Mazda6 Sedan

karld1 · June 2003

Getting old, Gee?
Does noise bother you?

See, we Mazda ZOOMZOOM enthusiasts will resist engine noise while being rewarded with great sporty handling, steering, stability.

You will never understand us, we'll take sporty driving over comfortable butter/honey ultra smooth engine and pseudo German comfort (TSX)

We are on a different frequency.

mazda6s · June 2003

So you're anti-exaggeration as long as it's somebody else's exaggeration and not yours?

tomcat630 · June 2003

"... well most of that herd couln't care less that the Mazda6 is all new. It's still a family sedan built by Mazda just like the 626."

Well, I don't care what the "herd" thinks (I am sure that other 6 owners don't either) and most of them think junk reality shows are cool, so who are they to know? BTW: Since the 6 can't be knocked for its quality or performance, some people have to come up with sales #'s, what 'the herd' thinks, and other trivia.

Also, don't ever believe 90% of what salesmen say, they will claim that their car is 'invisible' if it would make a sale.

glideslopes · June 2003

Guys and Gals,

Don't feed the Troll.

gee35coupe · June 2003

No point exaggerating when you have facts to back you up. That's the diference between me and a real "troll". You can prove a real troll wrong without resorting to calling him a troll. The sign of someone who can't disagree with what you've said but hates it is a personal attack.

Also "trolls" start disputes. I end them with the truth.

scottdude · June 2003

For anyone who cares, I just got an email from a Florida Mazda dealer promoting this offer:

$500 below invoice on all M6i's (I think Mazda had this dealer offer back at the end of May also)
0% financing for 60 months
$1,250 loyalty bonus

Since my brother drives a Protege, I may have to give some serious thought to this offer. If I figured this out right, my cost for a 6i with auto should be about $16,850! Test drive, here I come...

fowler3 · June 2003

don't give Grinch35 more ammo, just use your scroll bar like the rest of us.

ambull asked, *I've used that method before, but can it be done on a 6s or 6i with automatic climate control?*

I'm sure it can be used in the 6i, it has HAVC similar to the Protegé's. The 6s Auto Climate Control can be turned off, how you dial in heat without the blue-red Temp band I have no idea.

fowler3

combustible1 · June 2003

This was discussed a couple months ago, where people who buy the Mazda 6 coming from ownership of an existing Toyota or Honda, would get an extra year added onto their warranty.. did I dream this? is this still ongoing??

haven't really heard about it in a while.

gee35coupe · June 2003

It may be like my Lexus's auto climate. Auto is really only a fan speed/mix controller. But the temperature is always controlled by the computer. So you have to set a comfortable temp on the readout and leave it out of Auto if you don't want the computer to control the vents and fan speed. At least that's how mines works.

buggywhip · June 2003

Gee35 does not deserve such abuse. The guy is a longtime Mazda owner of several models. Who among his detractors can claim that? He clearly is NOT a Mazda-hater. Perhaps he just doesn't like the direction Mazda is headed. If that's so, he has lotsa company. Mazda Management ain't too happy with the company either.............It is quite plausible and probably that the public sees the Mazda6 as a redesigned 626. Big deal. The 6 should be so lucky. IMO, Mazda should have retained the 626 name--the car was competent and the name has huge recognition value. Who EVER heard of naming a car after one numeral anyway?? It's absurd and confusing...........and if Gee35 dumped his Pro b/c it was buzzy at hwy speeds, good for him. Most modern cars--even econoboxes--should have overdrive gears that are better suited for our highways. If a car is gonna turn 3000rpm at 65mph, it gets unpleasant. It also burns lotsa fuel, which makes owning a small car a moot point. A Corolla is whisper-quiet at speed; the Pro should be too.

anonymousposts · June 2003

It's not really the noise we minded. We later purchased 2 2000 Civic SI's which revved at 4200 RPM at 80. But they remained smooth. After that we bought a 2002 Si which revved the same and it was even smoother despite it being a 2.0L engine just like the Protege. Sure it had balance shafts but maybe Mazda should put them on the Protege if they can't have a smooth larger displacement engine in the Protege.

Back to on-topic stuff now.

newcar31 · June 2003

I still don't understand why you even bought the Pro if you didn't like how the engine sounded at speed. Did the test drive not include a freeway? It just seems ridiculous to me to buy a new car, sell it because you don't like how the engine sounds, and then complain about it. If it were me, I simply wouldn't have bought the car if I had that big of a problem with it.

