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Comments
fowler3
But granted, you don't get the Kleenex box, which makes a great air filter element.
And those little packets of mayonnaise shine tires and vinyl like you wouldn't believe!!!
Meade
fowler3
fowler3
Meade
Sometimes, the bottom of the car gets all dirty and I clean it up with spray water or Oxy-Clean solution (it's safe for the paint), and paper towels. I also Windex my windows and side mirrors, especially after it rains.
The dashtop is cleaned by one of those "electrically charged" rags. I don't know what it's called, but it's a greenish color (light). They had them on TV for cleaning and stuff, so my mom bought a couple. They work pretty well, especially since my dash will leave little dots all over if you use a paper towel.
For the leather, Meguiar's Gold Class leather cleaner. Do it every month or so, or at least try to.
I really wish I had the space to fully wash my car at home, and I am going to wax it soon as well. My dad offered, but I wanna do it myself.
Meade
P.S. Buy an auto glass cleaner. You'll never go back to Windex. It leaves a hazy film you'll never know you're looking through until you try a real automotive glass cleaner, plus don't clean the outside surface of your windshield with Windex. The residue it leaves behind will foul your wipers in record time. I received a sample kit of Eagle One products when I got an oil change at my Goodyear dealer. Tried the glass cleaner and liked it so much I went out and bought a bottle. Give it a try; you'll like the results! Plus, use Bounty towels. They won't leave little pieces of themselves everywhere.
And you are right about Windex. It does leave a hazy film. I thought it was weird, because I don't smoke in my car. I also clean the windows at night too, not in direct sunlight. So I was wondering what was causing the haze. Thanks for the tip. :0
Meade
Take that as (I know) you will!
See you nuts tomorrow, and I hope you feel better Pat!
;-)
Meade
fowler3
I thought for sure you'd be there.
....Unless of course you came after 10:40 which is when I left.
But man, the simple act of giving the car a good bath made me fall in love all over again! I don't need to tempt myself looking at a 6 right now ... I'm gonna keep this little baby until he falls apart! And he's still tight and smile-inducing at 46,000 miles!
Meade
Meade: The 5spd 1.8 00 LX Touring I drove on Tuesday had so much more oomph over my 01 2.0 ES auto, it was unbelievable! That engine was willing to rev
Dinu
Funny thing though, now that I was going to be a dad and in my mid-30s, I was all set to buy an automatic when I went car shopping in May 2000. I drove an automatic ES and really liked it, but then, "just to be fair," I asked them to let me drive a 5-speed. No comparison, my friend! And contrary to my original plan, my 5-speed days ain't over yet!
I think I do remember something about the sway bar being added in 2000, but I'm not certain about that. The only noticeable difference I read between the '99s and '00s was that they made the door handles, shift knob and parking brake release button chrome in the '00s. The big mechanical changes (i.e. 2.0 engine) came in the 2001 MY. I think mechanically the '99s and '00s are identical. Help here maltb?
Meade
This means that FINALLY, you can get ABS without buying the sunroof too!!! Wish they'd offered this in 2000 ...
Meade
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/firstdrive/44875/article.html
Bruno
"We had been told that the chassis of the 2001 Protege has been enhanced with thicker sheetmetal in all four suspension towers, giving the car greater stability and increased ride comfort. All models will feature front and rear stabilizer bars with redesigned attachment points for more stiffness and improved responsiveness. The stabilizer bars on the ES 2.0 model are thicker than in previous years for increased response and to keep the car flat in tight corners.
A new front suspension crossmember has been added with double connection points at each end. The rear suspension system has received similar reinforcements. Several components in the power rack-and-pinion steering (standard on all Protege models) were stiffened, reducing the friction in the steering assembly. "
Of course, I may have just biased the responses. By observing, I've affected the outcome. Oops. Darn Heisenberg.
How about back to back runs at the next Protege gathering?
:-)
For example: the 2000 beige has a brown dash, not two-toned with the seat color. the 2001 has a much nicer taupe dash with the glovebox door and console a combination of beige and taupe. The center stack is trimmed with a bronze metallic frame. The seats are more comfortable in the 2001 LX. The doors close with a more solid thunk.
The 2001 feels like a larger car. I could have saved a lot on the 2000 LX, but it felt like a $12,000- car, the 2001 felt like a $15,000+ car.
My two cents worth.
fowler3
2001:
- more front-heavy
- less noise (I changed the tires)
- less willing to rev
- feels tighter; better quality feeling - ithas the nice black interior, maybe that's why, as opposed to the grey interior on the LX
2000:
- quicker and accelerated better (it was a 5spd!) B A LOT!!! I was VERY impressed with this!
- felt a little more "bouncy", but it had worn-out low profile tires...
- some road noise from the rear
Did not push the 2000 in cornering, so I can't comment on this.
BTW, I took both our 2000 Protegé ES's in for their 1.8 litre ignition coil recall service. They said, Trudy's Protegé was running rough and had a slight misfire. They discovered corroded and burnt plug wires and replaced them with a new set at no charge. They had them covered under warranty. Apparently, my plug wires were fine? Do you think I can get the dealer to replace mine before my 50,000 mile warranty expires? I'm at 46,100 miles right now and I'm due for a oil change and tire rotation at 48,250 miles.
-lovetrain
Have your doc get started on that pronto!
--Dale
P.S. Good to see you back!
Dinu
Protege RX
255hp rotary
AWD
6 speed SMG shifter
Nice indeed!
Dinu
I do prefer the wheel/tire packedge on the 01-02 however.
Mark.
1999 - 2000 Mazda Protegé:
Braking characteristics were some of the best in this test with superb pedal feel and feedback that made modulating them easy. A 60-to-zero stopping distance of 132 feet was just two feet off the class-leading Cavalier.
-2000 Economy Sedan Comparison Test: By Karl Brauer
2001 - 2002 Mazda Protegé:
In spite of the MP3's 132-foot braking distance from 60 mph, which placed it in the bottom half of the test, the feel and action of the stoppers (which didn't have the benefit of ABS) was excellent.
-2002 Econosport Sedans Comparison Test: By John DiPietro
With discs at all four corners, we expected braking to be good and it was, as the binders felt strong and were easy to modulate.
-Road Test Follow Up: 2001 Mazda Protégé: By John DiPietro
-Larry
The 01+ defintely feels like a more solid car. The doors close w/ more authority, chassis feels more pinned down, etc etc.
If you compare '99/00 ES to '01+ ES, that's a different story. 80-90% of your braking is done by the front brakes. As far as I know, the only change in the braking system from the 2000 to the 2001+ is the the rear disc brakes. I think what ever small benefit this would provide is totally offset by the weight gain.
The smell is back, not as bad as it used to be but I've smelt it a few times. I thought it may be the whole coil pack recall thing. I had gone in before to check if the new coil pack was OK, they said it was but this was a couple of months ago.
Anyways, I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and has had it fixed. The dealership basically does not want to take the time to check it. I had to bring it in 2 or 3 times last time for the smell and only after talking to the mechanic did I get anything done. They basically don't want to sit there, let the car cool down...then drive it around while it warms up. Or at least that's the impression I get. The service manager tells me it could be the gas which I know is a load of BS. Basically I'd like to arm myself with some information of possible fixes and suggestions so they can actually look into it.
What are you all getting for fuel economy for the ES (2000 1.8L). I'm getting about 380-400kms per tank (about 40-42 Litres). I'm too lazy to do the miles per gallon conversion but that does sound on the high side of fuel consumption. About 50/50 city/highway driving, somewhat spirited but not constantly flogging it.
-larry
Bruno