Mazda MPV

theparallax

I like the improvements..but what were they thinking when they changed the front fascia?! I don't like the new V grille, the older was much better. The same thing happened when they redesigned the Protege for 01, it lost its charm compared to the 99-00 models. Of course, they're probably changing the front end to make it look 'in line' with the new Mazda 6 coming out, but I'm sure they could have come up with something less drastic. Just my humble opinion...

marcb

..what were they thinking? a simple "3.0 litre" label at the rear would have been more elegant - and kept the value of the current offerings better.

while not as bad as the ody's (that one is ugly as a train), i certainly hope it looks better in real life.

j2kbarlow

I know this is a subjective thing, but I like the more agressive grille. Especially, since Honda and Toyota both seem to be going after the five-point-shield look with their new vehicles. Mazda needed to change it up to keep itself distanced from the other guys. I'll change my tune though if they start adding lower-body-cladding like GM seems to love :O) I don't like the idea that mine will look different though, but that's life. At least the cars aren't changing styles as fast as computers :O)

pjd58

different strokes for different folks. I also own a Protege, and I prefer my 01's front grill over the 99 & 00. The 99 & 00 Protege look like they are smiling:) I also like the 02's MPV grill better than my Wife's 01 MPV....Oh well:) I don't like the rear tailights of the 02 MPV.

02 MPV owners will love the powertrain updates.

Pjd58

javadoc

from the photos I've seen so far. We'll have to see when it hits showrooms. Anyone know if the GFX is being offered? I'm tempted to order that, but it wasn't horribly popular, so it might have just been dropped along w/ the DX line.

/java

pjd58

I believe there is no GFX for the 02 MPV. Rich's post #270 on the 3.0 board states "No GFX". The GFX looks nice, but is kind of pricey, especially for soccermoms on a budget:)

I also like the look of the front fascia of the 02, looks just like the Protege's, and the 626's. Hmmmmmm, maybe Mazda is trying to convince us the MPV is a sedan?:) I don't care for the tailights, kinda reminds me of Nissan's 02 Altima.

Pjd58

javadoc

begin: shameless plug

If you're going to be in Los Anchorage during Fur Rondy this year, why not sign on as a corner worker at the Grand Prix? I need some qualified folks (read cheap labor) for Feb 9-10th. Guaranteed good conversation and a good workout.. oh and free food. You might even pick up some race car parts! Hot laps in the pacecar (Viper) can be arranged as a bribe...

/shameless plug

/java

stever

Sorry Javadoc - I'm moving 9 miles away (further from Nampa, lol) so will be swamped sorting stuff out that week. Besides, I'm supposed to be saving my frequent flyer miles for an Oct. trip to Barrow to watch the whale hunt. Thanks though!

Here's a link for the curious: Anchorage Fur Rendezvous

Steve
Host
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javadoc

...for an LOF, rear brake TSB service and a floppy vanity mirror door, which of course works now since it's cold outside.

I got a P5 as a loaner because the wait for the shuttle van was going to be insanely long. Man, that's a cool car! It's the brightest yellow I have ever seen, but I feel 10yrs younger in it. And, it's a 5-speed!

/javadoc

pjd58

how to program the keyless entry(fob)? There is no info in the owner's manual. I programed my old Protege, a while ago, and it seemed involved. Turning the key, opening and closing the door and doing the Hokey Pokey:)

Our new puppy used the FOB for a chew toy.

Any help or link would be appreciated!

Pjd

alexv1n

Peter,

Shame on you for not knowing where to look for MPV-related information :-))))

Here are the instructions for you:

http://www.vakcer.com/mpv/info/extrafob.htm

I guess you'll go through the same hockey-pockey.

I hope it helps.

pjd58

My bad:) Thx!

Pete

kawazar1

I was wondering if anyone has the optional engine heater? Does it really get you heat faster? My wife and I are moving to a new home where she now has to park outside (because my MG Midget is going in the garage) and I wanted to have the heater installed to warm the car faster for her. It gets really cold in here in NE. Also, if anyone has an idea on the cost of having this put in by Mazda.

stever

Javadoc, do you want to handle this one?

Steve
Host
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alexv1n

I'm not sure what you mean by engine heater but... I bought my MPV with the block heater (Mazda offers it in Canada, not sure about US though). However I'd not call the block heater an "engine" heater because in fact what it does is heating the oil pan, not the engine. The engine itself stays cold and it takes virtually the same time to warm up. However keeping the oil warm makes it flow better in cold weather, and therefore lubricate the engine better. So, it's just easier on engine with the block heater during those cold starts.