As far as the non-sport package Mazda6 looking like an average grocery getter, I don't see it. I agree that the wheel covers are cheesy, but that wouldn't keep me from buying the car. I know one thing for sure, I wouldn't buy an Accord instead because the wheels look better. The steel wheels and wheel covers would make nice winter wheels. Someone here has a non-sport package 6 with the 17's and IMO, it looks better than the cars with the sport package.

chikoo · June 2003

at 75-80mph.....the engine did not get buzzy till that speed.

And the legal speed limit is 65mph and I usually do no more than 70mph in my 1.8ES Auto. The engine does not get buzzy, but there is a spot near 70mph at which the resonance is audible, but a mere +/- of the rpm takes care of that.

joe2617 · June 2003

The extra warranty program is over.

On another note. People keep posting that Mazda as a company is in danger. This is nowhere near the truth. I've tried to ignore those posts but it is getting difficult. Where did you people get this information? Just because the North American sale figures are lower than projected means nothing.
For everyone who is tired of hearing about this I am truly sorry. Perhaps after this we can just stick to the Mazda6 discussion.

mazdamarla · June 2003

Oh - is this a Mazda6 forum?

I thought it was about Infinitis and Hondas and Camrys and....

;-)

seaf · June 2003

Could someone break down a Mazda6's VIN for me please? It might be helpful when I'm searching through the inventory online to see how recently it was built or other clues.

For example a VIN,

1YVFP80C435Mxxxxx

I'm pretty sure the 5 x digits refers how recent it is built, the latest batch is around 50000 and above, I don't know what the other digits mean. It may be explained in the owners manual.

mazdamarla · June 2003

Yeah - that'd be interesting to know! my VIN for my as yet unbuilt car ends with 51250.

dudleyr · June 2003

The legal speed limit varies by state. Yours may not be the same as everybody elses. Where I live it is 75 mph. My Integra is geared like the Pro and it is very tiring to be cruising at 4,000 rpm for hours at a time.

So I would be one more person who thinks the Pro revs too high on the highway. Interestingly, the Mazda 6 gets better mileage than the Pro even though it is larger with a larger engine, partly because of the much more relaxed highway rpm's of the 6.

cookie01 · June 2003

FINALLY saw a Sepang on the street and driving about.
Non-sport (M6s I believe). I thought it was LOVELY.. .but probably a "chick" color... if there is such a thing. It reminded me much of the color BMW is using right now for the smaller sedan.
Really the car was very sharp. She already had plates on it, so it couldn't be just off the lot.

Also, I guess that means I have to add another non-sport to my "spotted" list. That makes all of THREE! But getting closer to the 7-8 sports I've seen.

carguy58 · June 2003

Acura and Audi have cars with roman numeral names I so do Lexus. I don't see the big deal with roman numeral car names.

As for interior room for family's I saw a 6 at work yesterday(yes it was a rental)and I did take a look at the backseat room: the 6 has the same size interior room as a 1994-1997 Honda Accord does. How much room do we need in the backseat anyway? I'm not exactly Shaq(have long legs)or weigh as much William "The Fridge" Perry. The 03 6 is targeting the same audience that Honda did back then with the 5th generation Accord: some family's and some younger buyers.

Is Mazda endanger in the US? Yes but sales in the US have been off but sales in Europe and Canada are great for Mazda's.

As for G35 Coupes comments he does take shots at Mazda but I think he's dissapointed with the way Mazda marketed this car and where exactly stacks up againast the competition. I look at the 6 as a sports sedan though. He is right though the average buyer(non-enthusiast)is going to think the 6 is a family sedan thats just a rebadged 626.

boxfan · June 2003

cookie--I've now seen one sport and about 5 non-sport on the street. I'm in St. Louis, which is pretty conservative about cars in general, I guess.

newcar--I agree that it's just the wheel covers that make the car look pretty plain. Stretchsje's non-sport with the 17-inch alloys looks great, at least from the front (he posted the link above). I think the rear view of the non-sport sedan doesn't look quite as good. The hatchback might look better from the back, at least in this picture (http://www.mazda6.co.uk/upclose/gallery/detail.asp?id=1060&w- pTitle=Side+on), but we'll have to see how it looks in real life.

I still can't decide if I would want the ground effects and spoiler from the sport package. Does anyone know how much weight all that adds to the car?

seaf · June 2003

Doesn't the ground effects lower your car's clearance by a couple inches? Your car's bottom might get scraped on really bad streets or even pulling up to some house driveways. Unless the sport packages have a slightly higher suspension, but I'd think body roll would be more pronounced with the higher center of gravity.

