I have owned several bright red cars/trucks (if you haven't figured it out, red is my favorite color on a car... even had my MG painted Miata red!), and none of them were clearcoated. A paint guy once told me that when the clearcoat starts to oxidize, it makes the red look like orange and it would be better off just to leave it non-clearcoated.
For paint care, I highly recommend Meguiar's. Their products range from entry-level consumer to paint-shop professional grade. Some of their products are pricey, but they work wonders!! You can even get a free car-care prescription from their site customized for your climate and your maintenance habits! Check them out at http://www.meguiars.com
got a flat on I-95 last night, didn't pull off until off of highway, so the tire is no longer fixable and needs a replacement. I'm planning to just replace it with another Bridgestone RE92 just so that all wheels have same spec. Need to replace it ASAP cuz I'm running on the spare donut right now, which is not such a good thing. So Tirerack.com is basically out of question. Question is, taking into account of cost of the tire, what's a fair price the tire shop should charge for doing a complete install of the tire? I got quoted $188 from Merchants Tire for a Michelin + installation, that seems too high.
Is that $188 just for one tire? What type of tire is it? Some of the Michelin's are rather pricey. I looked at the Pilot XGT's but didn't want to spend close to $800 for them. Even the Bridgestone Pontenza RE92s are awfully pricey. I paid $83 per tire for Nitto NT450 205/50R15's, and they have been terrific tires... a lot quieter, better grip particularly when wet, and much, much, much, much, much better treadwear!
Yes that is the cost for installing ONE tire. I didn't remember what model number it was, but $188 includes both tire and labor. The guy did say it was performance tire or something...
btw, is it a good idea to have different brands of tires mix & matched on a single car? would it affect performance, gas mileage, etc?
I'm going to another tire store tomorrow morning to see if I can find a better price. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to put the donut wheel back to where it belongs, under my trunk!
its not a good idea to have one of X brand and 3 of Y brand ESPECIALLY in performance tires.. if these were Geo Metro or some slow car then most passenger tires are very similar. but not so with performance.. either get the RE92's or replace 2 tires (the flat and the opposite side pair). better to have 2 and 2 than 3 and 1.. we did that on my wife's neon and it stunk.. but it was a lease so I didn't care.
went to Tire Plus and got 2 Yokohama A460's installed to the front wheels. Cost me about $300 out of door (tires cost $25 more than they sell at Tire Rack, but I want to fix it now and get it over with. Oh well) Now have an extra RE92 in my trunk in case of future flats on the remaining 2 RE92's at the rear. Unless someone wants to buy a lightly used (7500 mi) RE92 from me...
I too noticed some evidence of water intrustion into the trunk of my 99 LX. I was trying to remove the jack and spare to rotate my wheels. I had to really work out the screw that holds the jack in place. Turns out the last 1/4in was rusted. I also found a lot of what looks to be salt crystals in the jack pocket. Could the water be coming in from the wheel well or underneath the bumper? Tips on checking how water gets in? I was going to seal up the leak with some silicone caulk on the inside.
Also, I noticed a lot of rust on the suspension and brake hardware when I rotated my wheels. Any advice on treating this? I planned on using some silicone grease to coat the rust, but it doesn't remove what's there. I was thinking of using some chemicals that convert rust into a primer-like substance, but am concerned about making parts stick to each other.
Also, the dealer bent a piece of sheet metal near one of the lift points (inboard of each wheel) the last time they serviced this vehicle (which was a while ago since I do my own oil changes). Now I'm worried about rust starting here (I pried it back into place with a pair of needle-nose). I'm afraid that putting paint over the damaged sheet metal will only trap water. Little things like this are why I stopped going to service departments or ind. garages for "routine" services. Seems I need to check the vehicle thoroughly on a lift before I accept my vehicle back. Would it be too forward to ask that I be allowed to inspect my vehicle before they lower it after a service? I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Sorry for the rambling. Worried about my baby Pro, I guess. The good news is that after 19,000 miles, I still have over 50% of my front brake pads left.
as for the water, you could check the seals around the brake lights.. this happens in Sentras (pre 2000) and also some 93-97 Altimas... my sister-in-law's 96 Sentra had this happen to her.. I'd suggest 2 people check it out.. one spraying water outside, the other inside to see where its coming from..
no... fold down the rear seats then wiggle in there.. Malt, the Sentras also have a vent in the wheel well, but the leak was coming from the light seal.. the dealer "sealed" it 2 previous times saying it was fine.. 3rd time the GM ordered new lights and better seals.. solved the problem..
