Mazda Protege5 Maintenance and Repair

feijai

The console dimmer is already at maximum setting. The reason the console digital items dim is not a feature. It's a flaw. It's because the headlights draw a lot of juice and it pulls the voltage down on the battery. Something that could have been easily dealt with.

mazdafun

I notice that on multiple vehicles. I think it's designed-in. However, I haven't played with your car. Perhaps its voltage regulator (or alternator or battery) is weak or about to go.

One thing to try is to disconnect your lamps and see if the same thing happens. Since the lamps are disconnected, they shouldn't draw any current. If the central console lights dim anyway, it's an intentional feature. If not, then there's something awry with the electrical system.

shrique

"3. There aren't ANY pockets or storage compartments in the back, ignoring the spot for the winch. Yet there's this big unused cubby-hole space
space on the left of the back area. Argh."

I figured out what this was for! You can actually get a set of golf clubs across the back hatch of the car by using this little cubby! It works great because then you don't have to fold down the seats.

shrique

it's intentional. I've noticed this on more than one car. My Honda and Saturn did the same thing. (both with factory stereos).

maltb

Dash lights/digital read outs dimming when you turn on the lights is definitely intentional. During the day you need a brighter display than at night.

Last night as I was coming across the dessert at dusk, I was annoyed that the A/C on indicator does NOT dim with the lights. I hate a bright dash; hurts my eyes and makes me tired.

feijai

I don't want to get drawn into an argument about such a minor thing, but just because Hondas etc. also dim the dash when you turn on the lights does NOT mean that this was a design decision. It's not intentional. Lights must also be turned on during dusk etc.; when the sun is still quite a presence. The reason the dash dims on some of these cars is very simple: the manufacturers were too cheap to install a voltage regulator and the battery voltage has dropped with the increased current flowing into the headlights. Radios etc. usually don't dim because they have built-in voltage regulators (and must, else their signal would be degraded)

That being said, my Protege5 DOES NOT HAVE this problem. The dash stays at roughly the same brightness with or without the lights. The problem I mentioned is that the DIGITAL areas of the front dash (the odometer and the automatic transmission panel) dim dramatically when you turn on the headlights, nearly to the point of unreadability at dusk. As these are controlled via LEDs, while the rest of the dash is a separate circuit, it does appear that Mazda forgot to include some rather inexpensive circuitry there. Oh, well!

maltb

My post was in direct response to what you mentioned in both posts now. I assure you that it is intentional.

lngtonge18

For heaven's sake, listen to these people. When enough people tell you that something is working intentionally, don't you think that you may be wrong? Every car I have ever been in INTENTIONALLY dims the digital readouts of radios,odometers, etc, whenever you turn on the lights. As everyone else said, its a feature to reduce eye strain. It has nothing to do with using voltage regulators, which by the way, all cars still use (they are internal components of the alternator,not separate units like the olden days. The fact your dash lights don't dim proves your car has one). An example that proves that LEDs dim to reduce eye strain is seen in my old Sony diskman. It has a light sensor that automatically dims the display in low light conditions. As you know, this would have nothing to do with turning on your car's lights, but it uses the same principle of reducing eye strain at night because it was designed to be used in a car. I agree with you that sometimes this feature can make digital readouts less visible in dusk conditions, but until cars are smart enough to know when you want it to dim and when you don't, you will just have to live with it. At least you now know that Mazda did not get cheap on you and that it is an actual feature, not a flaw.

shrique

why don't you go off on a rant or something. It's on purpose! I have seen much more expensive cars do it as well. Call Mazda and find out.

feijai

shrique wants me to rant. :-) Well, okay, if you insist. First off, of course there are cars with autodimming features: I know for example that the Insight has headlights-on and headlights-off settings or the console and dashboard, which you can set.

Nonetheless, the engineer in me finds it fairly unlikely that Mazda would intentionally dim the two small LED readouts but *not* the rest of the red dashboard elements when the headlights are turned on. Especially since the digital elements are dimmer than the rest of the dashboard to begin with.

