Mazda Protegé

vocus

PF: For the most part, she is pretty smart though. Of course, I do have to question the leaving the windows down in the car wash TWICE thing.

Dale: I told my friend (that came to Chicago with me) that you went through the car wash the other day. Before I said anything, he was like, "did she remember to close the windows this time"? Too funny!

protege_fan

Meade, did you attempt to get the rock chips outta your paint from your 2000 Emerald Green Protege ES yet?

newcar31

Since nobody knows (or cares) about the GL5 issue, what is MazdaUSA's e-mail? I went to their website and they only have a phone number and a mailing address.

protege_fan

I have seriously NEVER doubted Dale's intelligence. She bought a Protege after all, didn't she?

protege_fan

What are you talking about? I responded.

mdaffron

Wha?

Meade

P.S. That's "Emerald MICA." Keep up.

protege_fan

What? I seriously don't know what you're "wha-ing" about. Please advise!

mdaffron

Meade

mdaffron

Betcha Larry comes in here and tries to get us to make it to 15,000 posts this afternoon. Please no, I have work to do ...

Look out Pat ...

Meade

protege_fan

Oh...remember you asked awhile ago about repairing rock chips? Then I gave you that link. Just wondering if you did anything about them?

dsm6

newcar31

Thanks for responding but I need a definate answer. This is bugging the heck out of me because I've had this fluid in for a while. Does anyone know if MazdaUSA has an e-mail?

newcar31

I'll post the answer if I get one.

dsm6

I use a vinyl/plastic/etc cleaner/protectant (Armorall type stuff) to remove any wax residue that ends up on plastic parts. Works quite well. Of course, it will also leave the plastic cleaner in that one spot then anywhere else, so you'll have to do all of the rest of the plastic trim.

protege_fan

Or you could just use vegetable oil or even an eraser. Seriously..both work.

protege_fan

The best "defenses" I've found are:
a) taping the area off, or
b) applying a protectant (ie. 303 Aerospace protectant) BEFORE waxing.

dsm6

I use Meguiars Gold Class. I agree with Meade that the finish is deeper than NuFinish, and there is less white residue left behind. I have yet to see if it will last as long, though.

protege_fan

Everything I've read on it says low durability, but great shine.

dsm6

Mask before hand? I don't know. That sounds too much like it will require fore-thought.

Maybe that works OK for you Canadians, but the American way is to plunge right in and clean up the mess later. ;-)

vocus

..you all have me in the mood to wax my car. With everyone saying how good it will look and all, I am tempted...almost.

Do I have to park it under shade to do this, or not? I thought you did when you waxed, but not sure.

protege_fan

Out of direct sunlight when waxing is best unless you are using a product that says you can like Nu-finish and Zaino.

vocus

Since everyone seems to like Maguiar's the best, I will probably get that. The hard thing is going to be the trim, because my car has black trim all around the bottom of it on the front and rear. Guess I will buy some of that treatment stuff so as not to mark it.

I ought to just take the car to the dealer and get them to wax it. I am sure it wouldn't take that much coaxing on my part, or complaining for that matter. Just kidding.

protege_fan

Do NOT take it to the dealer to wax. Talk about a waste of money!!!!

And for the record, I don't like Meguiar's the best. There are much better products out there, but most of the "better" ones are mail order or internet order only.

I use Mother's. I would say that Mother's 3-step is directly comparable to the Meguiar's 3-step.

3M probably makes better stuff than both of the aforementioned companies, BUT it is fairly expensive to buy 3M stuff.

One thing I will NOT put on my car is Armor-All. I'm not sure if their formula has changed, but they used to use the "bad" form of silicone that could cause dash-cracking.

I use 303 Aerospace protectant that has UV inhibitors and is water-based (it has the "good" silicone in it). It gives a nice matte finish...not ultra shiny so that it blinds you if you put it on your dash.

And with all this talk of wax, nobody has mentioned their tires! I HATE having a shiny car and dull looking tires. It looks bad. I use Meguiar's endurance tire gel on my tires and it looks great (Omg....I sound like an infomercial!!). Eagle one also apparently makes a good tire gel. 303 aerospace can also be used on tires, but the stuff is fairly expensive, so I save it just for the dash.

mdaffron

You've got to WASH it before you WAX it.

;-)

Meade

newcar31

I haven't waxed my car in a year. I am usually pretty picky about that kind of stuff, but I've been slacking and busy. The winter here lasted forever, and this summer has been WAY too hot to even think about waxing. A couple days ago, the temp was in the 90s and the dewpoint in the 80s!!! The heat index at 10:00 PM was 101! That is beyond tropical. Wax my car? Only if I want to drop dead.

vocus

I feel the same way. Even at night here, it's been in the 80s. Forget that! Besides, I usually don't have to stop driving to wax it.

Meade, very funny. I know you have to wash it before waxing it. Now THAT I can take it to the dealer for. :0

dsm6

Gee, why not just take it to one of those auto-washers that squirt that yummy smelling foaming wax on your car? ;-)

protege_fan

Wha?

dsm6

Isn't that spray on foaming wax used by those gas station automatic washers just as good? It certainly smells good, so it must protect well, right? I mean, why wax by hand when you can just sit in the comfort of your car while this stuff is sprayed on? ;-D

It's a wax. No it's a dessert topping. No, it's both!

protege_fan

Ah...I see. I don't recognize humour anymore.

