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Mazda3 Maintenance & Repair

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Comments

  • dridedride Member Posts: 139
    Has anyone been able to successfully fabricate mud guards for their 3?
  • khall222khall222 Member Posts: 6
    Well, the dealership kept it for two days and roadtested it quite a bit (they put 70 miles on it) trying to get the problem to show up again, and it didn't. It hasn't happened to me again either. I'm really hoping it was just a fluke thing and it won't show up again.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Brought the 3 in this a m to check the alignment again, and they found a part of the boot in front torn, so they've ordered that part to fix it. Will be giving us a loaner, as it'll be almost a days work the service writer said.
    So far we're quite happy with the way Mazda has addressed our warranty issues so professionally!

    The Sandman :)
  • kagedudekagedude Member Posts: 407
    Hi, I have beige cloth interior on my Mazda 3i and I have some faint dirt stain spots the size of 2 quarters next to each other. Any suggestion on how to remove without it bleeding all over the seats?
  • eoghan1eoghan1 Member Posts: 58
    Take a look at the 4/21/2005 post from Go-Cart Driver. I followed this for the front wheels but never got around to doing the rears. Mine have lasted a year and been effective. I simply used the existing trim holes on my M3 Hatchback. Let me know if you want a picture.
  • lifestarlifestar Member Posts: 44
    So after our blizzard in Boston, I think I damaged my 3's structs when I accidently drove onto the sidewalk briefly because ever since my 3's been feeling more bumpy and shaky on the road, esp. when I'm driving on the highway. Do you guys know what the warranty with my 2005 3 hatchback will cover? Do I need to pay for all the costs, or do they cover the parts at least? Taking my car into the dealership next Sat. the latest because that's the only available day I can it in for now. Any ideas would help. Thanks.
  • jbolltjbollt Member Posts: 736
    You probably bent a wheel from hitting the curb. It is possible to get the wheel repaired, just depends on how badly it is bent. Check out wheel repair in your phone book yellow pages.

    Also possible that you just lost a wheel weight..maybe a trip to the local tire shop will clarify the issue or you.
  • lifestarlifestar Member Posts: 44
    I'm not sure, the car is definitely stuttering at speeds above 50mph and she's overall feeling less smooth on the road when driving over areas that I've driven in a hundred times. I checked the wheels and they look fine, and I haven't seen any visible leaks or dents. Do you know how much it would cost under my warranty? Does the warranty even cover damage to struts as they're part of a car's suspension?
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Warranties don't usually cover abuse. But you might be able to file a claim on your auto insurance.
  • iexplore2000iexplore2000 Member Posts: 237
    The clock on my 2006 also loose time. It's usually + or - a few minutes.. much different than what's displayed on the factory GPS system. I usually keep my multi-function display on Avg Mpg and use the clock on the GPS. Has there been a fix for this yet?
  • rinebirdrinebird Member Posts: 83
    May be a purge valve clog. one day this happened to me.I had no acceleration then nothing while driving. The check engine light came on. Good luck
  • daryldaryl Member Posts: 41
    I've had a similiar problem maybe twice in 5 years with my Accord and 3. There was so much snow packed underneath the front bumper and wheel wells that made the car extremely heavy and unbalanced. Once I knocked it all out from the bumpers and kicked it out of the wells, the car ran fine.
    Also, it's very hard to eyeball a slightly bent rim or know if a wheel weight is missing. I'd take it in to some place and put it on a lift and let a trained person check it out.
    Daryl
  • albertomichalbertomich Member Posts: 1
    Hi to everybody!

    Few days ago I was looking for an auxiliary parking system, but all I have found in the net were based on the ultrasonic system, with that black buttons on the rear bumper.

    In my opinion this solution is efficient but absolutely ugly: it's true that you can paint the ultrasonic capsules in the color of the car, but you will always notice them and, above all, you have also to irreversibly drill the rear bumper.

    For these reasons I will never and never install ultrasonic capsules on my car.

    Yesterday a friend of my brother found in the net a new electromagnetic parking system that must be installed on the internal side of the rear bumper; therefore it is absolutely unseeable and not any hole have to be drilled in the bumper.

    The name of this really revolutionary product is Magneti Marelli Parking Sensor PARK-02 and you can find the website here: "http://www.marelli.it/tecmobility/apark/welcome.html"

    This product is an italian worldwide patent by the Italian firm Proxel S.r.l. ("www.proxel.com") and marketed with the name "EPS-Micro Plus", but it is sell worldwide under license and under the name "Parking Sensor PARK-02" by Magneti Marelli also; EPS stand for "Electromagnetic Parking System".

