Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Mazda Protege5

1122123125127128154

Comments

  • acuintegraacuintegra Member Posts: 12
    What are the prices going for on Pro5s? Not to be funny but would invoice - the full $2250 be a good price or is there another rebate that I don't know of?
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    of course the roof rack is removable. My 2002 P5 came with roof rack (it wasn't an option at the time) and two long plastic covers for hiding the groves once the rr is removed.
  • klowhornklowhorn Member Posts: 1
    I'm thinking about picking up a new P5, but I first want to know if anyone has problems with creaks or rattles anywhere in the car? If so, where is it, and at how many miles did it start? Could you remedy the problem on your own. I hate rattles and don't want to drive a car with them. I've sold cars after a year because they started rattling and it drove me nuts!
  • icvciicvci Member Posts: 1,031
    Is definately not a dealer installed option. I didn't want mine either but, they made me take it. But, I didn't want the polished wheels either and they switched them for me. ; )
  • avanteguyavanteguy Member Posts: 15
  • avanteguyavanteguy Member Posts: 15
    The roof rack is an accessorie. and is very easy to put on and take off; it should take you about 15min to re & re a roof rack
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    I have found that all cars will have at least a small rattle or two. My P5 and my Miata both have small noises in the dash from time to time. I think it is related to thermal expansion/contraction as they seem more evident in cooler temperatures. They are small enough that I only hear them when I have the stereo off. They are nothing compared to what I experienced in my Jetta, Taurus, or Samarai.
  • pciskowskipciskowski Member Posts: 155
    Don't get me started on the rattles! However, I still love the car.
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    Cross bars are just a part of the roof rack. The cross bars take little time to remove or add. But to remove the side rails that hold the crossbars requires removeing the headliner and purchasing new strips to fill the grooves.

    If you just remove the cross bars, then there are pieces included with the rack to fill those holes, but you are still left with the side rails.

    One guy who removed his side rails has a website about how to do it and says it can be done in 2 hours or so.

    2003 P5's now come without siderails while Canadian P5's have always been that way. I don't now the reason why dealers won't remove the now optional racks for people, but it would seem that they don't want to mess with it since they could easily ruin something.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    But to remove the side rails that hold the crossbars requires removing the headliner and purchasing new strips to fill the grooves.

    Mine comes with those plastic strips (I just repeat myself here). You must ask dealer if yours don't.

    Bruno
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    If you have a 2002 with strips that fill the removal of the side rails then you are the only one in the entire United States.

    The rest of us just got strips that fill the voids left by removing the cross bars.
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    Mine did come with plastic bits that cover the area exposed by the removal of the cross bars. I did not receive anything to cover up the area that would be exposed by removal of the rails.

    Either way, you should be able to find a 2003 P5 without a roof rack. My dealer lot is full of them.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    it's black plastic, long about 2-2.5ft, 2 inches wide , and a little curved in this dimension to fit the shape of the car body. What is it?
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    the pieces that replace the holes left by cross bar removal.

    The pieces that replace the side rails would be no more than an 1" wide and fit into the groove in the roof.

    Here is a pic from the guy who removed his side rails. On the left is the rail with the side bars removed. It has the spaces where the included plastic pieces go.

    On the right is total side rail removal.

    http://www.geocities.com/shareafile/projectremoverails/MVC-147F.J- - PG
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    You can clearly see the exposed areas I mentioned on the left side of the photo (assuming you can get the link to work - it took several tries for me). It looks like you would need to add back in some rubber stripping after removal of the rails.
  • icvciicvci Member Posts: 1,031
    It looks neat. I don't know that it's worth the work though. I know right after I did it I'd decide I really wanted to use the rack for something.

