Mazda Protegé

Sporin

This whole "AC on almost all the time-thing" is starting to bug me.

Sometimes, I want the AC to help defrost things, but after a bit, I don't see a point in having the compressor going non stop. I live in a reasonably dry climate, adn I would prefer to have those extra ponies adn mpg 99% of the time thank you.

If it was just in "full defrost" that would be one thing, but in every other position but "face only" is a bit ridiculous.

Does anyone know a work-around for this? A fuse, a relay, something? I can't think of anything that wouldn't disable the AC completely and that is not an acceptable option either.

vocus

That does suck, but I found that out about 2 months ago. I just forgot to mention it. I was playing with the controls one day while sitting and waiting for a friend, and the car was idling. I heard the compressor cut in when I turned the mode selector off "face". I think it's dumb too. And the 2.0 engine hesitates noticeably when the AC is on too. Also probably uses more gas.

newcar31

This might also help explain why the Protege posted some pretty mediocre acceleration numbers in some magazines while others got significantly better numbers. Most people wouldn't think that the position of the climate control would affect acceleration unless you were using defrost or A/C. It definately has affected my gas mileage.

zoomzoom79

My significant other disabled my auto-login and I don't remember my old password. So, I guess I am the "poster formerly known as black01coupev6". I guess it's about time though, the Accord has been gone for almost 4 months.

On the AC thing, I know it's annoying to have the AC come on automatically but can't you just turn it off with the AC button?

protege_fan

I think what they're saying is that on any other setting other than face, the A/C compressor comes on, regardless of what temperature setting or whether the a/c button is on or not.

zoomzoom79

Oooh ... I don't think I've ever noticed that in my car. I'll pay attention tomorrow since it finally rained and I might have a chance to use my defogger/floor setting.

toivo

In my P5 the A/C turns on automatically in all settings except face and face/feet (the two first ones.) The compressor definitely doesn't come on automatically in the face/feet (second) position. I wonder if this really is intentional.

theparallax

I think it is intentional. I have a 99LX and the air conditioner doesn't come on at all regardless of what setting its at unless you have the A/C button pushed. They changed this for 01 as part of the facelift.

vocus

They also changed the climate and stereo controls for the 2001 facelift. They should have kept the old stereo, I think. At least when I had the 1999 DX, my radio never blew out (it did twice when I had my 2001 ES).

newcar31

Actually, all cars use the air conditioning compressor when defrost is in use regardless of whether or not the A/C button is pushed. On my 2001, the compressor turns on for everything but "face" even when the A/C button is off.

dinu01

I only noticed it on windshield defrost and windshield defrost+feet that the a/c turned on. Didn't notice the compressor kicking in at feet, feet+face, face. I am going Tuesday to my dealer (my spoiler led burned out 3 bulbs and I asked it to be replaced 2 mths ago, but they just rcvd it last week) and I'll ask him what's the scoop on the a/c and any mods we can do to stop the a/c from being on as u guys claim for most positions.

Outside of that, the Pro is sitting at 16997km (10500 miles). Put in 200 km last nite alone! What can I do to stop the odometer from counting my many kms on it? J/k. Well...no, not really.

Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends! Didn;t know the chat was off for this week.

Dinu~

fowler3

the AC being on with the setting in face/feet mode and I am sensative to cold air. In the face/feet setting I usually dial-in some heat (still in the blue band) for my feet, it's more comfortable.

And in my Pro I can not feel the compressor coming on when the AC button is On.

fowler3

zoomzoom79

I have not noticed the AC compressor come on at all unless the AC is actually on.

vocus: I am glad Mazda replaced the stereo. We have a 99-00 LX in our showroom and I took a quick look at it. The stereo and it's buttons are way too small. At least the 2001 Protege has easier to use buttons and knobs and since I haven't had any problems with my stereo I am glad they changed it.

newcar31

The air coming out of the vents doesn't have to be cold when the A/C compressor is on. I am talking about the A/C compressor being on even when heat is selected on the knob on everything but "face". I guess I am really sensitive to how the engine feels because I have always been able to feel A/C compressors kicking on and off on all of my cars including my 5.0L mustang (most people wouldn't feel it on the mustang cause it has so much torque) If you can't feel it kicking on and off, you can certainly hear it when you are idling. It is quite annoying when you have to put up with this all the time.

theparallax

The 2001 Protege may be that way, but I'm sure that my 99 will not have the compressor kick in defrost unless you actually hit the A/C button. I can hear the A/C compressor kick in, it's pretty loud. The car actually jerks slightly if my foot isn't firmly on the brake. They changed the controls for 01 is what I'm trying to say...not all cars operate the same way. A BMW's shiftgate is not the same as a shiftgate on a VW or even a Mazda...

fowler3

How about taking your car to your dealer and have the hood removed. Then get a technician to spreadeagle over the engine, face-down, while you drive at 50mph and check if the compressor is ON while you set the various heater-AC positions. Let us know what happens!