But whatever! :-) The flaw is the same: the car's odometer and automatic drive indicators are dimmed so low as to be practically unreadable when the headlights are turned on at dusk. They should have been set to the same brightness as the rest of the dash with the headlights on. Call it a misfeature or bug, it was a design error.

protege_fan

I dunno if it's any different in the P5 because I've got a Sedan, but I've never found difficulty reading the gauges. Also, I've got the LX, so my gauges are green...Are these ones that you guys are talking about lit up red/orange or green?

dermen

Maybe one of your bulbs behind the dash is burnt out. I don't know how noticable that might be. I know in the truck I have now it is obvious that one of my dash lights is out but it might not be so obvious in your car.

feijai

The LEDs on my car *are* way too dim, but it's clearly dimming intentionally -- it dims when the dash is lit up, not when the headlights go on. My bad.

iamz

Your forgiven I'm sure. One useful thing to learn in the Mazda forums, is that when Maltb speaks, listen. I think he's always right.

mazdafun

maltb

I think he's always right.

Would you please tell my wife that?

I have access to some good info, but I'm never beyond reproach.

sharonf

Okay..I came in after all this arguing...but...umm...how is the dash lit up without the lights being on?

iamz

Your LCD displays (like your radio) are always backlit to give contrast for your eyes. These displays and a couple of LED's dim when your parking or headlights are switched on. At night, if they did not dim, you would find them too bright and distracting.

mdaffron

Sean, you said your current No. 1 complaint is the lack of lumbar support in the seats.

Let me tell you, going from my Protege to my wife's old Cavalier a couple years ago for an 8-hour trip to Spartanburg, S.C. (she asked me to drive the whole way), my back hurt SO BAD by the time we got to Spartanburg that I could hardly sleep that night or get to the wedding we traveled there for the next day.

Any time you change cars, the seats are going to be different. And it's going to take your back a while to adjust after being accustomed to another set of support points for a few years. I noticed you recently purchased this Protege5. Give it some time and I feel your back will get used to the new seat design.

Meade

shrique

That and according to mazda the seat itself will form (somewhat) to the driver over time. Something about a board used in the seat that is stiffer on the bottom and more flexible on the top.

mazdafun

The 99 and 00 models didn't get this.

shrique

I couldn't remember the nifty title that they gave their board. (chuckle)

bluong1

like "plum" the fruit or like "plume" which means feather in french? The board will deform like a plum and you'll feel light like a plume. ;-)

Bruno

sharonf

Thanks...I see what you're saying now...was jus having a hard time following the back and forth of that discussion!

dagpotter

My father-in-law's 2000 ES had its catalytic convertor replaced at around 45K miles. Anyone else had this experience, or is this one bad unit that made it through?

mazdafun

Unless you put in even a little bit of leaded fuel or some fuel additives that may contain lead (I'm surprised these are even allowed anymore...must be all those "vintage" cars that need leaded fuel to run smoothly). This really gums up the works.

I have heard on occasion cats that ran too hot and melted internally. Usually due to some blockage further down the line. Haven't heard of this issue in regards to Proteges of any generation. You might check alldata.com for a list of TSBs (titles only, unless you pay for the full-text service) on your father's model.

protege_fan

I checked the TSB's for the 2001's the other day and only saw 3. None of them involved the cat.

bluong1

you could also do some damage to the catalytic converter if you try to pushstart your car as the unit doesn't like the unburned gas.

Bruno

mazdafun

If your computer feeds too rich a mixture, that could mess up your cat too. Perhaps the mass airflow sensor unit that was part of the recall on 99 and 00 models? You'll note a significant drop in fuel economy.

nocomment

Hi all -- have a month-old P5 that I'm quite happy with so far. As far as problems go, this is super minor -- somehow, I put a nice scratch in the gray plastic bumper guard (about an inch long and 1/8th inch wide). It's not worth replacing (its whole reason for being there is to eat scratches), but is there anything I can to to camouflage it? The plastic seems pretty soft, so I want to find out before I go making it worse. Thanks.

protege_fan

I've never seen anything that will repair plastic, at least on the retail side.

For example, my friend scratched some of the vinyl armrest in his Subaru TS. They stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe a professional shop could fix it, but I've yet to find a product that can help.

