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Comments
I'm planning on keeping mine 5-7years. Kept my last car until it nearly died. It was a Ford Taurus 1989, 3.0L, auto, 156k miles on the original transmission.
I'm getting ready to do my first oil change on my 2001 Protege ES, and was wondering if anyone has some suggestions about a good oil filter and oil to use. Any ones that I should specifically look for or avoid? Thanks in advance for any help!
-James
Another thing you should check is if the battery is grounded correctly. If the ground cable is connected to the fender, or some other place, it could be draining your battery. I had that problem with a Toyota pickup, the battery ground was not connected correctly. Surprised the battery didn't explode.
One Audi Fox I had went through 5 alternators in one week. None worked.
After you drove 70 miles back to the dealer the battery was charged and that's why it re-started.
You also said that you were driving at 80mph with the moonroof and windows open and the radio turned up full power. Those rear speakers
have magnets -- they draw a lot of power run wide-open. And if the air was on with the fan set at 4 that's more power drain. Could be the alternator couldn't keep the battery charged.
Batteries do not have to be down very much to not have enough power to start your car. The battery has to run the fuel pump, the electronic ignition, the fuel injection system, turn the starter, AND fire the plugs. That's a tall order for a low battery.
Also wonder if going to GoodYear for service, instead of Mazda dealer, could have something to do with it?
Find the leak! Or the weakest link!
fowler3
And when this happened in a friend's car - jump starting wouldn't work either!
However I don't think this explains how your car starts fine now! None of these problems (that I mentioned) could resolve themselves!
Don't get me wrong, I like my ES alot and am not sorry I bought it at all. These niggling problems just make me mad though. There is no reason there should be these kind of electrical problems in an almost-new car. And even if I had an explanation for these problems, it wouldn't be too bad. But since they couldn't find anything wrong with my car, what's to say it won't die again? And will I be 50 miles from home again when it does? It just makes no sense at all.
Our 1999 ES has been flawless to date. Still have the original front brake pads at 45,000 miles, too!
Maybe there are a few lemons out there...
Most "intermittent" electrical problems are due to bad ground connections. I'd ask the tech to make sure all the ground wires are properly attached and the wires themselves aren't broken (can happen with constant flexing or if they're placed in a bad place).
Lack of a good ground connection causes the voltage reference level for components to "float", which can cause some of the erratic behavior you've described.
Julia
Does anyone know if the mirrors will be black or painted the color of the body??
I just sold my car and I am driving my old work truck. By the way I sold my 95 626 for $5700, dealer only willing to give my $4000.
Mazdafun: The only thing is, the dealer has to see the radio having trouble and all before they will do anything about it. I called Mazda customer service yesterday, and they are setting up an appointment to get the car looked at and all that stuff. Once they do, hopefully they will find a problem. Dumb as I am about wiring and all, I thought maybe the radio overheated or something, so it cut off.
http://www.carpoint.msn.com
MSN's car information website. To me, this website is generally the most informative and expansive of all of the car websites out there.
http://www.edmunds.com
I generally use the Edmunds website for the TownHall message boards. Here is a great place to find real-world information about the cars.
http://www.thecarconnection.com
This is a great place to keep on top of the day-to-day current information on the auto industry. Also, I have found their reviews to be extremely fair and non-biased.
http://www.mazdausa.com
Mazda's United States website. This is a great place to find pricing information and to get the "nitty-gritty" on a Mazda's specifications and available options.
http://www.johnhine.com
This is my favorite Mazda dealership's website. Here, you can actually price out a vehicle and it is one of the only dealerships I know that shows you invoice prices!!
As for the engine... I'm not too sure. I would take a look at the Protege Street 2000, which was Mazda's suped-up concept Protege. It has 175hp and 225 lb-ft of torque!! There's a list of all of it's parts on ProtegeTech.
Enter the page by clicking on the logo and then click on "Gallery" on the left menu. Then click on "The 3rd Gen 99+" and the first car you will see is the Protege Street 2000 concept.
If the laser cuts off and on then you would lose the sound. If the disc drive is not turning at a constant speed same thing. Flickering laser and/or fluctuating disc speed.
Clean the CD! Wipe it off with a soft cloth. I have found that finger prints can prevent a disc from playing. Even though it looks clean.
fowler3
This from Dan MazdaSouth parts dept. I'll quote. "The MP3 engine is the same as the ES, except for the exhaust system and intake. And those you can bolt-on to your ES as soon as they are available!" Depending on $$ induction and exhaust improvements sound good to me. I'm going to check further with them.
vocus. I hope they get your problems squared away.
To me the most frustrating owner's experience is the intermittent "problem". "Hey, we test drove it and it works fine." I had a car that would periodically strand me cause it wouldn,t start and you never knew when it was going to bite you.Are you documenting date and mileage of each incident?
Yooper: I never thought to document the mileage and all. I will have to start doing that now.
I pulled into my garage one afternoon and turned the engine off, the radio display stayed ON with the ignition key in the full Off position. The clock was displayed.
Realizing this wasn't normal I started the car again and tried to duplicate the defect. It turned off when the engine shutdown.
I normally shutdown all accessories before turning the engine off. Old flying habit, yooper53 will understand this. It assures that all power-draining hardware is off before starting the engine the next time. Good habit.
Yesterday, I went to a local trim shop to see about getting lumbar padding added to the seatback. It's operated by a woman who does real good work on all makes and models: Convertable top replacement; leather seat trim; seat repairs etc.
