Mazda6 Sedan

mazda6s

"And a left turn across traffic lanes is a very dangerous situation. An old piece of advice on that type of manuever: look left, right, left as the vehicles from the left come upon you quicker."

We have a place in my city we call "dead man's curve". The traffic comes around the corner at about 50-60MPH, and you can't see them until the last second. The procedure there is - look left, look right, look left, pucker up, punch it and pray!

fowler3

like this, even when the driver can see on-coming cars. It amazes me how many drivers watch the wrong on-coming cars (coming from the right) and pull out into the street just as they look left. Not that you did this ian2.

Blind intersections are always dangerous. I wouldn't be surprised if that shopping center has had many accidents at that street. Often it is shrubbery that blocks drivers' views.

What is the posted speed limit for the other driver? At 40mph he/she would not leave skid marks that long. Is there a sign on that side of the street warning drivers to watch for cars entering the street? It will probably be a "no fault" accident if there isn't a sign.

fowler3

ian2

The limit may be 40, or there may not have been a sign at all, then the limit defaults to 35. It is definitely not a 50 or higher zone since it is a commercial area and there are a lot of entraces to parking lots. I don't know if there was a hidden driveway sign though, but you brought up a good point, which I will have to check out if it is not mentioned in the police report.

chikoo

>>> chikoo: What's the reward here? My deductibles? <<<

The lawyer will sue the other guy for damages to your car. and if your lawyer wins, he might take a % of the damage claim to cover his fees and expenses. The good thing is that at least your deductible will be recovered.

chikoo

shorter on the mz6 than on the Protege?

Also, I find that the front passenger is far more comfortable than the drivers seat, which is exactly opposite of the protege.

thoughts...thoughts...

gee35coupe

Ranges from 94ft for an M3 GTR to 166ft for a Rolls Royce. Since the guy didn't have ABS and maybe had cheap tires, it may be within the realm of possibility that the guy may have been doing the speed limit or maybe even within 10 mph of it. In Ga you can't get a ticket until you are 10 over. Just a thought.

cookie01

I sit in both the passenger and driver's seats about equal amounts of time (maybe a bit more in the driver's seat) and have never noticed a difference.

is there one?

chikoo

mine is power seat on drivers side.

that is the only diff i see.

but sitting comfort is more on the passenger side.

I dunno why.

I will investigate further and find out.

newcar31

Passenger seat more comfortable than the driver's seat? Leather more comfy than cloth?

seaf

maybe the position your butt is in while driving is different than when sitting in the passenger side. Your right foot has to be in a certain position to control the pedals and in the passenger seat, you can just relax them anyway you want.

newcar31

but I still think your butts have been smoking something. My sober butt can't tell the difference between the passenger seat or the driver's seat, and my driver's seat has the lumbar adjustment. Also, my butt thinks that the cloth is just as comfortable as the leather, only it holds you in better when you're taking corners at 60 mph.

ashutoshsm

Had I not *wanted* leather this time around, I'd have gotten the cloth seats as well. They're comfy and non-slippery. However, long-term wear and tear may be an issue as observed by many posters.

But, primarily, there's no way I'd call the passenger seat *more* uncomfortable, if I'm just sitting in it or the driver' seat. The lumbar support probably makes the driver's seat a tad comfier. Now, its a different thing if your seating/driving position make you uncomfy in the driving position you assume - but speaking for myself, I'm comfier (must come from being happier) while driving. And yes, I have already sat for extended periods in the passenger (and rear) seat while someone else drove my car. (Interesting story - an old college friend got so carried away, he was pulled over and nearly got a speeding ticket!)

ps: My butt NEVER inhales.

mazdafun

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

glideslopes

I also find the passenger seat to be slightly more comfortable. It seems to me more a result of my being able to stretch my (L) leg out further. Of course this is while relaxing. I would not care for that position while driving hard.

