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Comments
Anyways, I drove my bro's Jetta 1.8T five speed and it is pretty powerfull...but heavy as well. In the end, it felt torquier (if that's a word) but not a whole lot faster than my 2000 protege. I suspect the weight has alot to do with it. The handling was also a little to mushy for me. The one thing I will say about the Jetta 1.8T is that for people that are into mods, this is a great car for it. You can get way over 200 HP with minimal tuning. But then again, 200 HP and a front wheel drive with no limited slip can be a handfull.
Bottom line, Jetta's also a great car. They do come loaded to the gills with little extras and I guess that's why they are more expensive than other economy cars. People get too attached to cars. I've had my car for 14 months and considered trading it in for a better one. There is always something better out there. I love my car, but I'm not so attached to it that I'd die of boredom with it. The only reason I didn't trade it in is becuase...well, the money!! I wanted a WRX with I first saw one and now with the new MP3's that from what I hear will also have a turbo, I want one of them. But you know what, there will always be something faster or newer or more luxurious or more stylish. When the time comes, I'll get one of these but for now...I'll keep the protege for a few more years. It's been great so for.
Zoom-Zoom,
Sam
I don't think that some of the harsh posts in here were warranted (although they were funny to read) but everyone is welcome to their opinion.
But vocus, as a person who has traded 3 new Hondas before they reached 2 years old, I don't think a balloon payment is the way to go. You are going to end up paying $31,000 for a Jetta, plus the interest you might have to pay if you have to refinance that balloon payment because you drive alot and with the mileage you are probably going to have on it turning it in and walking away will not be an option. Please tell me you got gap insurance?!?
Another funny part to me is that the dealer you purchased the car from recommended that you cool the engine down after driving it. When I was thinking about trading my 99 Accord EX for a Jetta 1.8T the salesman told me and my fiance that it wasn't necessary to cool it down because Jettas had intercoolers. This was obviously a crock but what could I expect? This salesman also told me that a Jetta was "PREMIUM" over an Accord EX V6 Coupe. lol.
browntrout: I've drive a 2000 1.8T and my 2.0 Protege ..... the Jetta feels alot faster and smoother.
Paul -- If I wasn't your friend, I wouldn't care enough to say the things I've said. Only friends can share good AND BAD feelings and still be friends.
You need to keep one thing in mind as you read this, Paul. I'm not flaming YOU. I'm flaming the DECISION you made. Here are my reasons:
(1) I don't think you've thought the situation through fully. The way you put miles on a car, that Jetta's going to be falling apart and have more than 120,000 miles on it after four years. I don't think you've ever kept a car half that long, even when it was running perfectly; so I think if you somehow can manage to keep the Jetta for four years, you're going to be itching REAL bad to get out of it. So you're going to wind up even more upside down in your next car because you'll still owe $6K or more on the Jetta, and you won't have any extra cash to put down on the next car. Your debt will increase and carry over. I hope the finance genies are in a good mood four years from now.
And BTW, I have PROOF that you don't know what you've gotten yourself into. A few posts ago you stated, and I quote, "Actually, my term shortened to 4 years from 5 for the Protege. So I am saving some money." Hmmm. Take that $6,000 end-of-term payment and divide it by 12. That's $500 a month for another year, NOT INCLUDING INTEREST. So you saved money? You don't even know whether your payments are $455 or $485 a month for the next four years, and then, no matter what you do with the car, you'll be expected to pay $6,000 -- the equivalent of $500 a month plus interest for another year. I wouldn't exactly call that "saving some money," would you? And you can't remember whether you're paying $455 or $485? I hope that means something to you ... that represents a $1,440 difference in what you're paying for the car!
Paul, if you really loved the Jetta that much, and have for so long, then (1) why didn't you buy a Jetta six months ago instead of a Protege, and (2) wouldn't it have been smarter to wait a few months and save up your money, so you could at least have gotten out from under the Protege? Meanwhile you could've done some more research and soul-searching?
