apriln: Thanks for offering to send the manual. Can you please send it to tsservo@yahoo.com (spam account, but I'll check it
From what you were saying, I think I'm not going to get the Bose package with the 6-disc, as I'll just be ripping out the changer (and I totally agree that it's better to have the mp3 player). I can just spend the money to get an amp and some new speakers and amp I know I'll like (like the ones I put in my Protege).
Now, a 6-disc mp3 changer, that would just be awesome.
I just sent it off by email. It's 824K, so hopefully yahoo won't bounce it. I think your plan makes great sense - you'll get the most for your money. Enjoy your new car - when you get it!
My Mazda 6s manual specifies 5W20 oil for the car. Anyone knows if 5W20 is synthetic ? Can I use regular 5W30 oil in my Mazda Duratec V6 engine ? Please give me your advice.
I've done some research and found that the only reason 5W-20 is the recommended oil is that the low viscosity will give .6 % better fuel effiecincy. The jury is still out on whether this thin oil will cause premature engine wear. At any rate using 5W or even 10W - 30 will not harm your engine. In my opinion the 5W-30 Synth. will be a great choice.
Hmm, odd - I hought I had the installation manual as well. Apparently not!
You can search for it at that OTHER website (my email has details). Also, since the usage manual (the only thing I had) is over 800K, hotmail or Yahoo might bounce it. If so, email me an alternative email id, or ask each other for it
I have bookmarked a couple of websites that have copies of the installation instructions, as well as detailed pictures. Can I post the URLs here? If not, I'll email them.
Please post the sites, I don't see why it will be an issues. If its going to be an issue, can you please fwd those links to vattan4life@yahoo.com. Thx.
Hey, does anyone know if it is possible to purchase a new air intake system for the Mazda 6s? I looked at the existing system and it seems like the mass air flow sensor is right on the air box, so I can't really remove that and relocate it because it would throw off the computer's calibration.
Sorry to be so late to this discussion. Just got my yellow 6s this weekend (read my post in Buying Experience and main discussion).
When I got my car, the sales guy gave me 3 (!) keys, 2 with fob, and one by itself. Looks like I should have given it back and demand a $70 reduction on the car vudini
I have an Archos 6MB jukebox that I have been playing in the old MPV thru a cassette shell adapter. When getting the MZ6, I always thought I needed to get a cassette player ($200) to be able to play it. Now iRock makes an adapter that allows you to play the MP3 thru the FM radio (just set it at frequencies 88.1 thru 88.7). I don't know how well it works, but can't be worse than the cassette adapter.. Now, better still, Seiko Instruments makes something similar that does not require any power source (the iRock takes AAA batteries). I found it at Fry's Electronics for $20. The iRock can be found almost anywhere for $30. I will definitely check out the Seiko thingy. vudini
... get the Mazda In Dash MP3-CD player. I did and I love it! It does CD-Text and ID3 tags (version 1.0 only though). And sounds better than the stock CD.
Any recommendations about brands? The 2 I have been looking at are ASC and Webasto. For Webasto, so installers use the Solarie 5300 and others use the Hollandia. Am getting confusing answers about the difference between them. One big issue for me is headroom loss. Any experience with this? Thanks. Joe
I just bought a yellow 6i last week and Love It! I want to order the rear wing spoiler for it now. I haven't really worked on cars much and wondering about doing it myself. Is it very difficult to put on myself? Obviously the dealer tried to make it sound hard. I put the spoiler on my last car w/o any problems and this doesn't look much different. Are there any tips I should know about it or any special tools I would need before I decide to save $ and do it myself?
Anyone else finding that the rear speakers flat suck on the Mazda 6s. I listened to another Mazda 6s and it is the same. They sound like you are listening through six feet of concrete. The dealership told me "that is the way they are designed", and is blowing me off. What great customer service that is Phillips Mazda Pontiac in Laguna Niguel, CA. I have noticed others with the same problem. We need to all complain and continue to complain until they recall the sterio, it flat sucks. Why even have rear speakers in a $25000 car if they don't do anything but give the owner frustration?
jradack - yes, the speakers are set up that way. Some of us hate it and some like it because, supposedly, that's how 'audio imaging' is supposed to work. I wouldn't sweat it. And if I were disappointed (which I am) and could afford it (which I can't), I'd get an amp and replace the speakers too. All 4 of them. You should really do that in ANY car. The manufacturer always puts [non-permissible content removed] speakers in them. Pardon my French.
dondilio - I have the autodim/homelink mirror. What do you want to know about it? Off the bat - I'll volunteer that autoimmin mirrors are God's gift to humankind. Also, the homelink feature works well and has good range. Installation is a bit of a pain, but instructions are floating around (and are provided with the mirror)- so it is possible to self-install if you're reasonably comfortable with opening stuff up.
