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Mazda6 Sedan

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    accord7accord7 Member Posts: 96
    I can't help you, but I'm in a similar situation. I ordered a 6s sedan in early May. I've been told a late July build date with an August delivery. The configuration I ordered (non-sport, cloth seats) doesn't exist for the 2005 model, so my car may get clipped from the schedule altogether. If that happens, I'm back to square one.
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    javapoweredjavapowered Member Posts: 6
    Thanks for the replies. My salesman claims he can get what I'm looking for from a dealer here in Ohio, so I'm going to put my trust in him. The one in Columbus seems to have disappeared from the Mazdausa.com inventory search, and I've been offered S-plan pricing through this dealership, so going to Pittsburgh would be a last resort. Thanks for the help and keep your fingers crossed. It's supposed to be here in "two weeks."
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    bigbutrbigbutr Member Posts: 111
    Does anyone think Mazda will up the current rebate on the 6 when the 2005's come out or are they selling well enough to leave it where it's at? Also, what about the 3? Any chance at a rebate there? I've driven both and am having a hard time deciding on which one to get - 6i sedan, 5-door; 3s sedan/hatchback.
    Personally, unless they bump the rebate up, I'll probably go ahead and get an '05 either way since the cost difference. That being said, I doubt they'll discount them like their parent (Ford) is doing with much of their inventory, though it would be nice.
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    anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    We were in the market for a car AGAIN and checked the 6 out the second time around. We were still unable to find the combo we would want. We checked the hatch and the sedan. Also wanted to look at the 3 but same story. I really hope Mazda resolves this for 2005.
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    thegreatvudinithegreatvudini Member Posts: 103
    My car is due for a rotation. Does it need to have balancing also? What's the reason for having it done? Or not? Thanks.
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    ericzoomericzoom Member Posts: 213
    The reason the tires are rotated about every 5-7k miles is that so they wear evenly on the car. As far as balancing them I wouldn't do it unless your feeling a vibration on the steering wheel or at your feet at higher speeds. I plan to rotate my tires when I hit 5K on my car.
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    thegreatvudinithegreatvudini Member Posts: 103
    Thanks. I know the reason for the rotation, but not the balancing. Good explanation in 100 words or less. Thanks again.

    btw: Costco provides free rotation to members regardless of tires. Balancing costs more.
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    mazdamarlamazdamarla Member Posts: 350
    OK, this is going to sound like a DUMB question. This morning it is REALLY REALLY humid outside. 97% humidity with a 73 dew point. Yuck. So I'm driving and my windshield starts fogging up along the bottom edge. I have the A/C on since it's so darn humid outside. I turn my control to the windshield defogger (farthest right setting). The control automatically goes from A/C Recirculate to A/C Outside Air. You cannot have Recirculate on, apparently, when you go to the right side of the vent location dial. My windshield gets foggier. I have to turn on my windshield wipers to clear it, but it then starts fogging back up again immediately. I experiment with the control, trying warm air, cold air, going back to the vent settings so the Recirculate can be on again, etc. Nothing I do gets my windshield unfogged. I finally get to work and park and take out my Owner's Manual and it's no help. Meanwhile my windshield is now COMPLETELY fogged up as are my side front windows.

    HOW THE HECK DO YOU CLEAR YOUR WINDSHIELD WHEN IT'S HUMID OUTSIDE?????
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    grahambgrahamb Member Posts: 45
    when it's warm out, don't blow the cold air at the windshield. When you just want to use the AC, make sure that the windshield vents aren't on. I know a lot of people have reported this problem. If you don't have the windshield vents on, then there may be a problem and they may not be closing completely.
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    mazdamarlamazdamarla Member Posts: 350
    grahamb,

    Thanks. When I started my car and was initially driving, I just had the A/C on with Recirculate, and I only had the face-level vents on. When I noticed the bottom of the windshield was getting fogged I switched over to the Defog (windshield) setting, at which point it got worse. I changed the temperature to warm air and it didn't help. By the time I got to work (~10 mile drive) I had to have my wipers on intermittently so I could see where I was going!

    So I did try warm air and that didn't seem to do anything to help at all. :(
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    thegreatvudinithegreatvudini Member Posts: 103
    Help!
    How do you clean tree sap from your leather seats? Any household cleaners that would work? Or do I have to make trip to the auto supply store?
    Thanks.
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    drummdrumm Member Posts: 16
    After the news of the upcoming Mazdaspeed 6 coming out w/ a twin-turbo four banger, the following question came to my head:

    Exactly how durable are turbo engines? I've never own a turbo car but I hear that they (A4 1.8, Saab, ect) are not very durable.