(2) You complained about the "problems" you had with your 2001 Protege. Friend, you haven't experienced real problems. The kind of problems you've had -- scratches, CD player etc. -- are the reason cars come with 1-year "adjustment" warranties. (And scratches aren't the car maker's fault -- I can't wait to see what your neighborhood's hoodlums think of your pretty white Jetta.) Have you ever had your entire transmission die out of warranty? How 'bout your fuel injectors fouling? Water pump go? Piston rings need replacing? All of that and more happened on my out-of-warranty Saab at only 85,000 miles. And European cars carry high parts prices -- the water pump was a cool $400 (IN 1985 BTW), and the other three problems carried price tags (in 1985) of more than $1,000 -- EACH. With the number of miles you'll be putting on this car, you're going to wind up with no warranty and repair bills on top of payments.
(3) Don't try to impress me by saying this car is only a few bucks more than your Protege's payments were. You were so upside-down in the Protege it wasn't funny, and you admitted that to us going in to it. Now you've dug an even deeper hole, and I think you know it. You say you don't have to justify this to anyone but yourself -- but after reading your posts here and on the many other topics you post on, it appears you ARE looking for acceptance through the kind of car you drive. I think I speak for everyone at MAPP II when I say we all loved your 2001 ES. And I think you loved it too; otherwise you wouldn't have been planning on all that customization. Geesh, you even took off your wheels and painted your brake calipers. What happened?
(4) You say you are going to keep posting here. Why? This is not the "Jetta vs. Protege" topic. We are here to discuss our Proteges, not to discuss how our Proteges compare with Jettas. I'm not saying you're not welcome here -- I don't make those decisions -- but suddenly you have very little in common with this topic anymore. And I personally am not looking forward to learning every nuance of a car I'm not interested in.
Chicagopro -- I had no coffee yesterday. I am allergic to caffeine. I did have a bad day though, and maybe I took it out on Paul a little, but as you can read from what I've just typed, I still think he's being a BOZO.
Yooper -- You're right; he DOES have better things to spend his money on. Like his CAR PAYMENT!
Everyone -- I had to stop typing in the middle of the last paragraph to answer the phone. It was my wife. Her @#!@$%!@ CAVALIER lost all of its coolant on the way to work. HEAD GASKET NUMBER FOUR, HERE WE COME!!! GOD I HATE THAT CAR!!! (Yep, 53,000 miles and now FOUR head gaskets. Know how GM fixes their design problem? By issuing a 100K-mile warranty on head gasket replacement to every owner of 1995-97 Crapaliers. In other words, "We made an inferior car. We'll keep fixing it for 100,000 miles. After that, please offload it on some poor unsuspecting soul." Yeah, GM knows how to earn repeat customers!!! BYE-BYE, BOW TIE!!!)
Hmmm, I guess I'm really in a bad mood now, so I can take it out on Paul big time now? Nah, I've got other fish to fry. I just look forward to lurking on the Jetta topic to see how this latest mistake plays out.
Sam and Cindy, thanks for not "sugar-coating" your feelings as much as everyone else has. Sure, we all know Jettas are fine automobiles -- maintenance history or not. But so are Porsche 911 Carreras, and at this point I'm not going to rule out seeing one in Paul's driveway in the near future if he can figure out how to mortgage his Dad's house to get the needed cash.
Paul, how are you going to react when you find the first scratch on your Jetta? Or the first nick in the windshield? Or a CD won't eject? LOOK OUT MERCEDES TOPIC!!!
LOL ... (sniff, sniff) And I kinda enjoyed having you at MAPPs I & II!
Meade
Paul ... one last question. You used to complain a lot about your insurance premium on a Protege. How does it look now, with a 23-year-old driving a turbocharged Jetta?
Oh -- and tell your dad he can be even more proud of you, because you can afford THREE cars in one year. That's what you're paying for.
Meade...PLEASE CHILL! A good friend WOULD tell someone the straight poop about a decision, but you've gone over the top a bit. Paul likes to change cars on a regular basis. No problem. It's his money and his decision. Beating him up about it more than once after the deed is done is not being friendly...it's bordering on being crass. I'm really sorry to hear about your wife's car blowing another head gasket. Hopefully the dealer can fix it right this time, or maybe you can get it fixed and "unload it on some poor sucker". How's the baby doing?
