There certainly is such a thing as an OEM windsheild. If the replacement is paid for by Mazda Warranty, the dealer must use the OE part. However, to save a few $, most will have Gary the Glass Guy bring his own when it's customer pay.
I see. I had taken my car to get an estimate, because a truck threw a rock and busted my windshield. When I asked about a Mazda windshield, they told me they send all their work out. So that pretty much told me that the only way to get a Mazda OEM windshield is to get another car.
The repair estimate for the windshield in my DX was $522. I ended up going through Gary the Glass Guy because the person at the trucking company said he would have to fill out paperwork and go through a bunch of crap for any repair over $500. I ended up paying $310, and they came to my work and put the new windshield in my car right there.
What's wrong with the ECHO? They seem to be a nice, reliable, economical small car. A friend of mine bought one used (a 2000 sedan) for $8500 on the road, and the car only had 36K miles on it.
I drove the car, and didn't care for its stability at highway speeds (80mph for me). I am used to my car now though, so that might have had something to do with it.
I paid for the glass initially, then got a reimbursement a couple hours later when I picked up the check.
The funny thing is, they added to the crack in my windshield that another flying rock had put there. But the "addition" went all the way cross instead of just a couple inches up.
Come to think of it, both of my Pros' windshields were cracked. The DX I had replaced, because it was from a truck. The ES, I don't know. I went out one morning, and there was a substantial crack on the driver's side of the glass. Nothing was there the night before though. One part of the crack was more severe than the other, and there was no "starburst". I think someone hit it with something. I ended up trading the ES like that for my VW.
I don't think anything's wrong with the ECHO, but it's not for me. I don't think most ECHO owners drive their cars at 80mph on the highway though, that's why I put that in there.
And the windshield never gave me a problem for a year and a half or so, then I traded my 99 for the 01.
You might want to get a longer socket wrench. I got one that's about 2ft long. It doesn't ratchet, but it is really good at loosening stuck nuts.
There's also some geared ratchet gadget that locks onto a second lug nut for leverage and then you crank an arm, which then goes through a gearbox to up the torque to loosen tight nuts. I think it costs like $50.
Or are you talking about rust just holding the wheels onto the hubs? I would've tried rope tied around them and yanking before getting underneath, but I'm more chicken, I guess.
BTW, I scraped off some of that plastic bag off my resonator, but I got tired, so gotta get the rest off later. Gee, I hope I'm not scraping off any corrossion-resistance layer. I'd sooner leave the plastic than have my exhaust system start to rust off (I thought it might be stainless???).
And yes, maltb, I made the distinction about the fact that I was talking about the RE92s only, even offering that I'd heard that some other Potenza styles were good tires.
BTW, to answer Paul's question here (and get us back on topic LOL), the Dunlop SP Sport A2s behaved admirably in our four inches of snow topped with a half-inch of ice yesterday. I was particularly impressed at how well they held the car in a straight line even on an ice-covered road with a tall crown. Probably due to the fact that the tires have two giant channels -- but also enough heavy siping to dig in and get going. I encountered one hill on a residential street where I got mired in some icy slush and started spinning, but all I had to do was put the car in neutral and let it coast back down the hill about 30 feet and try a snowier route -- and I made it up the hill fine.
No, I got the lugs off just fine. I can get ANY bolt off of just about anything. I used to work at Jiffy Lube and know all the tricks. Lug nuts are a piece of cake compared to a 3/8 drive differential plug that is stripped AND rusted. I don't know why the wheels were stuck. I'm guessing it was the hub that rusted a little bit making a tighter fit with the wheel? Who knows, they're off now.
I have heard that hubs rusting will surely make the wheels stick like glue. I always heard that cleaning them off every time you change the tires should help in this regard.
"There certainly is such a thing as an OEM windshield. If the replacement is paid for by Mazda Warranty, the dealer must use the OE part. However, to save a few $, most will have Gary the Glass Guy bring his own when it's customer pay."
Okay, but that doesn't explain why they brought in Gary and his non-OEM part when I WASN'T paying...it was their fault.
Anyway, I've debated about this in my own head for some time. If I take it back, they'll hassle me, and end up bringing back that silly Gary who botched the job in the first place.