She said the lumbar padding can't be added to the Protegé's seatback (LX model) because of the vertical seam down the middle, it's stitched to the foam to make the fabric the same as the seatback contour.
But, she is going to cut a piece of medium-density foam in a lumbar-pad-shape for me to try for a couple days. To see if it needs adjustment. If it works OK she will put a cover on it. The fabric we picked out isn't the same pattern as the Pro's seats, but the color matches almost exactly. The cushion will not be attached to the seat, it will be like a tall, narrow pillow tapering down to the seat-cushion. With the bulge at the top for the support.
I'll let you know how it works out.
I had a bad kidney infection in January and still bothered with back pains. The seatback makes them more apparent.
Fowler3
fowler3
Has anybody installed the K&N filter and if so, did you notice any significant differences? Thanks for the input
Protege_fan
I have owned cars that were 100% reliable, no problems whatsoever. The 1986 Accord was reliable, no problems for six years. Totaled in a rear end crash in 1992. The 1998 Honda Odyssey ran fine the three years I owned it. Sold it last April, miss it very much, but had to do that. There are certain years manufacturers make some models that never have problems. Other years those same models are lemons.
The first year for a new model is usually not a good time to buy. The '86 Accord, that year it was new, it was different from the rule.
Other cars from reputable companies, I should have bought a tow truck when I bought the cars. They spent so much time on the road behind tow trucks only the rear tires showed wear: Toyota, BMW, Audi, and Porsche.
fowler3
Even though they seem plagued by problems, my friends sometimes still reminisce about old VWs they USED to own. However, they now own BMWs, Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, Mazdas etc. Note, no VWs! They probably would if VW's reliability improved to match what they choose to buy today.
I don't mind other owners posting here every now and then, and you're entitled to your opinion. But keep in mind that it's full of mostly satisfied Protege owners, some of whom abandoned VW.
I actually shopped around for a VW GTI 1.8T before I got my protege, but it was way too much more money for not that much more car with poor questionable reliability. Sure it's got more power, but it has to lug around about 300lbs more weight. Hopefully Mazda will hold their promise of adding a Turbo or supercharger to the MP3 (or MPS by then) and we will never hear that a Protege is underpowered.
Here’s a quiz for you. What is the best selling Mazda in the USA? Protege. What’s the equivalent in Japan? Familia. And Europe? 323, but it is a hatchback instead of sedan. So what’s the hatchback version of Familia? Familia S-wagon. Its equivalent in Asia Pacific? 323 Astina. What about USA? nil. The American never like hatchbacks.
Memorizing all these nameplates is quite a challenge, but not to the extent that memorizing all the engines available. Basically, Japanese versions have the most powerful and efficient engines, including 1498 c.c. twin-cam variable-valve timing unit good for 130 hp, 1840 c.c. dohc with 135 hp and range-topping Sport 20’s 2.0-litre 170 hp. North American versions have 1.6-litre dohc 105 hp and 1.8-litre dohc 122 hp. European versions are the least powerful, including 1.5-litre 88 hp and 1.8-litre dohc 114 hp.
No matter which version, the 323 (let’s use this name representing all versions) is just an ordinary car aims at ordinary people. It won’t surprise you, but it doesn’t have unforgivable flaws like some European hatchbacks either (say, an Alfa 145). You know a reliable car like this is what most road users really need, but you can’t help thinking about a bit more than that, say, a dynamic behaviour matching Ford Focus or Opel Astra, or a classy feel in the league of Volkswagen Golf or Seat Leon. Make it clear, desirability is what the Mazda 323 lack of.
Some people like its styling, especially is the S-wagon (hatchback) which is loaded with all the optional body-color-matching aerodynamic kits and beautiful alloy wheels. However, the fundamental styling theme is rather conservative and bias towards the ease of production rather than sophistication. If you have an eagle-sharp sight, you’ll notice the front bumper is not tightly assembled into the body, because of large design tolerance rather than fit and finish problem. The nose looks dull. Thick and black plastic side window frames look more like the products of the 80s.
The same goes for the cabin - There is nothing wrong but also nothing impressive. All the plastics are in light grey. The generic center console is quite pretty, but the rest of the dashboard is boring. The grade of plastic material is not as poor as some rivals, such as Nissan and Opel, but the lack of design isn’t easy to overcome. Space in front is quite good, at the back is just average.
The 323's floorpan is essentially identical to the domestic and European 626, with the same wheelbase and also rides on struts up front and TTL at the rear. TTL (twin-trapezoidal links) is basically a MacPherson strut with two long lateral lower control arms. It’s fully independent, but it doesn’t have the passive rear-wheel steer ability as the popular torsion beam axle. In fact, the 323 handles and rides just so-so. Admittedly, most of the problems come from the steering (too light and rubbery) and gearchange (obstructive). Engines, except the European 1.3 and 1.5-litre, are up to class average but no more.
Obviously, the 323 and its derivatives are not designed with enthusiastic driver in mind.
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I don't know about you, but I disagree with the person's opinion on the Protege being a boring/bad handling car, what is he SMOKING?!?!?
fowler3
re: shift points. I,m sure I read somewhere (probably in Edmund's) that at least some cars the pcm "learns" its owners driving style and operates within that context. Don't know if this is so.
CD problems..Had the same problem w/my '01 ES. Only happened once. So far. It apparently cured itself. Hope its not intermittent.
Am I correct in assuming the cd player is still under warranty? Think i'm in month 13 of ownership.