Everyone else...sorry for my absence in posting much anymore. I do get in most nights and read the day's posts. Sometimes I can respond, sometimes I can't...for various reasons. I am excited to say that I just sent my PAYOFF check to my car loan and my 2000 Protege ES is ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!!!! Cost me a bundle to do it, but at 8.49% interest, I couldn't justify carrying the loan to full term. I've already paid nearly 1800.00 in finance charges and that is plenty.
Also, I got my snow tire package from Tirerack.com....I am very impressed with them overall (tirerack that is) and their service is excellent.
Paul...you'll always be welcome in this topic...may I ask that you keep the Jetta reports to a minimum though? It is a Protege topic and your past experiences with your two Pro's are the most relavent to what we talk about here. Getting off topic once in a while is no big deal...we do it often!!!
Anyway...I'm off to work. Peace to all of you, and Zoom Zoom!
Regards,
Pete
No more posts about Jettas on the Protege topic. One more post about a Jetta and I'll start again.
Meade
You know, rotating tires usually costs about $20. If I'm going to rotate my tires every 5,000 miles and they last 40,000 miles, that's eight rotations at $20 each time, or $160 -- $40 per tire. Suddenly the fact that TireRack is $30 cheaper per tire doesn't look so great -- because it'll still cost me $10 more per tire in the long run to keep 'em rotated. See what I'm saying?
Meade
And as far as insurance, it did go up a little bit (like ~$$30 a month), which I was surprised at. But my company (State Farm) goes by cost of car parts, so it does make sense.
As I get older, I'm starting to realize that good old-fashioned SERVICE is worth something too. And I don't see how saving a few bucks up front means a whole hell of a lot when you've got to live with these things for several years. Through Goodyear, Firestone or Merchant's I'll get free valve stems, free mounting and balancing, and free rotation. With TireRack I'll have to order the tires, pay shipping, take them myself to an installer (Midas in my case), pay for valve stems, mounting and balancing, and I won't get free rotation since I didn't buy the tires from them. (I just called and checked.)
Also, through a dealer, if the tire doesn't live up to its warranty, I'll bring it in, pay any pro-rata and get a new tire. With TireRack, I have to ship the tire back to them or find a dealer in my area and take it up with them -- and I wouldn't look forward to the latter since I wouldn't have purchased the tires from them.
And what if a tire arrives with a defect? Ship it back to TireRack for an exchange and drive around on my "donut" for a few weeks in the meantime?
Either way, it sounds like it's worth a few extra bucks to purchase the tires from my dealer and get SERVICE!
Anyone wish to prove me wrong? I'd love to save a few bucks, but on final count it doesn't look like TireRack is such a big bargain.
Meade
I was driving through downtown Baltimore with a friend, showing him around (he's from W. Va.) and also talking on the cell (I know, I know I am careful). I was going slower because I didn't have my headset plugged in this time (only a quick one min. call). I am looking at the intersection that I pass almost on a daily basis, and the light is green as a frog. So I am about 1/3 a city block away from the light, and I see this car comes through the intersection the other way. This CRV that's to the left of me and 2 cars ahead slams right into the side of the car, spinning it around in the street and knocking it over the sidewalk. I almost passed out! If I literally had been two seconds later, my friend and I would have been in that accident. Shook me up for the rest of the night.
(1) it's much cheaper to replace a few head gaskets than an entire engine;
(2) they expect the average person to get rid of the car after about 50K miles, and the recall only covers the ORIGINAL OWNER;
(3) admitting they designed an inferior head could result in a class-action suit and LOTS of money lost. This way they can hide under the "faulty head gasket" claim and get away with it.
But now for what they didn't plan on ... ME.
They don't know what kind of horse's [non-permissible content removed] they'll be dealing with this time! Last time (head gasket no. 3) I called GM and filed a complaint (yeah, I know how much that's worth), PLUS I made that service manager guy feel real, real small. Well, now I plan to go into the showroom on the busiest Saturday afternoon I can find and announce, at the top of my lungs, that my 53,000-mile-old Cavalier needs a FOURTH head gasket; can somebody please help me??? And then boy do I plan to give that service manager an earful this time!
