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The armrests do have to be removed if your trying to get to the speakers. The door panel is attached with screws which are hidden under the armrest. Without removing them, you will most likely destroy the door panel as it tends to be quite rigid.
Is the screw your looking at in the same location as the clip you had to release with the screwdriver? If so, it holds the clip to the armrest. Try this: With one hand grab the center of the armrest and pry it back and forth or up and down, depending on how you look at it. With the other hand, pull out the side with the clip.
It took more force than I would have ever given it without the dealers direction. However, there is no other trick to getting the armrest off that I know of. It's held together with pressure from all sides except the end with the clip.
The side opposite the clip is going to be the most solid point of the armrest as it contains the largest contact area. Don't pull on that spot (the narrow end). When you put the handle back on, this end goes in first and consequently is the last one out.
The doors go back together nicely and remain as tight as before removing them.
Just another note! The power door lock and wire connectors are pretty tight too... but at least you can see what you're doing when pulling them apart.
PS. to all thinking about replacing the speakers in your P5 yourself - don't. Go to Best Buy or some place that has free installation with purchase and make them do it
The adhesive you see, plays no part in the attachment or removal of the armrest/door handle. It attaches the pad to the rigid under structure. You won't have to apply any epoxy or be concerned about it's functionality after re-assembly. In reality, you don't even need the armrest pad on the door except for aesthetics. The molded door panel is plenty strong enough to pull against while closing door.
You're making too much of this! Just give it a bigger tug!!! The genius in the design of the rear armrest/door handle is nothing more than pressure!
Also, butler11, I do live in ontario. Currently working up north of Parry Sound, where are you?
As of 7 days ago Barrie Mazda still had a yellow p5 on the stand in their lot.
My blue P5 now has 2300km on it, plus a scratch on the hood of undetermined origin which drives me crazy every time i see it. The suspension seems to have loosened up a bit after 1000k of pretty hard driving. The only problem is that the engine sometimes makes a rattling noise when cold. Does anyone else have this?
As for your engine rattle when cold, I have heard no such noise from mine.
While you have to exert some muscle to remove the door handles, if it FEELS like you're trying too hard, then there is still something holding it down. Likely, it's a screw. If you see any, remove them.
I posted detailed directions for the front door panels on the sedan in the modifications chat board. I forget the number; it was a few months ago. On the front doors, there were 2 screws that had to be removed from the handles before you could remove the panel.
In the interim, I was in Virginia and West Virginia this last week and I dropped by the Mazda dealer in Winchester, VA to see if I could take another test drive, just for grins. Wow, was that a great idea. The salesman just gave me the keys and said "Have fun"--he didn't come with me! That's the first time I'd ever seen that in a test drive.
Winchester isn't far from West VA and is hilly, and WOW are there some nice twisties on the hills just outside of town. I live in Houston which is pretty flat and most of the roads are straight and I couldn't really push a Pro5 on a test drive here like I could on this one. It was always clear to me that the Pro5 is a good handler, but this drive really brought it home. It really does handle noticeably better than my wife's 99 LX. Very sure-footed though the up-and-down turns. With a 5-speed to downshift at the appropriate points, this would have been a fantastic drive.
Man, I wish mine would arrive...
If you call TireRack, they will probably recommend 195/60/15's on 15" steel wheels. This size would keep your speedometer at less then a 1% difference from stock.
There are lots of winter tires in that size, priced reasonably. The cost of the second set of wheels would be low and you wouldn't risk dinging up your nice 16" alloys.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirebran.htm
Anyone know anything about this?
Once my project is totally done (I'm at about 85% now) I'll post a long and detailed howto on here for removing/replacing the rear speakers in a P5
1. Do any of you Protege5 owners out there find yourself thinking "I should have waited for the Sentra SE-R, or bought the Impreza Wagon or Sedan?" When you have passengers, are you disappointed with the 130-hp? The 165-hp base model SE-R and Impreza intrigue me, but their price tags (about $3k-$4k more than my offer) do not.
2. Anyone locked-up the non-ABS brakes? Was it bad? I hate the fact that you have to get a moonroof to get ABS-- moonroofs are useless in Texas 10 months out of the year, and it makes it hotter April to October.
and one more...
