Mazda Protege5

deejayspinz · July 2001

When did you order yours (Butler11)? When ordered, did they allocate a VIN number to you? If so how long after ordering. How long have you been waiting since the car was ordered?

I have a silver w/moonrf on order and they cannot give me an idea as to when mine will be in. From what I have read in this NG, some buyers were able to obtain a VIN # soon after ordering...

Has anyone orderd the rear bumper guard with their P5? If so, is it worth the expense?

Tax,

Dave

deliveryguy · July 2001

Rear bumper protector???????? Have not heard about that one!
I did read earlier on this message board that the mud guards/flaps do not fit because of the extended body kit on the P5.

phasor · July 2001

Just got a new P5, a loaded 5-speed. Picked it up with 5 klicks on it, now it's got 200.

I'm worried about the radio antenna getting swiped. I seem to get pretty good reception with it off, so I just leave it in the car. However, the little screw-in hole in the roof fills with water in the rain. Is this OK? Will it rust? Are they cheap to replace?

I noticed that at highway speeds, the floor seems to vibrate, I can feel it through my feet. Can't feel it anywhere else. Is this normal? Could a wheel not be balanced properly? Maybe because of the new suspension? Any other ideas? My old car didn't do that.

One thing I've noticed is that the stock CD player skips quite easily. Maybe they are all like that, I don't know - never had one before, heh.

One other minor nit, the window washer spray doesn't seem to be very high pressure, I wonder if I got a weak pump. Again, maybe just used to the old car.

Thanks for any input.

thel · July 2001

Well it turns out that I will have to wait until 7/31/01 before my wheel will arrive. This means that I will have that puny rickety spare on my brand new car for over 6 weeks!!!! If you have not yet bought a Pro5 but are considering it, take my advice and take your $16,000-$17,000 and buy a slightly used car that does not have parts that you will have to wait this long to recieve (ie. a car NOT made in Hiroshima Japan). Arggghhhh!!! I'm an idiot for buying a 2002 model made in another country with parts noone has!!!!!!

deejayspinz · July 2001

Deliveryguy - according to Mazda it is a bumper step plate. It shows as an available accessory for the P5:

http://www.mazda.ca/eng/getin/mazdamaker/EEChoose.asp#CustTable

$151 CDN seems to be a lot for what I would think is a fancy piece of plastic though...

Dave

deejayspinz · July 2001

Deliveryguy - according to Mazda it is a bumper step plate. It shows as an available accessory for the P5:

http://www.mazda.ca/eng/getin/mazdamaker/EEChoose.asp#CustTable

$151 CDN seems to be a lot for what I would think is a fancy piece of plastic though...

Dave

butler11 · July 2001

I signed my papers on June 19/01.But the car was already ordered before that.I got my vin# as soon as the car came to Canada about 3weeks ago .they say it only takes 10 to 14 days for the car to get here from Van,Bc.One thing I found out is that the sideskirts are not on the car when they ship it.So they don't get damaged.They install them at port?I'm getting tried of waiting already.Iseen a red P5 for sale in Calgary For
$23,495,they are trying to raise price because of demand.One on ebay for $16,500us(24,000cdn).

tone1228 · July 2001

Saw the Protege'5 for the first time on Fri (7/13). My dealer had four in stock (none of them were yellow) and only one with a 5 speed (silver). I picked it up my silver base model 7/14 with 27 miles on it (which included the 11 miles I put on it during the test drive. My only real complaints are the lack of a hook to hang my suit coat on, the low arm rest and the mediocre sound system. Two of which I saw in this forum prior to purchase.

This was my first new car purchase and was glad to be able to read several of the postings prior to taking the dive.