    Are turbo engines high maintenance?

    Seeing that the Mazdaspeed 6 has a turbo and rumors are flying about a turbo engine on the Mazdaspeed 3 It just makes me wonder about a turbo engine.

    Thanks in advance,
    Drumm
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    likaglovlikaglov Member Posts: 82
    The Auto Climate Control blows cool, fresh A/C air at the windshield, automatically and cannot be overridden, when the front defrost is set on. The manual talks about this, even though "the A/C light is not ON". The lack of overrides on the ACC is a bit disconcerting... I think the recirc. was your initial problem; but there have been some posts about this problem and a dealer fix for it. Try searching the "problems and solutions" board.
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    qddaveqddave Member Posts: 164
    marla, don't worry, it happened to me in my civic today as well. it has nothing to do with the car, but the amount of moisture in the air. blowing cold air from the A/C, recirc'd or not, will cool the windshield causing the ripe humid air to condense on the glass. the key is that the condensation was on the outside, so at least you could use your wipers to remove it.
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    fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    How do you clean tree sap from your leather seats?

    Try Fantastik sprayed on a cloth, NOT on the leather, blot, don't rub, with the cloth. Keep the area small. Clean with the car parked in the shade or in your garage.

    repeat as needed until it is off.

    fowler3
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    baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    Wouldn't water work too? Tree sap is water soluble right?
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    badgerfanbadgerfan Member Posts: 1,565
    What I want to know is how you are getting tree sap inside your car? Leaving the windows open and it blows inside? Leaving the sunroof open? Rolling on the ground, getting it on your clothes, then rubbing it off on the seats?

    My solution, close everything up, then all you need to figure out is how to get it off the outside of your car.
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    thegreatvudinithegreatvudini Member Posts: 103
    My son sat on a tree stump, then proceeded to get in the car. Needless to say, his shorts got the worst of it! Thanks for your suggestions.
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    copperzoomzoomcopperzoomzoom Member Posts: 2
    I recently purchased a Mazda 6 (about 5 months ago) with black leather seats. About 2 months after purchasing it, I noticed the leather seat (driver side) is getting several large, deep creases and looks cracked, and seems no matter how I sit or what I touch, the leather starts to get a grey film (similar to what happens when you sweat a lot and don't moisturize the seats with lotion) that can somewhat be removed with leather lotion, but is still noticible and looks faded. Is this normal for a car after only a few months and with only 1300 miles on it?

    Has anyone else had this problem? Or is this normal wear and tear? I've owned vehicles with leather seats before and have never had this kind of problem. I have contacted the dealership about this, but is this something that I need to be concerned with?

    Please respond or e-mail me at pjnowak79@comcast.net if you have any advice.

    Thanks!
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    big_guybig_guy Member Posts: 372
    Turbo engines can be very reliable if you don't beat them to death or mod them to produce more power than the internals are designed to handle. Saab, Volvo, Audi, Volkswagon, Subaru, Porsche, and Mitsubishi all have production models with various turbo charged engines (I'm sure there are others manufacturers that provide turbo charged engines but these are the ones I'm most familiar with). I have a VW Passat with the 1.8T engine and I have had no real problems with it (I did have a vacuum line go out that required a visit to the dealer but it was covered under warranty).

    I would like to see a turbocharged Mazdaspeed Mazda3 in the near future as well.
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    misterbillmisterbill Member Posts: 60
    I've got a 5-door on order, and it does not have the wind deflector on from the factory. Is it needed on this car (i.e., how noisy will it be inside without it?). I've always had cars with sun/moonroofs, and my Hyundai Elantra GT is the first one I've actually gotten the deflector for, because it was much louder than I liked with it open. Having it installed (which was a real pain to do) gives the added advantage of allowing you to open the roof a bit when it's raining out.

    Anyway, I asked my dealer if he would add it to my car for the invoice price $32, although I'd probably pay the list price of $40 for it. But he might want to charge labor to install it, in which case I'd say forget it. How difficult is it to install? The Hyundai one required snapping some clips into place which was much more difficult than I'd been led to believe it would be.