    The Magneti Marelli Parking Sensor PARK-02 employs electromagnetic waves of low energy genarated by an antenna and is able to detect the approach of an obstacle of any kind (to exclusion only of materials highly insulating like for instance glass, ceramics, and plastic objects when these are absolutely dry).

    The antenna of this new type of parking system is made by a thin self-adhesive aluminium-tape.

    The system issue the first signal when the rear gear is engaged.

    During the approach to an obstacle the electronic unit activate the acoustic signal beginning from a distance between bumper and obstacle (measured in the central zone of the bumper) of around 24"÷27" with 3 types of signals:

    1) An increase in sequence of "BEEP" inform the driver that an obstacle is approaching (pre-alarm);

    2) A continuous sound at a more acute frequency when the obstacle arrive in proximity of the bumper at a variable distance between 12" to 24" according to the speed of approach. These values correspond to the central zone of the bumper while on the side edges the distance is inferior;

    3) A continuous sound at a different lower frequency when an obstacle is very near to the bumper (4"÷12") in order to give an alarm of possible contact.

    If you want to download a sample video go here: "http://www.proxel.com/download.htm"

    The Magneti Marelli Parking Sensor PARK-02 is not proper to be applied on metallic bumper or plastic bumper with metallic reinforcement directly in contact with the inside wall of the same.

    In presence of rain of a certain intensity, the system reduces its sensibility automatically so it eliminate a part of false alarms that could be given by sudden falls of abundant quantity of water on the bumper.
    In this situation could be totally eliminated the zone of pre-alarm and maintained only the zone of continuous final signal.

    All the feedback comments regarding this product, unfortunately in Italian only, are positive ("http://www.sensorediparcheggio.it/testimonianze.htm").

    I am very happy to have found this product, invisible, cheap, efficient and easy to install, and I'm going to buy it very soon!

    Cheers,

    Alberto.
  • 04sweetness04sweetness Member Posts: 2
    I have had the same problems... The final straw is when my horn got stuck at 2 in the morning. I took it to the shop and they worked on it for about a week. Today My remote keless entry failed to work. I am worried about this issue
  • 04sweetness04sweetness Member Posts: 2
    You are incorrect.... I have a 2004 Mazda 3 with 45000 miles on it and it has been horrible. My family was in fact Mazda dealers until about 10 years ago, but this car is horrible
    !
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    I have a Mazda 3 S Grand Touring with automatic A/C and it has ambient temperature. When i was getting my CD changer replaced, the dealer messed up the temperature degrees in the ambient temperature and A/C display by changing it from fahrenheit to celcius degrees. now i was hoping if someone would know how to change it back to fahrenheit w/o going to the dealer. Oh and i tried to hold the Ambient temperature button and it didn't change back to fahrenheit. Please HELP!!! :cry:
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    this is m3fan3 again regarding the tempertaure display this is a 2006 model by the way
  • brodie2brodie2 Member Posts: 32
    The gage for my temperature control and cigarette lighter aren't as bright as the other controls - does anyone know what could be causing this?
  • brodie2brodie2 Member Posts: 32
    I have a rattle in my front driver door panel - does anyone know what could be causing this?
  • chacobleuchacobleu Member Posts: 228
    there's a TSB on that rattle
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    This happened to me once. Went to the dealer and he had an Mazda3 there come back about 4x with the same problem. They're not sure, but they have replaced the EGR valve this time. I am to go back and check with him (service manager) at my next service to see if this was the fix. If so, they will do the fix in mine.
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    The rear brakes is a known issue. You need a new set of pads, my dealer replaced both the front and rear pads with updated ones (they came out not long ago.

    The dealer also topped up my refridgerant as it was a bit low, saying this is why it's cycling on and off every 10 seconds. It's not warm in this part of Canada right now, but I tested it out and it still cycles the same amount of time. Will be complaining again in a few months when it gets warmer.

    As I posted a while ago, in Taiwan, they make there own Mazda3's. They even have a 1.6 litre version. My gf's dad said the dealer told him the difference between the 2.0 and the 1.6l is that the 2.0 has better A/C. Also, my gf's aunt also has a Mazda3. They both complain that it's too cold for them. They have the 2.0 version. The compressor is powered differently than ours here, ours is electric or belt driven, I cant recall which, but there's is the opposite. Of course, common sense says that in Taiwan they must have a top notch A/C unit in their high humidity and tropical weather.