I installed the homelink/autodim mirror on my Mazda6 about 2 weeks ago. Ordered it from mazdastuff and it came with instructions. The installation is not hard, but it takes a couple of hours and you have to be comfortable removing interior panels and locating wires. Having done it I am very happy with the results and love the mirror.
The installation requires you to remove the old mirror, mount the new mirror, and then run a wire under the headliner, down under the trim on the driver side A pillar, and connect three wires at the fuse box in the driver footwell. To do this you need to remove the A pillar trim, partially remove the rubber door molding, and remove the big trim panel around the fuse box. The headliner does not have to be removed. All the trim pulls off and pops back in, but can be a little tricky since you have to pull it off the right way.
There are more detailed notes on how to do the installation along with pictures showing how to remove the old mirror out on the web. If you google for "mazda 6 forum" and seach the resulting forums you can find more about how to do the install.
If you know what you are doing, installing the mirror should take a little less than an hour from start to finish. Thats said, it took me probably closer to three hours, since I was doing it for the 1st time and being very careful to double check every little step.
The autodim mirror and homelink mirror cost $124 and $225 respectively from mazdastuff. Full MSRP is $153 and $277. To me it would be reasonable for the dealer to charge MRSP plus say one hours labor which would probably be around $60. I never checked the dealer prices myself, but I heard other people being quoted $400+ for the homelink install. It seems to vary from dealer to dealer so the price you get will depend on what you can negotiate with your dealer.
axx- Do you know if the auto dim without the homelink has the same type of compass as the one with homelink. From what I can tell the homelink version has the compass display right on the mirror. I think that looks great, but was wondering if it is lit at night, and if it is does that bother you while you are driving? I spoe to someone at Mazdastuff several months ago and asked about installing it myself and they told me that it was quite complicated. While I'm not a mechanic, I do know my way around tools & an engine. Not too difficult from what you say. How do you get the wires from the top of the mirror thru the headliner to the A pillar? Also how does the wire go from the mirror then into the headliner? Thanks in advance.
From what I can tell by looking at the picture the non-homelink mirror has the compass in its own display that sits right below the center of the mirror.
In the homelink unit the compass display is embedded in the mirror in the upper right hand corner. It is lit at night, but it is dim enough that I don't find it to be distracting. In fact I don't notice it at all unless I am looking to find the direction I am going in.
Here are some notes I put together based on my experience installing the homelink autodimming mirror. The non-homelink mirror should install the same way. These notes are not meant to be comprehensive, but should help fill in some of the details that I felt were missing from the instrcutions that came with the mirror.
I do not think the installation is particularly difficult, it does not require any special skills, but it is not idiot proof and if you do not follow the directions carefully you could end up damaging something. I would say anyone comfortable using tools, who can carefully read and follow directions, and has a little patients could install the mirror themselves, if they were so inclined.
The mirror ships with all the pieces needed for the install, plus step by step instructions. I found the instructions to be complete enough to do the install, but it would have help things go faster if they had included more details.
The basic installation steps are as follows: - Remove the old mirror. - Mount new mirror. - Remove interior trim pieces so wire can be routed from mirror to fuse box in drivers side footwell. This requires removing the kick panel around the fuse box, partially removing the rubber door seal (side welt) along the front part of the door sill and A pillar, and removing the drivers side A pillar trim (referred to as the A Pillar Garnish). The headliner does not have to be removed. - Connecting the mirror wire to wires in the footwell. The homelink/autodim mirror has one wire harness with 3 wires in it, one for ground and two for power. The ground wire connects to a bolt. The two power leads plug into T-taps that you must connect to two wires in the footwell. - Route the wire behind the dash, up the A pillar, and tuck it under the headliner until it reaches a point above the mirror. - Re-install all the trim.