As a side note, I feel sorry for those of you (especially in Canada it seems) that have to wait so long for this excellent car. It is definitely worth the wait!

iamz · July 2001

and live in the Mineapolis area, the Mazda dealer in Hutchinson (45 miles West of Mpls)has one with an automatic. He said they would not ask for more than MSRP for the car even though twin city dealers are asking about 1K above MSRP for yellow.

iamz · July 2001

thel,

The P5 has the same rims as a 2001 Protege ES. Is your dealer aware of this? If they have a few Proteges on their lot, they should be willing to give you one off an ES and they can wait for the replacement.

-Terry

thel · July 2001

My Sales Manager said that the wheels on their ES's were differenet and that they would have to wait for a new shipment of P5's (he said he didn't know for sure when they would be coming in). I am considering just selling it back to the dealer (it spends more time there anyway) and just starting over, letting the dealer just add my scalp to his wickiup and moving on to a more reputable dealer. I know I'll get financially hosed but it about makes me sick even to think about my 3-legged P5 just sitting there in my garage for 5 weeks being undrivable.

im5 · July 2001

What a great forum this is... I've been reading it for a few months as part of my research for a new car purchase and got a lot out of it. Today I finally picked up my 5-speed Silver Pro5 (odo=2) from a local dealer at Minneapolis area. I placed the order June 1st. I'll certainly share comments/inputs as I have more things to say about it, but just based on previous test-drive, everything has been great about the car as well as the experience with the dealer. Speaking of which... for those of you who have placed the order before 7/9 and are wondering about the Mazda finance program, you should still be able to get the previous special finance offered. In my case, it's the 1.9 APR for 36 months.

I do have one question: Does anyone know if the standard keyless entry can be considered as an "alarm/anti-theft/security" device when applying for auto insurance? It'll reduce my premium for sure.

Anyway, thanks again for the great forum, and I'll keep you posted about my experience with the car.

kosi · July 2001

kosi · July 2001

I have GEICO insurance and they consider the keyless entry/panic feature an antitheft device therefore gave me the discount.

playaed510 · July 2001

I just bought a blue protege5 and i just wanted to know if there are any aftermarket springs for lowering it. I know it is a bit soon for doing all that, but i'm not use to having a car so high off the ground. Or Maybe someone can tell me if the springs are the same as the regular proteges because i have seen some lowering springs for them. O also I wanted to know if the protege5 is already lower than the regular proteges. Thanks.

jstandefer · July 2001

There are several aftermarket lowering springs that will fit the Protege. However, most of them are universal lowering springs and are not designed specifically for the Protege. Mazdaspeed (now part of Mazda) makes specifically tuned lowering springs and adjustable struts for the Protege. However, they are designed for the 1999-2000 models. I am not sure about their compatability with the 2001 models, since these models had their roll centers revised.

Racing Beat will begin offering suspension and exhaust modifications for the Protege. Racing Beat is the firm that Mazda used to design and tune the suspension and exhaust for the Protege MP3, which ousted the Acura Integra Type R as Sport Compact Car's best-handling front-wheel drive vehicle. Although they are not available yet, Racing Beat states they should be available by later summer. Here's the link for that page:

Racing Beat Mazda MP3 and Protege Parts Development

And here's the link to CorkSport, which specializes in Mazda performance parts for all models. They are one of the only U.S. retailers I know of that sell MazdaSpeed parts:

CorkSport Mazda Performance

And no, the Protege5 does not sit lower than the standard Protege sedan, although the body kit makes it look that way. The Protege MP3 does sit lower, but they are only building 1,500 of those.

jstandefer · July 2001

For those of you new to the Mazda family, here's a bit of product knowledge regarding the Protege5.

The sport wagon body has been offered in the Japanese, Australian, and European markets since the 1999 introduction of the current Protege (Familia in Japan, 323 in Europe, 323 Austina in Australia). They have a special model in Japan called the Sport 20 and heres a pic of the 1999 model:

Graphic used with permission from CorkSport.