I must say though that MPV's all-aluminum engine block heats up really quickly. Usually before I groom all the snow off the windows, it starts to blow warm air. Usually it takes about 3-5 minutes to warm up when it is about -10° outside.

I hope this helps.

javadoc

Steve... do you guys really want my honest-to-goodness opinion on this?

/javadoc

stever

Heh, perhaps not. Alexv1n has handled it nicely anyway. (interesting web page, Alexv1n).

Steve
Host
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javadoc

Okay there are two types of heaters, and Alex did a great job.

You have block heaters, those little "gems" that go into the block sanding holes in the "back" of the block. They are a pain in the keister to put in, btw. These actually heat the engine's coolant.

Next, you have pan heaters. These look like large rubber sheets (usually a rust color for some reason) that have an electrical cord attached. They are usually rated in Watts, like 400W is good. These you glue to the oil pan w/silicon glue. Also messy to install but not so much as block heaters.

I like pan heaters myself. The reason is that when you think about it, what fluid in your engine gets all thick when it's holy-cow, minus 20F? Oil. Remember those Mobil 1 commercials when they stick some 10/30 Penzoil (or whatever) out in the cold and then try and pour it? It's like two-week old coffee, which trust me isn't great stuff unless you want to grow hair on your chest. So, the pan heater heats the otherwise globular motor oil, which is the life essence of your engine... imho, prolonging life of your spendy all-aluminum multi-valve Duratec wonder motor.

There's the long and the long of it, in my opinion. Dangit, I was going to go on vacation from edmunds cuz of the banner ads. "Just when you think you're out... they pull you back in!"

/javadoc.. yes, I'm under the influence, lol

[edit] Of course, I don't have either type on my cars since they get to sleep in a nice 65F garage every night.

stever

Under the influence? Careful, Java - to paraphrase an actual C&W song title, "You're Going to Ruin Your Bad Reputation."

Steve
Host
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javadoc

...so far gone I don't worry about it anymore . I had to brew some stout coffee for a midterm...

/java

kawazar1

I was refering to the factory coolant heater that goes in a freeze plug hole. Our MPV takes a long time to warm up. It was around 20F here this morning and I had the van running for about 8 to 10 minutes and the heat was barely warm. The inside of the van did not warm up at all. I am not concerned with the flow of the oil since I use Mobil1 0W30 and it flows rather quickly. But more concerned with having heat quicker.

stever

OK, guess I'll jump in here. I always had block heaters that fit into the freeze plugs when I lived in Anchorage (I didn't have a garage). They are easily installed aftermarket - I remember paying $70 for one in '89 installed, so they don't have to cost an arm and a leg.

My routine was to plug the cars into a switched outlet in the evening. In the morning, if the temp was around zero or below (20 degrees was a heatwave, lol), I'd flip the switch and let the block heater work for an hour or less. I found that sufficient.

I never warmed my cars up (unless I was diverted scraping the windshield). I just got in and drove gently for the first mile. In my experience, that warmed up the van faster than idling in my driveway.

It really sounds like what you need are some aftermarket heated seats, or perhaps have your thermostat checked out.

my .02

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

potatohead2

Sedsmom,I have saved your message from Jun 1, 2001 and want to know if you received your GST back when you purchased your MPV. I am thinking of following your lead.

rutger3

Just an annoying issue about the security system on the 01 MPV;probably been covered by wth. Today I needed to get into my wifes MPV, used the key in the passenger door; the alarm went off. Inserted the key in the ignition and turned,it still did not turn off. Then opened the drivers door with the key and this stopped it. What kind of backwards system is this. You open the door with the original key and the alarm sounds? You start the engine and it still sounds. Even in my 99 camry once you put the key in the ignition it shuts it off. Anyone make sense of this?

bob57

My wife's Sienna works the same way - rather hectic running around the car screaming "Hush".
That didn't work either....

javadoc

Do you have keyless entry?

/java

brenice

Why not get an auto start system (with/or without an alarm) added to your wife's van, all you have to do is point and click, and it will run for approx 20 minutes. If you are worried about someone driving off with it, the van will cutoff if someone puts in gear without the key.

pjd58

Java: I know where your heading:)

Alex: Thanks for the FOB instructions, it took all of 1 minute to program, easy as pie. Have to keep the rugrats from playing fetch with fido:0) Your site is just awesome! MPV owner's are very fortunate to have such an informative resource.