Anyone buy any cool aftermarket stuff they'd like to talk about?
Thanks soooo much in advance.
than Pro5 but:
1. It is a compact sedan and not so versatile as
Pro5. I love that hatch!
2. Sentra SE-R will be built in Mexico!!!
Think twice about cars from Mexico and keep in mind that Pro5 is coming from Japan.
On the other hand, I do not have concerns about quality of the new Impreza. It is really powerful
but it is has less room, for me it is a little bit ugly, and it has all wheel drive system that you
do not need in Texas.
2.0L and 130hp engine makes Pro5 runs nicely, but do not expect a rocket. You want be disappointed, but if power is all that matters to you, I think that you should go for Impreza.
So far as with the same insurer/agent, try increasing your deductibles, ask for good-driver discounts, ask where age breaks are and if you've been credited for being married. Alarm systems, whether the car is garaged, where you work, where you live all affect your rate.
So far as I could tell, the big age breaks for me were at 21, 25 and 30. I got a huge one (about 40%) after getting married.
Both systems have their pluses and minuses. For instance, if you are in a panic stop and accidently cancel your ABS by pumping the breaks, breaking is actually less efficient than cars without ABS.
If you live in wet or cold weather, I wouldn't consider the vehicle without them. If the car were much larger or heavier, this could also be a determining factor.
The Pro5's weight distribution is and handling are so good that I don't think you'd miss them. This is definitely not true with every vehicle.
So far as the power is concerned, I drove up 6% grades on my trip to San Diego with my wife, tw big dogs and a trunk full of luggage. The car maintained 75 mph with ease and got 32 mpg's. I wouldn't consider it a street rod by any means, but the engine is smooth and the power and torque are in usable range.
Can't knock the Subaru's... they are great cars.
I'd like to suggest that the moonroof is not useless in Texas, too. Not that I'll drive with it open a lot, but you can crack it when the car is parked and it functions like an attic vent (you know, hot air rising and all). Mazda has designed thiers well; the interior lining has vents in it so that you can keep the lining closed and still get this attic effect. Is that worth $700? Probably not, but it's something.
Signed papers on mine last night and will be picking it up tonight. I got to drive a loaner today (with automatic, though) and it was sweet on the commute in to work...
Called my local dealer today. I never expected such an annoying buying experience as this... I ordered the car on July 2. It seems that every time I call, I get a different answer re. delivery time. This time, I was told that they DONT know when to expect delivery because the car is still in production... Last time I was told that the cars were being shipped... I am now told that I can expect the car in a min of 4 weeks... September... Nice... I find it ridiculous that a Mazda dealer is so out of the loop that even they don't know where the cars that they sell are... If you are ordering any 5sp moonroof model, welcome to the waiting bandwagon... Its a slow ride for most colours... especially silver and yellow... I would not have as much an issue if I weren't w/out my old car come this weekend... This sucks! At least I get to plan the new stereo system layout.
DJ
BTW, the mid-atlantic owners are also organizing a Mid Atlantic Protege Picnic (MAPP). See the Protege sedan room for details...
Respectfully,
Larry (Pro2)
has anyone successfully installed 6x8 speakers in the front doors? i've heard good things about the infinti reference speakers, but does anyone have any other recomendations? want to get the stereo squared away almost as soon as i pick up the car...i can't stand the sound quality as is...but after reading about the hassle of taking the door panels off and putting them back on, i'm paranoid i'll break something...
It's supposed to be in this week now. Supposed to be. It's Thursday. I hate waiting. Sigh.....
BTW, lowering the windows makes it much easier to both remove and replace the trim panels!
-Larry
I just installed a pair 5x7 speaker to my front door last night. It fit nicely without any modification at all. I had a friend helping me and so he held the driver's side trim panel while I was replacing the speaker, this way I didn't have to disconnect all the cable harness for the power windows (I'm just lazy). The passenger side is less complicated. I believe mazdafun had a very good and detailed instruction on door panel removal a while back in the sedan forum (don't remember the #, sorry).