The Sport 20 has the 2.0L DOHC engine now offered (the 1.8L was the largest available here in 1999 and 2000) producing 170hp and powering all four wheels through an all-wheel drive (AWD) system. It is also equipped with Mazda's ActiveMatic automatic transmission with manual mode, much like Porsche's Tiptronic and Chrysler's AutoStick. Other features not offered here are a traction control system, heated and water-repellent door mirrors, and digital gear position indicator in the instrument panel.

Too bad we don't get that version here. But, the Japanese market always gets the cool versions... They still sell the venerable and super-fast twin-turbo RX-7 there.

exl5 · July 2001

I live in Vancouver, BC.

deejayspinz · July 2001

Just talked to my local sales Mgr. Bought on July 2. He told me that I **could** see a car between 2 to 6 weeks - from today (July 17). They are waiting to see the status of the next batch of cars I guess... I was told that next to the yellow, silver 5sp is the next most popular...

Once I get the car, I will be posting pics on my personal site as I re-do the stereo system with a new setup.

Here is what I have found so far:
Head unit - tricky to remove - requires Scosche tools. Still looking for a std DIN adapter plate to fit the double-DIN size they use for the factory.

FSpeakers - 5x7"
RSpeakers - 6.5"

Dave

krotine · July 2001

I have yet to see another Protege5 on the roads... where are all of you hiding?

melonhead1 · July 2001

i have had my blue 5m pro5 for 2.5 weeks now and i'm still loving it. handling is great, engine is loosening up (2000k) and now likes to rev more, however, speakers are very poorly positioned and sound quite flat, and my right rear dunlop keeps on running low.
those things aside, what really bothers me is that no mazda dealer in the toronto area seems to know anything about the roof rack which comes standard in the states. neither when it will be available or how to get it, or if it will be compatible with my thule bike mounts. does anyone know anything about compatibility with thule bike mounts? anything about rack availability in canada? is this rack sturdy and worth buying?
thanks.

mudflat · July 2001

mazdastuff.com has bumper step plates. They're priced at $24 on one part of the site and $68 on another. No kidding.

playaed510 · July 2001

How much lower does the mp3 sit, because i'm considering buying eibach sportline springs but its only a 1.5 drop and i might want it a little bit lower than the mp3.

playaed510 · July 2001

o and does the 2001 protege and 2002 protege5 have the same suspension?

meinrad · July 2001

Yeah, where are all of you hiding? Went to PNC the other day and didn't see even one in any of the lots. Keep hoping to meet an owner to take a closer look, without having to deal with any salesmen.

melonhead1 · July 2001

i have had my blue 5m pro5 for 2.5 weeks now and i'm still loving it. handling is great, engine is loosening up (2000k) and now likes to rev more, however, speakers are very poorly positioned and sound quite flat, and my right rear dunlop keeps on running low.
those things aside, what really bothers me is that no mazda dealer in the toronto area seems to know anything about the roof rack which comes standard in the states. neither when it will be available or how to get it, or if it will be compatible with my thule bike mounts. does anyone know anything about compatibility with thule bike mounts? anything about rack availability in canada? is this rack sturdy and worth buying?
thanks.

melonhead1 · July 2001

I've now spoken to mazda canada and they say the rack which comes standard in the U.S. is a 'permanent' rack and is not available as an aftermarket accessory. is this true? it can't be true.
if dealers here aren't stocking the rack then can anyone suggest how i should fine one?

jstandefer · July 2001

I know the Protege MP3 is lowered, but I am not sure by how much. I don't believe it is more than 1.5". Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if it was only 1". I can tell you the best place to go.

Click Here to go to ProtegeTech

ProtegeTech has an abundant amount of information on all generations of the Protege. Plus, they have a posting board where all of the Protege techies hide, including one that works for CorkSport Mazda Performance. If they dont have what you are looking for, rest assured one of the many Protege links they show will have it.