How'd they know? they wiggled in the back, then another guy sprayed the different areas of the trunk until they spotted the water...
That's how I got into the trunk to upgrade the rear speakers. After living with and using the fold-down rear seatbacks, I can't even consider purchasing a car without them.
Speaking of which, I think the Pro has one of the largest pass-throughs from the trunk for compact and mid-size vehicles. Even seen how tiny the pass-throughs are in Nissan cars? They're almost a joke.
Actually I think the Pro's pass thru is small. Compared to other cars including our Alty (which is labeled in places as a mid-size and/or compact) is way bigger.
Has a pretty big trunk though which is another reason we love it...
I'm not saying mine is big by any stretch at all.. just looked this morning and its still kinda small (Alty), and I do know our Protege's is smaller.. Of Course I'm slightly biased cuz my old 92 Cavalier had a huge opening... fold down the seats and the hole was as big as the back seat area.. Oh well...
Okay, I'm swearing off Armor All products now...I'd bought some of those glass wipes to try a few weeks back, and was disgusted at the amount of lint they left behind. I thought I'd give their regular spray-bottle glass cleaner a try yesterday and it left cloudy streaks all over my window (with the use of a microfiber cloth).
Does anyone have recommendations for a good window cleaner that WORKS? How about the ammonia-free Windex? Anyone use that? I know you're not supposed to use ammonia-based products on tinted windows. All I want is a clean windshield...Grrrrrrrr.
Hi Caroline. I can make a couple of suggestions and hopefully they will work for you. STONER'S Invisible Glass and Turtle Wax ClearVue auto glass cleaners are top box! BTW, I have never used the RainX auto glass cleaner that Victor(Nikecar) recommend, however Vic is a long time poster here and is very knowledgeable. I'm sure the RainX product will due I nice job! :-)
I will recommend two very very good Glass cleaners. BTW, stop using Windex it is junk. It contains too much soap, requires way to much effort, to get the streaky soap residue off the glass, and it never removes tree sap, bird droppings, or bug splats. Your thoughts on ammonia and window tinting are correct, AVOID house-hold "window cleaners" for auto glass.
TURTLE WAX CLEARVUE Auto Glass Cleaner: A foam, ammonia free cleaner thats works on chrome, windshields, and mirrors. Very good stuff, especially when your windshield is full of bug splats. The foam helps lift the little "buggers" off, hehe!!!
STONER INVISIBLE GLASS Cleaner: Does every thing that CLEARVUE does. However, the INVISIBLE GLASS is NOT a foam. It evaporates much quicker and very very easy to use.
Caroline, take a trip to your nearby Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc. Spend $3.00 bucks or so and you will never regret leaving the Windex under the kitchen sink.
And it's dirt cheap at $1/gal on sale. You just have to find yourself a spray bottle.
Just be sure your tinting can stand up to methanol, which is the alcohol used in it. Be sure to use in a ventilated space too, as methanol isn't good for you.
Don't know how to remove the gutters (sounds scary) myself. I park my ES outside, near a large ash tree. Luckily it doesn't drop sticky stuff, but I found I constantly need to clean winged-seeds and leaf stems from underneath the hood (near windshield)and trunk and in the roof gutters. The protege seems to trap more debris than my old Corsica. It's important to keep these areas clean to prevent rust!
That and the yuck factor as all that plant matter breaks down. =P
I think I'll take some time this weekend and see about prying it off with some plastic bike tire levers and some foam paper to avoid scratching the paint. I guess I could always buy a service manual or go to the parts dept to see if I could find a drawing or something to help me.
I bought a (slightly) used 2000 LX back in January, 2001. I like the car---BUT it is the slowest car in the world (automatic)....it hardly can climb even slight grades....does anybody else feel that the car is a "dog?"
I was cursed a while back with a 99 DX auto which is the same drive train. All I can say is that you may want to buy a VFR 1100 and get your thrills on that and drive the LX auto on rainy days.
that is why I made the wife test the ES (2000). after driving the ES, the LX couldn't compare..
She was thinking she was getting the LX to start, but I had driven the ES before and made her drive one after the LX. that one OHHHHH out her mouth with the ES was the clincher...
You just have to search a little further with the throttle. Once you get over 3000rpm, it's not bad. The shift between 1 and 2 is kind of rough though.
Not the best automatic transmission. Too bad. The engine is pretty willing though.