As far as the speaker brand/model concern, it's very subjective. The best thing is to listen and compare for yourself. I don't know what's your master plan for the whole system setup (are you adding an amp, sub, etc), but I'll share my experience for you:
I used Infinity Kappa for my previous car and it was a great speaker. Reference is the entry level in Infinity line. It's a good replacement speaker and a good choice if you don't plan to add an amp and just running it off the P5's factory head unit. It requires less amp. power input than Kappa does.
So I went to a local store, wanting to get Infinity Reference in mind... only to go home with another brand I didn't even consider: Boston Acoustics. I bought the FX8 model for $115 (15 more than the Reference). To my ear, it has the best balance of high and low frequency for the class, much much better compared to Reference, even Kappa, and other brands. It also sounds good already even just by running it off the factory head unit, without additional amplifier. (The spec says it accepts amp power input of :15-160 watt).
Again this is a subjective opinion. But the bottom line is just take your time and test as many brand & model as your time allows... and let your ear be the judge.
Hope this helps & good luck.
I've been patiently waiting since May 23rd.. Since I can get my deposit back in a couple more days and I am carless since July 31st, I'm trying to fight temptation to move to the dark side and buy a honda.
Regards, Mark
Some quick thoughts on it:
* The more I drive it, the more I like the way it handles. It's very stiff--I'm sure people who like really cushy cars will hate it, but this is just what I like. *Great* road feel. I'm sure the low-profile tires help this.
* The newness of this car shows. I've been getting a lot of second looks and have already had one person ask me what it is. The front light assembly/air dam seems to draw the most comments, all positive.
* I've test-driven several, but this one was the first one with moonroof I've driven. The roof rack noise is definitely louder with the moonroof, even when the moonroof is closed. I keep thinking a window in the back seat is open. Now, the dealer didn't get to install my wind deflector, which they'll do when I bring it in for a window tinting, but I doubt that will quell all of it.
* As other folks have said, it needs new speakers. In particular, I find the rear speakers to be pretty weak--it barely sounds like there are rear speakers at all. I also find the display on the stereo difficult to read in bright light.
Those are pretty minor complaints, though--overall I'm very happy with the car so far, even if it has only been a day.
Also, I found another review, to supplement the big list I posted a while back:
CarTrackers
To answer tcda's question: No, I don't wish I had waited for a Sentra SE-R or bought an Impreza. I have an infant in a rear-facing child seat and those cars have back seats that are too small, meaning you have to force the front seat all the way forward, so carrying the baby and another adult is difficult. The interior size of the Protege is a key point for me. I'll admit I'd love to have the WRX's 227 ponies, but I'm not willing to spend $4k more and get dinky rear seats. Besides, if I had that 100 extra hp, that'd pretty much be a guarantee that I'd get a ticket pretty soon... :-)
Oh, and one more thing: Hey, how about a Texas Protege Picnic? My wife and I now both drive Proteges...
I didn't change the rear speaker... yet. For now, I fade 80% of the sound to the front. And because I don't want to add a sub either, eventually I want to only add a midrange speaker for the rear door, just to serve as a "rear-fill." Hopefully by doing this I could get just a little bit more bass presence to the whole soundstage.
I barely have back passengers anyway, so I'd like to optimize the soundstage for myself--the driver--and the front passenger only.
But... that's down the road. For now, I have enough to zoom zoom.
Do you think this would be enough of an upgrade with possibly a new head unit. Or are the stock speakers just crap?????
-Larry
-mark
So far, two random people (whom I do not know) have said "nice car!" to me as I drove by in the last week, in addition to the double takes I get at stop lights. I still have yet to see another one on the road (am I blind?).
My only wish for improvement is the sound system (something I knew about before I bought it), so that shall be my next project in the next month or two. I'll definitely pay attention to how you all are coming with amp / speaker upgrades!
Drive safe, and enjoy the summer weather!
I test drove a 2001 ES sedan and a Pro5, and the sound system is terrible on these! I can understand the Pro5 because of it's rear speaker placement down low in the rear doors, plus the fact that these speakers are smaller than the sedan's. However, the sedan has no excuse since those rear speakers are still up on the rear deck and they are still the 6x9's. The new ones are so flat. No highs. No lows. I wish they would make their Bose systems optional like they use on the 626, Millenia, and Miata.