (i.e. hard to find), and the passenger's side was like 15 -- another screwball size! At least ours are more normal in length.

    Remember the old VW bugs -- what were they, 11s? Can't wait to replace the blade on the rear window of my wife's P5 ... it can't be any more than 10 inches long.

    Meade
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Nope. Again, I don't have my manual in front of me, but I think the driver's side is a 19 and the passenger side is a 17.

    Wait, betcha I can find out on this here Internet thingy ...

    Meade
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    jbolltjbollt Member Posts: 736
    Our old 96 used (I think) 21 inch on drivers side and 18 inch on passengers side. (Not sure what that is in metric!) LOL
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    Oh...I was just at an auto parts store last night and I could have sworn that they said 19" for both sides...maybe that was the 2000 model, but since you have a 2000, you'd know for sure. Maybe my eyes are going bad in my old age... :D
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    But I finally found a site that gives you the sizes.

    1999-2002:

    Driver's side: 21
    Passenger's side: 19

    Gee, the Cavalier must've had 22s or 23s on the driver's side. I had no problem finding replacement blades for the Protege a couple of months ago.

    Meade
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    chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    >>>So I've resorted to a nylon zip tie that now loops through the little hole and holds the wiper on the arm<<<

    what now?

    meade....the cheapster ;) ?

    just kidding....
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My 1996 Cavalier coupe had 21 on the driver's side and 16 on the passenger's, I think.

    All 1999+ Proteges are 21 left, 19 right. I replaced the blades on the 1999, and they were the same size.

    You think that's bad? My Jetta's wipers have this wing thingie on them to improve airflow. I would have no choice but to get new blades from the dealer. That's gonna hurt when I have to replace them. I hear from VWVortex they last for like 30K or something though.

    The wipers on the Beetle I have now are really bad. They skip over the window and all. I might end up taking the car back and getting them fixed at the dealer (they already told me I could) if they have to keep my car any longer
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    You can get new inserts (just the "squeegie" part) without replacing the frame, which I almost guarantee you is the part that little wing is attached to.

    Meade
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    jbolltjbollt Member Posts: 736
    Here in AZ, we go months without rain, so it is possible, if we replaced inserts at 6 months, we would never have used them when they are replaced. The sun and UV light is hard on them, though.
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    vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Yeah, that's true. I know the wing is attached to the blade, so I will just replace the rubber inserts when they do go bad.

    I gotta worry about getting the car back from the dealer first though. :) Still not back, it was 3 weeks as of yesterday. Guess I will be bringing the Beetle to MAPP, and taking it to Chicago as well. Should make for some creative luggage packing between my friend and I... :)
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    When I got my loaner car a few months ago (for my day-long 30,000-mile service), they did ask if I planned to drive out-of-state and of course I said no. They didn't say why they were asking, but before you go taking a loaner car from Baltimore to Chicago, I'd give your dealership one of those "friendly calls" they give you, Paul, and ask just in case there's a problem with that.

    Meade
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    protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    I think that's the hardest on the wiper blades...The constant UV just destroys them, and if you haven't replaced/used them in a long while, then I'd think you'd be in for an unpleasant surprise.
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    When my Saab 900 GLi was in the shop for its 60,000-mile, $2,200 transmission replacement (LOL), the dealership loaned me a 1983 900 Turbo. Well, the Saab was in the shop for three weeks and I was in college at Virginia Tech 220 miles away, and I had spring break right in the middle of all that too.

    They were quite miffed when I returned the loaner car three weeks later with 1,600 new miles on it! They actually tried to charge me mileage over a predetermined maximum amount allowed per day -- of which they had not informed me. They didn't get away with it, but things were not happy for a few moments.

    That's the only reason I'm recommending a quick check with your dealer, Paul. Just your Chicago trip is a 1,400-mile round trip. MAPP III will put another coupla hundred on it.

    Meade
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    mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    SCRAAAAAAAAAAAPE!!!!

    ;-)
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