    Personally I'd just as soon trade the wheel locks (which are installed) for the deflector and call it even, but I don't think that's happening.
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    misterbillmisterbill Member Posts: 60
    I can't speak for other models, but my dealer is giving me $1000 cash back and the 0%/36 months financing on the 5-door. You can get $1500 without financing, and previously it was either/or. You might want to have your dealer call HQ and ask them.. it's not on the external OR internal website, but the sales manager said they got something last week, and he was able to verify it for me yesterday.

    I'm also getting $500 owner loyalty, I got an offer in the mail. Finally I get something for the 1989 626 that's still sitting in my driveway!!!
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    ericzoomericzoom Member Posts: 213
    I just bought a wind deflector at discount auto parts for 26.99. It looks like the same one Mazda gives,and is mounted on with high strength tape.It's pretty easy to put on yourself.If you didn't order the wind deflector with the car,Mazda will charge you anywhere from 45-54 dollars.
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    likaglovlikaglov Member Posts: 82
    I've wondered about the deflectors myself... when the wind noise starts to "worble" I crack the rear windows which seems to do the trick. One thing that really turned me off was when I was looking at used Passats and they had one on the lot which had the wind deflector removed. The roof was trashed where it used to sit (don't know if it was a glue mount, clip mount or what). It looked like crap. I don't know if you can ever remove it once you install it. I also don't know how well they hold up, especially with a car wash, etc. Anyone have better long-term experience? I never did install one on my previous car and am hesitant to do so on my 6. It would be nice to leave it cracked for ventilation though, without the car filling up with rain water.
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    ericzoomericzoom Member Posts: 213
    Once the deflector is installed,why would you ever want to remove it? I put one on my 6 recently and it seems to be pretty durable.It looks good and I think its worth it. $27.
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    misterbillmisterbill Member Posts: 60
    Did you install it with tape or is actually attached with a clip or something? On my Hyundai, you had to fit some clips on, and then screw them down. Getting the clips on was a real PITA. On the other hand, it's not going anywhere!

    I also agree, why remove it once it's on -- unless it fell off, which would be my concern with tape.
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    ericzoomericzoom Member Posts: 213
    It's installed with high strength tape.Once you peel the tape and press down on the deflector to set it in its proper place,its on there for good.I wouldn't have installed it on my new car if I thought it was a piece of crap.The deflector is made by ventshade and you can buy it at Discount Auto parts store.
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    misterbillmisterbill Member Posts: 60
    Is that a chain or just a generic name?
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    grahambgrahamb Member Posts: 45
    I have the sunroof with no wind deflector and I don't find it too noisey. I came from a honda civic and the mazda 6's sunroof is considerably quieter. It's got a little thing that pops up when the sunroof opens that tames the wind a bit.

    Drive the car for a few weeks without it and then determine if you need it.
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    ericzoomericzoom Member Posts: 213
    It's a chain of stores. I live in FL. I don't know if the store is in other states. The deflector is also good for ventilation when its raining out. They might have a website.
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    3screwsloose3screwsloose Member Posts: 116
    High maintenance? Hmmmmmmm.
    What is that?
    You should change oil more often. Other than that, I know of none.
    I drive an '02 Passat with the 1.8T. I drive a lot (66K mi - 35mos). I use Mobil 1 and change the oil every 5K mi. No problemo.
    Generally speaking, if you maintain the proper oil level w/proper oil, everything should be allright. Provided the engine was designed/ built right. Turbos place an additional heat stress on the engine. Some manufacturers design in piston coolers (oil squirters aimed at hollow passages in the piston crown), engine oil coolers, larger oil capacities, and higher-volume oil pumps. It's all about heat.
    My engine is the same as an Audi A4. It's a Hungarian-built engine designed by Audi and installed in a VW. I found out after I bought it, Wards' Top 10 engines. How's that for the New World Order?
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    3screwsloose3screwsloose Member Posts: 116
    Under certain conditions, high-humidity, warm ambient temps, AC on. Leaking air thru the defroster ducts can cause fogging and even condensation on the windshield. Turn on wipers, dont let air leak on windshield. Move to a cooler/drier climate (not Houston). Later model cars have side-window defoggers which aim defroster duct air to the sides. Cool air on warm windows = fogging/condensation.
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    glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    Well, I've not been in here for many, many months. It's nice to see all the posts.

    Anyway, turned 20,000 miles on my 03 6s AT today. Purchased in 4/03.

    In a word, superb! Had it in for the master cylinder, and fuel tank seal bulletins. Cloth seats seem to be holding up well.

