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Mazda Canada sent my dealership the "good will" replacement parts for my rear suspension and lo and behold what did we see in the box? A whole new sway bar assembly! The service manager,parts guys and myself observed that the bushings on this new part are absolutley massive compared to what originally came installed on my vehicle. ( ie. over twice to three times as large in all dimensions!!)We also observed that the sway bar looked slightly larger in diameter. While we were oogling the contents I asked if this part is what is now installed on the redesigned 2012 model. Nobody was sure so we went to the show room and crawled underneath a new M5 and sure enough they look exactly the same. Hmmmmm.
While I was waiting for the new parts to be installed I also asked if the shock absorbers in the 2012 would fit my 2007 because the Mazda web site in Canada goes to great length to describe how although the 5's suspension is based on the Mazda3 it has been extensively reengineered to accommodate the added mass of the 5. They make specific mention of the redesigned shock absorbers ( better to absorb thermal load from greater mass) and how the bushings and sway bar etc have also been beefed up. At first glance it would appear that the new shocks would fit the older vehicle. I say again hmmmmm. To bad my OEM shocks failed at 53000 km!
With all this said I must say that I think they may have finally solved my rear suspension issues but I guess time will tell ( We'll see what happens when the temperature drops to -35celcius). The vehicle has not handled this well since my wife and I bought it back in September of 2007. It would appear that Mazda has learned some lessons from the past generation of the 5 and made some much needed improvements. It's to bad that these simple changes could not have been made years sooner when problems first started cropping up.
Finally I would like to thank the service manager at my dealership for helping me advocate for a real solution to my problem and yes also to Mazda Canada for supplying the replacement parts. I will keep you posted as to how the new parts fair over the next few months.
MAZDA
STABILIZER-RR
STABILIZER-RR
( OEM part number: C2Y6-28-10XA / C2Y62810XA )
List Price: $86.94 :: Impex Price: $66.07
Availability: Typically ships in 1-3 days
Lets keep this thread updated as info becomes available...
I know that I am replying to an older post but have recently developed the same noise you described (clunking) coming from the rear end that sounds like something is loose and knocking the car frame.
Did you ever find out what that noise was? and were you able to get it fixed?
Thanks in advance.
I also tightened all the bolts in the rear suspension as one dealership had reccomended but...nothing.
Ahh somebody please find the permanent fix for this...
Its not:
the control arms
the sway bar bushings
or shocks
Its none other then the upper rubber seat for the spring. The noise comes from the spring rubbing on the rubber seat. I pulled the spring out, cleaned the surface and applied heavy duty white lithium grease from an actual jar with a brush (do not use the weak spray can form it doesnt work) and I applied it generously. Installed the spring back in there and voila! No noise.
Now... it may not be a permanent fix but it will certainly silence it for while. I may pull it again when it starts doing it again and I plan on wrapping the upper two three coils with heavy duty teflon tape and adding more grease. I hope this certainly cures the issue once and for all. Just thought I'd share for anyone that is interested.
I think what was happening, in my situation anyway, was that because the bushings were not holding the sway bar tightly enough, the rear suspension was actually bottoming out over larger bumps (causing the coil springs to fully contact each other) and thus causing the loud "poing" when the spring released in addition to the annoying squeak.
I'm curious to know why you chose to enlarge the opening of the new bushings as you mentioned in an earlier post. It is my understanding that the sway bar should be held firm and not turn freely inside the bushing or else the excess movement of the sway bar reduces it's effectiveness. Did you try to install the "beefier" bushings "as is" first?
Since I had the replacement sway bar assembly installed back in September (ie. slightly larger sway bar and beefier bushings...see earlier posts) my Mazda 5 hasn't made a peep from the rear end...yet!! I guess time will tell. Anyway I hope I'm not coming off as preachy because I want the problem solved as much as you do . I just think that Mazda under speced some of the rear suspension components on the 06 - 10 models. It just seems suspicious to me that the 2012 model Mazda 5 has a slightly larger rear sway bar, bigger sway bar bushings and redesigned shocks. Take care davicho.
Slurp
At any rate, the reason I bored out the new (2012) style bushings was because they would not fit on the old (2006-2011) style sway bar. The new bushings have a squared hole with a lot more rubber (beefier) around it hence replacing the bigger u-clamps as well. I will assume that the new style rear sway bar has a square notch right where the bushings mount, hence the squared hole on the bushings. While I did bore out the inner hole to fit my sway bar. I did it slowly and a little at a time so that i wouldn't over-bore. Believe me these bushings are on "tight". Well tighter then the old ones. They are so tight that I had to use grease to be able to slide the clamp over them and secure it to the subframe. I dont know if greasing the upper spring seats were the answer or if it was a combination of both...greasing the seats and the beefier bushings, but the noise it completely gone for now...I mean not a single peep. I guess time will tell.
