Mazda Protege5

dsantiago

I know the replacement model is coming out, so should I wait until september or should I get one now?

bluong1

The more you wait, the harder you can find the model with options as you like. But you can take a risk if you are not too picky.

feelander

i just recently bought a 2003.5 p5 with the included spare tire subwoofer. the problem is, i cant seem to figure out how to turn it on. is there only one set of wires that plug into the sub?

boggse

If you check out this wiring diagram:

http://homepage.mac.com/tboggs/.cv/tboggs/Public/Protege%20-%20Su- b.jpg-link.jpg

you will see it is wired in parallel with your rear speakers, but is powered separately. If your rear speakers are working, the sub should be as well.

rworrell

Check the gain (I think that's what it was labeled) on the sub. I think the instruction sheet supplement you should have received at delivery indicates that the gain is set to minimum when the car arrives at the dealership. IIRC, there's a slotted knob (to be turned with a screwdriver) to adjust the gain. Turn it up just past halfway and it's much more noticeable. If the gain's already turned up, then I agree with boggse--if your rears are working (and you've checked your fader setting) something may be wrong. Keep turning and testing until it's something you like. I put in Infinity Kappas in the front and have the sub at around 90% and it sounds pretty darn good to me.

icvci

you may want to switch the phase as well. I reversed the phase and it seems to sound much better (to my ears anyhow).

rworrell, if you wouldn't mind scanning the docs that came with your sub and forwarding them as a pdf. I'd really like to see them. I got a manual from Pioneer but, it lacked any helpful information. My email address is - seventy88@yahoo.com

Thanks!

feelander

thanks everyone for all the info, however it seems that my sub is not even getting any power. when i turn my stereo on and then look at the sub the power led is not on. seems i will have to take it back in to get it checked.

jmcknight2

- Just bought a new yellow P5 and wondered if there were any little things to watch out for. The car has auto, antilock/side A/B pkg, etc. Really like it so far, although the tires make the ride a bit harsh. My wife wants to drive it eventually, but it might not be easy for her to get it away from me! Any thoughts appreciated...

revka

and congrats on your new P5. Thanks for sharing the details. One comment regarding the harsh ride: Be sure to check your tire pressure to make sure it's not over the factory recommended psi.

Hopefully, others will be along soon to offer some feedback on things to look out for. Weekends are usually a little slower around here, so perhaps give it a day, or so, for further responses.

Good luck, and please keep us posted on your P5 experience.

Revka
Host
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bluong1

Congratulation. Yeap 30psi for tire pressure, rear and back, check it. Also take it easy the first 600 miles and varying the cruising speed as recommended by the manual.

Sporin

jmcknight2

Welcome! The only issue I'd watch out for is if you live in a northern climate with salty winter roads, watch the rear brakes. The caliper "pin" needs periodic greasing or it could/will stick and prematurely wear out your brakes in the back.

Other then that, mines been perfect for 40k miles. Enjoy!

allen53fl

I also have USAA, and was disappointed that my rates also went up w/P5, (had 4Runner previously). They gave me the line about lower safety rating,(over a SUV?). I checked online for better ins rates, found a better deal w/Progressive Ins. Haven't switched yet because USAA customer is top notch...but still thinking about it, (and the $300/yr it would save me).

Allen

allen53fl

I think DRL's s/b required on ALL vehicles. I drove w/headlights on 100% w/my 4Runner, (loved the Toyota auto HL feature, btw). Sad that Mazda doesn't offer this.

Checked online to see about adding DRL's to my P5, found that Delco offers it for any non-GM car and you could go to any GM dealer....bla bla bla. Fat chance! Went to one in Stuart FL, the parts guy had NO clue. Oh well, will just drive w/HL's on.

I remember reading on an Edmond's board (somewhere) that they sell kits in Canada at an auto parts stores there. Don't remember the name of it though.

Thanks for bringing up the subject.

Allen

boggse

You should go shopping in Canada. All Canadian P5s have DRLs. As for anyone wanting to DIY, Google turned up this site:

http://www.hamsar.com/drlkits.htm

dinu01

All new cars MUST have them in Canada. Now instead of spending mucho pesos to install DRLs in the US, you might as well do this:

1. Using you left hand, grab the left side object protruding from the steering wheel column and twist in forward.

2. Sit back and be amazed.

Dinu
Sarcastically Yours

toneetouch

Hello everyone,
My wife and I finally pulled the trigger on the Protege5 this weekend, bidding a sad farewell to our reliable but gas guzzling 98 Pathfinder LE. We considered the Vibe, Jetta Wagon, and used Avants. In the end it boiled down to the Vibe and P5 (the reliability of the German cars turned us away, and the rebates on the Vibe and P5 reeled us in).

After test driving both we decided that the P5 just "felt" better. On the road it was much more fun and seemed easier to drive than the Vibe. Although the Vibe had more usable and functional cargo room, we decided that, for us, the driving experience and quality of materials in the P5 relative to the Vibe were more important(in the Vibe the release to make the front passenger seatback flat broke when adjusting, the plastics throughout the cabin seemed thin, hard and hollow, and one inside door handle was very loose).