Either way, as I've mentioned before, I don't like most of the sports packaging (except for 17" wheels if you don't mind the rougher everyday ride)

newcar31 · June 2003

the 17s were available as a stand alone option and not only available with the sport package. I know you can buy the 17s from the dealer, but they don't come with tires and they aren't a very good deal.

From what I understand, there is no difference in suspension tuning between the sport package cars and the non-sport package cars.

everyday · June 2003

Just remember, hit one pothole and you'll have to replace them, zoom-boom...

newcar31 · June 2003

Yeah, they are more prone to pothole damage, but I haven't had any problems with the 16's on my Protege and they also have low profile tires. I haven't had to replace those rims yet and I know I've hit more than one pothole.

boggse · June 2003

"A Corolla is whisper-quiet at speed; the Pro should be too.

Perhaps. I did not find the Corolla significantly quieter at 75 than my Protege5, but my daily driver is a Miata, so that may explain it. In addition, I actually found the Corolla to be quite annoyingly buzzy under acceleration. That really turned me off to that car.

As for Mazda be endangered in NA. I found this article which may be of interest to some:

http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0211/12/autos-8820.htm

I personally don't see Mazda disappearing anytime soon.

newcar31 · June 2003

I drove a Corolla too and I didn't think the engine felt or sounded more refined than the Protege's.

Matter of fact, a number of publications have criticized the Corolla's 1.8L for being too buzzy.

carguy58 · June 2003

was from last year. The article about Mazda losing money in the US that somebody posted on this board was as recent as 1-3 months ago. Mazda is a profitable company around the world just not in the US. Mazda once had a good grip in the US market. Its hard to believe they have almost lost 1 percent of US market share since 94 and lost 100,000 car sales since their peak year of 94. 1 percent market share wouldn't seem like a big chunk of market share lost to a company like GM or Ford but to a nihe player like Mazda losing 100,000 car sales from 94 and 1 percent is a huge deal.

chikoo · June 2003

4 years on a single set of Alloys on pothole ridden roads of Philly....I guess u must have had alloys from El-Cheapo Corp.

bean3422 · June 2003

Come on people, what are you expecting? Lexus smoothness?

No matter what brand loyalty you aspire to, we all have our reasons. All cars have their strengths and weaknesses. IMHO, the corolla has a lot of weaknesses in areas that I think are very important. Buzzy engine is not one of them.

I would also have to say that engine noise of any type would be very low on a driving enthusiasts list. My protege has a cold air intake, free flow cat, and a catback exhaust system. You betcha it makes some noise (actually a very nice mellow noise, no rice exhaust here.)...I am glad to put up with it for the estimated 5-10 hp increase. (Don't even start with the argument that I should just buy a faster car to begin with. I am actually working on that (rx8), but until then this is the car I have!)

We all have different priorities...if your priority is cush for the tush, less noise for the sensitive ears, no tingle and vibration through the gearbox, etc. then fine. Just don't make any claims that you are a driving enthusiast.

There are lots of used Cadillacs out there for a good price...

johnclineii · June 2003

Cadillacs? I thought that would be a Lincoln Town Car. Anyway, any news on when the hatch and wagon will be available? Or of changes for 2004?

rgb2 · June 2003

I remember you wanted to install auto-dimming mirror w/Homelink. Did you get it done?
Someone mentioned that dealer installation isn't as clean as factory install. How is yours?
Could you post some pics?

fowler3 · June 2003

*Interestingly, the Mazda 6 gets better mileage than the Pro even though it is larger with a larger engine, partly because of the much more relaxed highway rpm's of the 6.*

Hmmm. I doubt that, dudley, my Pro got 36mpg highway the last road trip I went on and 27mpg city. But I'm sure I could squeeze higher mpg's out of a 6 than the EPA ratings.

fowler3

gee35coupe · June 2003

Our Protege ES 2.0 got a pitiful 29mpg. I'm almost certain the 6 can do better than that if our 1999 Accord EX 5 speed did the same task(well with spurts well above 100) getting 35 mpg.

The Pro was/is geared too short. Awesome test drive car, and around town car. But a long haul sedan at GT speeds ain't it's forte.

But then again my GS gets 23 mpg if I baby it. It gets really pitiful with A/C on and a heavy foot. I think I need a tuneup. But that's not far off EPA. Premium only too. Geez.

newcar31 · June 2003

"The Pro was/is geared too short. Awesome test drive car, and around town car. But a long haul sedan at GT speeds ain't it's forte."