-replacing sway bar bushings constantly as soon as they start making noise
-lubing up exsisting sway bar bushings
-replacing sway bar bushings with aftermarket ones
or in my case...I replaced the rear sway bar bushings with the 2nd generation (2012 and up) MZ5 which are way bigger and beefier. I had to do some alterations to make them fit on my 2006 MZ5 but no noise since then. The easier way but also a little more expensive way is to replace the rear sway bar, sway bar bushings, bushing braces with the 2nd generation MZ5 parts. They bolt right up and they are imo bigger, beefier and better.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
-best replacement control arms (with bushings already installed)
-best stabilizer bars "
-best sway bars "
-best end links
-best shocks/struts
I suppose a person could hope that Mazda Canada will do the right thing but I think that ship has come and gone.
I'm seriously consider a 2012 Mazda5, but definitely want to know that they've fixed the suspension and tire wear issues of the first generation.
Thanks!
I had a lot of problems with my Mazda 5, rear and front suspension. We change the Shocks from and rear, Links rear and front, base mount, stabilizer bar rubbers rear and other parts. I had two mazda but seriously I am changing to other model (honda cr-v and Ford edge). Do not recommend mazda 5.
Have you purchased a 2012 yet? I drove one recently and they're pretty nice.
It seems to be worse when its warm outside. Ive already spent around $900 to get this fixed but the problem is back. The car is only 4years old with 75k km on it , looks like Mazda produced a defective vehicle and we have to pay for it now.
I they dont fix it this time I will never buy a Mazda again . very disappointed.
I just consider it a lesson learned on what brand not to buy ever again. I'll sell it this summer and try a company with better engineers. After all, if they can't fix a simple squeak can I trust the air bag to work in an accident?
Now I'm seeing rust all over the roof which is pathetic since I hand wax my car three times a year, spring, summer, fall so it has good paint protection.
And no, Mazda Canada was no help whatsoever.
Sad to say I owned a GM once and it was actually better!
Anyone have any experience with purchasing the DVD repair manuals on ebay? Actual hardcovers on ebay are selling for $150 for the 2009.
Nice car, as long as you don't mind changing your shocks with your oil
Oh yeah, and the "creaking" continues.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I have 32k miles on it. I'll change the shocks in the rear because they are the usual suspect and because of the mileage. Any other suggestions? Are there stronger sway bars out there, for example?
Monroe
KYB
Bilstein
Koni
and replace your rear sway bar bushings with Prothane polyurethane bushings. Note: you will have to buy 2012 Mazda5 rear sway bar bushing clamps because the original clamps from 2010 and under are way to small to accommodate the new bigger bushings.
Prothane Polyurethane Bushings
I just changed my rear disks with Raybestos Advanced and inspected the rear suspension for the first time. This is going to be a really easy job.
The Monroe 5607 seem to cheap, indeed.
I followed your link to buy the bushings, but it says 04 and 05 Mazda3. I also bought the cabin air filter that says Mazda3 and not compatible witht the 5, although it's the exact same thing.
I just want to make sure.
Where do you buy the clamps, medcenter mazda?
Thanks!
I used to hear this noise in the back of old Dodge minivans. I always thought they're worn out bearings. I looked for rear bearings for this car with not much luck.
Any ideas? thanks!
The link does say for Mazda3 but those are the exact bushing I installed on my 2006 Mazda5. They are the 19mm Prothane bushings. The clamps you can get from any dealer online or not. Make sure to specify that they are for a 2012 Mazda5 rear sway bar clamps.
I can't comment nor confirm that the cabin filters are the same for Mazda3, because I have always bought them as Mazda5 filters....sorry.
Lastly, I have heard from a few owners about rear wheel hub and bearing noise in which they had to get replaced, so you may have that as well. It could also be un-even worn tires partly due to weak shocks.
I found KYBs on Amazon. Bilstein does not make shocks for the 5. I replaced the rear shocks (how easy) and what a difference! I have always had a little trouble keeping this car straight - small corrections all the time - but no more!
The car is stable, the roads are smoother, the kids read in the back through 300 miles with no issues.
On the other side I want to respond to a previous post complaining about how thin the shocks look. I was not surprised by the OEM shock - it look beefy enough to me. The new KYB is even thinner. That actually does not matter one bit to the performance of this part. But all the other parts in the rear suspension did seem a little fleemsy to me. The arms are just bent tin. Same parts on Corolla are beefier. So.... I remember some people bought this car in Sport trim new for 15k-That's how you get there.
Anyway, front shocks are coming in! Happy for now!
I hope the tire wear will even out. I have these tires for 1 year and less then 10k.
I knew about this possibility before I bought the car but I didn't think it can be this severe and with such $$$ consequences.
If I would buy another one of these I would change the shocks right away. The expense will amortize by extending the life of the tires.
My question: will these square tires wear my new shocks prematurely?