    I agree with a previous post, Mazda doesn't really care much about their image as they used to. I wish I had waited and got the new Honda Civic. It's a top pick in Consumer Reports and I love the way it looks: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/top-picks-for-2006-406/top-pick- s.htm
  • khall222khall222 Member Posts: 6
    It's only happened to you once...how long have you had your Mazda3? I've only had it happen that one time so far - when I had only had it 2 weeks. It hasn't cropped up again...yet.

    Can you tell me what an EGR valve is?

    I had a CEL come on this week, and took it to the dealership. They said there was an error coming from the display above the stereo. They ordered the part and are going to replace it. I don't know what the scoop is there, because it seems to be working ok.

    Thanks.
  • richmlrichml Member Posts: 156
    I'd imagine that the Civic will be very reliable, but I find the looks to be very boring.

    I don't know your overall experience, but our 3 is the fifth new Mazda that we've owned. We've had the usual share of mechanical difficulties with them (none with the 3 yet), but nothing crazy - otherwise we wouldn't have kept buying Mazdas. I've found Mazda service to be responsive, and haven't ever had to resort to contacting Mazda USA.

    With that said, I respect that others might have had different experiences.
  • slate1slate1 Member Posts: 84
    ... you should drive it! That's the definition of boredom...
  • beach70sbeach70s Member Posts: 9
    Am buying 3 GT and specs on Edmunds and Mazda USA show both sedan and 5dr as 57.7 tall and 5.7 ground clearance, yet when seeing them in person, 5dr seemed much shorter and lower grd clearance? Anyone notice difference or think 5dr didn't have enough clearance?
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    Not sure how Mazda measures ground clearance - but the two most common methods are - from the ground to the tranny or from the ground to the differential.

    So - believe it or not - if a manufacturer puts a ground effects kit on the front of a car that is only a few inches off the ground it will not change the published number for ground clearance.

    I know over on the truck board there have been many debates about ground clearance - and the guys from Toyota list a higher value than Ford or Chevy - But when I look at the Tundra I can see (don't even need a ruler) that the bottom of the rear differential is a few inches lower than my truck (a Chevy) - come to find out that Chevy & Ford measure from the ground to the bottom of the rear differential (which is the lowest point) but Toyota measures to the bottom of the tranny.

    Both legal acceptable ways to measure - but very misleading - unless you know who uses what.
  • mcmazdamcmazda Member Posts: 2
    Try this:
    -Turn on the ignition.
    -Turn on the radio.
    -While holding the Power button in, press and hold the MEDIA button for about 5 seconds. Release both buttons.
    -The display should change from celcius to farenheit (or vice-versa).
    -Turn the ignition off and back on again.
    -The display will now display farenheit.
    You can also go here for official instruction.
    http://www.finishlineperformance.com/mazda3/docs/0032.pdf
  • pats1pats1 Member Posts: 36
    I used to have an 05 Mazda 3 and the dealer warned me about the clock problem. He said he replaced 4 clocks in 2 weeks, so this is not an isolated thing. Make sure they take responsibility and replace it. Mine didn't act up, though.
  • steph_stantonsteph_stanton Member Posts: 14
    Hey guys, I'm new to the thread...I was looking through and was just wondering if anyone else has experienced difficulty with their clocks. I just got my '06 in December and on numerous occasions my clock is off by 10 or 20 minutes. My dealership says they don't know anything about it or it may be weather related, yet it has happened in both mild and cold weather.
  • smoothpsmoothp Member Posts: 2
    I've have my 2006 3 for about two weeks, and this problem happened once. It was off by just about half an hour one morning (i.e. the clock read 8:50 when really it was 9:20ish). It's not a slow loss-- the rest of the time the clock has been accurate. Just that one time.

    I'm glad it's not just me. Please post back if you get a resolution.
  • steph_stantonsteph_stanton Member Posts: 14
    My dealer said that it was due to "extreme weather" and then like 2 seconds later said he had never heard of the problem. Yes Canada does have some extreme weather, but if you ask me 5 degrees celsius is not extreme. They're solution is to replace my whole radio/clock unit.
  • steph_stantonsteph_stanton Member Posts: 14
    Does anyone elses seat belt make a clicking noise while driving? I know it's only a minor thing, but the noise is enough to drive me crazy!!!
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    Mazda is aware of the problem....my girlfriend has a 2006 MZ3 and her clock was running a few minutes slow every few days....We changed the display unit and it's keeping perfect time.

    If your dealer isnt aware of the problem have them call the mazda tech hotline and they will direct them to the proper fix.
  • steph_stantonsteph_stanton Member Posts: 14
    Ya, the dealer said that US cars are different and for some reason or other he doesn't seem to think that it happens here in Canada...don't ask me, I think I'm going to another dealer.
  • qddaveqddave Member Posts: 164
    Must be that metric time thing....... ;)
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    I have had a clicking / creaking noise for a while - it is driving me nuts. I thought it was coming from the drivers side door or maybe the sun roof or frame between the front and rear window - I have lubed everything - weather stripping - door locks - sun roof.