Some tips that might be helpfull: - Some people have found removing the old mirror difficult. I purchased a 1/8 Craftsman Professional Precision Screwdriver that was recommended by others, and wedged it directly upwards between the mirror base and the mounting button. With a little pressure I was able to wiggle the mirror off the mounting button. - You will need a #T20 Torx screw driver to completely secure the new mirror to the mounting button. - You do not have to remove the door sill plate (also called the scuff plate). You only need to slighltly pull up the forward part of it in order to allow the kick panel to be removed. Pulling up on the forward inner edge with light to moderate force was sufficient to loosen the scuff plate. Pushing down will snap it right back into place. - The kick panel is the piece of plastic covering the fuse box on the left side of the drivers footwell. It is the larger piece that holds the smaller removable panel that allows access to the fuses. You will need to remove the entire panel, not just the small removable fuse box cover. It is held in place by two plastic fastners one near the forward edge of the panel, and one near the rear edge of the panel. The rear (meaning closest to the rear of the car) fastner is a small plastic rivet type button that pops in and out of a hole along the drivers side interior wall. The front fastner grips a plastic stud that protrudes from the front of the car and points rearward. I was able to easily free the kick panel by wiggling the rear part backwards torwards the rear of the car and inward toward the gear shift. Once the rear fastner was free wiggling the panel back torwards the rear of the car freed the front fastner. - The rubber door seal (called the body side welt) pulls easily off and can be pushed right back on. - The A pillar trim (garnish) is the piece that runs from the headliner to the dash along the forwardmost pillar. It is a rigid piece of plastic approximately 3 feet long. It is held in place by three fastners. The one torwards the top of the car has a groove that slide over a hook on the A pillar. The other two, about 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down from the top of the car are spring mounted clips. To remove the A pillar trim push it diagonally upwards in the direction that it points. You essentially want to slide it along the A pillar upward about 1/2 inch, this will free the top fastner. Once the top fastner is freed pull it inward, away from the pillar torward the gear shift, this will pop out the two spring loaded fastners. My car has the side and curtain airbags, but there are no airbags behind the A pillar trim. The airbags are in the sides of the seats and behind the overhead headliner. - The headliner can be loosened by using the #T20 torx driver to loosen the two screws under the sunglass holder. I had a hard time loosing these screws, they may have been held in using something like Lock-Tight. I don't think it is actually really necessary to do this, as I was able to tuck the wire under the headliner without loosing the screws. - I had to pull apart the wires in the harness a little bit in order to allow them to reach both the ground bolt and the T-taps. - You will need a 10 mm socket to fasten the ground wire. I am not sure if a wrench will work, it could be hard to reach with. I used a socket driver with a 2 inch extension. - You need to pass the wires between the metal door frame and the back of the lower dash (instrument panel) before connecting the wires. - I would recommend covering your dash with some towels or blankets, especially wihile removing the old mirror. If you drop the screwdriver you could scratch your dash. - The trim should all go back on easily the opposite way that you removed it. - I had some extra length in the wiring harness that I gathered and zip tied in the footwell near the fuse box.
for all your info on the install. I ordered today-should be here in 5-7 days. I'll ck my toolbox for the items you suggest. I also went to Homelink.com and ordered a home lighting kit. I'll let you know how things go after the install attempt.
Axx- Received and installed the mirror last night. All went well until I started the wiring. While I could find the correct colored wires in the pin connector-they were not anywhere near the correct locations in the connector according to my directions. Went ahead and installed the taps, closed everything all up and kept my fingers crossed. All works perfect. Programmed the opener, but still haven't received the light kit and vehicle interface for the home lighting. This I ordered directly from the homelink site, the mirror I ordered from mazdastuff. It all appears to be plug in and program though. Thanks for the advice on the install. My total time start to finish-just under two hours.
kylerc-Let us all know if you find them. I would like to get color matched ones for my redfire-but I don't think I'll ever see that.
Yes, the best way is to remove the source. There is no real reason why the dust created needs to be black or coat the wheels. Changing to Kevlar based pads should eliminate the problem. Brakeworld.com is selling Rotex pads for the M6 which should do the trick. I plan to try them soon
If non-OEM brake pads actually reduce brake dust. I think it might be due to the low offset of the wheels, in that the rims are very close to the calipers and pads.
but it doesn't have to be greasy/sticky like the OEM carbon metallic pads produce. I had a 93 Ford Probe GT V6 (made in Flat Rock, same as the old Mazda MX6 and the new M6) for 10 yrs and 180,000 miles. It had virtually the same brakes and almost identical wheels and I never had any brake dust build-up on the wheels. Ran Midas "organic" compound pads. Carbon metallic pads were not used as OEM equipment in '93. Now all the high end cars (M-B, Jag, Audi, etc.) use them to eliminate squeal. They have excellent response but if you notice the front wheels of these cars are usually black.
Here's a question that will strike some of you as downright wierd. What if you have to buy an (unwanted) sportpak w/spoiler for a 6i in order to get the Security Pak? Is there an easy way to get rid of the spoiler? Taking it off would leave some holes wouldn't it? If the upper brake lights are on it, wouldn't you then have to install a new one inside to comply with federal law? Would dealers ever consider swapping out trunk sheet metal? A trunk lid without spoiler for one with?