Remember those three monkeys? I don't see anything, I don't hear anything, I don't feel anything.

fowler3

vocus

Someone said all cars' AC compressors kick in when you put the selector in the "defrost" mode. Not true. My 2002 Jetta's doesn't. I find it annoying, but oh well. Just differences I guess.

newcar31

I don't know how your defrost works then. The defrost selection needs to get moisture out of the air somehow.

fowler3

Some cars you have to turn the A/C ON when using the defroster. The manuals recommend A/C to demist the windshield instead of whiping it with your hand or a cloth. It works very fast and dehumidifies the air, especially on hot, humid days when it is raining.

But you don't want the A/C on in the winter when you are clearing the windshield of frost or ice. So the Protegé's A/C MAY work based on temperature, not come On in the winter months. Watch for this.

The temperature factor may explain why some of us notice the A/C being On and others do not.

fowler3

vocus

I remember reading in the Protege's manual that the AC compressor will not work then the temperature outside is below 32 degrees. I didn't read my new car's manual well enough (all 3 volumes of it!) to know about it yet though.

fowler3

Now that you mention it, I remember reading that, too. and that 32 degrees may vary plus or minus a few degrees from one Protegé to another.

It's the same with tachometers, I recall a reading a test drive where the author said that the tachs in cars are not absolutely correct scientific instruments, they vary from one car to another, even the same make and model, because they are mass-produced and therefore cheap. They give an approximate reading plus or minus 100 or 200 rpm's.

Somewhere along the way manufacturers changed the tachometers from reading rpm's mechanically to reading rpm's electronically and they are less accurate.

fowler3

yooper53

In this day and age it seems as though an electronic tach would be more accurate than a mechanical one. Its not rocket science.

Removed the ES 2.0 decals. A little thing but it sure looks better IMO. Now about that trunk handle... )

vocus

I don't think you can remove ths spoiler. The 3rd brake light's in it, and there is no shelf panel one like the 2000 models had. Without the 3rd light, you will get into trouble.

protege_fan

We just had a huge dump of snow over the weekend. Anybody else freezing yet? Still using the Potenzas and handling has been ok, though I have slid on a few occassions.

In regards to the block heater (for those who have it), when the car is plugged in, is there a noticeable noise? I think I heard a click when it was first plugged in, but nothing else.

Also, I can feel the ABS go off a lot when I brake. As far as I'm concerned, it's a good thing. I've practiced jamming on the brakes and steering. Worked great.

Finally hit the 10k Km mark. At this rate, I'll be in the mid 20k Km/year.

PF

mazdafun

That means we'll be getting some soon.

Not afraid I'll go out of control (much)...mostly afraid of other drivers piling into me, especially the ones not yet experienced in snow driving.

We'll see how the Dunlop SP Sport A2 tires hold up in snow. So far, they've been much better than the stock Firestone FR680s on dry and wet (mild rain; I haven't driven in major downpours on them yet).

zupster

My buddy at work recommended that since I live in Chicago which is full of potholes, I would be better off with steel wheels instead of alloys.

I would appreciate any comments on the pro's / con's of each wheel.

The dealer just informed me that he can't fill my order for a silver LX, stripped down. He does have one with sunroof and alloys though. His claim is that they aren't making the stripped down ones - none are available at port. Seems odd to me. Hertz can buy them as I rented a brand new one last month.

Is he feeding me a line?

maltb

Your dealer is right, the only thing out there comes with Alloys and a Moonroof because of the discount on them. Basically, the moonroof costs you $300 and the alloys are free.

Hertz gets fleet vehicles that are usually specially built and allocated. You could always buy one of those after it has seen 20K rental miles.

mazdafun

Alloys could be lighter than steel, reducing your "unsprung" weight, which means your suspension responds more quickly to bumps and holes. However, this depends on the design of the wheels. I think the aftermarket Borbet Type H wheels I got weigh more than my stock steel wheels (same size).

However, in a pothole-infested area, steel wheels are cheaper to replace than aluminum alloy wheels, and they can be bent back into shape, which you can't do with Al-alloy wheels (they have to be welded upon and remachined...costly). Another plus to steel wheels is you can change the wheel covers to change the look rather quickly and inexpensively.

