Mazda Protegé

nikecar

I left blank the service department score because I didn't use it.. never got anything from them.. I even did the dealer's and gave it all top marks.. only thing the dealer sent was get 5 oilc changes, get the 6th free.. yeah right.

newcar31

No one answered my question the other day. Every time I change the oil and filter in my 01 (done it 3 times) and fill it with the recommended 3.7 quarts of oil, it shows almost a half quart overfull on the dipstick. I let it drain for about 20 minutes, replace the filter, fill it with oil, start the car and let oil pressure build, shut it off, check the oil and its almost a half quart overfull. This is the same way I changed the oil on my integra, following the manufacturers recommended capacity, and it never showed overfull on the dipstick. Do you think the dipstick is wrong? Owners Manual? I don't want to be driving around with 3.2 quarts just because it looks right on the dipstick and end up really being a half quart low. Any ideas or similiar troubles?

hkchan

Is 3.7 quarts Mazda's recommended fill capacity or is it the actual oil capacity?

maltb

As bad as it is, I have never changed my own oil on the Pro so I'm not sure Todd. I'll ask next time but that may be a while...I just had it done.

newcar31

I just looked it up again, it says 3.5 quarts. I don't know where I got 3.7, geez. And the dealer told me 4 quarts. It makes more sense now.

maltb

fowler3

Try this URL, it's a Mazda dealer with a big showroom and on-line store.

http://www.kieswettermazda.com

fowler3

fowler3

I ordered the modular cassette for the '01 Pro LX 2.0,comes in tomorrow, hope it isn't too expensive.
Factory installed it's $150.00. Any guesses?

fowler3

safeire

I should be meeting my new baby Friday or Saturday (it just arrived today by rail), and have been going over names in my head. So I thought I'd ask the group what you've named your Pro (if you have!) and why?

nikecar

I commented on your oil change the other day.. you aren't ignored... yet!

nikecar

Ours is called Little Zoom Zoom

chikoo

The ES manual is not the only one to have the clunking sound when shifting. Read the post below of an Acura owner.

=========================
Greetings,

I have an unusual problem with my '99 Acura CL (31,000 miles) with a 5 speed transmission and am hoping for help. The car runs fine but when I shift in either 1st or 2nd gear I am getting a soft but definite popping or clunk sound from letting in or out the clutch to engage the gears or disengage them. It either does not occur in the other gears or I just don't notice the sound. The clutch makes no sound when you depress the pedal while the car is stationary, just when the vehicle is in motion and you are changing gears. The clutch does not slip and there is no noise once the clutch has engaged the gears. I have not noticed the sound when shifting in reverse.

I have taken the car to the dealer and they explained that the popping noise comes from the mating of the clutch plate to the gears (or whatever the part of the clutch does the actually connecting part). Although they did put in a new shift linkage kit which did not help. The dealer said the poppong sound is normal for the car and in fact one of the service people at the dealer has a manual Acura that does the same thing. Basically I was told not to worry about the the noise.

My question(s) is this: Was the dealer giving me a line of B.S. to get out of not performing warranty work? And if so, will this noise eventually cause other problems? The noise has not gotton worse and I have noticed that when the weather gets warm the noise almost, but not quite, goes away.

Thanks in advance.

speedypt

My '00 ES's name is "Trigger"

Regards,

Pete

gitarzan

I mentioned this one before. I just call mine "The Pro."

At work I often make references to calling "The Pros from Dover" (a M*A*S*H reference) So it kind of worked itself out. My plates even have it on it.

protegenic

On my '99 ES, there are three lower openings on the front air dam. The two, smaller outer openings have the black screen on them, while the larger, middle opening does not have anything, allowing you to see parts of the cooling system. I noticed the other Pro's of this vintage have the same thing. Does anyone know if they make an aftermarket screen for that section.