It may smell good, but we'll have to ask Dale as to how it tastes...

newcar31

My question to MazdaUSA: I have a 2001 Mazda Protege ES with a manual transmission. The owners manual states GL5 or GL4 as the correct transmission fluid. I have heard that you are not supposed to use a GL5 that has sulpheric additives in it. Is this correct? If so, why is there no footnote regarding this in the owners manual?

MazdaUSA answer: "You've inquired about the recommended manual transaxle oil for your

2001 Mazda Protegé. Mazda recommends using API Service GL-4 or GL-5 transaxle oil for your vehicle as stated on page 10-2 of your Owner's

Manual. Please understand, there is no way we can tell all the additives in the oils. The manufacture of the oil is supposed to make

it to a certain specification level. As such, we recommend using a good quality GL-5 oil, and you should be fine. I hope this information is

helpful for you."

This is contrary to what has been said here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dorothy.bradbury/probemx/index.htm

mdaffron

I love going through automatic car washes to have my car waxed. Know why? Because I love having things waxed that really need waxing. Things like windows. And windshield wiper blades. And tires -- let's not forget that we don't want any water sheeting off our tires -- we want rain to bead up on and under them! I'm sure, if you ask for it, they'll be happy to give you an undercarriage wax too for only a small additional fee!

Meade

bluong1

when you wax your car with NuFinish, do you apply it twice few weeks apart as recommended or you just did it once?

Bruno

mdaffron

but then again, I never waited a year between waxes either.

Meade

bluong1

as the bottle is read "for the best result, apply the second layer in x days...", so I just do it.

Bruno

mdaffron

Don't those directions invalidate their claim? Sounds like "The Twice-A-Year Car Polish" to me!

Somebody call in the Truth in Advertising Police!!!

Meade

(Actually it kinda sounds like Nu Finish should be a shampoo. "Lather-Rinse-Repeat." Sounds to me like a cheap shot at trying to sell more wax.)

dsm6

Then repeat, about 6 months later.

It's kind of like a bag of chips saying X calories per serving, two servings per bag. It's once a year when used twice.

bluong1

"Don't those directions invalidate their claim?"

No, they claim could apply only once a year, but do not warranty the best result by doing so. Anyway, it's kind of fuzzy words.

I rather like the finish after apply it twice, but I do not try anything else to benchmark.

Bruno

mdaffron

instructing the user "for best results, take two tablets daily."

What a load of ... fodder.

Meade

vocus

Fodder? You know, I never heard that ford before. Must be a VA thing.

mazdafun

I think you get a much smoother finish with two applications v. one of any product. It does seem to last longer too, but not twice as long.

protege_fan

Nu-finish is a cleaner wax, right? So if you apply it on top of itself, shouldn't it be "cleaning" itself off as well?

Or maybe that's why you wait 2 weeks...to let it cure.

Whatever...either way, I'm just going to use it for the harsh winters...or maybe I'll try something else this year. We'll see. All I know is that I have no rust (and I used Nu-finish) and my buddy who got his new car a bit into winter and didn't have any wax has a bit of rust in one of his rock chips.

protege_fan

Forgot to say that I did 2 applications of Nu-finish as they said, but I can't be sure of how much more durable it made it.

newcar31

Reply to the response from MazdaUSA: Do sulpheric additives harm the synchros in the manual transmission of a 2001 Protege ES?"

Response from MazdaUSA: "Unfortunately, we don't have a chemical breakdown on any of the
transaxle oils on the market. However, if you get a good quality manufacture oil, it should not have enough sulpheric additives to cause
any damage to the transaxle components."

Finally! A definate answer. I can now sleep at night!

vocus

I know you have been trying to get an answer to that question for months now. Glad you finally got it.

newcar31

I'm glad too. I am a perfectionist when it comes to maintaining my car. I don't even trust the dealer to change my oil. When I was told that the fluid I put in my transmission might be harming it, I was really worried. How did I not know this considering I've changed the fluid on thousands of transmissions and used GL5 a lot. I should have just contacted Mazda immediately but I was busy with my job and kind of forgot about it. I know there were people on the 626 problems board that were concerned with this issue also, so I cross posted over there. I am going to call the Valvoline hotline tonight when I get home just be to EXTRA double sure about this.

protege_fan

Not trying to flame you here, but really, what is valvoline going to say?

"Yes, our gear oil will destroy your tranny if you continue to use it."

I doubt it. More like, "our gear oil is API (or whatever) certified to meet today's rigorous conditions. Thank you for your patronage (ie. give us more cash)."

newcar31

They said that there are indeed certain manual transmissions that are damaged by GL5 and the Protege's isn't one of them. They said that cars or trucks that call for GL4 ONLY are the ones that will be damaged by GL5. He said one of the reasons why people started saying that GL5 destroys manual transmissions is because many people put it in vehicles that called for GL4 only. I remember certain Toyota trucks that called for GL4 only in their manual transmissions. Makes sense to me now. I am at peace.

mdaffron

Now go back to sleep.

Nice to see Mazda Protege back in its No. 1 place on the Town Hall this morning.

Meade

newcar31

Sorry to bore you with all this stuff about tranny fluid. You can continue with the more interesting topics of waxes, tires, car washes, what Dale had for dinner, etc. without me interupting.