And I know all my complaints will fall on deaf ears. That's OK, because the following is about to happen:
The Cavalier is paid off and worth about $4K right now, and Protege5's are a bargain at present with incentives and low financing. We may just speed up our spring decision and place another zoom-zoom in the driveway before Christmas.
Zoom zoom zoom!
Meade
"Mr. Geist, I'm sure you remember me. My name is Meade Daffron and we brought my wife Tammy's car, a 1995 Cavalier, in to have its second head gasket replaced last year. We now need a fourth head gasket for this 54,000-mile car. I need to know two things. First, will Chevrolet replace this gasket under warranty, as they did with head gaskets one and two -- and please advise if they won't, so we can begin our search for a non-GM replacement for this car, and second, if Chevrolet plans to stand behind its stated warranty, please let me know when I can bring the car in to have this unsolved problem band-aided once again. Thank you." (And I left my name and number.)
I love being a wordsmith.
Meade
As I near 28K on my Pro, it is time to really start checking for tires, especially after some really poor traction last time it rained here in Atlanta. Any one care to volunteer some kudos for replacement tires? I want to find something with long life, good (not great) performance, and for the love of God, something a bit quieter than the Poortenzas! Any suggestions. Oh, and BTW, I will probably go through a local company for the same reasons Meade and Paul echoed earlier.
What does come through is your jealousy of Paul buying a new car, and not being a Pro-driver anymore.
Many Protegé owners on this forum bought because of what they read here. They probably don't expect to drive their Pros for years, and it's natural to want something better, bigger, and faster the next time. Personally, I would never buy another Protegé even though I like my '01 LX 2.0 -- for now. It isn't what I would really like to have. But I have yet to find that car.
fowler3
Otherwise, others would care less to see you(paul) go into a pit.
ONLY A REAL FRIEND WOULD SHOUT.
Paul, I think you and meade should get together sometimes over a beer and cool down things like real friends do.
Are Protegés good cars? Yes, they are good cars. How many dealers have told you something to the effect, “This is a nice car!” Nobody wants a "nice car". Most people want a FINE car. So the Protegé is a stepping-stone to that FINE car, when the time comes. It will be harder to buy because the Pro depreciates too much, too fast. That's the best reason for not keeping it long. Money is ALWAYS an issue.
That's why Paul made his move now. He could squeeze out a few more bucks before his battered Protegé hit bottom in the NADA book. It was a tough decison I'm sure. Good luck, Paul! VW says "Drivers wanted" they got one.
fowler3
I am in no way jealous of his purchase. My wife and I went and looked at VWs (the New Beetle and Golf GLS) as possible replacement cars for her Cavalier last year. Awful warranty (back then), and poor user comments on Edmunds. Right up to today on the Jetta topic, I'm afraid. And I could've afforded his Jetta then and now. I just didn't need that much car with the baby on its way, a house and other expenses on my wish list. And I CERTAINLY am not jealous of anyone who pays $30,000 for a $24,000 car!
No sir, I love my Protege. It's my third, and I would buy one again -- in fact, I'm about to! I just got off the phone with my dealer -- looks like we're going to be purchasing a Protege5 for my wife earlier than we thought -- maybe even this week. Chevrolet won't put a FOURTH head gasket on her Cavalier under warranty, because it's been longer than 12 months since the last one was replaced. (Yeah -- it's been 14 months and 6,000 miles since head gasket no. 3 went on her car. There's reliability for ya!) I will not pay between $500 and $700 for her FOURTH head gasket in 54,000 miles. I'll trade the car as-is for a new Protege before that. (Oh -- the Cavalier is PAID OFF, by the way.)
My car is still very new to me. And I love it just as much at 28,000 miles as I did at 28 miles. I don't have any desire to own a more expensive car. Why do I need one? I've got almost every option available to man, a comfortable seat, and a car that's fun to drive! I'm having too much fun bragging about my Protege to be jealous over a $30,000 Jetta! (Hmmm, that's just about my car TWICE ...)
