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Mazda3 Maintenance & Repair

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Comments

  • blsampblsamp Member Posts: 3
    It's been cold up here too, but that THAT cold... Please keep me posted! Good luck. What year is you m3?
  • baggins63baggins63 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the responses. I have had the seat all the way down for a couple of weeks. This helped a little, making it tolerable on some days. I tried it today half way up and it hurts worse again. I will also try the floor mat idea. If anyone else has a suggestion I would welcome it. I researced cars for about 18 months before deciding on the MS3, so do not want to have to go to my second choice (and lose money doing it).
  • mapper4mapper4 Member Posts: 4
    What was the second choice if I may enquire? I'm taking a long car trip LA area to San Francisco on CA Hwy-1 so lets hope that this pain doesn't strike me. Also I'm short so maybe thats why I haven't noticed anything
  • baggins63baggins63 Member Posts: 3
    My second choice was a new Civic Si. Third choice was an RSX Type S, but they stopped making them. Other cars I test drove included Evo IX and Evo MR (too pricey to justify), Subaru WRX, Acura TSX (yawn), Acura TL, BMW 328 and 335i (pricey and boring vs. the Mazda), Mazdaspeed6, Mazda 3, Civic EX. My previous car (for 8 years) was a 1998 Acura GS-R. If your legs are shorter than mine you should be OK. If thigh support becomes an issue, try putting something under your leg on the seat (I have been using my gloves (colder here than in CA). Good luck.
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Wondering why Edmunds changed the Discussion Title from "Mazda Problems" to "Maintenance and Repairs" ?
    Doesn't sound the same to me.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    So that there could be more specific topics on specific problems rather than one big lump of "problems" that you had to plough through.
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    Sounds like a good idea. Perhaps we will have some solutions too. ;)
  • jc22jc22 Member Posts: 17
    Thanks for Andreas of Mazda3Forums I was able to unlock my trip computer on my 07 Mazda 3. It works for 06 too!

    1. Press and hold down CD and AM/FM buttons
    2. Start your car while still pressing down on those buttons
    3. The display will read, "DIS ON" which means Driver Information System On.
    4. Release the CD and AM/FM buttons
    5. Turn off and restart the car
    6. Now press the Set button and cycle through your avg. mpg, miles until empty, current mpg!

    Now you can truly know your Real MPG numbers! Which is a mixed blessing!

    Please pass this info to others!

    JC
  • mazdazoommazdazoom Member Posts: 43
    Does this ONLY work on 2006 - 2007 models? There is not a hack for the 2004 2.3?
  • jc22jc22 Member Posts: 17
    Sorry, only 2006 / 2007 models. Different head units were used in the earlier models, so the hack below does not work.

    JC

    Thanks for Andreas of Mazda3Forums I was able to unlock my trip computer on my 07 Mazda 3. It works for 06 too!

    1. Press and hold down CD and AM/FM buttons
    2. Start your car while still pressing down on those buttons
    3. The display will read, "DIS ON" which means Driver Information System On.
    4. Release the CD and AM/FM buttons
    5. Turn off and restart the car
    6. Now press the Set button and cycle through your avg. mpg, miles until empty, current mpg, and avg mph!

    Now you can truly know your Real MPG numbers! Which is a mixed blessing!

    Please pass this info to others!

    JC
  • zoomgirlzoomgirl Member Posts: 13
    i live in Montreal Canada, we had a pretty cold few couple of weeks...like most of the upper USA got too. -45 with wind factor...about -35 without factoring it in. it puts a whole new meaning to winter wonderland, doesn't it? by the wy my m3 is a 2006.
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    Now press the Set button and cycle through your avg. mpg, miles until empty, current mpg

    That's pretty cool. It wasn't available for Canadian Models in 2004 or 2005. However, just so you know. I was told the reading wasn't until empty but until you have 10 litres or 2.6 US Gallons. In otherwords, if you have 0 gallons remaining you really have 2.6g or 10 litres.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    i live in Montreal Canada, we had a pretty cold few couple of weeks... -45 with wind factor
    Hello fellow Canuck! I'm just down the road in Ottawa where we got some severe weather also, but not down to -45. Through it all my 2002 Mazda Protege5 (predecessor to the Mazda3) is still going strong with the original battery.

