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Comments
Meade
P.S. Sittin' here waiting for the mobile glass guy to call me -- I'll be meeting him at my parking deck in about 20 minutes to hand over my key and watch Zoomster undergo Lasik. FYI, I asked and was told that a new windshield to a 2000 Protege costs approximately $650. Of course, I'm not paying that -- my deductible for this is $100, and the glass shop pro-rates the deductible based on the cost of the windshield (they said some go as high as $4,000 - OUCH!) and this is gonna cost me a grand total of 35 bucks. Hmmm, same as my HMO's copay for a specialist visit -- back to the Lasik analogy ... Zoomster is a dependent, after all, lol!!!
(Larry didn't, and we both saw what he got.)
OEM, BABY, OEM!!!
I don't want the upper sun tinting because I'm a little taller than some folks and I don't like seeing the upper half of cars and other line-of-sight objects tinted blue.
Let's see if they got it right. I'm gonna be steamed if they bring tinted contacts for Zoomster.
Meade
Having to sell my Protege. $2500 down plus tax, title, license = about $4000. Not having anything to show after 3 years of making payments. Those are basically the cons. I can afford it, I just have to ask myself if that's where I want to spend $4000 right now.
So THAT'S an example of "Quality = Job One." Don't fix all the problems plaguing the Focus; just sweep them under the carpet and make yourself look good at the same time!
I wonder how many Focus owners will buy their cars because of the "assurance" that warranty offers, only to thank their chosen deity later down the road that the car had that warranty. And I wonder how many of them will become "never again" Ford owners after limping or flat-bedding their poor Focuses (Foci?) down to the dealership time after time.
(I'm posting this seemingly off-topic post here because the Focus is a direct competitor to the Protege and many of us have compared the two cars in the past.)
Meade
Hey, I resemble that remark!
It's never bothered me, I guess, cause I'm a little shrimp.
MSP: Finally saw an orange one in person last weekend, at the Chicago area meet. And I have to say...it really didn't look that bad. You can't really see the mica in the photographs, which is a shame, because it does add a lot to the overall effect.
Would I buy a sparkly orange car? Probably not, but it was purty to look at for a couple of hours.
I've liked it before and would probably like it again.
And I'm not a Shrimp, more like a Lobster.
Now watch me get pegged with a rock on the way home today.
Meade
1. Enrolling in automatic payments. If they miss the payment, it's thier fault.
2. Keeping meticulous track of all your personal finances. I'm a big believer in the 0% credit. Why not take free time/money when it's there.
The reason the Mazdaspeed is parked out that far is that the other cars chastised it so much it now has self esteem issues.
Meade
-love train
Speaking of windows, I was feeling the capitalist consumer itch for a new car myself (I'm right with you Todd) but instead I opted to do something to customize my car and make it look better. While Meade got a new glasses I got some sunglasses. I had the windows tinted to 35% all around. I think it looks really sharp myself, and will be great once the sun finally comes out (when, I have no clue with this weather). As soon as I get a decent day I'll take a picture. There's a few bubbles which I need to have looked at, but all in all the guy did a first class job.
Steve
http://home.earthlink.net/~millerfj/index.html
I understand every automaker is capabable of making a lemon but in the two and a half years of surfing the busy Protege related threads at Edmunds, I have NEVER heard of a Protege that problematic. I would feel like a complete [non-permissible content removed] if my 325i ended up like that after having a relatively trouble free and fun to drive Protege that is soon to be owned.
It's too early to call his boss back at the main office and take them up on the offer ... so I'm sitting here mildly stressed, thinking of my recent call to Mazda about the clutch TSB. Oh well, this is a local company with decades of service that's being touted highly on a local radio station's drive-time morning show right now, so maybe they'll be interested in keeping this customer happy.
They don't know who they're dealing with (yet), lol ...
Meade
Besides -- I'll probably catch another rock by next inspection time anyway ...
Meade
I have to get a new rear window. Someone threw something through it last night and set the interior of my car on fire. Of course, I have to find out if the car's a total loss first though.
Now you can go get the new chrysler u have been talking about.
On the subject of Proteges, no Ted, I wouldn't have fared better with a "jen-you-wine" Mazda windshield because it would've been manufactured by Carlex (same as OEM), which supplies windshields for all Ford products. (I'm starting to learn where that "2 percent other" origin of manufacture stuff is on my car.)