BTW fowler, the S-plan wasn't available when I bought the car. Affordable? There were plenty of options below its price. Are you claiming to speak for everyone in saying that the Protege is just "transportation" until you can afford better? I'm sorry, as I stated above, I have all the creature comforts I want or need. Why should I spend twice as much for the same thing in a different package? What will the Camry, Accord or Passat do that my car won't? Whatever it is, I don't think it's worth nearly double the price!
Meade
I have a set of X-Ones on my '89 323. They're very quiet, have very good dry and wet traction and have a high mileage rating. Traction on snow and ice is average. They have an annoying tendency to trap small rocks and pebbles in the tread though.
The AVID-T4s and Bridgestone RE910s are rated almost as well for quietness. Both are rated lower for mileage. My wife has a set of RE930s (similar in design to the RE910) on her '91 Saturn and they have been very good so far (noticeably quieter than the Dunlop D60A2s she had previously...of course, she kept those until one burst from old age, so they were pretty hard and noisy).
I should receive my wheel & tire package from Tire Rack today. I chose to go with the new Dunlop SP Sport A2s (unfortunately, NOT available in 195/55R15, but available in 185/65R14). I'll let you know how they compare to the X-Ones in a few days.
You guys are young and still very affected by peer pressure. Paul would still be loving his 1999 DX (three cars ago; he had it eight months ago) if he hadn't succumbed to peer pressure -- ours -- with all the jokes we made about his 1999 DX being the only DX at MAPP I. This festered in him until this spring, when he HAD to have the new car at MAPP II. At MAPP II, however, he was surprised to see quite a few other new cars, and cars better than his. So that got him in a turmoil again. Now it's the Jetta.
Fowler, when you get married, and then when you buy a house, your priorities change. If you don't believe me, ask Larry (forgive me, Larry) -- who also could probably afford more than he's got (two 2000 Protege ES's). But there's more to life than cars. When you get married, suddenly you don't need to be "seen" anymore. When you buy a house, suddenly there's a lot more debt in your life and the car suddenly takes a spot WAYYYY down the list.
Yeah, I used to spend all day Saturday in my dad's driveway, washing, waxing, detailing, wheel polishing, customizing, etc. I've got some pics of a heavily customized 1978 Corolla and 1980 Saab 900 I'd love to show you to prove it. Now, however, my Saturdays are filled with trips to Lowe's, a yard to cut and fertilize, a 5-month-old son to raise, and other stuff -- stuff that's just as "fun" to me now as detailing that car was six or seven years ago. And yes, when my chores are done, I still like to spend some time with the Protege.
Maybe we just won't come to an agreement on this. All I know is, I've learned a lot in the last few of my 36 years -- and I know the money you save when you're young -- and the debt you avoid -- helps astronomically when you try to buy a house, buy another car, send a kid to school, or apply for any kind of credit line. I don't care how much he likes the car; Paul has screwed himself financially for the next several years. I'm mad at him because he's now made the same mistake twice in less than a year's time.
I'll be happy to meet him for a beer and yell at him all over again.
Meade
BTW, this place (TownHall) is really wacked out lately. First Vocus dumps his Pro, then the private WTC club learns it is being shut down and there's fallout a-go-go. What's next? Daewoo buys Honda?
twist
I already miss Paul having his Protege. It was fun to carry on with him. Now who am I gonna pick on? MaltB? Larry? Oh yeah ... wait ... there's always JERRY .....
;-)
I wouldn't know about the snow tire thing. Here in Virginia I get by with a set of chains thrown in the trunk for emergencies. We seldom get any appreciable amount of snow worthy of the expense. So good luck -- you have an interesting question! When exactly DO people make the switch?
Meade
Does this level of picking go way beyond fun? Yes, I'll admit it does. But Paul's past adventures usually have been harmless. This time he's crashed and burned. I thought it was time to pull out the ol' hickory switch and give him a good [non-permissible content removed]-whoopin.'
We've had fun times, Paul. I'd like to have more of them. But how can I, now that you've lost your Protege? And it'll be even harder to continue to be friends once you resort to drug dealing to pay for your expensive car habit!