He's afraid of trying to fix it like you are. If you try to sand it down, you're going to be affecting a large area.

mazdafun

Depends on the material. Vinyls, ABS, PC can be easily repaired (the finished look depends on your skill) because there are solvents that will soften them and allow you to work them. PE and PP (probably what it's made of) are very strongly resistant to most solvents, so you're basically stuck trying to trim off any fuzz around the scratch. Don't even try to sand these plastics; it'll just create more fuzz and look worse. However, they soften at lower temperatures, so you could blend out scratches if you put a heat gun to the thing, but I don't think it's worth the effort. Besides, you'd likely soften the adhesive and cause the guard to come off the bumper. Just be glad it's the guard and not your bumper that got the scratch.

kizeh

The above thread made me curious. Due to my own stupidity, I have some scratches/rub marks in the plastic panels in the trunk, from having left the wrong end of a tripod to grate against it... Any ideas or knowledge on how one could try to get rid of scratches in the interior plastics? I'm not sure how similar this plastic is to the bumber guard, since I don't have one. (Yet?)

cdnp5

Since I don't get to read this board everyday I'm a little behind all the time. I read a thread just a little ways back about no place to store the head rests when you fold the seats down. When you fold the seat bottom down there is a small indented space that will hold the head rests, then you can fold the seat backs down on top of this. I don't know if this is what it is for but I find it works great for me.

later,
d.

kizeh

How easy life is with headrests also depends on your driving position. I'm 6' tall, but like to
sit fairly straight up, and hence closer to the wheel. I can fold the rear seat without taking the headrest off at all. (Unless I tumble the seat bottom, of course, but that generally buys so little space that I usually don't bother.)

kedwar2

I have had my black P5 for about a week now and I'm really happy with it. However, I tried to use my cruise control and it won't work - the green "cruise" doesn't light up. It worked the first day. I hate to think that something is broken in an 8 day old car. thanks.

maltb

a sedan poster (rbrooks, I think) had that same problem with his 2001 pro. It turned out to be the wire harness, but that's what the warranty is for.

vilainefemme

Well, they don't recommend using your cruise control if it's still in the first 800 miles or whatever. I had the same problem, I went to use mine the first time and it wouldn't stay on. On the third or fourth day of trying it started working and it works fine now. ???

Jess

subyaudidude

are you sure the cruise control module is turned on? Underneath the buttons to operate the cruise control is a button to turn the whole system on and off. If it's not pushed in (it pushes in towards the steering collumn), then you can't use the cruise control.

kedwar2

Thanks everyone! I'll check the controls and exercise a little patience to 1K miles and try it again. Other than that I love my pocket rocket!

subyaudidude

for the whole system has the word "MAIN" on it in white lettering.

iamz

Anyone have a problem with warped rotors? There is a slight vibration in the steering wheel while I am braking. I don't feel it if I'm not braking or braking hard (fast stop). I only seem to notice it as the car is just coming to a stop with a light foot on the brake pedal. The vibration definitely feels timed to each revolution of the wheel.

Could over tightening my lug nuts cause the rotor to warp? Shouldn't they be torqued to around 75-85 ft-lbs.

If it is a warped rotor, would that be covered by my warranty?

mazdafun

No problem with mine. Could be a cause. Have the runout checked (how much it varies from a nominal flat surface). Maybe you just have a rough spot.

Yes and yes.

I think it should. Check.

Sporin

Most front wheel drive cars are prone to warping rotors if the lugs are over tightened. Also, try to let the car cool down before you wash it. Splashing cold hose water on hot brakes will warp them too.

bluong1

also could happen if the rotors get corroded, for instant when seating few months at the dealer waiting for its first owner or by the salt on the road during winter.

lngtonge18

Another possibility is a bent rim. Have you hit anything hard recently that could have bent the rim or damaged the tire? Warped rotors usually vibrate worse when you are braking hard. A bent rim or damaged tire is only noticeable under light braking when coming to a stop. I would inspect your tires and wheels, just to be sure.

iamz

Thanks for your replies. I just finished removing, cleaning, inspecting, and rotating my wheels front to back and back to front. I oiled the threads and the chamfer on the lug nuts prior to torquing them back on.

I'll take it out in the morning and HOPEFULLY feel no pulsating. Wish me luck!

subyaudidude

Definitely let us know what happens. Hopefully, all will work out *fingers crossed*

toronado455

I'm renting a P5 to try it out and I've noticed a faint ultra high pitched buzzing noise at speeds above 70 MPH. The noise exists in both 3rd and 4th gear so I don't think it has anything to do with the transmision (the sport automatic). The noise will go away momentarily if I take my foot off the gas but will return as soon as I put my foot back on the gas. BTW, I'm not speaking of the wind noises which are seperate from this noise and also start at about 70 MPH and which I understand to be caused by the roof rack (this car has no moonroof). Any P5 owners have this high pitched noise figured out?

Sporin

roof rack whistly maybe? not sure.. I don't hear it on mine, rack or not.