Thanks.

nikecar

i don't know if they sell an exact fitting one, but you can make one yourself out of metal screen. I know folks have done it to other car brands..

maltb

I'm gonna guess around $215 for the modular cassette. I hope they ordered the green one for you as the amber would look pretty silly in your LX.

cablesnake

Thanks for posting the link to the MP3 MSRP and invoice on kbb.com, hkchan.

In looking over the equipment list for the MP3, I noticed nothing about a moon roof or ABS. Are the same options for the ES applicable for the MP3? Ie, the Premium package?

Also, maltb, you mentioned that even though the 750 or 1.9 incentives have expired that there is still an incentive for 500. I didn't find any incentives listed on edmunds Advice section. They salesperson I spoke with at my dealer mentioned they currently have a $1000 cash back incentive, but she might have been only mentioning this casually to get me interested and reneg later.

Do we know a date that the Mp3 or 5 door sport will hit show rooms yet.

I joined the eaa today. I'll keep you posted on how my buying experience goes. Thanks all for the advice, help and atmosphere.

BTW, I haven't introduced myself yet on the member's list b/c I don't yet own a protege, but here's some personal information about myself.

Rob Tandy, 24, Cleveland Ohio.
I currently work downtown as a computer programmer, and am the happy owner of a 99 Civic EX coupe (my wife's car), and hope to be Zoom-Zooming within the next month!

Cheers,

-- rob

hkchan

I doubt very seriously you'll be able to buy an MP3 through the S-Plan in the foreseeable future. Protege5? Maybe. Have you driven a Protege at all? Hate to see you waste $40 if you decide later it's not the right car for you.

maltb

MP3s should be in dealers very soon, my guess is by May and the P5 should be in around June/July.

The MP3 has no Moonroof and doesn't have ABS, probably a weight issue.

Incentives: call more than one dealer.

maltb

The Protege is for everyone!

Just joking, I completely agree with you. BTW, are you planning on buying one any time soon?

hkchan

I'm 99.9% sure I'll buy a 2001 Pro ES. Soon? I'm not sure. As you can tell, I don't have much free time. Still that's way more certain than Jordan coming back. Hoping Madza will increase the rebate to $1,000. Yes, I'm cheap.

No ABS period on the MP3?

rnd2

i have a black protege also its a 00 ES with a spoiler and mud guards

groharlem

I posted a thing about meets before, and need to know if your coming. It is going to be in central,PA. More inforation and details is located here: http://www.geocities.com/firstgenprotege/meets.htm

There ARE 3rd genners going. We have like 3-5 already going, one of which has the FSZE engine, and totally JDM body kit on it (it's featured on protegetech.com's homepage).

Let me know!! groharlem@hotmail.com AIM: GroHarlem6

fowler3

I'll let you know about the cassette deck. Yes, it's the green model for the 01 LX.

Funny thing happened the other day. I was parked outside my tax-preparer's office, getting ready to leave actually. Pressed the “Unlock” button on the remote, the driver's door unlocked. Then I decided to have a smoke. I don't smoke in my car.

A man walked by towards a Honda Accord parked two spaces over. Pressed his remote to unlock it. At that same time my door locked again. I thought, ‘Oh oh, they've run out of codes for remotes and now they can lock/unlock other cars.’

That was the day I took delivery on my Protege. Of course, I discovered what really happened the next day doing the same thing elsewhere.

fowler3

P.S. Henry,come on down to NC and buy an ES, I'm sure the dealer I bought from will give you a good deal. They're desperate to sell cars. I bought the LX 2.0 at $690 under Edmund's TMV price. The LX has a pinstripe on it, no charge. There are no dealer-installed options listed on or next to the sticker. It's a straight sale, no BS.

hkchan

$690 below Edmunds' TMV price? Is that before (I doubt it) or after the $750 rebate? How much is that relative to the invoice? One has to be really lucky (right time+right dealership+right salesman) to beat the S-Plan price. You knew about the S-Plan, right?

vocus

You do know if you don't get into the car within like 30 seconds or something, it locks back? Just wanted to be sure to tell you. I unlocked the car yesterday with two toddlers in my arms (my friend's kids), only to get right to the damn car (across the parking lot), reach for the door handle, and have it LOCK right before I could pull it open. You talk about mad! I did have to laugh at it though, after it happend.

