Mazda Protegé

mdaffron

Meade

oskwi

I figured since I was "lurking" today that I had better post something or I might be reprimanded...

Here's a mileage story for you...180,000 miles in four years! (That's the Galant, not the Pro) That beats your 60,000 in approximately 3 years. People always ask "Where do you go?" and I honestly do not know. I had an eighy five mile commute for about a year so that added it up. The car seems to go on long excursions to other states on weekends too. I think nothing of driving to Ohio or PA for dinner an then drive back home again...that's when I was living in WNY.

I guess I'll need to learn to stay put??

townhall9

There is a new, light sandalwood, Mercedes C-320 Sedan in my neighborhood. It looks a -lot- like my 02 ES. Mercedes taking a lead from Mazda? I like the look of mine better; from the wheels, to the front end, to the spoiler.

mdaffron

That, or have a kid! That'll plant you on your posterior for a while!

Even now that our son is two and we're going places, we still eat dinners at home and find more things to do around the house than we used to when it was just my wife and me. Buying a house actually started this trend -- when you live in a dumpy apartment with rap-loving neighbors you tend to LOOK for reasons to go out for a drive.

I'm actually down from my old average -- my worst was during college when I worked for Pizza Hut. 1992 Mazda Protege, sold after 28 months (2 years and 4 months) with 83,000 miles on it. That's getting up in the range of you and your Galant!

Meade

mdaffron

It has finally stopped raining here in Richmond (where two days ago they announced we've just exceeded the total rainfall last YEAR). At least for the moment the sun is out. I just dismounted from my 11th-floor perch over the James River and headed outside to find a salad.

Man, the humidity just about knocked me to the ground. It's gonna be a 4-speed A/C in the 5-speed ES this afternoon! And since it's been raining every day since, oh, half past April, my grass is about eighteen feet tall. I'd estimate the temperature out there to be somewhere on the order of 174 with 254 percent humidity, for a feels-like temperature of, say, 386 give or take a half-degree.

So it's gonna be zoom home for me, so I can fire up the old spinning-bladed ozone destroyer and sweat my ... my ... sweatglands off in the yard before supper. That is if I get any supper after spending three hours raking up all the "grass phlegm" ol' Mulch-'n-Belch hacks out on the lawn during our foray into the moisture-laden rainforest of my lawn.

Yippee-ki-yay, etc.

Oh no, here it comes ... it's coming ... it's here .......

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Garth, how far is it to your place? I'll bring the beer!!!



Meade

merlin3942

Hi Meade,

Thanks for the info .... and the welcome! I've checked with several local tire dealers, as well as the Goodrich website, and they don't seem to make that model tire (T/A VR4) in the size I need (P195/55R15) ... closest I can find is P195/65R15. I really don't know if that would work on the ES or not. What model do you have our your Protege ... and what year/model is your Protege?

Still working on trying to find the Toyo Proxes TPT in the right size ....

THanks!

--Merle

ashutoshsm

You can normally be a few percent off, but not that much (less than 3-4%)?

Its at miata.net, under 'garage', called 'tire calculator'.

bluem6i

The early year 02 LX's did not come with alloy wheels as standard (I know because mine has steelie's with hubcaps). I think the mid year refresh cars came with the alloys.

When I bought mine, I told the salesman I didn't want a sunroof, so he never mentioned the roof/wheel deal that would have gotten me both for $200 or so. I didn't want to have to pay $600 or more for a sunroof that I wasn't going to use. I would have gotten it just to get the wheels had I known.

Joe

meinrad

Meade put 205/55-15's on his Protege.

mdaffron

Yes, Raymond is correct. The 205/55-15 is considered a "plus zero" replacement for the stock 195/55-15s; guess I should've been more detailed in my response. They fit just fine and actually make the wheel wells look a little nicer IMHO.

And they're "Touring T/A VR4s." Don't forget to add the word "Touring" in there when you're calling around; also the "VR4" part is important. BFG makes a bunch of tire models using the "T/A" wording, and you've got to specify that they're "Touring T/As." Also, as if to confuse people more, there's the Touring T/A VR4 and the Touring T/A HR4, with different speed ratings.