Al wheels can allow better venting of brakes, but this shouldn't matter much unless you're racing or drive on a lot of steep roads. One seldom-mentioned benefit is the more-open Al wheels don't trap snow and ice as steel wheel/cover combinations do. Trapped snow can create enough imbalance to cause quite a lot of vibration at speed. This happened to me a few winters ago. I thought I had a wheel balance problem, but it was just snow trapped under the covers.

Pretty much it comes down to gut feel. Do you prefer the look of the alloy wheels enough to spend the extra money? And are you willing to buy replacements if they get ruined? The roads around Chicago are pretty rough (much more than in Cincinnati, although there are pretty bad sections here). I'd probably stick with steel wheels if my commute was pock-marked with potholes. If not, I'd get nice-looking alloys and try to avoid potholes like crazy (like I do now).

mdaffron

Hi everyone. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. My Protege actually got to sit for three days and take a much-needed rest. Then I went to my Citgo station Sunday and filled up with 87-octane unleaded for 89 cents a gallon! It was all I could do to get $10.50 in the car. What a feeling. (Ooops, wrong car.)

OK, all this talk about rpms has me wondering again. When I go home tonight I'll take note of my rpms at different highway speeds and get back to you guys tomorrow.

Meade

fowler3

After posting that statement about electronic tachs, I wondered if I didn't have that backwards. But I did read that they are not accurate and if one wants to know precisely what the rpm's are they have to buy an aftermarket tach and mount it on the dash. Yuck! Would look like NASCAR.:=P

Do alloys crack when dropped into potholes?

zupster: Those Hertz Protegés with 25K on them sell for about US$12,000 and the average car has had at least 260 drivers. Not a car I would like. I was considering a 2000 Pro from Hertz until I read that information.

fowler3

mdaffron

Interesting that you brought up alloys and potholes. After inadvertently placing my left front wheel smack into a hole that was about five inches square and a few inches deep at 45 mph last week, I am proud to report first-hand that our alloys and suspension components (at least those on the 2000 ES) are VERY durable!!!

You should have felt the jolt that I felt when my wheel bounced over that hole. Good Lord, I thought, my wheel's bent -- or in the very least, I've really thrown this car out of alignment. Well, I am hapy to say that I've driven about 100 miles since then, most of them on the highway, and do not feel any shimmies, shakes or pulls! The car is just as smooth and straight-running as it always has been!

Meade

zupster

fowler: good point. I've been thinking of the way I drove that Hertz car, it only had 500 miles on it and I certainly wasn't thinking about engine break-in.

mazdafun: I'm leaning towards the steel, but I want to take one more look at the alloys (I'll probably have moved up to an ES before its all over). I just need a fun commuter car, not performance.

mazdadude1

Another excellent way

to describe the protege...

later, zoommers

nix70chs

I'm in the same boat. Need something to get me from home to school and work with a little style. Looking at a Black LX with Moonroof, Spoiler, Moonroof deflector thing, and all that. I got a dumb question. Do you guys pick up the floor mats and cargo nets and that jazz? My first NEW car...just learnin the ropes. With all the rebates and junk I'm at about 16,900 I believe. I was hoping to talk them down at least a couple hundred bucks, what do you guys think? I'm in Iowa, of course, so it's not like a california market or anything.

pjd58

$16,900 seems a bit high for a LX, unless you have the ABS and sideairbags. Go to carsdirect.com and price out your Protege. I have a 01 LX 2.0 loaded, except ABS and side airbags and paid $15,800( $300 over invoice)with 0% for 48 back in Sept.

mazdadude1

Go to cars.com for an indepth review of the protege sedan, mp5 and mp3...

yooper53

vocus I wasn't aware a third stoplight was mandatory. Anyway losing the trunk handle would cost more than its worth. Would be nice though.
meade..did you end up getting the tires from Tire Rack? Sounds like a good deal since Sam's will rotate 'em free of charge.
fowler3..agree wholeheartedly about Nascarizing a beautiful Pro w/an aftermarket tach. Still electronically speaking a tach can't be particularly high tech (I think) so you'd think the oem would be at least as accurate as an aftermarket unit. Are there any specs as to the accuracy (or lack of same) for the oem tach?

newcar31

We are getting severly pooped on with snow right now. My Dunlop SP 5000s are kinda spooky in this stuff. Anyone else with a 2001-02 ES or P5 tried out their tires in the snow? I really can't decide whether or not to get snow tires. I think I might be able to get by because I only drive 8 miles a day but OTOH we have some really nasty potholes and frost heaves here in the winter and 55 or 60 series winter tires may make the ride a little more tolerable.