I still believe the Vibe is an overall good car and, to be perfectly honest, we both left Saturday morning believing we'd be returning in a Vibe. But actually driving and comparing the two back to back left no doubt in our minds that the P5 would make us happier. The P5 is better looking, which also helped with our decision.

Ours is classic red, ABS/side air bags, 6 disc / moonroof, roofrack, AT with sportshift.

dinu01

Feel free to post your experiences with the P5 and don't forget to also visit the Protege sedan forum.

As you know, vary your speed in the first 600+miles!

Dinu

toneetouch

I read that in the manual, but I am not 100 percent on what that means. Should I switch my speed frequently, i.e. drive to work going 65 mph for five minutes, then 55 for another five, then 70... etc., or does this only mean don't drive 65 mph for an hour straight?

cogs25

No offense, but could you tell me how you arrived at 30psi as the optimal pressure? When I got mine they were at 35. I then checked the sticker on the door and it said 32. I'm confused here.

dinu01

Pretty much - try to vary your speed as often as possible, and if possible avoid highways as the speed variance if minimal (+/-10mph)...

Dinu

bluong1

Yes, 32 recommended by Mazda, My bad. How come it takes that long for someone finally corrects me. ;-)

Here is what I do: I like to inflate 35-33 in front and 32-30 in the back. The reason I put more pressure in front is to reduce the understeer. I keep the pressures of all tires higher during rain season (reduce aquaplaning risk) and highway driving. I reduce the pressures a little bit for everyday-driving comfort. I have my own gauge in the glove box.

Bruno

allen53fl

I also saw that site, but figured GM would have the parts AND be able to install it. I go to Canada a lot, so will check it out next time I'm there.

Your info w/b helpful to others though. Thanks, it's appreciated.

Allen

jmcknight2

- Thanks for responses to questions about tires and things to watch on a new P5. Tires were all at 46 psi, so ride is better now that I let some air out!
 - I live in far northern IL, so salty roads are a daily thing. Thanks for the advice to grease caliper pins. Are these Dunlop 5000 tires any good on ice and snow?
 - I also have a Vibe AWD, and it's a bit under-powered, but a nice vehicle. It's not as sporty or fast as the P5.
 - The brochure showed cross-bars on the P5, but my roof is bare. I kind of like it w/o the rack.

bluong1

Tires were all at 46 psi

Tires are over-inflated by manufacturer for transportation. And unfortunately, as usual, your dealer didn't do correctly the delivery inspection and preparation.

boggse

The Dumflops (as Meade calls them) are marginally OK in snow. Nothing is good in ice. There are better options for all-season tires once those wear out. I am personally considering the Toyo Proxes TPT for mine once the Dumflops wear out (est. 15,000 miles). Meade just chose the Falken Ziex 512, but he had to go a bit wider to get those (205/50-16).

meinrad

I would say they are fine in snow when new, but after about 7,000 miles they turn into ice skates.

Slip slidin away, slip slidin awaaaaaaaay.

rworrell

As requested by seventy88@yahoo.com, I took in my supplemental instruction sheet for the 03.5 P5 subwoofer and scanned it. I emailed him/her a copy of the PDF, but figured I'd check to see if anyone else in the forum has the factory sub but didn't receive the instructions. It's a small file (only 1 page--around 250K), so it's no biggie if you want me to email you a copy. Let me know.

smasher

Hi.

Took delivery of a midnight blue P5 (moonroof/CD changer, ABS/side airbags) on July 3. Only 300 miles since then (in the summers I ride my bike a lot instead of driving), so I'm still in the break-in period. Some questions:

 - 2nd gear whine. It's not loud, and I think I read something about a TSB regarding harmonics in the gearbox. ("They all do that"?) Is this OK? Does it subside after the break-in period?
 - No factory rack on mine. (I would have bought one with a rack from Wellesley Mazda, but they were such blithering idiots that I went back to 128 Mazda and got one without a rack from them. I think I'm happier without it anyway.) Anyway: Thule or Yakima? I've read about Yakima being noisy; is there any way to quiet it? (My car also has the moonroof deflector.)
 - Speakers: Recomendations? Stock sound (w/ sub and front door tweeters) is pretty muddy. People mentioned Pioneers in earlier posts. Any other brands to look at? Is it worth going with round speakers w/adaptors, or would this be a more difficult installation?

Other than that, whee! I looked mainly at Golfs (bad reliability record), Imprezas (tinny), the Civic Si (too much of a boy-racer), and test-drove a Mini (REALLY fun, but too small); the P5 was the closest thing I found to my 5-door '87 Integra, in terms of its mix of sporty, practical fun and good design. And my new car has cupholders!

bluong1

They all do that?

Mine doesn't have 2th gear whine.

icvci

THANKS!!!

And you weren't kidding, there really isn't much too the sheet. I find it really funny that the first line on the insturctions is:

Be sure to read this instruction manual before using subwoofer

And they didn't give me the instructions.

Thanks a ton.

icvci

2nd gear, no whine here.

As far as speakers, I'd check out Plok Audio. I've loved every speaker of theirs I've ever owned.

http://polkaudio.com/car/category.php?name=fullrangeoval

icvci

2nd gear, no whine here.