duntulm

I'd like to thank the frequent users of this forum for your helpful comments. I've been reading this off and on for the last several weeks. With this (and the new rate), last week my wife and I picked up a beautiful black mica '01 Proteges ES with the GT package and 5 sp. I had my eye on this one sitting in the back of the lot for a few weeks. There were 2 km on the odo when I test drove it. My timing was right since I understand these are getting hard to come by. After 1000 km and 1 stone chip on the weekend, I have no regrets trading in my '86 626. Dealer says no special break-in procedure required (except no red-lining). Is this right?

fowler3

Sticker price $16,195. Dealer price $15,095 after $500 rebate and additional $500 off. The $750 no longer applies. And, yes, I know about the S-plan.

Vocus, that's what I meant when I said, ‘I discovered what happened the next day.’ You're right.

duntulm, the manual says:
No fast starts
No hard braking
Do not drive at a steady speed for an extended period of time.
Vary your speeds for the first 600 miles.

Some dealers say, “Just drive it any way you like!”
They love to sell parts and service. It's their lifesblood.

I intend to break mine in the old-fashioned way following the manual. It has proven itself time and again in better than average fuel economy and a good running engine that doesn't use oil eventually.

Example: '98 Odyssey weighing 3450lbs with a 150hp I-4 engine rated at 22mpg city/28mpg highway...I got 25mpg city/31mpg highway usually.

fowler3

fowler3

That's handy in some situations. If you get mugged in a parking lot and lying on the pavement unconscious, don't worry! Your Pro re-locked itself so the muggers didn't get your stuff. LOL

fowler3

vocus

I can just see you are the kind of person that sees the good in everything.

hkchan

Is that $15,195 after $500 rebate and $500 off? Or $15,095 after $500 rebate and an additional $600 off?
Anyway, so your car's MSRP is $13,885+$480(freight)+$800(AT)+$100(keyless entry)+$930(LX Comfort Package)=$16,195?

If so, the invoice is $15,172. S-Plan is $14,952-$500(rebate)=$14,452
So you want me to drive hundreds of miles to spend $643 (assuming you paid $15,095, not $15,195) more?

cablesnake

Yeah I wouldn't want to waste the 40 bucks either if I wasn't going to buy a Protege. I'd shopped around, driven several different candidates and read for a while and have decided that a Pro would be a best fit for me, plus I've gotten really excited about getting one since I've been following these boards here for a few weeks! This seems to be one of the tighter knit groups in the town hall.

-- rob

maltb

This place is pretty friendly except when a Civic owner comes in, sees what they are missing out on and tries to ruin the party. They end up leaving with their tail between their legs.

hkchan

LOL. I'm not leaving until I get my Pro.

newcar31

The Focus group in townhall is pretty tight-knit too. Misery loves company.

mdaffron

It's like the kid who bought the wrong toy and realizes it after the fact, so he'll stop at nothing to defend it. Kinda reminds me of another forum (ahh --- ahhhhh ---- ahhhhhhhhh --- JKOBTYHHHHHH!!!!) -- sorry, had to sneeze -- around here.

Meadeball

fowler3

Vocus, right. Also, if you unlock the Pro, then return to a store for something you forgot to purchase,without opening the door, your car is still secure.

Henry, since you put it that way, you are right. I didn't have time to do the S-plan, since I was doing two car deals at the same time, same day, almost the same hour (30 minutes apart). Trying to meet the Odyssey buyer's request (have the title when he picks up the Odyssey); the bank's requests (payoff the loan); my insurance agent's request (which vehicle to insure and when), and the dealer's request (settle the deal). No problem.

Don't try this at home! LOL

fowler3

mdaffron

I really wish I had known you were interested in purchasing a B3000 pickup. I just found out while cruising the topics and found you over there on April 9, talking about the B3000 you're going to buy (or that you just bought).