There are no rain leaks, and a little extra fresh air never hurt anybody. If it's bugging me a couple of months before my warranty is up next year, I'll deal with it then.
If you are talking about that MP3 blue, it's beautiful! I saw one in person when I went to see if any 6 models were available for testing at my local dealership.
Wow, this board gets a lot of traffic. My local Mazda dealer has several 2000 and 2001 used Proteges that I am considering as a 2nd car to my 2002 Miata LS.
They have a 2000 LX (I think) with a 5-speed that I am really interested in except that it is white (yuk). Edmunds hits it at about $5,000 trade-in and about $7,500 retail, does this sound right for a car with about 75,000 miles on it?
No offense, but the new P5 blue is the laser blue mica, which was the same color as the MP3. On the Mazda website it doesn't look as bright, I agree, but it's the same color.
If you look in the CAPP II photo folder elsewhere, check out Kory's car. He has a laser blue mica MP3 that he keeps very shiny and bright. I think you'll see what I mean.
And if I'm wrong about any of this, I'm sure I'll be corrected by the time I wake up tomorrow morning.
Thel, you want some advice? Ok, I feel you can find a 2000 PRO-ES with less than 75,000 miles. That's about 25,000 mile per year, alot of miles for a three year old car. I do and can recommend the 2000 PRO-ES, my wife and I both have one. Our PRO-ES's have about 46,000 mile on them and are great little racers! Keep looking for a used Protegé with less miles in the $7,500 price range.
BTW, we would need to know more about any specific car, to answer your main question. RE: options, condition, what part of the country are you from, does the car come with a dealer warranty. If I was in your shoes, I would look for a Protegé with some of the original manufacture warranty left. Mazda has a 3 year/50,000 mile warranty on pre-2003 models. That way, you have several months to discover any potential problems while under the Mazda warranty protection? Good luck Thel!
Let's talk about the wonderful world of tires (hey, don't complain: it could have been this or brakes)
I put 33PSI all around this week, and the PRO handles much better on the highway - goes faster I think, with less noise - but is rough in the city. I think I'll go and adjust it today: I'll leave 33 front and lower the rear to 32.
I live in mid-Missouri. I've heard that the Protege is reliable so the miles don't bother me much. I probably couldn't afford anything with less miles unless I get an older one, I'm hoping to get closer to $5000-$6000. The only option on it is the moonroof, all the other stuff such as power windows, cruise, tilt, etc. were standard on the ES. I ran a carfax and the car is a local, one owner, trade-in. The car appears to have been well cared-for. Thanks for the help.
Mazdaspeed Protege owners probably will keep their pumpkin color paint as a exclusive color, since this is the last year of the current generation Protege :-)
My company has power to most of its buildings now. I am back to work, but my wife is not. We still have no power at home. Duke Power says 90% chance by Wednesday.
Drove my Protege to South Carolina yesterday to pick up propane for heater (all of the local/regional supplies are gone). Got ~30 mpg on the highway.
I am still trying to convince my wife that the Protege 5 is what she wants. She seems to be leaning towards a Corolla due to the fact it is obviously designed for short people (she is 5'2").
A bunch of my clients lost power in NC as well (Raleigh, Charlotte mostly), but they are back on today.
I can understand your wife's concern about being a shorter driver in the P5. The car is lower built than a Corolla or Focus, and it might give her visibility issues. I can only comment from sitting in both, as I am not short (6'3 here) but know the Corolla and Focus "sit" higher.
Comments
Oh..also, there's a TSB out for windshields that let in air/too much noise, so either way, they should fix it.
Just my opinion.
(Pic of totaled '92 in-hand, of course!!!)
Meade
I drove the car, and didn't care for its stability at highway speeds (80mph for me). I am used to my car now though, so that might have had something to do with it.
The funny thing is, they added to the crack in my windshield that another flying rock had put there. But the "addition" went all the way cross instead of just a couple inches up.
Come to think of it, both of my Pros' windshields were cracked. The DX I had replaced, because it was from a truck. The ES, I don't know. I went out one morning, and there was a substantial crack on the driver's side of the glass. Nothing was there the night before though. One part of the crack was more severe than the other, and there was no "starburst". I think someone hit it with something. I ended up trading the ES like that for my VW.