As far as speakers, I'd check out Polk Audio. I've loved every speaker of theirs I've ever owned.

http://polkaudio.com/car/category.php?name=fullrangeoval

boggse

I put in the Mazda accessory front speakers and Kenwood KFC-1668S in the rear. The Mazda speakers are actually Kenwood eXcelon KFC-X688C. I got mine from Mazdastuff.com. I have been very pleased with the all of the Kenwoods I have owned. So much so that I ordered the exact same front speakers to go in my 2003 Miata.

boggse

I thought I would let everyone know that there is a new tire available in 195/50-16 size. It is the Kumho ECSTA 711.

http://www.kumhousa.com/Products/PtnDetails.asp?mainCatID=1&P- tnID=711&refAction=PtnDetail

Currently selling for $49 each at Tire Rack. Warning, this is a summer tire -- not all-season like the Dunlops that come on the car.

icvci

Looks like the treadwear is rated at 320. What are the Dunlops rated?

What about Kumho ECSTA Supra 712, they're rated at 360.

toneetouch

Smasher, I also hear a very quiet whine when driving in second. I didn't even notice it in four days of driving, until I was cruising my neighborhood looking for a parking spot. Let me know if you find out anything about a related TSB.

BTW, I purchased my p5 from 128 mazda as well. Good price, but I think I should've fought a little more for my trade-in price. Oh well...

I really love this car.

bluong1

It's nice to (re)read a review like that now and then
http://compactcars.about.com/library/bltest_protege5.htm

Bruno

Kirstie_H

Don't forget tonight's member-to-member open chat!


http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html

6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Pop in for live chat with other members. Hope you can join us!

kirstie_h
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rworrell

icvci - you're welcome.

boggse - you've got mail.

boggse

They are rated at 360, but that is obviously meaningless as they only last about 20k miles on average.

pciskowski

I've rotated my Dunlops every oil change (5K), and I currently have 32K on them. I will get at least 35K out of them, if not more. They are riding very smoothly (all things considered), but they are getting a little noisy. I have been VERY happy with these tires, but we don't get much snow and ice in Memphis. I have another set ready to go when these wear out. I've had the new set for 6 months because I expected them to wear out at 25K.

Either I am really lucky, or rotating them really makes a huge difference. I get a lifetime rotation, balance, and alignment, and then get all three done every time I get the oil changed.

bluong1

I rotate mines every 7500 miles (once every two oilchanges), and mines are gone at 26K.

Bruno

jmcknight2

- It's to be expected that people will get varying amounts of service from the same kind of tires, given different climates and driving habits, etc. I'm willing to buy a wheel/snowtire package for winter if necessary, and with all the ice and snow we get near Chicago, it sounds like a good idea. Tirerack has Blizzaks in a 195/55 size. Would that be close enough?

bluong1

not that close (aim < +-2%)

boggse

My first set (on a 2001 Protege ES) technically lasted until 18,000 although I probably should have changed them at 15,000. I rotated them every 5,000 miles. The wear was even, so I don't think rotation/balance/alignment were issues. They just didn't last that long. With my wife primarily driving the P5, I will be happy if we get 20,000 out of them.

meinrad

20k out of mine and would have gotten about 25 or 30 if it never rained.

They started to get scary in the rain at around 15k and downright dangerous when I finally took them off at 20.

I do drive mostly around town, so I'm sure that played a part in early wear.

The weird thing was, it didn't seem like they wore at all up to 10k miles, then all of a sudden they were gone.

So far the new Falken's are really nice.

mazdafun

I'd have gotten the P5 if they'd offered it in '99, when I got my Protege LX. I'll have to wait 'til my next purchase cycle.

But my wife got one. She likes it a lot, but would like it to be more economical with fuel. She was considering the Matrix/Vibe, but couldn't get over the overly-done IP and exteriors.

jmcknight2

- Thanks to those of you who responded with tire info. Maybe by October more snowtires will be available in the correct size.
 - I watched the mileage markers on the highway and the P5 was about 2% slow on the odometer. As the tires wear I suppose that will change a bit. I can see now why a 195/55 tire may not be appropriate, given the odo already being slow with the 195/50.

bluong1

I can see now why a 195/55 tire may not be appropriate, given the odo already being slow with the 195/50

Really? I didn't know that. I though the speedometer is too fast (i.e., read higher than the real speed of the car), thus the odo would be fast in consequence. Obviously I'm wrong.

Bruno

boggse

Most likely the odometer is pretty accurate (2% is not bad). Remember that the odometers are just a digital readout of what the computer reports whereas the speedometer is an analog representation of what the computer reports. That said, my P5's speedo is only off by 1% at 50 mph. My Miata on the other hand is off by ~4.85% at 50 mph which is just within Mazda's tolerances. Unfortunately, the Miata is off by ~8% at 80 mph, meaning the error increases with speed. I learned this by getting Mazda to dyno both cars. Mazda's response was that 80 mph isn't legal anywhere in the USA, so I shouldn't be concerned. I suppose I have to agree with them. I just wish it was more accurate at 50-75 mph which is legal in many states.