Mazdas are great vehicles -- as long as they're built by Mazda. I'm on my fourth Mazda right now. Three have been good ol' Hiroshima-built Proteges; the fourth, however, was a Ford-built B2300 SE pickup. And starting at 8,000 miles, it was nothing but trouble. I used to hang out on the Ford Ranger board:

http://www.fordranger.com

You can go there and surf/post on the board in different sections, depending on your engine size. You of course should go to the 3.0 liter board. But you won't like what you find.

I just wish I'd gotten to you sooner. I really mean this. That Ford-built Mazda truck was the worst piece of junk I've ever owned; heck, click on my name and check my profile and you'll see how I feel about it. And if you have lots of time sometime, I'll talk your ear off about my problems and how Mazda North America wouldn't stand behind the product -- even after I met with their Mid-Atlantic service rep three times.

Anyway, we'll talk sometime. I pray Ford has straightened out its "customer proving ground" philosophy of late, but unfortunately, looking at the fordranger.com site, it doesn't appear to be the case.

Good luck!

Meade

maltb

I came out of a B2500 recently and overall, it was a good truck. If fact, I never had to do anything to it other than regular service. I was going to go into a new B2300(which has a great new engine, BTW) but then Mazda came out with a deal on the Dual Sport(B3000 and B4000) that I couldn't pass up.

I appreciate your concern, but I am in a little different situation than most(better left unstated) so I don't foresee any issues there.

cablesnake

Hey! I'm a Civic owner too!

-- rob

maltb

My comment was related to those that feel the need to defend their purchase on a board that is only about Protege. If they want to compare cars there are other forums for that purpose. So my original comment of "all are welcome, but not all belong" is accurate.

For example, I really appreciate the fact that Henry. has been in here for quite some time and doesn't use this place to trash the Pro. He checks his figures and facts and posts reasonably. Some may disagree, but that's their opinion as we are all welcomed to have.

I could go on, but I'll leave it at that, and I think we know what type of people I was referring to.

hkchan

I was browsing Gates' web site and found a guide for timing belt replacement schedule. http://www.gates.com/shared/brochure.cfm?brochure=109&site_section=automotive

It only goes up to 1998. For the 1998 Protege and 626, it lists the replacement schedule for both the 1.5L, 1.8L and 2.0L (626) as 60,000 miles but 105,000 miles for California. Is that consistent with Mazda's recommended schedule? Why's it longer in California? It also says the Protege engines are not interference engines but the 626's (which would be the same as the 2.0L the '01 Protege uses) is. Is that true?

newcar31

I believe the reason behind the longer timing belt replacement interval in California is because of a California law that states major services cannot be required before a specific mileage. I know they are the same timing belt though.

hkchan

Interesting. So if a belt breaks in Californa at 80,000 miles, Mazda foots the bill?

maltb

I used to use the Gates guide all the time in my previous life. The book has timing belt installation instructions for almost every car on the road. However, beware of the interference charts. I learned first hand on my dad's 94 Jetta that the guide is not 100% accurate. I think I still have a few of the old valves in the garage. As far as the Mazda's being the same way, that would take some checking when have a spare hour(don't hold your breath).

maltb

The CA belt is no different, so I don't know what Gates is talking about.

hboyd

On my CA State '95 ES, I replaced my timing belt (and 2 drive belts at the same time) at 86K without any problems whatsoever. The mechanic who did the work said the belt was "okay." You can negotiate this service easily with one of the managers... I got it at $280 plus the driving belts ($30)... $310... AND a free oil-change!

MARTIN

hkchan

LOL. Negotiating the price with a service manager? Is there anything at a dealership that's not negotiable? Did he disappear for 15 minutes and "talk" to his boss?
I changed the timing belt in my '90 Integra once (actually twice on the same day but that's a different story) and it was a "fun" experience.

vonnyvonce

Change interval for timing belt in Massachusetts is also 105,000. It is the same belt I believe but it has something to do with California and some northeast states emission regulations. I don't know if Mazda pays if the belt goes before 105,000.