Of course, A/C will cut down on this. I have to "manage" the power systems in my '89 323LX whenever I need the extra oomph.
I was looking for an injector cleaner for my 98 Protege LX (Canadian, the same as the ES in the States) but since there are no Chevron stations nearby, I couldn't find any Techron. So I dropped by the local Mazda dealership, and they have a Mazda Injector Cleaner; has anyone used this stuff already? How good is it? And do you have any idea who makes it (is it Techron under another name or is it just another brand to avoid?)
Techron is just one brand... there are several out there... someone might say Techron is the best, or Chrvon gas cuz it has Techron is the best, but the time I put Chevron in my car, it wanted to stall at every stop light... changed gas companies.. problem went away..
Well, I couldn't pry off the gutter strips to clean under them (too afraid of busting them). Guess I'll have to buy myself a service manual or stop by the local parts dept to try to get a gander at an assembly drawing to see if I can't figure out how they're attached.
Where's a good place to buy a service manual for a '99? I'd buy at my dealer's parts dept, but they're not as cheap (or as competent) as I'd like (they're mostly a Chevy parts dept that got stuck with handling Mazda parts...guess Chevys got more parts that need frequent replacing LOL).
To Remove the roof molding, pry up the front and rear of the molding until it releases from the clip. Next, slide the whole molding towards the rear of the car to release the center of the molding. Installation is the reverse or removal.
I think the recommendation is to stay under 150 pounds when loading up the roof. That includes the rack and cargo case.
Mazda recommends not towing with the Pro, but I've seen a '99 red LX towing a small trailer with some stuff on it on I-75. However, it's been the only one I've seen so equipped. He was really booking it too. Blew by my Pro.
did the first step of 30,00 mile service. Got the tranny fluid changed. I remember somebody mentioning that the Pro tranny cannot be serviced by "dropping the pan".
But guess what? The new transmission HAS a pan. just like the taurus. drop it and clean it.
The service guys used up almost 6.5 qts. That is as much as the Taurus refill!!
They just refilled it. You can get the same results by just pulling the drain plug in the transmission pan. I don't know why they took the whole pan off (unless they changed the filter, if there is one) since there is a drain plug in it. To clean the pan without taking it off, you can just flush about a quart of tranny fluid through the fill tube with the plug out. Taking the whole pan off to change the transmission fluid would be like taking the oil pan off every time you change the oil. If they flushed it, they would have hooked up a machine to your transmission cooling lines OR they would have turned the car on with the trans plug out, pumped fluid through the fill tube and shifted through the gears at the same time which requires more than one person to do. If they just refilled it, they didn't change all of the transmission fluid because they didn't drain the torque converter or the transmission lines.
Comments
For paint care, I highly recommend Meguiar's. Their products range from entry-level consumer to paint-shop professional grade. Some of their products are pricey, but they work wonders!! You can even get a free car-care prescription from their site customized for your climate and your maintenance habits! Check them out at http://www.meguiars.com
any comments welcome
thanks
btw, is it a good idea to have different brands of tires mix & matched on a single car? would it affect performance, gas mileage, etc?
I'm going to another tire store tomorrow morning to see if I can find a better price. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to put the donut wheel back to where it belongs, under my trunk!
Also, I noticed a lot of rust on the suspension and brake hardware when I rotated my wheels. Any advice on treating this? I planned on using some silicone grease to coat the rust, but it doesn't remove what's there. I was thinking of using some chemicals that convert rust into a primer-like substance, but am concerned about making parts stick to each other.
Also, the dealer bent a piece of sheet metal near one of the lift points (inboard of each wheel) the last time they serviced this vehicle (which was a while ago since I do my own oil changes). Now I'm worried about rust starting here (I pried it back into place with a pair of needle-nose). I'm afraid that putting paint over the damaged sheet metal will only trap water. Little things like this are why I stopped going to service departments or ind. garages for "routine" services. Seems I need to check the vehicle thoroughly on a lift before I accept my vehicle back. Would it be too forward to ask that I be allowed to inspect my vehicle before they lower it after a service? I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Sorry for the rambling. Worried about my baby Pro, I guess. The good news is that after 19,000 miles, I still have over 50% of my front brake pads left.
I assume you meant spraying from under the wheel well?
There is a vent on the rear fender behind the bumper. check to see that it's not coming from there.
I guess I'll volunteer to crawl into the trunk.
Although my wife would fit better, I'd prefer to keep the peace.