According to my installer, the PPG windshield I got is what GM uses. Sure, no real move up the ladder ... but if you've been (a) burned by a Ford-built product like I was, and (b) fearful of how Ford's lack of quality control may screw up Mazda in the future, it makes me proud to say I now have even less Ford influence in my current baby.
Meade
P.S. Speaking of babies ... I know he'd never see it here, but forgive me for being a proud Daddy ... HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY, SEAN CHRISTOPHER!!!
It's glass. Hmmm, no difference.
Same shape. Well ... that's good, right?
It's got a black band around it. OK, same there.
It's got a slight greenish (for lack of a better adjective) tint. Same there.
It has a "PPG" logo. WAIT! THERE WE HAVE IT!!!
Big difference for me, though, is the fact that the new one ain't got no sandblasting, pitting, or big cracks in it! So clear you have to put your hand up there to make sure there's glass in front of ya!!! (Of course, the lack of wind or bugs in your teeth is a good clue too ...)
Meade
P.S. Chikoo ... NOOOOO!!!! Say it isn't so!!!!!
P.P.S. (Gotta love my after-posting editing, eh?) I did ask the installer if there was a difference between Carlex and PPG, and he said that since windshields are subject to pretty tight federal standards, everybody basically builds 'em to spec ... and you won't find an appreciable difference between the two. Heck, I even thumped on it and it sounded the same ...
Ya know?
Meade
Malt?
Hey all,
Here's a pic of my new EBC "Sport Grooved" Rotors and Green Stuff pads. (couldn't they think of a better name than one that sounds like a sneeze residue?)
The first set of EBC pads chewed up the new Raybestos rotors I bought in January. EBC sent me new pads and rotors mostly free of charge (I only had to pay $26.10 out of pocket). EBC was very good about making me happy.
I want to pull the front wheels soon and clean out the mass amounts of brake dust that resulted from destroying two rotors. When I pull the wheels, I'll post a better picture.
Let me know what you think.
Pete
I disconnected the electrical connection to the mirror motor unit. My question is, can the inside of the mirror be changed (i.e. the mirror and notor unit) or do I have to replace the entire housing and all. For the life of me I can't see how the mirror housing disconnects from the pivot point that allows it to move forwards and back if hit. I assumed that's where it would be removed from. Has anyone changed this? If so, I'd appreciate a link to a self-help description and I would like to know of some internet source for parts like this or is it a dealer only situation?
Thanks,
Ron Brooks
Someone's suped up Cavalier was stolen, stripped, and burned about 3 blocks from my house. I plan on moving by the end of the year. Until then, if the Jetta's totalled, I will get a junker and call it a day.
Vocus, sorry to hear about your car burning. Sounds like you live in a suburb of Baghdad. But things can happen to cars in any neighborhood. I lived in a luxury apartment complex once and bad boys raided us one night. They used a crowbar to open the door on a new BMW to steal the radio. Used it on my dash to get the radio out. It cost more to fix the dash than to replace the Blaupunkt stereo. They severely damaged ten cars.
Vocus, don't buy expensive cars unless you have a garage. That isn't always assurance nothing will happen, sometimes teenagers can open garage doors, but it helps your peace of mind and encourages them to look for easier pickings.
gee35coupe, you have a U.S.A. First credit card? Sheeesh, I got rid of that one FAST when I learned they do double-interest billing. U.S.A. First can run a $1000 balance up to $3000 fast, without additional charges. For those who don't know what double-interest billing is, the bank doubles the interest each month on the unpaid balance. The next minimum payment gets larger. If you only pay the minimum, the interest doubles again etc., etc. You never catch up.
fowler3
Just remember that Edmunds was comparing "economy cars" here, so they were wearing their econo-car blinders and weren't focusing as much on handling and performance. That's why the Protege keeps winning the Car & Driver magazine comparos -- those guys put emotions and fun factor high on their lists where Edmunds just looks at it from a meat-and-potatoes standpoint.
All that said, witness how the Protege scored No. 1 in seven of the 23 categories Edmunds measured in that comparison test ...
Even better, there was a category called "Personal Rating," defined as, "Purely subjective. After the test, each participating editor was asked to rank the sedans in order of preference based on which he or she would buy if money were no object."