"What's wrong with the ECHO?...
I drove the car, and didn't care for its stability at highway speeds..."
Did you have any problems with leaks on the replacement window?
And the windshield never gave me a problem for a year and a half or so, then I traded my 99 for the 01.
A fine commuter A-B car, I'm sure.
You might want to get a longer socket wrench. I got one that's about 2ft long. It doesn't ratchet, but it is really good at loosening stuck nuts.
There's also some geared ratchet gadget that locks onto a second lug nut for leverage and then you crank an arm, which then goes through a gearbox to up the torque to loosen tight nuts. I think it costs like $50.
Or are you talking about rust just holding the wheels onto the hubs? I would've tried rope tied around them and yanking before getting underneath, but I'm more chicken, I guess.
BTW, I scraped off some of that plastic bag off my resonator, but I got tired, so gotta get the rest off later. Gee, I hope I'm not scraping off any corrossion-resistance layer. I'd sooner leave the plastic than have my exhaust system start to rust off (I thought it might be stainless???).
BTW, to answer Paul's question here (and get us back on topic LOL), the Dunlop SP Sport A2s behaved admirably in our four inches of snow topped with a half-inch of ice yesterday. I was particularly impressed at how well they held the car in a straight line even on an ice-covered road with a tall crown. Probably due to the fact that the tires have two giant channels -- but also enough heavy siping to dig in and get going. I encountered one hill on a residential street where I got mired in some icy slush and started spinning, but all I had to do was put the car in neutral and let it coast back down the hill about 30 feet and try a snowier route -- and I made it up the hill fine.
Chalk up more praise for the Dunlops.
Meade
Okay, but that doesn't explain why they brought in Gary and his non-OEM part when I WASN'T paying...it was their fault.
Anyway, I've debated about this in my own head for some time. If I take it back, they'll hassle me, and end up bringing back that silly Gary who botched the job in the first place.
There are no rain leaks, and a little extra fresh air never hurt anybody. If it's bugging me a couple of months before my warranty is up next year, I'll deal with it then.
Give us something to get excited about!
Or you don't get a loaner car.
Keep up.
Have a good weekend everybody!
Meade
fowler3
Sure it does. They go for the cheapest fix to their screw up.
They have a 2000 LX (I think) with a 5-speed that I am really interested in except that it is white (yuk). Edmunds hits it at about $5,000 trade-in and about $7,500 retail, does this sound right for a car with about 75,000 miles on it?
Thanks for any help and or advice!
fowler3
http://www.motioncars.com/special/index.html
I find it pretty cool...wish theyd go in more detail.
If you look in the CAPP II photo folder elsewhere, check out Kory's car. He has a laser blue mica MP3 that he keeps very shiny and bright. I think you'll see what I mean.
And if I'm wrong about any of this, I'm sure I'll be corrected by the time I wake up tomorrow morning.
--Dale
some MP3 owners have had hissy fits about no longer having the 'exclusive' paint color! LOL!
BTW, we would need to know more about any specific car, to answer your main question. RE: options, condition, what part of the country are you from, does the car come with a dealer warranty. If I was in your shoes, I would look for a Protegé with some of the original manufacture warranty left. Mazda has a 3 year/50,000 mile warranty on pre-2003 models. That way, you have several months to discover any potential problems while under the Mazda warranty protection? Good luck Thel!
-larry
I put 33PSI all around this week, and the PRO handles much better on the highway - goes faster I think, with less noise - but is rough in the city. I think I'll go and adjust it today: I'll leave 33 front and lower the rear to 32.
Dinu
Drove my Protege to South Carolina yesterday to pick up propane for heater (all of the local/regional supplies are gone). Got ~30 mpg on the highway.
I am still trying to convince my wife that the Protege 5 is what she wants. She seems to be leaning towards a Corolla due to the fact it is obviously designed for short people (she is 5'2").
I can understand your wife's concern about being a shorter driver in the P5. The car is lower built than a Corolla or Focus, and it might give her visibility issues. I can only comment from sitting in both, as I am not short (6'3 here) but know the Corolla and Focus "sit" higher.