Meade
Actually, I have an offer for anyone with a Gen3 Protege. I took the MagnaBra off my Pro before trading it, and wanted to know if anyone wanted it. I will send it, but need the S&H costs. I don't know if it will fit the 1999-2000, but it does fit the 2001. It goes on the hood and magnetizes to it, then a little strip along the bottom holds it on there. (SFrat, maybe you want it for your 2001.) It's free basically (they go for $24 on EBay, and 50 at http://www.magnabra.com), but I do need S&H costs, which would probably be like $8 or something (box for it, and postage). Let me know if anyone wants it.
I will still be here, even though I don't have a Protege anymore. I can speak from my past experiences. I could very well be sitting here right now, and saying my car is better and all that stuff. I am not, and don't feel that way. I did, however, want a "luxuryesque" car, because I was tired of economy status. Now I got it, and I am happy as a pig in slop.
But if the weather looks rough before that... I'll switch. I'll always choose safety over style.
>Yeah, I used to spend all day Saturday in my dad's driveway, washing, waxing, detailing, wheel polishing, customizing, etc. I've got some pics of a heavily customized 1978 Corolla and 1980 Saab 900 I'd love to show you to prove it.<
So it's okay for you to have acted somewhat frivolously with your money when you were younger, but not for Paul?
He's not 45 with six kids.
So he's going a little crazy now with the cars. By your own statement, this is to be expected.
You're exactly right, as you grow older, your priorities change. And yes, it certainly helps if you've got some dough put aside.
But Paul is not doing anything that any of us hasn't done before, in one form or another. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders. (And I'm sure he won't have to resort to illicit activities to make ends meet...I know you meant that in jest, but good grief!)
Now, if you live in the city and don't have a garage (and a place to store the Poortenzas), how do you change to snow tires for the winter? Anybody faced this issue before?
Now, if you sit idly by and watch while your friends screw their futures, what kind of friend does that make you?
Hee hee hee!!!!!
(Notice how you and I have gotten beyond this issue and are laughing about it, but everybody else is still shaking in their boots!!! When ya wanna get that beer, my friend?)
Meade
Also, how do you folks feel the Protege stacks up against the Honda Civic, mostly in terms of cost and reliability.
HA HA HA HA!!!!
Congrats on the baby! We're enjoying the heck out of Sean Christopher, our first -- he's now pushing 6 months old. I enjoyed your post and am glad to hear the 2001s do well with baby seats. If you've read my volumes of posts today, you'll see we may be buying a 2002 Pro5 this week, thanks to Mr. Gutwrench ...
Take care!
Meade
The Protege is built almost entirely of Mazda parts in Japan. I've had three, and my most recent one, a 2000 ES, has 97 percent Japanese parts content. (Said so on the sticker.) And I think the 3 percent other stuff is stuff like seat fabric etc. The important stuff (forward of the firewall) is all Japanese.
My first Protege died in an accident in 1992. My second, a 1992 LX, went 83,000 miles in only 27 months, delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut. Never a problem. My 2000 ES has been 28,000 miles since May 2000 and the only two problems it's had are problems I caused (a stuck CD because it had a stick-on label on it -- a no-no, and a broken plastic clip in the trunk after I smashed a huge box into it). Interestingly, even though both of these items were my fault, Mazda covered them under warranty.
Now we're about to buy a Protege5 for my wife, and I have no reservations about my decision at all. Great, reliable car.
Meade
And as far as resposibilities, I was about to buy my own house back before I got the 2001 Protege. I was to close on January 15, 2001. That all changed very, very quickly when I lost my mother in her sleep on January 3. I had a whole house to take care of then, and getting my own place is out of the question as long as my dad is alive. He needs someone to kinda take care of the house and all. I figure, might as well get the car I want now and live and enjoy it, because I too might wake up dead one day. There were so many things my mother talked about doing "when she could be able to", like vacationing, getting a new car, fixing up the house, etc. She didn't get to do it. Damn if I am going to work like a dog and save and scrimp only to not to get to enjoy it. You know, you can't take it with you. So you might as well enjoy it now.
Hence, why I chose to buy a used 93 LX. I wanted a car that accelerated well, handled well, was quite reliable, got good enough fuel economy, had power locks, and seated 5 (for college purposes). So I chose my car, and paid $4000 up front for it. Its nice having a paid off car b/c I can spend my money on anything else I want instead of having another bill to pay off.