Definitely check out Paul Bonaccorsi's MP3 he is racing in the 2001 SpeedVision World Challenge Touring Car Championships. Paul Bonaccorsi has won three SCCA Showroom Stock C National Championships. Two of those championships were in a 1997 and 1999 Protege ES. You can check out his website here.

exl5 · July 2001

One of the things not covered by warranty is airborne fallout such as tree sap.
How dangerous tree sap can be for vehicle's paint? Is it a serious problem?
Thanks

maltb · July 2001

Tree sap etches the paint if you leave it on there. Similar to acid rain, you should netralize the affected area before you coat over it with wax. Any auto paint supplier should be able help you with a good product. Keep your car waxed and clean and you shouldn't have any problems.

bu4uok · July 2001

I am glad to say that I finally had my chance to take a Protege5 on a test drive. Conclusion? Well, I found the car to be pretty nice. The sales guy allowed me to take the car on a test drive on interstate 95. I found the ride to be firm and stable. Contrary to all the entries I've read regarding wind noise I did not find this to be a problem at all. Unfortunately, I was focusing on the car's handling so I really can't comment on the sound system. My opinion on the Protege5 remains positive and I would continue to recommend it to anyone interested in getting good car with a well respected track record. Good luck to all future buyers of the Protege5.

phoenixmp5 · July 2001

I hope to add a little comfort to the concerns speaker positioning in the Pro5.

With the factory speakers, the imaging on the sound system is terrible. while positioned in the drivers seat, a person's leg blocks sound from the drivers front speaker... and you can forget about the rear ones.

When I replaced my speakers, I chose the Infinity Reference two-ways with the adjustable tweeters. The speakers are around $100.00 per pair and made all the difference in the world.

With the Tweeters properly positioned toward each person occupying the nearest seat, I found the sound stage to improve immensely without the need to buy and install component tweeters.

The only drawback I found with these speakers is the nead to drill into the door. The factory speaker holes don't line up the way normal speakers do. At first, I took the speakers back in order to find models with the proper mounting capabilities, but none sounded anywhere near as clean and full to me.

If you decide to reach for the mighty drill, be sure to use some quality sealant behind the screws, to prevent corrosion. As far as I know, the doors are galvanized.... but, there's no need to take chances.

Here's the link to Crutch fields web site.

Circuit City also carries this model.

Ryan

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-vVHyK84NLmu/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=400&I=1085752CF&o=M&a=0

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-vVHyK84NLmu/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=400&I=108652I&o=M&a=0

rachafe9 · July 2001

melonhead1

I have no idea when a roof rack may become available in Canada, but I have recently purchased a Protege5 (7-16-01) and I would be happy to sell you mine. I'm not sure if this is typical, but mine arrived without the rack attached and all of the parts were in a box in the hatch. To keep down on wind noise, I instructed the dealer NOT to install it and just leave the parts in the box. If you're interested e-mail me back @ metromusic2@earthlink.net I will be out of town 7-20 to 7-22

As a side note, I purchased my Protege5 from Ricart Mazda in Columbus, OH and I couldn't have been treated any better! Anyone that is looking at a Mazda product should definitely visit Ricart and their ace sales guy Chadwick Boval. Chad was very low pressure and high service!

jstandefer · July 2001

rachafe9... What you have in the box is probably the rack cross members and its related hardware. You still have the black mounting rails on the roof of your car (the two long raised black strips going down the roof), right?

I believe Canadian Protege5's don't come with these mounting rails at all. Installing the mounting rails involves drilling holes in the roof.

silverhatch · July 2001

Thought you fellow Pro5 owners might appreciate this tidbit: I had to drive an out of town client to her hotel tonight -- the Beverly Hills Hotel (for those of you not familiar with the Los Angeles area - it's old school ritzy). She drives a Land Rover at home, and I drive a Pro5. On the drive she kept commenting on the roominess. Bottom line: She loved my car. Driving up to the hotel in my Pro5 amidst the BMWs, Lexus' etc., I knew my car was out of that league, but the valet opened the door for her and commented to me - "What kind of car is this -- I like it!" For someone who drives all kinds of luxury vehicles for his day job -- I took that as a compliment!