How'd they know? they wiggled in the back, then another guy sprayed the different areas of the trunk until they spotted the water...
Speaking of which, I think the Pro has one of the largest pass-throughs from the trunk for compact and mid-size vehicles. Even seen how tiny the pass-throughs are in Nissan cars? They're almost a joke.
Has a pretty big trunk though which is another reason we love it...
I have to admit I haven't checked out an Altima's.
Still, it's a squeeze when one has to pass one's own body through it.
Nomi
Of Course I'm slightly biased cuz my old 92 Cavalier had a huge opening... fold down the seats and the hole was as big as the back seat area.. Oh well...
Does anyone have recommendations for a good window cleaner that WORKS? How about the ammonia-free Windex? Anyone use that? I know you're not supposed to use ammonia-based products on tinted windows. All I want is a clean windshield...Grrrrrrrr.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=593140897&r=0&t=0
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=593091519&r=0&t=0
now if they have the 2000 manual, its mine..
I will recommend two very very good Glass cleaners. BTW, stop using Windex it is junk. It contains too much soap, requires way to much effort, to get the streaky soap residue off the glass, and it never removes tree sap, bird droppings, or bug splats. Your thoughts on ammonia and window tinting are correct, AVOID house-hold "window cleaners" for auto glass.
TURTLE WAX CLEARVUE Auto Glass Cleaner:
A foam, ammonia free cleaner thats works on chrome, windshields, and mirrors. Very good stuff, especially when your windshield is full of bug splats. The foam helps lift the little "buggers" off, hehe!!!
STONER INVISIBLE GLASS Cleaner:
Does every thing that CLEARVUE does. However, the INVISIBLE GLASS is NOT a foam. It evaporates much quicker and very very easy to use.
Caroline, take a trip to your nearby Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc. Spend $3.00 bucks or so and you will never regret leaving the Windex under the kitchen sink.
Respectfully,
Larry
Just be sure your tinting can stand up to methanol, which is the alcohol used in it. Be sure to use in a ventilated space too, as methanol isn't good for you.
Naturally, I'd like to be able to pop them back in.
I park my ES outside, near a large ash tree. Luckily it doesn't drop sticky stuff, but I found I constantly need to clean winged-seeds and leaf stems from underneath the hood (near windshield)and trunk and in the roof gutters. The protege seems to trap more debris than my old Corsica. It's important to keep these areas clean to prevent rust!
I think I'll take some time this weekend and see about prying it off with some plastic bike tire levers and some foam paper to avoid scratching the paint. I guess I could always buy a service manual or go to the parts dept to see if I could find a drawing or something to help me.
I was cursed a while back with a 99 DX auto which is the same drive train. All I can say is that you may want to buy a VFR 1100 and get your thrills on that and drive the LX auto on rainy days.
She was thinking she was getting the LX to start, but I had driven the ES before and made her drive one after the LX. that one OHHHHH out her mouth with the ES was the clincher...
Not the best automatic transmission. Too bad. The engine is pretty willing though.
Of course, A/C will cut down on this. I have to "manage" the power systems in my '89 323LX whenever I need the extra oomph.
Where's a good place to buy a service manual for a '99? I'd buy at my dealer's parts dept, but they're not as cheap (or as competent) as I'd like (they're mostly a Chevy parts dept that got stuck with handling Mazda parts...guess Chevys got more parts that need frequent replacing LOL).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=593534421&r=0&t=0
This group is helpful as always.
1) is it a good idea to tow a small trailer (1000 lbs. - class I) with car ?
2) any pointers as to where i can get a roof carrier for my pro ? again, is it ok/safe to install one, considering the power.
thanks for the info,
-hari
Mazda recommends not towing with the Pro, but I've seen a '99 red LX towing a small trailer with some stuff on it on I-75. However, it's been the only one I've seen so equipped. He was really booking it too. Blew by my Pro.
-hari
I remember somebody mentioning that the Pro tranny cannot be serviced by "dropping the pan".
But guess what?
The new transmission HAS a pan. just like the taurus.
drop it and clean it.
The service guys used up almost 6.5 qts.
That is as much as the Taurus refill!!
So did they do a refill or flush+refill?
but 6.5 qts for a refill is tooooo much.
the owners manual states 5 qts.
I guess they must have run the engine and pumped out the fluid 'cause they don't have a flushing machine.
OEM spark pkugs are NGK v-power BKR5E-11# (non-platinum).
I'm just a smart [non-permissible content removed].
and what about the length?