One thing i don't understand is why people feel the overwhelming urge to buy a "New" car??????? What is the friggin point? THe things depreciate about 1/2 second after you drive them off the lot about $1000. Sure you get a warranty and stuff, but that is to cover manu defects, etc. I could see if you like that warranty if you dont' know how to drive and destroy your tranny or something, but i'd MUCH rather buy a car that has reliability records recorded for it online, and in consumer reports (my car's problems as of the 99 buyers guide are in its hardware, brakes and exhaust, which is something i'm going to replace anyways).
I dunno....I'm just curious is all.
For some reason, i only got your 1,2,3,4,5 and 7th emails....there was no 6.
oh and all that picture sending maxed out my mail boxes limit LOL....it was up to 6.7 out of 6mb's allowed.
I will get them online soon....whenever i access my pages again after my XP install
time I have check engine light in the dash set.
Car is running ok as far as I can tell.
From the earlier experience, its the same exhaust recirulation
code.
How do I reset it without taking my car to shop ?
Can I simply disconnect the battery and reconnect it ?
Is there a magic number like 30 times cold start, and the
light will be automatically reset (if the problem that set it in
the first place never occurs in the mean time)
Thanks
I also have a '99 Protege LX. So far, no real problems. The steering wheel was about 15 degrees off-center, which was fixed immediately under warranty, has been the only "major" issue. Having learned with the 323, I now do my own oil changes and tire rotations (3 stripped oil pan bolts and two cross-threaded wheel studs that had to be replaced due to mechanics being careless with their pneumatic tools) so I can avoid having to pay for repairs due to operator error. At least, I can only blame myself.
Mazda is overall rated slightly below Honda and Toyota. Of course, this includes vehicles with significant Ford content (626 auto, the truck etc.). The Protege is probably one of Mazda's most reliable products and I would rank it with the Civic and Corolla, and above the Sentra, Impreza, Elantra etc. We'll see what happens after they move the next-gen Pro onto the Ford Focus platform (I'm hoping Mazda fixes the bugs in its design and execution).
I humbly suggest we don't get into it here, in a car-specific topic.
Anyone with me on that? :-)
As to rotation I picked up a cheapo torque wrench at Menard's , checked it through the full range against a friend's wrench (He's a fleet mech for Ameritech) and found no problems. With my last car I'd pay every spring and fall to swap them out
hoping they wouldn't ding the alloys which eventually happened. They replaced it no problem.
Now I don't have to worry whether the torque is right and therefore don't have to sweat my rotors.
I do need to pick up a floor jack however. My oem jack now has a slight list to port.
On 10/25 we had so much snow I didn't think I'd be able to get to the road unless I at least put the front snow tires on. I switched back to Dunlops a couple days later when it all melted. Being mechanically challenged there's little I can do on my own cars but this much sure gives me some flexibility.
I agree with fowler3 on $$ being an issue for me. I had to move down one ( or is it two? )size or class of car to keep all that I liked about my previous ride. Still the suspension design is superior to my V6 Contour (rear stab bar) and the steering is somewhat better. Had it 5.1 months and have 12,228 miles so far but this includes a 3200 mile road trip a couple weeks ago. Averaged 31 mpg on pure interstate legs.
Assuming the new "6" (what a dumb so-called name) has the handling of my ES I could sure see a V6 version at the end of my loan.
fowler3 Given that my cars tend towards high mileage how can I tell what would be the optimum time to trade? Thanks.
Note--I deleted my other post to Paul because, frankly, it's none of my darn business. :-)
BTW, you willing to ship to the Great White North?
PF
is there a non-mazda hood deflector out there that will fit on the protege? are hood deflectors a good idea (in general)? if i recall correctly pf, u had some scratches from a mazda hood deflector right?
thanx
'duh'
Let me just say one thing for now - the Membership Agreement currently prevents folks from using the Town Hall to sell stuff. So I would appreciate it if you could keep that in mind and take this subject off-line.
Thanks.
Pat
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