    It's as tight as the day I picked it up. No rattles, or squeaks. I look forward to the drive with the same vigor as day one. This car has been as nice as any of my former 3 Honda's and 2 Toyota's.

    Put AWD and 280hp in the wagon and I'm there!!!

    : )
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    mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    This was already posted a while back, but does anyone know when the 2005 models go into production at the factory? Rich?
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    baggs32baggs32 Member Posts: 3,229
    Good to hear all is well with the MZ6 Mark.

    How are the Michelin Pilots (or whatever OEM tire you have) holding up at 20k?
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    audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    Sometime this month.
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    taddisontaddison Member Posts: 99
    Can anyone with a 5-speed M6i tell me if the 5-speed shifter loosens up at all with time?

    I test drove one this weekend and found it to be quite stiff and 'notchy' compared to my current ride (which has, admittedly, had 200K miles in which to loosen up ;-)

    I did find the clutch quite easy to modulate, it was just the shifter I didn't care for.
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    cheesehead6cheesehead6 Member Posts: 68
    I have one of these. I think your problem is the contrast between the feel of this car and the one you're coming off--subjective, in other words. But subjective is real and can't be argued with.

    I don't know know if it will loosen, but I can tell you that an early change of manual transmission oil to a good synthetic like Redline MT-90--at, say, 4-5k--will made a huge difference in how it feels. That's been my experience and of many others as well.

    Make sure the synthetic trans. oil meets Mazda's specs., which are 75w-90. Don't put in anything that doesn't or you're in warranty trouble.
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    drummdrumm Member Posts: 16
    Thanks to all who replied. It's great to get such positive feedback from actual turbo-engine owners.
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    taddisontaddison Member Posts: 99
    Yes, the contrast between my current car and the M6 was obvious, but I'm sure that I would get used to the M6 after a while.

    On the other hand, I remember driving a Protege 5 about a year ago and thinking how great the shifter felt; I haven't tried the M3 yet...

    It's interesting to hear that synthetic makes shifting feel better - I had thought that maybe it was the linkage that made it feel stiff, not the gearbox itself. (I think I read that the M6 has a cable linkage as opposed to a rod linkage).
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    ian2ian2 Member Posts: 168
    I don't have a problem with the shifter. It's more stiff than my 98 Civic's, but still fun to row. It's the clutch I don't care for, especially when you want to shift smoothly. I find I'm spending a lot of time at the friction point or the whole car shakes.
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    cutemorganitecutemorganite Member Posts: 37
    For both the '03 and the '04 what are the most popular colors. I got my '03 redfire Mazda6 in October of last year and I hardly saw any other red ones. Now, I see red ones all of the time. I thought the most popular colors were black, grey, lapis blue, etc, but now I am seeing quite a bit of redfire. Just curious!!!!!!!
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    audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    I got word from Mazda today that the MZ6i will have some shortage issues towards the end of the year....we are ordering for October production this month (Dec/jan delivery) and have been told there will be restrictions on 4 cyl with Auto trans due to supplier shortages. To avoid delays order a heavier mix of V6.
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    bomber101bomber101 Member Posts: 5
    I'm having a hard time deciding between the 220 HP of the 6s and the economy of the 6i. I've driven both but I don't want to regret it either way. How is the 6i(5M) on the highway for passing power and is it sluggish going uphill? I really hate getting passed by semis.
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    pj23pj23 Member Posts: 158
    I agree completely, especially after coming out of an '03 Accord manual (best in class tranny/clutch, if you ask me). After 3,000 miles, I'm still having trouble getting it right with the 6.
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    mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    "I really hate getting passed by semis"

    Get the 6s. ;)
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    rampedramped Member Posts: 358
    The 6s is your car. The fact that you are expressing concern about the 4 indicates that you will be more comfortable with the extra power, so get it. You will lose a couple of MPG, but you will appreciate the extra power, especially when you are hauling passengers.
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    newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    ""I really hate getting passed by semis"

    Get the 6s. ;) "

    Yeah, get the 6s. I have the 6i manual transmission and I get passed by semis constantly. Not only semis, but earth movers and steam rollers too. Geez, the other day, a little girl on a Barbie BMX bike passed me going down the freeway.
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    chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    what is this? some kind of water passing contest?
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    gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    I've driven the 6i manual and highway cruising is where it shines brightest IMHO. There is no lack of power once the revs are up in the 2500 and up range. The tranny/engine combo is a dream and makes very nice sounds on downshifts.
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