The Protege won the Personal Rating, with 93.8 percent of the editors picking it personally over any other car in the comparison. In other words, they collectively said, "Well, the Civic gets better gas mileage and the Elantra costs less, but if it were MY decision, I'd choose the Protege."
There's the Car & Driver-type reaction right there. And it's why I bought my Protege too. Sure, there are cars that get 2 or 3 more miles per gallon. And there are some that even cost a little less. But what good is all that if you're bored to tears for five years or more?
And how much does 3 mpg more equate to over a year's time anyway? Let's see ... if I fill up my tank with 12 gallons of gas once a week, just say, that equates to a difference of 36 miles per week, or just over a gallon of gas ... at today's prices, let's say that's worth $1.75. In 52 weeks I've saved $91. In five years of ownership, that 3-extra-mpg feature has saved me $455.
Whoopie. Gimme Zoomster.
Meade
In doing a little more analysis of the data, for example, I find that the top-picked Civic's braking distance was only mid-range among the vehicles tested, as was its zero-to-60 times.
Forgivable, maybe? Maybe.
But aren't buyers of "economy sedans" concerned about things like potential car trouble and how much they may have to shell out to fix the thing in the future?
Then tell me why Honda has the worst warranty of the bunch.
Ohhhh, because it's an almighty HONDA!!!!! Warranties are just for show with these guys; their cars never have problems!
Meade
The reason Honda's warranty is short is that they have proven over time that they don't need to have a long warranty. They fix inherent problems even after the warranty is up. We can all come up with the personal anecdote about someone's trouble prone Honda but the numbers on a whole show they are some of the most reliable cars you can buy. If they sucked I'm sure we would know by now. They sell 700,000 Civics and Accords a year. Hard to disguise poor quality with those kinds of numbers.
The ECU in the Protege is made by Visteon which was spun off from Ford (similar to the GM/Delphi relationship).
"The reason Honda's warranty is short is that they have proven over time that they don't need to have a long warranty. They fix inherent problems even after the warranty is up."
That's true and it shows that it doesn't make any sense that Honda's warranty is so short comparitively. Honda replaced ignitors on Integras up to 100,000 miles (way out of warranty) and I know why. Mine failed 3 times, leaving me stranded every single time; they better fix that kind of stuff for free. If they are confident in their product and they fix out of warranty problems anyway, why not just lengthen the warranty? Given that Hondas are relatively trouble free and they fix out of warranty problems anyway, it doesn't seem like lengthening their warranty would cost them much money and it definately wouldn't hurt sales.
http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2568875p-2384429c.html
I would think many (if not most) people, though, would say, "Well, if Hondas are so reliable, then why is Honda not backing up its confidence by offering the best, longest warranty in the business?" Places like Sears and Wal-Mart are so popular and have such a devoted following because they offer "No Matter What" guarantees and promote customer service to the hilt -- you don't see them saying, "We know we sell the best at the lowest price, so no returns are accepted."
And Todd was right (thanks Todd), I wasn't bad-mouthing Honda. It just appears that extending the warranty another year or two, or upping the mileage to a number that's more in keeping with the current competition, may help those who are on the fence about Honda vs. a lower-priced competitor when the warranty is the thing that makes them try, say, Hyundai instead. I seriously believe that Hyundai is doing so well these days because they're giving the competition a double whammy -- offering cars with competitive (or in some cases better) features for a lower price, AND offering up to double the standard warranty of the competition. Save money AND own a car you may never have to pay to repair? That's very enticing to some folks who are willing to overlook Hyundai's track record a decade ago.
(I've done my Hyundai time, by the way, so I'm not advocating selecting a car just because the warranty looks great.)
Meade
So in essence it is a Ford ECU.
malt---Does that mean that Proteges are running Ford EEC V?
I'd like to pay off my car, but I have 0% financing on it.
If you had 0% financing, why would you pay it off as fast as possible? That doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't you use the extra money that you would have used to pay off your car and put it in your money market account or invest it someplace else? Even if you had the money to buy a car outright, it would be stupid not to take the 0% financing if it were available. If I had $15K when I bought my car, I still would have taken the 0% financing for 48 months instead of buying it outright. At the very least you could put the $15K in a money market account and have automatic payments taken out for the car and you will come out better than if you just paid $15K cash. Free money is free money.