    If this winter does not convince people of climate change I fear what it will take.
  • joetrjoetr Member Posts: 10
    Do you know if that procedure or something like it will work on a 06/07 Mazda 6?
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    Do you know if that procedure or something like it will work on a 06/07 Mazda 6? "

    Actually, those are those only years it will work on, not 05 and previous
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    He's asking if it will work on the Mazda SIX in addition to the Mazda 3.......
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    He's asking if it will work on the Mazda SIX in addition to the Mazda 3"

    Sorry missed that.

    These things happen when the car name is not a name but a single number. :P
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    That's cool. I thought the same thing as you did until I re-read his question....
  • kaptainkaptain Member Posts: 1
    there is a tsb about this, you can bring the car to the dealer and they will reprogram your system.

    here is a link to the tsb from mazda:

    http://web2.iadfw.net/theman/protegefaq/tsb/08-002-04.html
  • tomkozskitomkozski Member Posts: 39
    I have a 2006 3i with manual transmission, bought 07/2006, and the unlock worked! I love having the trip computer!
  • dsodso Member Posts: 14
    I've got a 2005 Mazda3s with the sport package (so, 17" wheels). I've done 24,000+ miles on the OEM Goodyear Eagle RS/As, and it's time to bid them good riddance and find something that does at least a little better on wet pavement and snow/ice.

    I've narrowed my choice down to:
    * Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (ultra high performance, Y-rated)
    or
    * Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S (high performance, V-rated).

    Anyone got advice to give? Consumer Reports loves the Exalto but doesn't mention the Sport; message boards at TireRack.com love the Sport.

    Price and durability aren't big issues for me. I want better wet/snow/ice traction without giving up much dry-pavement grippiness and fun.
  • coosamtncoosamtn Member Posts: 47
    Since I bought it new, I've always been a little unhappy with the way my 2007 3 handled on the Interstate. It's been great on curvy roads but tended to "wander" going down the Interstate, especially on a windy day. The dealer checked it and said it was aligned by the specs.

    Today, I added an additional quarter turn "toe in" myself, equally on each side. I had measured the tread width before the adjustment, and after I made the change I couldn't measure any difference in the tread width. But WOW, WHAT A DIFFERENCE ON THE ROAD!!! She's now rock solid!
  • coosamtncoosamtn Member Posts: 47
    Michelin also makes a "Hydro-Edge" tire that fits your car with a 90,000 mile warranty. It's designed to resist hydro-plaining and rides as smooth as silk. Both of my Daughters have them on their cars and they love them. Cost a little bit more than the Pilot, but not much.
  • dsodso Member Posts: 14
    Thanks for the suggestion, coosamtn. Unfortunately the Michelin site doesn't show the HydroEdge as coming in my size (205/50-17), & neither does the Tire Rack. Seems like an odd omission, if I'm right.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Put these on the wife's 3s in December and am very pleased with the ride in both wet & dry conditions. Sears even matched our local Mazda dealer on price when push came to shove. The tread is quite meaty and the sipes to remove rainwater are quite good. Also looked at the Michelin Exalto A/S but they were a bit more pricey and the tread didn't look as meaty to me. The salesman gave both tires good reviews also.
    So far a very happy camper with the Traction T/A's.

    The Sandman :)
  • mazdrvrmazdrvr Member Posts: 112
    I wouldn't know how to align myself but having the alignment "tweaked" makes the car drive better? I noticed today (windy day) that compared to my old Protege, the car gets pushed around more. When you said "wander" do you mean the car tends to not hold steady?
  • mazdrvrmazdrvr Member Posts: 112
    I have the 16" tires on my 3 and was wondering how wide of a tire would I be able to get w/ the stock wheels? (on my protege, I had wider tires and I had better handling.)
  • jmecheruljmecherul Member Posts: 2
    hey guys
    i just a mazda 3 s grand touring (17in wheels). i find it quite noisy. like if i drive on the highway or even the street the suspension makes some awful noises (especially on the highway). i mean i expect it to be a little bumpier ride due to shorter and narrower wheel base, but it just sounds like the shocks and struts are busted. does anyone experience this? can it be something wrong with the car? are the stock tires (goodyear eagle rs/a) the culprit? is there anything i can do to stop this? i am extremely inclined to go to the dealer. also, there is a lot of wind noise on the freeway. i can hear it even with the stereo loud.

    any help is appreciated. thank you

    jmecherul
  • coosamtncoosamtn Member Posts: 47
    "When you said "wander" do you mean the car tends to not hold steady?"