Did anyone see the new colors of the 2002 MPV? Coastal Blue is very light and Sage green looks like VW green. IMO, Mazda made a mistake dropping red, I'm partial since I own a red Protege. Wifey prefers light colors, I've always liked dark vehicles.

Pjd58

stone20

Keyless does not turn off the alarm. The only way is putting the key in the drivers door and locking/unlocking.

pjd58

There is never any reason to use the key to enter your van, if you have keyless, IMO. The keyless unarms the alarm. If you use the key to enter the van, I believe you have a few seconds to put the key in the ignition before you wake the neighbors:)

Pjd58

maltb

From time to time we will hear the MPV's horn sounding off in the driveway.
To remedy this, I:
1) get my keys out of my pocket and hit the red button on the fob.
2) find my 18 month old.
3) remove my wife's key chain from his claws.
4) lecture my wife about leaving her keys within harms way.

I really could do without the panic feature...

bob57

Drove through (around) a five car (& one 18- wheeler) pileup this morning. The water from the truck was running all over the freeway. Creeping through this mess at 5 MPH I saw the car in front of me start smoking - then another..eh?
Wasn't water - oil. The 18-wheeler apparently ruptured his oil pan and the oil was splashing up on everyone's exhaust as we drove through it.
I have oil all the way up to the midline of the body - the mags are even gray.
Nice rust inhibitor but that's not what I had in mind.
I know what I'm doing tomorrow.....

javadoc

I don't envy you Bob... that'll be a mess, and stinky as I can imagine, oil on hot car parts. PeeeeYuuuuu!

/javadoc

billmckinley

You know what I like the panic button for? I lost my car in the parking lot last week. Found it again in a sudden hurry with the panic button. Also took three years off the life of the guy who was just getting out of his car in the next spot. ;>

RJ

evaddave

Yesterday I was walking into Wings To Go to pick up lunch when I heard the following phrase float across the parking lot:
"I swore I'd never buy a mini-van, but then I found this."
This caught my ear because it's *exactly* what my wife and I were saying two years ago when we bought our MPV.
I turned around to see where the comment came from, and what mini-van they could be talking about. It was two women who had just left a fitness center, and the *only* mini-van in the parking lot was a black MPV.

mainsail2

I don't need them yet, but I'm starting to think about them. Has anyone replaced their 205/65/15's with 215/65/15's? If so, how are they working out? I'm thinking about Michelin or Goodyear Aquatred. This is a Florida car, so I'm interested primarily in ride comfort and tread life. I know it is always suggested to stick with the size that comes with the car, but it's such a natural thing to want to go with larger replacements!

evaddave

We just replaced ours before the new year, but we stayed with the same size. We went with Michelins (RainForce XV4, IIRC), and my wife is as pleased as can be with the new ones. These have lots of rain traction where the old ones had none.

I noticed that the steering in the van seems lighter with the new tires.

Also, if you move up to 215s, you should probably go with a 60 series tire to maintain roughly the same circumference. Or in other words, replace your 205/65/15s with 215/60/15s.

There's a pretty cool tire size calculator out there on the 'net somewhere. Maybe someone else on the board has a link to it.

javadoc

Try HERE. There's a bunch of tables that are very handy, including one for tire sizes.

javadoc

P.S. Sorry Alex, had to plug your site. :-)))

bob57

Ever try to get your 12 & 15 year olds to help get the oil off your van? "Yuck, Daddy. Besides, we've got soccer practice".
Where's Mom? "Hiding...".
Only took me three hours, two beers, twelve rags, two bottles of car soap, one trip to the car wash to use the wand for under the car, 1/2 can of wax (might have been another beer in there somewhere - don't remember...).
I'll park the van before I go through another oil spill...!
Anyway, "red" is beautiful again.

javadoc

...Okay Steve, I'll put it here. And to answer your question, I'm not bored... it's Monday and I have to beat the timesheets out of the engineers.

[Edit] Since our our "off topic" haven (MPV Cruisers), has been dead for a while, and it was archived, here's this interesting Link, that I'll put here instead. Discuss amongst yourselves...