Mark.

cookie01

Talk about uncomfortable!!!

chikoo

and smoking something.

but do u guys know anything about this

>>> A sunglasses holder on the left side of the steering wheel was convenient, <<<

it is mentioned in the full test drive by Edmunds.

seaf

Only compartment I know of on the left side is the coin holder, and I doubt you can fit sunglasses in them, other than that, there's the bottle and map holder on the left door. Maybe the reviewer got confused by all the other compartments, center high dash, cigarette lighter compartment, shift lever box, and the two level compartment in the center armrest, oh and ceiling sunglass holder.

newcar31

exhaling allowed in my new car!!

fowler3

I saw something on the evening news yesterday about newer cars having a "back box" similar to airplanes. The "black box" is part of the car's computer system and mainly controls the air bags, but it does record a cars speed, engine rpms, how hard the driver brakes, if the driver was shifting gears, etc.

If the other driver's car is fairly new it would have one. Might need a search warrent to see it.

fowler3

glideslopes

Do we have such a device on our MZ6?

newcar31

The window tint place broke one of the plastic tabs on the plastic 3rd brake light cover. Now, when I use the brakes at night, the 3rd brake light lights up the interior because one side isn't snapped down.

Does anyone know if the tabs that hold the brake light cover down are part of the brake light cover? I need to know if I need to replace the whole cover. I don't want the tint place to do it, so I am going to get them a part # and have them order it and I'll put it in.

seaf

And then you install it if you'd like. the tint shop probably doesn't handle fixing things well. Another option would be to put some black opaque tape over it if it's not too big.

newcar31

but judging by how long it took the Mazda dealer to get a plastic interior piece for my Protege, I'm going to have to wait a while. I just want to make sure the tint place pays for it, and no, I'm not taping anything together in a car with 2500 miles on it.

The thing that bugs me most is that whoever did it, knows that they did it. They tried to glue the tab back on with a glue gun, hoping I wouldn't notice. IMO, if they break a piece, they should tell me about it and replace it and not try to cover it up, especially on a brand new car. I am about as picky as you can get when it comes to cars so they tried to pull something on the wrong guy. Morons!

newcar31

I just called the dealer and that little plastic 3rd brake light piece is $40. It probably cost 59 cents to make. Now I know where Mazda is making their money...

chikoo

but it sure gives an indication how the mazda dealers are surviving even after not-so-great-sales

newcar31

and it seems like Mazda benchmarked the driving dynamics AND the parts prices of a certain auto manufacturer....

carguy58

They cost alot money. I'll give you an example: When I I had my 92 Mustang and I got in an accident the car was worth 2700 dollars. The body shop wanted over the amount to fix it that the car was worth. I didn't fix the car because it wasn't worthed. The dealer didn't give me much for my 92 Mustang on a trade-in because the car was damaged in the front so badly.

qddave

Service parts are usually priced with a 500-600 percent markup. In the case of Ford or DCX, their service department is an entirely independant entity, take Mopar for example. They have their own engineers and purchasing department and order parts separately from regular production. Everybody gets a piece of the pie though, so the piece has to be bigger. In that example, Mopar makes a little money, DCX makes a little money, the dealer makes a little money, and don't foget that the parts typically get shipped to more than one warehouse before they're shipped to the dealer. The delivery company needs a little piece too, especially if it's overnighted.

newcar31, keep in mind that the part for your Protege probably needed to be shipped from Japan so it would typically take a little longer than just pulling one from a warehouse a couple hundred miles away.

newcar31

"keep in mind that the part for your Protege probably needed to be shipped from Japan so it would typically take a little longer than just pulling one from a warehouse a couple hundred miles away."