If you'll drop me an e-mail (it's in my profile), I'll give you some personal observations and a few links to try.

Meade

oskwi

You know I really should be packing instead of logging onto this site to see what sage words people will share with me!

Considering the rain, tornadoes, construction, inept/degenerate drivers, and of course, CHICAGO, you should get here to WI before your work start time on Monday!!

The new "baby" got pinged by some small pea size hail a couple of nights ago...what a travesty...what an injustice...

Oh, by the way, my uncle used to live outside Richmond in Chester, VA. He worked for ABB until they shut down, get this, the most productive unit in the whole company. Can we surmise that productivity DOESN'T pay?? Then he moved out here and now he is back in WNY and laid off again. Troubled times we live in...

bluem6i

Just a quick follow up...

I checked the PRO last night and there is NO air coming from the defost vents when the dial is in another setting. Must just be a feature/flaw with the 6.

Joe

mdaffron

I used to pass it every day on the way to work down in Hopewell (when I worked in that rotten, stinking pit of a chemical-industry city). ABB built a new five-story building about five miles west of Chester in Midlothian and moved there about two years before it pulled out. The building sat vacant for a couple of years in a large tract of undeveloped land dubbed "Commonwealth Centre." Well, it took a couple of years but suburbia finally reached the area, the housing and service market boomed, another company now owns the building, and the rest of Commonwealth Centre is now one of the largest new shopping centers in the Richmond area. The ABB building is next-door to a 20-screen, stadium-seating theatre that's been rated Richmond's best.

And I live about two miles from it.

Small world!

Meade

notminehers

I have had the Toyo Proxes TPT's on my 2001 Pro for about 3 months now / so far, they are great tires, but all are good for the first few months. These seem much quieter than the Dunlop 5000's, and handle heavy rainfall much better. The cornering is about the same though. I paid about $128.00 per tire - kind of expensive but they had a 60,000 mile tread life warranty. Good luck....Greg

boggse

http://www.toyo.com/tires/tire_specsheet.cfm?id=13

15th entry on list is 195/55R15.

To find a dealer, go here:

http://www.toyo.com/find_a_dealer/index_frame.html

and put in your zipcode.

fowler3

reading through 61 posts, WTG guys! Sorry Larry has moved on (not up) to other wheels. Maybe working for Cracker Barrel he has to fetch the daily veggies from the Amish Farmers' Market?

And what is Meade bellyaching about Pro owners looking across the fence at other cars, when he has been drooling over the MZ6 and MZ3. Hmmm.

You are right about not posting if we can't mix in a little other topical stuff. How many oil changes and tire purchases do we need? What else is there for new cars?

BTW, my Pro has been making odd noises at the front wheels lately, sort of a warbling sound as I drive and especially when I brake. Any ideas? It has just over 15,000 miles on it.

My Poortenzas don't look too good, don't know when they will need changing.

As I read other Mazda owners' posts about the new 6 cars and how bad the standard head units are, it makes me think I would be wise to keep my Pro, the radio is good in the '01 LXes. Not ready to trade anyhow. It may be my last new car, or last car -- period.

I had a cousin in Virginia who was a Pontiac/Nissan dealer. When he died his son drove his "favorite car" behind the hearse to his funeral -- a red Lexus LC-400 coupe.

fowler3

chiyo

That gives me a peace of mind.

Did early LX models came standard with keyless entry too? The edmunds site says so, but after my dealer looks up my vin #, he says the system is not there... :rolleyes:

boggse

1-800-222-5500.

Give them your VIN. They can tell you for sure whether your car came with keyless entry.

fowler3

It was built in November '00, it did not come with alloys and moonroof. I bought it in April, in July '01 Mazda shipped most LXes with alloys and moonroof. Then discounted LXes with those options making them free.

fowler3

nitrolady

Jeez, do they hafta put those airbag warning things on the visor so that you feel like you're getting screamed at in yellow/red/black colors every time you open the vanity mirror??