    I haven't seen any P5's with out the rails. If the roof rack is an option, do they leave the rails off completely?
  • cdnp5cdnp5 Member Posts: 163
    I think the USA and CDN models are different or were different. As our cars have never came with a roof rack but you could purchase a one from your dealer. Our racks are two separate cross bars that connect to the roof via a bolt (one on each side) that bolts into a hole in the roof that is covered by a plastic piece (approx 2 inches by 1/4 inch) that is easily removed. It's actually a very smart method. I can install/uninstall my rack in 2-3 minutes easy. The plus is that our bars are the same size as a the Thule square bars so their parts hook up easily. I was looking for a picture of it but couldn't find one. Maybe I will scan one with my bikes on my car if I find time. It is similar to the VW Jetta setup though, it just hooks in a little different.
  • fries1fries1 Member Posts: 12
    My 2002 came with out any bars or roof rack, but there are 4- 3 in covers over the threaded holes where the rack bolts into. Personally I like the look better without the roofrack and I have less windnoise than a friend that has his rack installed.(It took him about 30 minutes). I guess Mazda figures us Canadians dont need roof racks or something.
  • cdnp5cdnp5 Member Posts: 163
    I will admit that the rack is really noisy and worse with my bikes/roof box on top (don't get me started on extra gas). I'm going to try one of those fairings to help reduce the noise. My first time installing the rack was the longest (want to make sure its right) but now I'm able to do it in the 2-3 minutes. I leave the bike carriers attached to the rack so it comes off in one piece. This is the easiest method I have found.
    I have to say I like the look with and without the rack. They offer different uses for the car.
    Without = very sporty and fun
      
    With = very functional and outdoors (bikes/kayaks)
    Either way its a great looking car.
  • boxfanboxfan Member Posts: 180
    I've found with our Subaru Outback that just taking the crossbars off makes a difference in wind noise. I leave the bike rack attached to the crossbars and can install it or take it off as one piece in a few minutes.
  • icvciicvci Member Posts: 1,031
    Lat night. Saw my first P5 without any portion of the roof rack on it. It looked nice but, I prefer the roof rack look.

    I took off the cross bars, it was much to noisy with the bars and the sunroof opened.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    it was much to noisy with the bars and the sunroof opened.

    Do you have the wind reflector?
  • icvciicvci Member Posts: 1,031
    No wind deflector. I just took off the cross bars. Did the deflector help much?
  • wdrauchwdrauch Member Posts: 22
    I bought the wind deflector and yes, it does reduce the noise with the crossbars installed. By the way, when I asked my dealer about getting the cover plates that go in the side rails I was told that they are no longer being provided from the factory. So, even when the crossbars are dealer-installed, there are no cover plates that come with the vehicle. This was changed sometime late last fall. I was told that Mazda may offer the cover plates for purchase, but I could not see myself ever wanting to pay the money for them.
  • wdrauchwdrauch Member Posts: 22
    I've got a rattle in my passenger-side b-pillar that is driving me nuts. I've taken it to the dealer, but they haven't been successful yet fixing it.

    However, I would still highly recommend the P5. The roads here in SE Michigan are worse than many Third World countries, but the P5's ride has been much better than the Volvo S40 I had previously.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    Yes, the wind reflector is the must for those who like the cross bar and hate its noise. As the name suggests, most of the wind will be reflected above the cross bar, successfully tested by a human-hand-device!

    Bruno
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    sorry to hear that your dealer is having a hard time finding you a P5...it was mentioned earlier that you should check out the mazda consumer locater....its not 100% accurate because its not running in real time....but it might give you some idea....

    if you want to email me or post the options and color you want... I can look at the dealer real time locater for your area and give you some dealership suggestions, don't forget to tell me what state your in...
    I won't be able to vouch for the dealer, since I don't know them all but hopefully you will be able to find the car you want..

    Rich
  • icvciicvci Member Posts: 1,031
    ...even when the crossbars are dealer-installed, there are no cover plates that come with the vehicle.

    I bought my 2003 P5 two months ago and it came with the filler trim. I removed the cross bars and snapped it in.
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    ...even when the crossbars are dealer-installed, there are no cover plates that come with the vehicle.
     

    I bought my 2003 P5 two months ago and it came with the filler trim. I removed the cross bars and snapped it in.
     


    I think he is referring to the covers for the holes in the roof when the roof rack is removed in entirety.
  • dwryterdwryter Member Posts: 87
    I removed the crossbars, but rarely drive with the sunroof open due to noise. Does the wind deflector reduce that noise with the sunroof popped up or slid back at street speed? How about freeway speed?
  • icvciicvci Member Posts: 1,031
    Ahhhh removing the rails, not the crossbars. I can't imagine Mazda not making them available. Seriously, what if a body shop needed them? I'd look around.
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    Does the wind deflector reduce that noise with the sunroof popped up?