I have no idea where the 3rd brake light housing for the Mazda6 comes from but I'm betting that dealers don't stock them yet and it's gonna take a while to get it. I don't think the plastic piece from the Protege came from Japan, I think it came from another solar system because the 4 months that it took to get the part seemed like 4 light years.

chikoo

and he taught me this "the money is in after-sales, not sales", when I was young and aghast to learn that the rear light on our "made-in-japan" suzuki car costs 12 times as much as a domestic car, while the car itself cost 60% of the domestic cars.

robr2

In the industries I've worked in, replacement parts are sold at 7 to 10 times the raw acquisition cost of said part. That 7-10 X covers cost of item as well as the cost of everyone and everything involved in getting it to you from the person who enters the order, the computer space to store the history of that order, the shipping materials, the warehouse space, and even the person going to the bank to cash the check from the dealer to pay for it.

chikoo

when shifting 1->2 or 2->3 at raised rpms, i find that the engine continues to increase rpm(albeit for a fraction of a second) even after I have pressed the clutch and lifted my foot off the gas pedal to shift it in the next gear.

I tried this in another sequence:

lifted the foot off the gas pedal and then pressed the clutch, but did not like the car slowing down momentarily only to speed up again after shifting.

any advice?

newcar31

All that stuff must be expensive because the $40 plastic 3rd brake light piece is about $35 too much.

person who enters the order: $5?

computer space to store the history of that order: $5?

the shipping materials: $5?

the warehouse space: $5?

the person going to the bank to cash the check from the dealer: $5?

and there's still some left over. Someone is overpaid.

chikoo

is the cost of investment(lost interest) in a part which has no guarantee of sales. It could sell immediately or it could sell after 6 months or a year.

ashutoshsm

I don't think the plastic piece from the Protege came from Japan, I think it came from another solar system because the 4 months that it took to get the part seemed like 4 light years.

That must explain why Proteges and other Mazdas are so out of this world

chikoo

newcar31

Maybe so, but I still believe that the costs were covered on that part AND there is a HUGE profit margin.

seaf

Yes I think there is a huge profit margin, mostly because there's low demand, and low supply. If there were more companies making aftermarket or parts for Mazdas6, the price competition would bring the prices down, right now there aren't many choices if you want that specific part.

Right now Mazda has a monopoly on most of the replacement parts.

steve05401

hi all-- picked up two days ago my 6i Redfire Metallic with auto., alloys and... best of all...Bose! was really surprised and thrilled to find a 6i that had the Bose audio WITHOUT so many of the other options (leather, moonroof, premium pkg, etc...) that i didn't really HAVE to have. what an awesome factory audio system! i think it's equal to or better than the Bose option in the Altima and Maxima, and better than the very nice Monsoon option for the Passat/Golf, etc.......

enjoying the auto/manual transmission.... yeah, the 4-cylinder isn't quite as powerful as i'd like, but that's OK.

paid $100 over invoice and then got the $1500 rebate, a pretty good amt. for my trade-in, and nice 2.29% financing for 60 months.

the red color is continuing to grow on me, and everything from Radiohead to Dave Matthews to Mahler sounds AWESOME in my new Mazda6!

chikoo

please do describe in in detail the packages you got and the final cost. It sure is surprising that u got a Bose w/o any strings attached.

have fun over the weekend.

robr2

"All that stuff must be expensive because the $40 plastic 3rd brake light piece is about $35 too much."

Ahh but that's Mazda's (or anyone else's) cost and profit on it. Don't forget Mazda most likely doesn't make that part - they buy it from an injection moulder who built a factory near Flat Rock who has the same overhead issues and Mazda sold it to your dealer who has the same overhead issues. So essentially, the consumer may pay anywhere from 21-30 times actually cost using my example.

Also, if you can find someone to work for my company for $5, let me know!! :-)

I don't know how old you are or what you do for work so I don't know your experiences, but I once read that the average cost of processing and shipping a single order in the wholesale trade is in the area of $75.

audia8q

I agree that many parts are outandishly priced but its the mfg who is really making the killing....Let me give you an example. The RX-8 has a navagation system, if you lose the single mapping DVD disc the dealer cost is $875 to replace it.. the cost to have some "port" accessories installed on the MZ6 at the dealership is often a little high. In many cases mazda charges us more for accessories than the MSRP prices from the factory and we still have to pay somebody to install the items.. some of you have found this out already.