Anyone have any luck removing these stickers? I should mention that I do not have a Protege, I have a new Elantra (see my earlier posts from a couple weeks ago or so), but ya'll seem like such a nice bunch of people (and the Elantra board is pretty quiet), PLUS meade's recent plea for posts all made me come here instead of posting on the Elantra board.

I'm assuming Proteges have the same or similar airbag stickers. Mine are on BOTH sides of the visor. sheesh.

Anyone have experience removing these? Goo Gone? I don't want to leave any adhesive residue on the visor.

Thanks,
Nitrolady

bluem6i

Keyless is standard on all 02 LX's.

bmclaughlin1

It was 2 years ago today (August 3rd) that we bought an 01 Protege ES, 5 speed. It has ABS, moonroof, side air bags, cd, cassette. It has performed flawlessly for us. Just routine maintenance. It has 22,428 miles on it and is a lot of fun to drive (as is our 01 Protege LX, automatic, and 02.5, P-5, 5 speed). The car averages between 29-33 mpg. The only gripe we have is the tires, they are already worn out, despite keeping tabs on tire pressure. Other than that, it has been a great car!

Bill

mazdafun

But my '99 LX came with a keyless entry system and two key fobs.

I think it was standard as the only options I requested were AT, mudflaps at all four wheels and a cassette player.

mazdafun

I barely made it through a couple of turn signals today, and went through faster than I usually do. My '99 Pro (new ones with improved suspension and chassis will do better) handled both really well. Not a single complaint or iffy-feeling shake or shudder (both intersections need repaving). Brought a smile to my face (and sent my daughter's backpack rolling across the back seat).

oskwi

I am not sure if I should respond to you since you abandoned the Protege!

Yes, the Pro has the same type of stickers on the visors. They are of the screen print variety...much like a t-shirt. I would be careful of Goo Gone though. The solution is great, but it can remove stuff you don't want to have removed...like the color of the visor. I used it on a dirty and pepsi stained radio display on my Galant, and it took off the shiny finish making it almost impossible to see what station is on!

Was your decision based on the interior color?? Anyway, congrats on your new purchase. Have fun driving it!

chiyo

I have put too much energy onto the issue of keyless entry, I started hearing grinding noise from my car when I break. (Hopefully it's only my dream.)

I will try to forget about everything and relax.

tomciviletti

I put bridgestone s-03's, size 205/55-15 on my '99 pro es. they handle better than the RE-92's in the dry and are much, much better in the wet. In fact, I don't slow down at all unless the water is more than 6" deep [OK, that's exaggeration]. they ride more comfortably than the RE-92's, but are, unfortunately, just as noisy on rough pavement. They are summer tires [it doesn't snow in Portland] but the tread pattern makes me think they would not be bad in snow.

tomciviletti

I got the S-03's from tirerack.com where you can find test data, survey results, and user reviews.

nitrolady

Glad to know that at least one person is still speaking to me since my exodus to Hyundai-land!

Yes, interior color and dog color were key factors-- I tell my friends that if it wasn't for my dog, I'd be driving a Protege! (Well, actually I could have gotten an automatic Protege w/beige interior, but I really wanted the 5spd for fun and also for control in bad snowy weather. So it's really because of the dog and the weather.)

Thanks for the warning about Goo Gone. The visors seem to have a textured plastic surface, which is making me more reluctant to try to remove the stickers. Also, they seem to be REALLY stuck on there. Maybe I should just replace the visors ....

The Elantra is very nice, though not exciting, and I think I would probably be enjoying my driving experience more with a Protege; however, I also saved some $$ getting the Elantra. But maybe the next car will be a Protege! I do think they are great cars.

Nitrolady

mbs7

I have a 99Lx and I've read conflicting information on this car's fuel filter. Is there a canister filter in the engine compartment, or only a filter down near the gas tank?