    Right, mine was also all over the road on a windy day. I added just a very small amount of "toe-in", which means the tires are now just a tad closer together in front than before. Now the car is a lot more steady, as you say. In addition, my steering wheel pretty much returns to center after a turn almost on its own, where before I had to "turn" it back to center.
  • mapper4mapper4 Member Posts: 4
    This is awesome though I feel bad for the people that paid the extra for the S-Grand Touring now I mean there were some other cool features like that self dimming mirror but this was one I really wanted and didn't have the funds for. Thanks so much whoever figured out how to unlock the travel comp. :):) :shades: :shades: :shades:
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    By tweeking the toe in would the tires wear unevenly, or even cause premature wear?
  • coosamtncoosamtn Member Posts: 47
    Possibly, if you push it too far. You can bet, I'm going to be watching my tread wear closely. On the other hand, I'd gladly give up a few miles on the tires for MUCH better handleing. The amount of toe I added was not measurable between the treadwidth.
  • mazdrvrmazdrvr Member Posts: 112
    Thanks for the reply. When I need to get my wheels aligned, i'll ask if they cold do this. We had some strong winds here couple days ago & it was hard to keep the car steady even driving slow.
  • mazdrvrmazdrvr Member Posts: 112
    If you can, keep us posted on how your tires are wearing.
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    Many have reported loud road noise with the GoodYear RS-A tires. The RS-A's have good dry traction - and a very firm ride - but were scary on a wet road.

    The bad news is they get louder as the tread wears down. The "good" news is they don't last very long - I got 20K out of mine. I could have went a few thousand more - but my daughter was starting to drive the car more - so when I got the 3rd flat tire (same tire all 3 times) I went ahead and replaced them.

    I put on a set of Kumho ASX (215 50 17) - when I left Discount Tire with the Kumho's installed - I thought - WHAT is that strange noise coming from my engine - then I realized it was just the engine - I had so much tire noise before that I couldn't hear it!
  • what2get07what2get07 Member Posts: 9
    Can anyone confirm if this are any problems / recalls on the '07 models as I am considering purchasing a Mazda3 5-door Hatchback Touring edition and want to check first with other owners.

    Also, are there any other recalls / problems prospective owners should know about on the '07's? Would you recommend the vehicle overall?

    Thanks!
  • silvermzda3silvermzda3 Member Posts: 17
    I have an '07 5 dr sport and have 9k miles on it so far and have had no problems and recomend it. particularily if you enjoy driving and like a car that handles well for the money.
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    No problems with noisy brakes?
  • orlandoflorlandofl Member Posts: 9
    I'm just went through the same situation as 'zurri', but at the 30,000 mile mark. I'm in Orlando, and the Classic Mazda quoted $400 for a 30,000 mile service. This includes replacing ALL the fluids in the vehicle, even though the owner's manual only states to replace the oil and 'inspect' the other fluids.

    I was suspicious after reading the owner's manual, and looking the maintenance schedule on Edmunds.com.

    I called Mazda USA and asked the customer rep, if we followed the manual, and didn't replace all the fluids, would it be detrimental to the car. He said he would follow the manual, and inspect the fluids; if they needed changing, change it. I told him about the $400 for the service, and he was surprised that they would automatically replace the fluids without checking to see if they needed it.

    He suggested calling other dealers and seeing what they offered. I called the 2 other dealerships in the Orlando area; one was exactly the same (I believe they are both owned by the same company), and the other was $325 for replacing all the fluids.

    I'm a believer of having the dealership do the service work while the vehicle is under warranty (just in case something goes wrong), but the cost of their minor service, and now the major service is getting out of hand.

    Now, you'd think that I would have gone with the $325 deal, but I didn't. Classic Mazda had a 10% off coupoon, they are a lot closer, AND the arranged for a rental for the day.