Just thought I'd share...

Jen

kosi · July 2001

How do you remove the roof rack?

rachafe9 · July 2001

jstandefer

I had no idea that Mazda doesn't even put mounting rails on models for Canada. You would think the extra cost in making slightly different models would justify the expense of putting a rack on every car. Thanks for the info.

redshift · July 2001

rachafe9:

What color/options did you get on your P5? I haven't seen another P5 on the roads around Columbus yet.

I drove out to Zanesville last weekend and didn't see a single one on the way there or back, either.
I got to drive on some winding two lanes south of Zville. The P5 took the turns like it was on rails! The more I drive it, the more I like it.

See Ya Around I-270,
RedShiftEd

tcinsf · July 2001

hello to all the new MP5 owners. I purchased a silver 5sp with ABS & moon roof three weeks ago and I have already put in over 1500 miles on it ( one long engin breaking road trip). my biggest complaint is the loud wind noise over 40mph especially w/the moon roof open. I am planning either to add a moon roof deflector or removing the racks all together to decrease the wind noise. I have two questions to anyone who can help. 1. does anyone have the deflector installed, does it work and how does it look? 2. i want to add a yamika bike and ski rack to it, with factory rack do i follow the same guide line as the mazda tribute (roof rack )or something else all together.

sunbyrne · July 2001

I was supposed to have my Pro5 a while ago, but my local dealer wasn't able to snag one from San Antonio, so now I'm waiting for a VIN for one that the dealer had already ordered. Sigh.

While I'm waiting, though, I've been collecting reviews of the Pro5 on the Web. Here's what I've got so far; have I missed anything?

Woman Motorist (whatever)

And of course our host:

Edmunds First Drive

Edmunds LA Auto Show

They're all pretty positive, which is nice, but there has to be more out there than just these, right?

Sporin · July 2001

Another new Protege5 review.

http://www.thecarplace.com/protege5.htm

The "Parting Shots" are great... it really puts things in perspective.

compensate · July 2001

I was looking at both the P5 and the Elantra GT. The P5 does handle better when pushed to the limit (bigger wheels and lower profile tires), but the Elantra GT has a better long-trip ride, comes standard with leather seats, CD, alloys, variable-speed intermittent front AND rear wipers, power heated sideview mirrors, and much more, for a few grand less. I own a 1999 Protege ES and love Mazdas in general, but I must say that the Elantra GT deserves a look.

I just bought an Elantra GT two days ago. It is the best car I have ever owned so far. Great ride, awesome sounding 6-speaker AM/FM CD system, roomy cargo area under hatch cover, and more!

Don't get me wrong. I love Mazdas, but Hyundai has really improved over previous generations with respect to quality and safety, all at a very reasonable price!

aardvark_mark · July 2001

thanks sunbyrne!.. there were a couple reviews in there I haven't read before!

I found the credits for the article at the "woman motorist" website humorous

..

'by Bob Storck, with contribution by Hugo Becker
Photography By Brian Leshon'

aardvark_mark · July 2001

For those of you who ordered Protege 5s and don't have VIN numbers yet, has your dealer given you an expected time of delivery?.. I ordered mine on May 23rd, and as of yesterday, the mazda dealer database still didn't have a VIN number on my car.. yet the database says expected delivery is first week in August.