My Haynes manual (which covers 1990-2000) doesn't say anything about the 99 or 00 not having a filter under the hood, but I've read speculation by others around on the web the the 99's and newer don't have filters under the hood. Looking under the hood, I see a couple canisters which *might* be the filter, but I'm not sure.

Anyone have an answer to this on good authority?

boggse

Check out this URL:

http://www.miataforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=- 8;t=009438

Also, this guy may be able to provide you with a visor glove that would fit if that is an option you would consider:

http://www.knobmeister.com/VisorGloves.htm

blueguydotcom

Little confused...

I priced up a Pro LX with AT, ABS and CD/Sunroof and it came out to: 17,915. Carsdirect has a price of 14k on the car. With grad cash I'd be looking at 13,500. You guys are getting far lower prices...how?

BTW, is the ES worth the extra dough? You get better brakes and the shiftable AT and 16 inch rims. Anything else that's actually noticeable?

I'm pricing this up because I may be switching to a job that's 45 miles away. I have no desire to drive a 6 speed BMW 90 miles a day. I figure the added cash is just gonna go toward paying for the second car with AT - better, more stable company with profits and a history (all nice).

mbs7

I have a 99Lx and I've read conflicting information on this car's fuel filter. Is there a canister filter in the engine compartment, or only a filter down near the gas tank?

My Haynes manual (which covers 1990-2000) doesn't say anything about the 99 or 00 not having a filter under the hood, but I've read speculation by others around on the web the the 99's and newer don't have filters under the hood. Looking under the hood, I see a couple canisters which *might* be the filter, but I'm not sure.

Anyone have an answer to this on good authority?

vocus

I think the Protege would make a great commuter car. You would definitely enjoy the sporty handling of the car, very BMW-esque for the price. Power is adequate for rush hour commuting, and it's also roomy, comfortable, not too bad on gas, and has cheap maintenance costs to boot.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

BTW, I saw a $2500 rebate today somewhere on the Protege. Is this right???

blueguydotcom

Yep the pro has a 2500 rebate and I can tack on 500 grad cash.

Strangely, in my studies for a reasonably priced commuter car I came across an unlikely option - a Chevy! The Chevy Malibu garnered the JD Power Initial Quality award for midsize sedans. Weird. Used, they're dirt cheap. I can pick up a 2002 LS for 10k. I can't even sniff an Accord or Camry used with a 4 cylinder for less than 13k.

mxyzptlk

Hi,

I'm going to be pruchasing my first car soon and needed some opinions. I decided to get a used car and I'm trying to decide between a Sentra GXE, Protege, and Hyundai Elantra. Just wanted to get some opinions and suggestions on my choices.

dinu01

Sentra:

+ It's not a Corolla/Civic
+ I can't think of any

- Rear beam suspension does not adapt to road imperfections
- Small back seat
- Ugly rear styling
- Built in Mexico?

Elantra:

+ The value leader
+ Solid warranty

- Leans too much in turns for my liking
- Bad seats
- Cheapo interior

Protege:

+ The Miata/BMW of the small car class in terms of driving fun
+ On DX/LX trims the interior is on par w/all cars in the price range, on ES/P5 trims it's a class above
+ Great brakes
+ Superb steering feel
+ Made in Japan
+ Did I say it handles really well?
+ It makes you smile when you drive
+ Might be worth a look even new -&>; many incentives

- Might be too sporty for some (it's not a boulevard cruiser)

Dinu

oskwi

I looked into everything imaginable before deciding on the '03 Protege. I considered a Sentra, but after looking at the boards on Edmund's, I decided that chronic suspension problems and faulty trannies were something I could not cope with! My friend has a 2000 Sentra, bought new, that she cannot stand. Her tranny went out at about 24,000 miles and she was FAITHFUL with the dealer recommended maintenance. Now, she is afraid to drive it around Boston, but is still making this horrific payment! She is actually thinking about going back to the American cars since this experience has soured her on the "imports".

