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Comments
Second, I would review the lemon law in your state and see what your options are. Every state is different.. Like I mentioned, in VA, we have several laws here to protect consumers, one being if the dealer has the car for a period of 30 or more calendar days within one year of purchase, the car is considered a lemon.
Third, document everything! If you do have to consult with a lemon law attorney, they will need all the proper documentation. Also, I would becareful using the term "lemon law" with the car dealer. Once you use that term, they may stop cooperating with you..
Search around the Internet for your states laws. If you qualify, you will most likely need to consult an attorney. Sorry to hear about your problem...
That said, it is your new car and you should be driving it.. Is there another nearby Mazda dealership in your area? Reason I ask is that some dealerships service department are more competent than others.
I hope your issue is resolved (although I too am skeptical that they could fix a problem they could never replicate).
Appreciate the help.
http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/200607/0727a.html
Meade
Photos and a video link here:
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8002862p-7895933c.html
Now I'm wondering how many Speed3's may have been on board...
Meade
The first time I went to the Anchorage News website, I went straight to the news story with no registration. And now when I tried to go back, I get that stupid registration page.
Sorry about that.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/07/26/016069.html
Why couldn't this ship have carried something useless, like the Honda Ridgeline?
1. For mazda owners, how reliable is the car?
2. I wanted to get the same features and options the civic ex has into the mazda 3 hatch, so I was thinkin the S Touring (AT) with only the moonroof package(for now). After calculating this on mazda's site it comes to a little over 20k (not too bad for all the options and safety features i guess).
3.If any of you own this type of setup listed above, how much did you end up paying?
4. I guess in the longrun the mazda is a couple thou cheaper? *oh no minor venting period ahead*: Since the CA amongst other dealers think its an excellent idea to markup the civic with rediculus numbers-23,999+tax+tags+emissions+docfees+whatever else they can think of tacking on the OTDP- I can understand a little bit of a markup but yuck.) I dunno anymore
5. I really love the hatch, and can't stand regular trunks(you can fit so much more) but I like the civic ex.
well i guess my whole point is i need some guidance or something. Have a good day everyone :shades: .
Kinda interesting seeing a container ship that big lying over one it's side but apparently still floating just fine (at last reports..... :surprise: ).
So far mine (an 06 model) has zero problems. I was in the same boat as you until I drove them back to back. When all was said and down I picked up a loaded (moonroof/6cd changer, side airbag/curtain package, rear lip spoiler, etc) for LESS than a Civic LX.. I was able to pickup my 3 for under invoice, and local Honda dealers wanted close to MSRP on the Civic. Honda makes very reliable vehicles (I also own a Honda), but the 06 Civic is a brand new model year and there have been some problems.
"3.If any of you own this type of setup listed above, how much did you end up paying?"
I actually own a loaded 3i Touring (manual) but in my area, Northern VA, you get pickup a 3 at near invoice. Supply is starting to get a little tighter but you can still get an 06 for a great price in my area. The car with the options you listed can be found for under 19K in my area (before tax and tag).
You really cannot go wrong with either the Honda or the Mazda, but I personally think the Mazda is sportier, more fun to drive, and less expensive.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/8010116p-7903117c.html
One of my friends has a good friend who works for Toyota. He got good deals on a couple of Toyotas that had suffered water damage during shipment. He didn't have any water damage related problems afterward. The law wouldn't allow the water damaged vehicles to be sold as new.
I guess the condition of the vehicles on this vessel remains to be seen.
Even more important - a Meade posting! Welcome back!
My little ol' 2005 Mazda3 hatch is doing just fine. 24,200 miles and zero problems. The air conditioning seems to be even COLDER these days -- even with some record heat we've been having! Every day for the forseeable future has a forecast high of approximately 95 with our mid-Atlantic infamous high humidity on top of that, yet there are times I've had to turn the thermostat UP and the fan speed down to 1 -- believe it or not!
I'm only 800 miles away from my first FREE replacement set of Eagle RSAs, which my dealership provides at no charge as long as I do my routine maintenance work there. (The tires are down to their treadwear indicators, but my dealership won't let you do it unless you have at least 25K miles on the tires. Bad policy, I know -- but hey, have you priced the OEM tires? This will save me more than $800 by the time they're mounted and balanced -- not a bad deal!)
All in all, I'm enjoying the heck out of the car. I bought the Thule roof rack for it a few months back and am now hauling all sorts of stuff on top of my car. I've driven as far as Pittsburgh (7-hour drive), I've driven the car (loaded to the gills with camping equipment) up to 4,000 feet on a southwest Va. mountaintop -- and the last three miles of the trip were a 2,000-foot climb up the mountain on a gravel and dirt road, and taken many shorter trips. I also use the car on my daily 38-mile round trip commute. Yeah, I'm rackin' up the miles, but the car never complains. I'm routinely getting 27 mpg during the week and 32-34 on trips -- I'd probably tweak that a little higher if this little rocket wasn't so damned fun to drive at 80 mph!!!
Meade
I replaced my stock Goodyears tires at about 20K - no way I could have ever made it to 25K - they were getting scary on wet roads. I would see if your dealer would put something other than Goodyears - IMO they are worthless - I would not want another set on my Mazda3 - even if they installed a set for free plus PAID me $800.
I ALMOST wish my Mazda3 had some problems - so we would have something to argue about!
(Ouch!)