Should I be worried??.. I was under the impression that if I didn't have a VIN number, the car hasn't even been built yet. If that's the case, how are they going to build it, and ship it all the way to the east coast in under 3 weeks?.. any comments from former mazda owners who ordered would be much appreciated. I'm not counting on getting a straight story from my dealer

..

smostorm · July 2001

i already have the VIN number on my car...but what's odd is that there is a silver p5 with everything i want (except with the polished alloys...bummer, no thanks) coming in the first week of august which does not have a VIN number, yet my car does and i don't even have an expected delivery time. well, "sometime in august," claimed the dealer. so something isn't adding up here. why is a car w/out a VIN getting here before mine? i understand your confusion and frustration aardvark_mark. i don't trust dealers as far as i can throw 'em. i still haven't gotten a straight story from any of them.

cureme · July 2001

tcinsf:

I've got the mazda moonroof deflector installed on my P5 and it definitely reduces the wind noise (but it doesn't eliminate it). It actually looks pretty good and seems to flow pretty well with the roof rack. I had test driven one without the deflector and the wind noise was a lot worse. That being said, both cars are still really loud if you have the moonroof open so I tend to only open it while driving on surface streets.

phoenixmp5 · July 2001

I read the previous postings regarding tire pressure and reduced mine to 32psi as stated on the drivers door. I liked the ride a heck of a lot more before the pressure reduction, as the car rode more like my Camry than the "rial racer" I had been driving for the past 2800 miles. Before reducing the tire pressure, I found the car to handle much more responsively around turns and coast farther when I let off the accelerator.

This morning I took the car to the dealer for its first oil change and mentioned the tire pressure debate which had taken place earlier in the discussions. I was told by several people that the 32psi guideline is Mazda's guideline for the best ride! The tire manufacturer however, specifies the rating which will produce the best performance and the longest tread ware. This can change from tire to tire, from manufacturer to manufacturer and needs to be followed accordingly.

The service department told me, they recommend inflating the Protege ES and 5 tires 2 to 3 pounds below the manufacturers rating of 51psi.

The recommendation is based on the extremely hot temperatures we have here in the desert.

Ryan

sunbyrne · July 2001

Sporin, thanks for that link--I hadn't seen that review, and it's an interesting one. Not that I'm not buying one anyway, but still interesting. I'm curious to see what Car & Driver will say about the Pro5, since they have such nice things to say about the ES.

As for VIN #'s, my dealer doesn't have a VIN # yet for a car that he was promised by Mazda to be delivered the first week in August. (Why is it so hard to get ABS with a 5-speed?) Anyway, he says it does sometimes happen that the VIN# doesn't make it to the dealer much before the car does, but even he is starting to worry and the dealer's factory rep will be calling Mazda about it. We'll see if it really comes in the first week in August.

sunbyrne · July 2001

Oh yeah, one more thing, for compensate (#941):

The Elantra GT appears pretty good by most accounts, however, the real killer (ahem) for this car for me is the IIHS crash test rating, which is "poor". Not even marginal. I have a six-month-old baby and I just won't even seriously consider a car with a "poor" crash test rating. "Poor" in a small car is about as bad as it gets. I'm not thrilled with the Protege's "acceptable," but that's still two classifications ahead of poor.

Oh, and I can't stand leather seats, either, especially here in Texas. I also find that the Pro5 drives better--handles tighter with less body roll, has a smoother 5-speed. I felt that fit & finish were better on the Pro5 as well. You're definitely right about the sound system--much better in the Elantra. Yes, Hyundai continues to improve and I agree that this car was worth a look, but I still prefer the Pro5. But in another couple years (especially with the Ford-ization of the Protege), who knows, I might go the other way.

Just my $0.02.

bri70 · July 2001

Yeah, the Elantra forums are buzzing over the surprising results of this test. Surprising because the Elantra scored very well on the governments test.

The consensus is that the "fix" will be a recall to adjust the airbag sensors and replace the seat latch. The structural integrity of the Elantra was very good.

To me the Pro5 had better steering and sportier handling. I don't know about the fit and finish. IMHO Elantra's fit and finish was just as good as the Mazda's. Overall I prefered the Elantra's ride. I was leaning towards the Elantra, it seemed like more car for the money. But I'll wait to see how Hyundai responds to the IIHS test.

Mazda Protege5

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