The Elantra is a nice car at a nice price and has the best warranty out of them all. However, I was wary of pursuing them because of their past record. Hyundai has come a long way, but I feel that Hondas, Toyotas and Mazadas are far superior to anything they have put out. Which brings me to my next point...the Mazda is a great car with the best brakes of anything I have driven, a lot of spunk, nice option packages, a better warranty than Toyota and Honda (4/50,000) and not everyone drives one, so you can be original. Personally, I feel that Honda is riding on their nameplate now. Hondas are better cars than the average, but I think Mazda has them beat as far as build quality goes...97% Japanese parts content is a great thing! The Protege has been recommended by Consumer Reports for years and has one of the highest reliability ratings of ANY CAR, ANY CLASS...you couldn't go wrong!

Good luck in your car buying decision!

oskwi

Hey gang! I am having a problem with my "other car", the Mitsu Galant. I would post there, but the board is inactive. To make a long story short, go to the Galant board and look at the posting I put on on May 5th. The clunking that was mentioned is still there after new struts ($600), new engine mounts ($250), swaybar link ($150)...you name it, it has been replaced at my expense and the problem still exists. I can't figure out what could be causing this. Any thoughts??

My car is back at the shop today since I leave for NYS from Wisconsin in three days. I really need this clunking to be fixed...I'm slowly losing my sanity....

boggse

If you really want some good gearhead advice, you might want to try the car talk forum at miata.net.

chiyo

I tried hard not to write about this here any more, but I think I should I finally received my keyless entry that I supposed to have (after 6 visits to the place everyday.)

On my 6th visit, we called the Mazda HQ and the customer rep confirmed about the keyless entry, but the manager was still so sure that my car did not have it even after hearing it with her own ears. So the manager sent me to the local Mazda dealer, and they checked my system, and viola! it's there.
So today morning, I went to the Enterprise and they programmed it. Ironically the remote looks exactly like the drawing in the manual. (They said it did not came with it.....but how on earth do they have the remote that looks the same? LOL)

Anyways.. thank you so much for giving me some feedback.

sfrat

I agree, I think the Protege would make a good car for commuting. In your case, I'd say the ES is probably not worth the extra money, particuarly now since they all come with the same engine.

Another good choice for a basic comfortable commuter car might be a Ford Taurus. They're cheap (esp if you get a one or two year old used one, certified), both in cost and insurance, run on regular gas, fairly quiet and well equipped, and get around 30 mpg on the highway, same as a protege. It's not exactly glamorous though.

Steve

mazdafun

Good for you for sticking to it!

pzev

I hear a lot about people having mold form because of the A/C. Has any Protege owners had this problem? If so how can you prevent it? Would putting the A/C on recirculate mode a few minutes before turning it off help? Any suggestions?

mazdafun

Keep the drain hose clear so water doesn't collect (I think it comes out under the glove box somewhere and goes to a hose connector in the firewall), leave your windows cracked open a bit when you garage it so the interior can vent, turn off the A/C about 3-5 minutes before you stop the car, open the windows and keep the fan running to clear out some condensation (letting the air ducts warm up and such). I usually turn off my A/C about 1-2 miles from my stop, open the windows and turn up the fan speed. Of course, I end up a little sweaty by the time I stop, so there's that issue (and the sweat that goes into the seat).

tom4321

any ideas for a high performance tire and still good in wet and snow? or no such thing?

reitrof

No such thing. Get some winters on extra rims.

dinu01

There is no all-season tire.

If it snows a lot where you live, buy 4 winter tires on cheapo black steel rims (a size smaller to save some $ too - and narrower to dig better in the snow) and enjoy safe driving in snow and use your summer tires to get the most performance out out your car.

Dinu

tom4321

ok, but i went to the Tirerack website and best sellers list a Yokohama Avid T4. According to the survey, they seem like a tire i might get by with except for heavy snow. anyone have experience with these? The price is right for sure.

dinu01

And they're good on snow and dry, but they aren't rain tires. Since my PRO doesn't have ABS I drive a little more carefully in rain and have had no problems.

They did not wear out in 25.000kms and were cheap - $100CAD/each.

They are good all-around performers, but not as good as 4 winter tires and 4 summer-only.

Dinu