    Mine is not a rattle - it does not make any noise going over bumps.

    Seems to creak when I back out of my driveway (turning and going up/down a slope) also creaks when I slow down sometimes -

    Can you describe your noise? When does it happen?

    I will tear the thing apart if I need to to KILL THIS CREAKING CLICKING sound.
  • steph_stantonsteph_stanton Member Posts: 14
    Ya, you could say it's a bit of a rattle...mine is coming from the drivers side, where the seat belt clicks into the actual unit. It does it when I'm just driving down the street sometimes. I was doing the same thing trying to figure out where the noise was coming from...pusing on everything while driving to see if it would stop, then finally I figured out it was the seat belt. It's pretty loud considering it is such a small part. Try pushing/moving the seat belts base when you hear the noise and see if it stops.
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    I think this is my problem!

    I normally have the seat belt adjusted down to its lowest level (the part between the front and rear window) - I moved it up one notch and my clicking noise went away for most of the day. Normally I would get 15+ clicks and creaks a day - after moving it up - maybe only happened 3 times.

    I think I maybe a glob of white grease will solve the issue. If I can get the trim off without breaking something!
  • cajungreekcajungreek Member Posts: 17
    Just picked up my Mazda3 5-door s Grand Touring in Copper Red Mica this morning. 120 miles later and I love it, but have 2 issues/questions to ask about:

    The carpet around and under the driver's side floor-mat hook is not attached to the floor-pan. It is quite loose for several inches in all directions and the whole carpet section flexes and moves as I work the clutch, brake, and gas. Pulled the mat out to make sure it was actually the carpet that was moving and it was. Is this typical?

    Looking at the driver's side mirror I have some strange distortion either in the driver's side window or the mirror itself that causes a sort of curving effect when looking at something in the mirror that should be a straight line. It actually gives me a headache to use the driver side mirror. Anyone else experienced this?

    Thanks in advance!
  • mcmazdamcmazda Member Posts: 2
    I'd take the car back to the dealer, and have them correct the mirror and carpet. Mine's not like that at all.
  • cajungreekcajungreek Member Posts: 17
    I am taking it back in this week for a few small things. Their prep team doesn't work on Saturdays so they're going to do whatever the salesman didn't do himself. Also throw on the rear bumper step plates for me.

    So I'll take my list in when I take the car in.

    I just wanted to make sure it wasn't just me. Especially that mirror thing. It really seems to be a lensing effect. At first I thought it was just the reflection of the circular dash vent in the window that was bothering me, but it is definitely not. It is a distortion of the image.
  • cajungreekcajungreek Member Posts: 17
    I know that the 2004 Mazda3 had an issue with rotor scoring from anti-corrosion coating and that there was a Mazda service bulletin to this effect directing techs to replace the affected rotors and pads.

    I am at 400 miles on my new 2006 5-door and the fronts are scored up pretty well. Is this supposedly corrected for the 2006 models and therefore indicative of something else - or is this still a typical problem on the 3?
  • cajungreekcajungreek Member Posts: 17
    Has anyone done anything as far as something to protect the foot rest for your left foot? Only 4.5 days driving my 3 and the carpet on the dead pedal is looking tired.
  • modockmodock Member Posts: 55
    I bought a 4 pedal set of aluminium pedals that I stuck on the pedals. The 4th pedal is for the area you are talking about. I just added a couple of stick on velcro patches to the pedal and it stays put quite nicely. If you search ebay for mazda pedals you can find them for $17.95 and $9.95 shipping. They are made by Nokya Motorsports
  • cajungreekcajungreek Member Posts: 17
    Thanks.

    This sounds good. Do these pedals clamp over the originals or replace them?
  • slate1slate1 Member Posts: 84
    Can anyone tell me if it's normal for there to be an area directly under the rear floor mats where the carpet appears to have no support under it?

    It's about right in the middle of the rear foot area on both sides and feels like probably a 6"x6" square - I can press the carpet down a good inch or so before I think I hit something solid. I just found this to be very odd. Almost like a part of the floor pan is missing.

    Car is an '06 GT 4-door.
  • slate1slate1 Member Posts: 84
    hmmmm - might be normal... looks like from this picture I found that there's a dip in the rear area of the floor-pan. A bit surprised there's not something there to support the carpet though...

    link to pic from web
  • modockmodock Member Posts: 55
    They clam on over the existing pedals
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