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Comments
Its a love-hate relationship, just as with my spouse. I hate it that is noisy on bad roads. I hate it that it gets jarring on pothole/cracked roads, but it finally makes up for it with a great sex...err...i mean drive. Fun to drive!!
Actually, I have a Taurus as a second car.
But me and my wife are always fighting as to who shall have the Pro each day.
FYI, my 1.5l, which I happen to drive too hard for its own good (always quick to get to and slightly above speed limits in the city and on the freeway, and usually at or near the front of the pack, and usually driving the car at at least 8/10ths on exit/on -ramps and most turns), yields 25+/30+ city/highway, and has been as high as 28/34+ when I drive more sedately for an entire tankful (very rare!).
I did upgrade the speakers, added alloys with Dunlop SP Sport A2s and the strut tower brace. The original speakers needed more oomph and I just wanted alloys (though the stock Firestone FR680s were poor tires, especially on wet roads), and the strut brace has really stiffened up the front end.
What are some of the maintainence schedules you think I should know about when considering this car? Is it like Honda's where the timing belt needs replacement prior to 100M? Breaks? Etc.?
Thanks again all. I'll definately research more of this.
FYI, this (all of the variations) is a non-interference engine, and a broken timing belt will just leave your car dead, and in need of a new belt - unlike Honda/Toyota where valves will be smashed to smithereens
Tell me what you think about this used Protege I found. Its a '99 Protege LX, $35,000 miles, all the "power options" (which I actually don't care too much about), spoiler, cd, etc.
Drove it yesterday. Since I'm used to driving old Lincoln's/Buicks/Trucks, any economy car feels really weird. This felt pretty similar to a Honda I was considering, and also Saturns I have driven in the past.
Did a Carfax on it today. The dealer had said they bought it at a car auction (its a Ford dealer and she told me they basically do this so they don't have a lot full of used Fords). Carfax said it was a lease/commercial vehicle. This doesn't alarm me as much as it might otherwise, as I have friends who drive work vehicles and have put 30,000 miles on those in a year, and this one seems to have low miles for being a '99.
Lets hear your thoughts!
If the mechanic OKs it and it doesn't seem abused, it's a great car. You'll get used to the higher maneuverability of it in a little while, but I'm curious about your looking at a compact when you're used to driving full-size cars and trucks (commuter?).
Same points: more economical, easier to park, more fun to toss around.
Anyway, Proteges, Civics, Corollas and Sentras are all OK if they've been kept well. Out of the current crop of vehicles, I prefer the Protege. Although it isn't as fuel-efficient, its handling and layout appeal to me more than the others.
Real quick question - any advice on how to deal with minor scratches? Just found the first on my 2002 ES (about 3900 mi).. about 2-3 inches long and about 1/4 inch wide, maybe 1/8 inch deep. Nice black color on the scratch. I have some touch-up paint from Mazda - think that will do the trick? Anyways thanks for your advice.
Dr_Kaboom
Please let us know if you end up trying this product. Also, most dealers know of touch-up guys who come to their place periodically and do minor paint repairs far cheaper (probably without a warranty) than body shops.
www.mothers.com
Battery was starting to go (slow cold starts), so I figured I'd better replace it this weekend when it got above freezing.
Strut tower brace makes battery replacement harder. Figures I'd put one in before I have to replace the battery.
Check this toolset out:
http://www.sears.com/sr/product/summary/productsummary.jsp?BV_Ses- sionID=@@@@1531298515.1044290627@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccfgadchglmd- hflcehgcemgdffmdflf.0&vertical=TOOL&bidsite=&pid=0093- 0593000
I used it for the first time when replacing the battery in the parking lot at the store (when I saw it in the hardware store, I had to get it...I have way more wrenches and sockets than I need). Nice, though I was in the funny position of not having sufficient clearance for the handle around the studs on the strut towers.
http://autosite.com/garage/encyclop/ency14f.asp
Thanks, Jim
97Nm is the middle of the range, I think. That translates to about 72lb-ft.
I feel like I have read somewhere that ou sholdn't put the pro5 through an automatic car wash with the roof rack on? Has anybody heard this or am I imagining? Does anyone do automatic carwash with the roof rack on? is it ok?
please let me know...too much road salt, and too cold and i want to wash
My 2002 Protege is fast approaching 30k. I was thinking about taking it to the dealer to get the 30k full service maintance done. After what the dealer quoted the services at $550 makes me re-think the idea. I bought the car new and been basically changing the oil and rotating the tires. Is the service really worth that much?
oil+filter
spark plugs
tranny fluid+coolant (although they aren't due yet on Mazda's svc intervals)
check brakes (might need pads and the rotors machined, the handbrake adjusted)
Dinu
60,000 is the big one as you'll likely change your timing and accessory belts. That's a pain. If you live in CA or other state that has similar regulations, I think the timing belt change is at a much higher mileage. Luckily, in case the timing belt breaks, you have a non-interference engine, so all you'll need is a new belt and not new valves, pistons etc.
All my friends cough it up...and then cry on my shoulders how much it costs to keep their car running.....
If you drive around Detroit (or Cincinnati...wow, this winter did a job on our roads), you may want to just check every bolt you can find under your car.
James
Of course, now that my wife and I have cars that use the same filter, I may buy them by the case-load (ones for the 626 though; they have more capacity than the smaller ones used in the Protege, and I use costly synthetic oil...I end up changing the oil with the filter rather than the filter with the oil).
The dealer makes a big point to say every 3,000 while my Pro book says every 3,750.
Thanks,
Drumm09
This is what I did for my 2001 ES and what I am doing for my 2003 P5.
I drive a 2002 Pro ES and just today I reached 14,000, I bough it exactly one year ago. I take it to the dealer (Baltimore Maryland) for oil changes being that I am on their free program but I am not sure what kind of oil and filters they use. I will defenitly ask next time I am there which should be in another two weeks or so. I would think they use their large capacity Mazda Oil Filters.??
Well thanks for the info, I couldn’t be happier with my Protégé, my previous car was a 1988 Mazda 323 with 125,000 miles. Looking forward to see what the Mazda 3 looks like!!
Drumm
The default oil filter you get for the 2.0L is rather small. I ask them to use the one from the 2.5L V6 instead since it fits. It costs around $6 either way. I like getting more for my money. A larger capacity oil filter should theoretically have more surface area, so it will provide better flow and last longer.
I haven't opened up one of each to compare the innards, so I have no proof that the larger filter is better. It is an assumption on my part.
In Canada, the manual states 8000kms (5000miles) FYI.
Dinu
What are the benefits of doing this?
Dinu
Change the plug wires.
After my experience with two different Proteges, believe me, it's a hassle sputtering to the closest dealership or auto parts store when they do go between 30,000 and 40,000 miles. Not sure what the specified maintenance interval is on these things, but I do it every time I replace the plugs (every 30K miles). If you want a recent example of how sudden and scary a deal this little occurrence can be, read posts 1560-1564 in the Mazda Protege Problems discussion.
Meade
Synthetic oil breaks down more slowly than natural.
All things considered, I change my castrol syntec twice a year, which is at about 3800 miles [I don't drive much]. I would not be afraid to leave it in for 7500 miles if I put those miles on in 6 months.