You had to buy it to figure that out? Seriously, I don't think there is a long haul sedan designed for GT speeds for $15K brand new.

comet63 · June 2003

I just traded my 1993 Corolla (which I have had since 1993)in on a 2003 MZ6. I love it except I am having that window fogging problem in the mornings. I live in Houston and it is humid here. If anyone gets any solution to this problem, please let me know. I got the onyx black Mazda i auto with beige leather, moonroof, bose stereo, spoiler, sport grill, comfort pkg, premium pkg, and chrome pkg. I don't understand about people having problems getting the car how the want it. I got just what I wanted. I didn't want the sports package as I am 40 and felt it looked to young, but like the sporty look with the spoiler, grill, and chrome. Any ideas on keeping a black car clean (aside from washing it every day) would be appreciated, also. Zoom-Zoom

mazdamarla · June 2003

I was thinking about carrying a package of pre-moistened wipes in my car, so if I noticed an obnoxious birdcrap on my door, etc. I could clean it off right away before it got all crusty.

Would any kind of a wipe do...i.e. baby wipes, etc. .... or is there a specific wipe that I should use, for car exteriors?

johnclineii · June 2003

Those wipes have ALCHOHOL in them. I would think they could be quite destructive to a car's finish. I would NOT use them. I know a woman who took the paint off her car with Dawn dishwashing liquid!

ambull · June 2003

I know a woman who took the paint off her car with Dawn dishwashing liquid!
That's suprising. I knew it would take off wax, but paint?
It's not a wipe, but Meguiars makes a spray which works pretty good with a towel.

kyjd75 · June 2003

Our 6s has developed a very smelly exhaust problem at 2300 miles. Mazda service manager gave me a copy of the Mazda service bulletin which essentially says there is nothing they can do about it. Oh yeah, one bit of advice they give is "do not accelerate rapidly when driving your Mazda!"

If this smell continues, Mazda either will have to do something, or its by-by for this stink-pot.

newcar31 · June 2003

"Those wipes have ALCHOHOL in them. I would think they could be quite destructive to a car's finish."

Windshield washer fluid has alcohol in it also and it gets all over your car's finish. I don't think they'd use alcohol in washer fluid if it ruined the paint.

johnclineii · June 2003

Different kind of alcohol, and very watered down. Like much in life, much depends on the concentration.

newcar31 · June 2003

It can't be THAT watered down, otherwise it would freeze in the winter.....and I'm pretty sure they are the same kind of alcohol....the kind you aren't supposed to drink, methyl or ethyl, I can't remember.

johnclineii · June 2003

It IS. 20-30% methanol is typical.

http://www.vspn.org/Library/misc/VSPN_M00981.htm

I would NOT use baby wipes on my car, be it a Mazda6 or a Matchbox.

mazdafun · June 2003

Finally, a subject worth of the Mazda6 forum.

Seriously, wipes generally use isopropyl alcohol while washer fluid uses methy alcohol. Ethyl alcohol is the fun one. Most paints should stand up to any alcohol. I'm not sure what the concentration is in wiper fluid. I use paper or cloth towels with wiper fluid to clean off bird droppings and stuff.

Letting dishwashing fluid dry on a car finish can damage it. If you rinse it off THOROUGHLY, it shouldn't damage the paint. However, leave just a little on, and it can crack the finish as it dries. I think (and I stress I THINK) the detergent molecules bond strongly to the paint and the molecules contract a lot when they dry out, which can stress the finish and create cracks in it. Dishwashing liquids are very strong detergents (bond very well to dirt and water), whereas most auto detergents are pretty weak.

ambull · June 2003

So, just keep a bottle of grain alcohol in the car for emergencies

robr2 · June 2003

...can remove waxes and sealants off your paint.

For aviary deposits I suggest you get a spray bottle and mix up about 1 cap of carwash with water. Use that to wet down the offending deposit and wipe it off with a cotton towel.

newcar31 · June 2003

"It IS. 20-30% methanol is typical."

Maybe it's typical in WV and warmer climates, but here in MN in the winter, I don't think a 20% solution would stand up very well.

Before I was of drinking age, I used to sneak liquor from my Dad and drink it with my freinds. He kept his liquor in the freezer. I remember one time, we drank about a 1/4 of a 750 ml of Smirnoff 80 proof/40% alcohol. I topped it off with water so my Dad wouldn't notice and put it back in the freezer......and it froze. Considering that it was 40% alcohol, and I diluted only 25% and it still froze, I don't see how 20% washer fluid would work here in MN.

johnclineii · June 2003

You drank ethanol. Windshield washer mix contains methanol. The 20-30% is sold nationally and protects to 20 below zero.

It is also what came in the washer bottle of any new Mazda6!

newcar31 · June 2003

I didn't realize that the different alcohols have different freezing points.

Mazda6 Sedan

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