Meade
The correct inflation pressure for your tires is ALWAYS found on a label inside the driver's door. I'd just be guessing if I told you a number for mine -- something like 32 or 34. My car, a 2005 Mazda3s hatch, has the stock 205/50-17 Goodyear Eagle RSAs.
Meade
The way I look at it - 32 should be the minimum PSI - you can increase if you want - up to the max on the tire sidewall - it is a simple way to tune the ride and handling. In most cases going more than 5 PSI above the car manufacturer's number will hurt the ride and handling rather than help it. But tires are not all the same - so if you replace the stock tires you need to play around a little to get the "right" PSI.
My experience with the stock Goodyear's 32 PSI is about right - any more makes the ride very harsh with no real improvement in handling - IMO this is a result of the very stiff sidewall.
I went with the Kumho ASX in a 215 50 17 - I started with 32 PSI - but now use 34 in the front and 33 in the rear. The Kumho has a softer sidewall (Vs Goodyear RS-A) so by adding more air it firms up the ride and handling a little. Even at the slightly higher PSI my Mazda3 still has a much softer ride than it did with the RS-A's - I am sure I gave up a little bit of handling at the limit - but have not really noticed it.
It may not sound possible that a 2 pound change in tire PSI would even be noticed - but it does make a difference.
How do you like your Kumho tires? I replaced my OEM tires on my last car (02 Altima SE) from Bridgestone to Kumho and noticed a substantial difference in overall road feel, rain and snow handling, and overall handling.
I would definitely buy Kumho again, and am not entirely impressed with the OEM Mazda3 tires..
The Goodyear RS-A in a 205 50 17 were almost $650 (Discount tire) VS $450 for the Kumho ASX in a 215 50 17. (both installed balanced with 8.25% tax, I never buy the extended warranty)
The Kumho in this size is actually very close to the size of the stock Goodyear (in revs per mile) - closer than the 205 50 17 Kumho.
They fit great and I have seen no change in my speedo - I checked it with a hand held GPS.
When I first drove out of Discount Tire after having the ASX tires installed my engine was making a strange noise - then I realized that my tires were NOT making any noise so for the first time in 2 years I could actually hear the engine. Sounded good - much better than the tire noise.
Driving on roads that made the RS-A howl are now pretty quiet. The ride is now smooth - I can no longer feel every little bump in the road. I like the improved ride. The wet traction has been the biggest improvement - but the RS-A were worn out so its not really fair to compare - if the road by my house was wet I could spin the front tires like they were on ice - and if I was not real careful the back end would start to break loose in a corner - much better traction now.
I was driving with my wife yesterday evening and made a right turn at the lights, and while taking off in 1st, the engine literally had ZERO torque for about 3 seconds! I seriously thought I was going to die as a large dodge ram was approaching quite quickly towards me. Needless to say I nearly filled my pants and assured my wife that I would take the car to the dealership to get looked at. The problem of hesitation seems worse with the A/C on, however it still hesitates (to a lesser degree) with the A/C off as well. Has anyone experienced this problem and could let me know what the dealerships have told you?
The reason why I am posting this is that I feel this is a potential safety issue. I have never driven a car that has done this, not even a 16-year old toyota camry!
With my truck I would run 35 in the front and 30 in the rear most of the time with no load in the bed.
This works on larger tires (I ran 285 75 16 on my 4x4) not sure if it will work on a 205 50 17. But anyway - I put the manufacturers recommended 35 psi in the front tires - then took a small carpenters level and a ruler and measured the distance between the ground and the low point on the wheel. Then went to the rear and adjusted the PSI down until the distance was the same. The difference in this distance between front and rear when both had 35 PSI was 3/4 of an inch - I had to take the PSI down to 29 to make them equal - but rounded it off to 30. I found that running 35 PSI in the rear (with no load) would wear out the middle of the tire.
My Acura TL calls for 33 PSI in the front 32 in the rear so not all cars require the same PSI.
You just need to play around a little - try adding a small amount of air and see if you can feel any difference in ride and handling.
I would guess that 95% of drives don't care / can't tell the difference between 32 and 35 PSI - but I sure can -
Proud owner of a 2006 Mazda3 Sport GT (Indigo Blue) here in Canada. My dream car :-)
I've had it since May 11th this year and also got the Sirius Sat-Radio alongwith the car. Mazda installed it for me.
However, I'd also like to plug an iPod Nano into the car. I know that there is no iPod integration in my car, but I was wondering if anyone knew of ways to work around that issue.
Thanks!!!
Let me quickly add that I do not own a Mazda 3 or any other Mazda automobile. I own a 2006 Hyundai Sonata,that I like very much.
But since Mazda has been taking such a shellacking in this forum of late, I thought it might be interesting to post the results from the latest (September 2006) Consumer Reports regarding hatchbacks.
They rate the Mazda3 S Grand Touring the number 1 vehicle amongst hatchbacks. There predicted reliability for this vehicle is rated "Very Good"!
The characteristics that they rated "Highs" were, Nimble Handling, Engine and Transmission, and Breaking. The characteristics they rated "Lows" were Road noise, and Instrument Contrast.
There is not a word in this CR report about any of the problems mentioned in this Mazda3 troubles forum.
This post is not a criticism of, or a defense of, neither the Mazda3 or Consumer Reports. I just found it interesting and thought others would too.
My best to you.
Thanks for the heads-up about the article.
p.s. regarding "Breaking" : I assume that was a Freudian slip and you meant "Braking"
Ditto.
And you are welcome for "The Heads-Up."
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