    This question is somehow a little confusing because I don't know if you want to compare between *with wind deflector + sunroof popped up + no cross bar* with

    1) no wind deflector + sunroof popped up + no cross bar

    or with

    2) no wind deflector + sunroof popped up + with cross bar

    The answer for 2) is yes at all speed (same with sunroof slid back). I don't know for 1).

    Bruno
  • videoonevideoone Member Posts: 4
    acuraintegra,

    I ran into the same situation as you about two months ago, it's almost the same specs as yours (mn blue) except I got the roof rack and some other small things too. Apparently, the fully loaded models aren't in great supply.

    Call the number on the mazda homepage (www.mazdausa.com), 800-222-5500. Tell them you need help locating a car you want. They will connect you to "customer fulfillment." Their list is more up-to date than the web-page inventory and can help locate a dealer for you.

    None of the dealers in my area had the car in the specs I wanted. If that's the case, call them back, tell them you're getting depressed :-(. They located a car for me that was "in port" but was still "unassigned." If they do find one, you can tell them who your favorite dealer is so they can have it assigned and delivered there. The dealer can also check "in port" cars but they only see those already assigned to them so Mazda HQ would be a better bet.

    I talked to the dynamic duo Michelle and Michelle K and they were super helping me. They even put a priority on the car so it was put on the next truck out of port.

    And oh, I paid 200 over invoice for mine but it came with cargo tray, wheel nuts, protector and the dealer ate up the cost.

    Good luck.
  • videoonevideoone Member Posts: 4
    During the time I was looking, there were only 4 cars in CA (where I'm located) that matched the major options (auto, moonroof/6cd, abs/side abag, leather in dk blue) I wanted and none of them were in the N. Cal region.
  • wdrauchwdrauch Member Posts: 22
    boggse said: "I think he is referring to the covers for the holes in the roof when the roof rack is removed in entirety. "

    Actually, I was talking about the cover plates for when only the crossbars are removed and the rails are left in place. The P5 I purchased in March didn't come with these. The dealer told me that Mazda was no longer shipping them with the cover plates (they used to, but stopped late last year) ...... whatever. I'm going to keep bugging the dealer about it until they find me some. I've got to believe that they have some sitting around in a box somewhere.
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    I would call Mazda Corporate to complain. I would also try to get someone here to give you the part number(s) so you tell Mazda exactly what you want. I haven't decided whether or not to keep mine. If I decide to get rid of them, I will let you know.
  • tominsdtominsd Member Posts: 18
    I recently purchased a used Pro5 and removed the cross rails. The seller had lost just 1 of the 4 snap-in covers - a smaller, front one. It is $25 + tax! and then you have to pay $2 more for the little clips that go on it. So they aint cheap to buy!! To buy all of them will be over $100!!
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    or shall I say 'T' day.

    Picked up a nail in the sidewall that can't be repaired so it's time for 4 new tires.

    I knew it was coming, but was hoping to wait till fall. Oh well.

    Of course the 3 suppliers he called to try and find me tires gave him a total of 2 choices. Eagle Rs-A's for $125 and Dunlop 901's for $102. No way on the RS-A's too much money and never seen a good review. No way on the 901's since they are summer and I want all-season.

    I'm really thinking hard of going with the Falken's in 205/50-16. I mentioned this to the guy and he said he wouldn't mount them since they were a different size.

    Is this really a problem? I read all over of people plus sizing like this. Will I run into this problem at Costco, which is where I'd mount my tires if I buy them online?

    I had hoped to wait this thing out, but it's time to move.......
  • dwryterdwryter Member Posts: 87
    My crossbars are off the car. But even with them gone, the interior noise level is pretty high when I'm driving with the sunroof popped open or slid back. Does the wind deflector quiet that noise enough to justify its purchase? Thanks!
  • iamziamz Member Posts: 542
    It makes a major difference.
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    I am thinking about adding the Mazda cassette player to my 2003 P5. The only problem I am having is the price. Does anyone know where I might be able to get one cheaper than mazdastuff? The are asking $172. While that is $64.50 less than it could be, it is still a little steep for a cassette player in my book. eBay seems devoid of what I am looking for as well.
  • arb_16arb_16 Member Posts: 9
    Have you tried tirerack.com? I would recommend them for a better selection. They even have the original dunlops in the 195/50/16 size. It should be no problem, however, if you want to go to the 205/50/16 or "plus 0" to 205/45/16. If the tire shops give you a hassle, find another place.
  • meinradmeinrad Member Posts: 820
    Purchased 4 new Falken Ziex 512 tires from tires.com today. Free ground shipping should have them here by Friday. Went with 205/50-16. Just couldn't find a tire, at a price I wanted to pay, in OE size.