/javadoc

maltb

good to see that it merely blinds and does not kill. Nice to see they are looking out for safety.

javadoc

I could melt my way out of snow bank, or roast roadkill or... okay, okay!

This was posted on "another website" and someone inquired if it would interfer with the side-pod mounted rocket launchers on his Aston. His handle was, of course, "JamesBond007," so go fig're. "Oh, Miss Moneypenney..."

christopher15

I have the Mazda MPV LX 4 Speaker 100 Watt radio I was wondering since I am not much of a sound expert on how it compares with the 9 speaker audio system because I never really paided attention to the audio system. Let's say your one of the workers at this site what would you give it. A 6.0 or something lower or higher for example. Thanks

scarter7719

I put Mich X-Ones on the MPV about 3K miles ago. They are 80K mile tires. I bought them from Tire Kingdom for $99 ea. They are very comfortable and provide a great ride with their XSE technology. We haven't had too much rain yet (we're in FLA also), but when we did, the tires never hydroplaned and plowed right through those usual ruts (ponds) on I-75. I stayed with the 205/65/15 size. They have a nice aggressive look to them due to the heavy tread and sipes. I plan on putting them on my Accord also when the MXV4+'s wear out (which won't be long).

SC

scarter7719

Even though the S. African flamethrowers would be nice (lol), I was thinking more along the lines of fog lights and stereo speakers. Any success stories out there? Those two plastic fillers in my front bumper are just beggin' for some lights. I'm looking for some specific model #'s etc. whether Plasma or PIAA.

Christopher15: I can't tell you how the 9-speaker system sounds compared to our 4-speaker, but I can tell you that the stock speakers are terrible, especially the back ones. For some strange reason, they haven't sounded quite right since the new Creed CD was released ((G)). Anyone replaced these yet? Looking for something with a little kick....

SC

javadoc

I installed MB Quart component speakers a while back. They set me back about $500 for the fronts, but I think they're even better than the stock 9-speaker package, which was really good. I always swear by MBQuart for awesome sound. You can hear the frets (sp?)squeek when Clapton plays the guitar even, or, as my wife says, "hear Charlotte Church take a breath during a song." I put Quarts in the back and a JL Audio speaker in place of the stock sub also. Your van should have holes in the dash top already to accept component tweeters that some good speakers will include... not sure about the rears, but the way I look at it, *you* don't sit back there, right?

For fogs, PIIAs are nice, but woah they are expensive. I'm getting some Hella FF75s for my Volvo for $70 online. I'd get something bigger, but want to keep w/in the stock openings on that car. You could go with some of their HID auxilliary lights for $700, but that's a ton of money, imho. http://www.hella.com has an interactive "light tunnel," which is a mile long, that they compare lights in. You can see exactly what a light is going to do from their site.

hope that helps!

/java

christopher15

Nope I don't sit in the back but yes the front those have holes in the dash to top to accept tweeters but the rear doesn't. Do you think it's possible to place a sub where the tools are on the left or the other side where the subwoofer is originally suppose to be for the 9-Speaker because it has the holes for the air?

alexv1n

The subwoofer comes in the toolbox area on the left side. I did notice the holes on the right and it seems that the Sub was supposed go there but probably because I have rear A/C they moved it to the left in the toolbox. Or maybe those holes are for the A/C (some kind of intake?) Just guessing here. But I'm pretty positive that on all diagrams that I have seen on Mazda sites, the sub was shown on the left side.

The 9 speaker system sounds nice but I cannot compare it to 4-speaker one because I don't have both :-) But subwoofer could be better I believe (my computer sound system [Altec Lansing] makes much better lows :-) But overall I'm very pleased with the car stereo and especially 6 CD changer. I can hardly imagine me changing CDs all the time :-)))

alexv1n

Oh, and I forgot to mention, is it only me or that's common annoyance - the CD holder beneath the cupholder tray isn't what I would call "good enough". The small partition bumps that are supposed to separate CDs are not big enough so the CDs get wedged up all the time when you try to insert a CD case. Sometimes it gets jammed so that it's almost impossible to open the compartment. Well, you can get used to it and insert CDs very carefully but I thought maybe there is some trick that you people use to get CDs easier. Did you have the same problem with yours?

javadoc

I don't use it. Alex, I found the same problem and, after getting the C.C. last winter, we store (too many?) CDs in the large front compartment of the console. Come to think of it, we just use the CD holder to hold the d.w's cel phone. What does e'ryone else do?

/java