Rich

seaf

Always glad to hear from another happy new owner. Just remember the 6i engine becomes smoother after the initial break-in, same goes for the transmission, just be gentle on the car at first and it'll perform better later.

My 6i AT feels smoother now too. I have no trouble merging onto hwy traffic, the computer keeps it around 4-5k RPM which is the sweet spot on the torque curve. The beauty is, the engine never sounds like it's struggling. All this while getting about 29mpg (3 fill-ups so far).

igota6s

I traded in my 99 Miata in January for my 6S, but have been missing it during these Summer months. I'll see one cruising along with the top down and think "Man, that looks cool!" A split second later I'm reminding myself I had one! By no means do I regret trading it for my 6 (especially with Winter coming in a few short months), but I wonder if anyone else has been having the same feeling, or regrets getting rid of their Miata?

loupie

Here's a story you might find interesting:

My perm. plates hadn't come in after 6 weeks, and I started pinging the dealer. They didn't know why they were delayed. Finally, 1 day before temps expire, they tell me the delay was caused by MD MVA requiring the car to be inspected. MD does not require new car inspections. What had happened was, the car had been BOUGHT and titled previously, but the person was then denied credit and had to return the (my) car, making it effectively a used car. Needless to say, I was not very happy as I had been denied this info. during the negotiation for the car. Happily, the GM of the dealership agreed that this was wrong and provided me with 3 years of free oil changes and tire rotations, free 30K sched. maint. and other things. I'm satisfied.

chikoo

how many miles were on your odo when u took the delivery of the car. if it was less than 50, then u got a good deal, IMHO

loupie

just over 300. I thought that was a bit high for a few test drives, and figured a sales person had driven it home a few times. It was the only Sport package in stock so had little choice in taking it.

chikoo

i know it is late, but I would have tried for a better "reimbursement" from the dealership for this kind of "hiding" the facts. Did u sign a waiver with the dealer of some sort waiving ur rights to any furhter discussion on this topic?

if not, then try and talk again.

fowler3

Misrepresenting a car as new when in fact it has been pre-registered is fraud! That's a felony. You should get at least a good refund, the difference between what it would have sold for used and what you paid new.

You have no idea how long you will keep the car, especially considering it was used. So you may never actually use the "perks". You have no idea the true value of those perks and IF the car is actually serviced at those times. If they lied once they probably will lie again. Get cash back! A bird in the hand is better than perks in the bush. If he refuses talk to a lawyer. In fact, I would talk to a lawyer first, it's usually free, and then approach the dealer. The lawyer will tell you what you should demand.

If you think your car is serviced every time you take it in, some dealers don't service them. I bought a used VW Beetle from a VW dealer, took it in for service. Having heard from others to be careful, I wrote down the ODO reading and also marked the left rear tire with chalk, putting a mark on the tire and the ground. At the end of the day when I went to pick it up the ODO was the same, the chalk marks matched and the bill was $150.00! They refused to give me the keys unless I paid it. I threatened to charge them with fraud, in front of 10 other customers waiting in line, and they handed over the keys. The same thing happened with a Honda dealer years later.

fowler3

fowler3

Time ran out before I could post this.

Have someone call the service department and ask how much they charge for oil changes and the 30K mile check.

Then come online and check the nada.com price for a used Mazda6 with 300 miles on it, also check Edmunds' used car values and kbb.com's used values.
Then compare those figures to what you paid. If the difference is larger between a used 6 and what you paid for the car (sold as new) compared to the cost of the perks, you will know how much you are owed.

If the perks to forget it are worth only $200 and the difference in price is $2000, you have a case.

The figures are what a lawyer will need to know.

Never haggle with a thief over how much he is going to refund from the money he has stolen from you.

fowler3