    Installation may happen this weekend.

    I'm blaming Ashu if I don't like them.
  • irnmdnirnmdn Member Posts: 245
    I would prefer for get an after market cd/tape/fm/am double DIN deck for little over $200 than spend $172 on cassette module to upgrade the average P5 OEM stereo. In fact you can get decent mp3 decks for $172. What were they thinking?
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    Having looked at the double DIN options out there, I could not find anything for a reasonable price that would fit. The best option is the Kenwood 4030 which lists for $449. This is my wife's daily driver, and she likes the looks of the stock head unit. It actually sounds pretty good now that I have replaced the front and rear door speakers. It could do with about 15% more power, but it is fine for most normal usage. BTW: for those who would be curious to know, I have found out from a reliable source that the front door speakers are wired in parallel with the tweeters. That means that the fronts are sharing 25W peak per channel between 2 speakers (or 50W per 4 speakers of you would rather look at it that way). That explains why putting in more sensitive 6x8s made more of a difference in my P5 than it did in my 2001 ES which didn't have any tweeters.
  • irnmdnirnmdn Member Posts: 245
    Here is one double DIN Tape+Deck from JVC for ~$300
    http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-7gHorVOSNcR/ProdView.asp?s=0- - &c=3&g=200&I=257KWXC777&o=p&a=1&cc=01&amp- ;amp- ;avf=Y

    I've seen an Aiwa even cheaper.

    Sanyo does a tourdeForce of sorts with single
    DIN models which have both tape and CD.

    http://www.sanyo.com/entertainment/mobile/
  • tominsdtominsd Member Posts: 18
    I believe boggse recommended replacing the front speakers with the Kenwood speakers sold by masdastuff for $104? I have a 2002 - no separate tweeters. Will the Kenwoods improve bass response at least a little and provide an overall better sound?

    Anybody else replace the front speakers? Thanks for the advice.
  • screeliscreeli Member Posts: 12
    i was in the market for a used car in the price range of 8K and under...this puts me in a low mileage mid 90s or a high mileage newer car

    i found a 02' p5 for $8k with 95k miles!

    i was looking for the opinions of others as to wether or not it seems like a good buy or a bad buy, considering i have seen some p5s for around $10-12k with less than 10k miles

    does the protege seem to maintain its pep with age?
    would a 98 honda accord with 95k miles be a better choice for around the same price?

    given a constant price range, and a constant depretiation in value...what is a better deal,
    a new car with high miles?
    or an old car with low miles?

    this is an example...
    94 accord coupe, loaded, 50k miles, $7200
    98 accord coupe, loaded, 130k miles, $7700

    both cars are similar engines(2.2L VTEC) and are priced based on accurate NADA values...i mean edmunds value

    keep in mind i am interested in a p5, although im not about to find a 94' p5...so i used the accord as an example

    any and all opinions are appreciated
    thanks

    screeli
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    In short, YES!

    Long Version:
    It will improve bass response and overall sound. Not having the tweeters means they should sound even better in your car than in mine since the Kenwoods will have a little more power to work with.

    Is it as good as having these speakers with a nice aftermarket system? No, but you don't have to spend an extra couple hundred dollars either.

    You don't even have to buy the Mazda accessory speakers if you want to save a little more money. I used Kenwood KFC-1688C in my 2001 ES (same stereo), and they sounded great. I think their replacement is the KFC-6889ie. The reason I went with the Mazda speakers this time is that they are $150 speakers for $104, plus they are pre-wired for the Mazda wiring harness.

    I don't know that anyone else on this board has gotten the Mazda speakers, but several have upgraded their speakers. I don't recall hearing any complaints.
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    I supposed I didn't consider the JVC, Aiwa, or Sanyo because I was looking for one of 2 options:

    1. Keep stock HU and add ability to play MP3s through cassette adapter.

    2. Replace HU with one that will play MP3s natively or through a composite input.

    Since my goal is to play MP3s, I don't see that it makes sense to buy a aftermaket unit that can't do this natively unless I could find one I liked that had the AUX input. That may be the cheapest option, but not by much.
This discussion has been closed.