    I have to keep telling myself that I did the right thing, but in my gut, I feel like I was taken advantage of.

    I'm thinking that maybe every 60,000 have all the fluids changed, not every 30,000.

    I guess I'm looking for feedback from everyone telling me I did the right thing.

    As per Zurri's situation, I wouldn't pay the $3XX for the 15,000 mile service.
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Check out the Mazda cx7 forum here. Owners have had numerous CEL coming often . The engine is the 2.3 with turbo..
  • jgill2jgill2 Member Posts: 5
    I'd like to echo the request for info on adjusting the headlights on the Mazda3i (halogen, not xenon). The cut-off between light and dark is very severe, and mine were set too low, especially the low beams. The dealer raised both the lows and highs for free, but they overdid it. Now the low beams elicit flashes from on-coming drivers, and the highs illuminate the passing trees. I would take it back to the dealer, but it's 30 miles, and they don't have evening or Saturday hours. I'm willing to do it myself, but I don't know how. I asked Mazda Customer Service, but they told me to take it to a dealer. Of course. Can anybody point me to some instructions?
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    I know what you mean about the projector headlights. They are the absolute worst. On a dark road they are not even high enough to illumunate road signs on low beam :mad: A lot of vehicles are now going to this system. I suppose if it is a vehicle high off the road than it might not be a problem were as the M3 is low to the ground. Try another M3 forum, Google M3 forum, and look for Mazda3forum. There search headlights. I am sure there is a thread on how to adjust the headlights. A half inch up adjust was all that would have been needed.
  • jgill2jgill2 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the suggestion and your support. I have browsed 5 or 6 other forums and come up empty. Either there is nothing on the subject or I'm prevented from searching because I'm not a registered user. I'm not willing to deal with all the spam that results from joining a half-dozen boards, but I'll keep ;ooking.

    Doesn't anybody out there have a service manual that describes how to raise and lower the headlights? This should be a no-brainer process, almost as simple as checking the oil, but it seems to be a big secret. From me, at least.
  • coosamtncoosamtn Member Posts: 47
    Try this web site. It's a bootleg copy of the Mazda 3 Shop Manual.

    The adjusters are under the little round white plastic covers behind the light assembly. The covers pop right off and the adjuster is simply a #2 crosspoint screwhead. You'll need a little cheap stubby screwdriver, the one with the short bend in each end where one end is a #2 crosspoint and the other end is a flat blade. There are two adjusters for each light, one is up/down and the other is left/right.

    I parked my car in the garage about 10 feet from the garage door, let the door down and turned on the low beams. Before I made any adjustments, I took masking tape a taped it on the garage door right at the top edge of the light pattern as a reference point. A little goes a long way, so don't raise it much. You will definetly like the results

    www.icestormdesign.com/mwcc/mazda/manual/
  • jgill2jgill2 Member Posts: 5
    Many thanks, coosamtn. That's just what I needed.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Had a problem at the dealership today that sold me this policy. They tried to get out of paying for the 1st radiator flush. They ended up eating the cost but am going to meet with the general manager once he calls us back. I'm so pissed at Mazda I could scream. Feel like they lied to us. More to come!

    The Sandman :mad:
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Mazda tried to renig on this policy that they sold us today with the radiator flush. They ended up having to eat it and now we're waiting for the general manager to call us back to straighten this out. Feel we were lied to and it don't feel good!

    The Sandman :mad:
  • bigfurbigfur Member Posts: 649
    Was that thru Mazda or the dealership though? No reason to get mad at the car company for something the dealership is doing.
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    hi! does anyone know anything about Triangle tires performance series. planning on putting up new tires and im just wondering if anyone has ever heard of them cause i havent and i am bit worried if i get tires that ive never heard of.
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    Had a problem at the dealership today that sold me this policy. They tried to get out of paying for the 1st radiator flush. They ended up eating the cost but am going to meet with the general manager once he calls us back. I'm so pissed at Mazda I could scream. Feel like they lied to us. More to come!

    The Sandman "

    You should be pissed at Mazda xxxx dealership. Every brand has good one, and not so good ones.....
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