Meade-I nailed a nasty pothole in Wisconsin last March and it sounded like I wrecked something. When I looked, the wheel wasn't bent and it drives fine. I hope I didn't cause something that might happen in the future though.

yooper53

Oh yeah. Had to put the Artic Alpins back on. They're forecasting 8" to 14" by tomorrow evening.
Oh well.

dinu01

nix: Same here. Need a car that gets me places in style, but on a budget. Test drove MANY other competitors' models, but nothing came close to the ***spirited*** driving of the Pro.

pro: Snowed in CGY already? At least you got the Cup (Grey Cup - CFL). Here in T.O. it's not too bad. I'm thinking early December to mount some snow tires (haven't decided yet, plus I have exams for the next 2 weeks).

Cheers,
Dinu~

yooper53

Are you aware of the "S" plan? I think its still in force. If it is you'd need to spend around $40 to join the EAA and then you can get it for a couple percent below invoice.
newcar31..I can believe your Dunlop SP 5000's are spooky in snow. I lived in St. Paul for 3 yrs and wouldn't think of trying to get through winter on low profile radials. I got 4 steel rims, and 4 Michelin Artic Alpins (195/55QR15) for my '01 ES for $498.04. This price includes $58 shipping. I bought a torque wrench and can now save money every spring and fall doing it myself, knowing the torque is correct and not slammed on with an impact wrench by some person who could care less. Got 'em at Tire Rack, Inc.

newcar31

If I get the tires, I am going to get the Dunlop Graspics because they are a lot less expensive than the Michelins. I can get the whole package for around $400. Did you get hubcaps too? How much was your torque wrench and what kind is it?

chicagopro

My 2000 ES (with alloys) has survived for almost a year now on the wonderful streets of Chicago, and seems to be doing fine. Where are you buying from?

newcar31

I got 4 15' steel rims at $32 a piece, 4 Dunlop Graspic 195/60QR15 at $57 a piece and 4 hubcabs for $24. Total with shiping: $447......Do you need a torque wrench when puting on steel wheels?

the_big_h

I never noticed until you guys start discussing it here, but just now I was in my car, and when I turned on the fan and turned the vent mode to defrost, the A/C compressor automatically starts, even with the A/C switch in the off position! I never noticed that before. I'll keep an eye on it when it gets colder outside to see if the compressor indeed turns on based on temperature when in defrost mode...

I have a '00 ES btw...

yooper53

No I didn't get the hubcaps. The rims and tires don't allow for buying something cosmetic. The poor Pro does look humble w/black steel wheels. No doubt about it.
There is an 80 ft-lbs spec for wheels on the ES.
If they're over tightened it can warp the rotors. Over the years I've watched shops that could care less using an impact wrench. God only knows what the torque was when they get through with 'em. I've had rotor problems w/previous cars and over tightening might well have been the cause. I got a cheapo wrench from Menards for around $25. This is all I'll use it for anyway, being mechanically challenged as I am. )

protege_fan

Yep, it's full on winter here. Now I can't wait for a Chinook so that I can wash my poor Pro.

And that's right...2001 Grey Cup Champion Calgary Stampeders!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!

Safe drving everybody!

PF

newcar31

Sometimes there is a different torque spec when installing steel wheels as opposed to alloy. Thats what I was asking about.

mdaffron

As promised, I took note of my tach on the drive home last night in my 2000 ES 5-speed. Here are the results, give or take 50 rpm or so:

60 mph: 3,000 rpm
65 mph: 3,450 rpm
70 mph: 3,900 rpm

It was foggy last night and the roads were damp (and no, I haven't yet ordered those Yokos from TireRack, so I'm being careful), but as soon as I can safely (ha) do so, I'm going to see what that tach reads at 100. I've been there a couple of times, and I want to say it's around 5,500. But I'm not sure -- great excuse to do it again, huh?

Meade

mdaffron

From the cars.com review of the Protege:

"The Protegé is among the more spacious and well-equipped compact sedans. It also is highly competent on the road and fun to drive, befitting the claims for sportiness made by Mazda. Priced in the same league as more ordinary sedans, Mazda's compact stands a strong cut above in the handling department. Performance also is appealing, especially when equipped with the manual shift and larger engine."

Zoom zoom zoom!

Meade