I've checked out buying the sport pak w/o spoiler, but it's not a viable option. To get it Mazda compels you to buy in addition: leather, Bose and Moon; more (over $2k more) for less. Have complained to Mazda and on this site about '04 pricing policy, but don't expect them to change anything soon.
You could do it but you would have to get a body shop to fill the holes in the trunk lid. The you would have to get a high-mounted brake light for the rear shelf unless it already has one there. In my experience, a dealer won't touch this one.
Anyone know if the stock 17" wheels will accept a wider tire? I was thinking of buying "summer" tires next year... Wondering if wider rubber (with a lower aspect ratio to keep the diameter the same) is available.
Even if you plan to lower the car, a miniscule difference may be made in clearance, making the 225s something you'll have to consider carefully.
The fenders can be rolled if needed, and 235 may also be possible.
Be sure to check the manufacturer's section-width and tread-width specs on their websites. Not all 215/50-17 nor all 225/45-17 etc tires are identical. Those numbers are just an approximate guideline Manufacturers frequently have non-standard sized tire molds, and some are consistently churning out wider-than-listed tires!
... lots of tire stores online. Google for places - but some nice brands and models to consider include Falken ZIEX ZE-512 (def. available in 225/45-17) Toyo Proxes 4 (their new All Season Performance tires)
If all season ability is unimportant, you have MANY more choices in Falkens, Toyos, Kumhos, and even Dunlops, Michelins, Continentals etc.
I went down this route once already with a Jetta I owned some years ago, and while it was fine for the much younger man I was at the time, I am not prepared to do it again. Lowered and with wider tires, I did have fender rubbing in that car... Even with some judicious fender grinding. Definitely don't want to do THAT again. Just looking for maybe a little bit more rubber on the road for summertime (and living in NE Indiana, I definitely need something All-Season for the winter).
Then again, if the Eibachs are REALLY dropping the car by only an inch and a half (the "inch and a half" drop on the Jetta, also on Eibachs, was more like two inches, possibly a wee bit more!!), I might consider it. But probably not.
Any advise on aftermarket heated seats for the cloth seats??? My wife's Forester has heated cloth seats - love them - toast your bottom in 2 minutes. Unfortunately I have only the regular seats - and it's cold out now. Thanks
I've replaced the factory front brake pads with Rotex Gold pads. This was a painless swap costing $130 installed and well worth it.
After 2 weeks there is a an occasional light squeal only upon the initial very light application of the brakes which was not there with the OEM pads. I would consider this insignificant. The big change is virtually no dust on the wheels and no reduction in performance in any way.
Below is the description of the Rotex pads: "The finest Kevlar metallic pad to date. It offers excellent stopping power, combining top-rated performance with a long service life. The friction material blends Kevlar with metallic soft steel wire and powdered sponge iron for maximum heat transfer, and silver virgin graphite for smooth quiet performance. This 60% metallic blend reduces vibration which causes squeal, and runs virtually dust free eliminating the common problem of "black dust" on the wheels."
Bought these thru brakewarehouse.com (Steve Brown). They are in Binghampton, NY, beat the best price posted on line and delivered in 2 days after toll-free phone order.
I recommend this swap to all those who are tired of black wheels that need to be cleaned after 2-3 days.
bullmoosey- see my post #826 on "problems & solutions". I did the exact same modification as you did. Once I heard the squeak with the new pads I pulled them back off and applied CRC brake quiet to the backs. So far so good-and I do agree-the dust problem is all but gone! I'd still like to replace with ceramic pads when/if they come out.
I'm hoping once the Rotex pads break in a little the slight squeak will be gone. I'm curious if the effect of your CRC brake quiet application is long lasting. Let us know in a month or so. Thanks.
Hello all... I am planning on getting the mp3 player and I had a few questions about it. First, does random mode go thru all the folders on the cd or does it only play the songs in one folder? Second, I've read somewhere that the mp3 headunit has pre-outs, is this true? And lastly, I've also heard that the factory amp will cause problems if I want to upgrade my speakers, is the amp separate from the headunit, if so, where is it located? Thanks...
Comments
From what you were saying, I think I'm not going to get the Bose package with the 6-disc, as I'll just be ripping out the changer (and I totally agree that it's better to have the mp3 player). I can just spend the money to get an amp and some new speakers and amp I know I'll like (like the ones I put in my Protege).
Now, a 6-disc mp3 changer, that would just be awesome.
</tss>
April
Cheers
Thx.
Also, I am also thinking to get my self a cassette player. Question is this. Can I have both mp3 player and a cassette player?
Thx guys.
Thanks
pricemk101@hotmail.com
You can search for it at that OTHER website (my email has details). Also, since the usage manual (the only thing I had) is over 800K, hotmail or Yahoo might bounce it. If so, email me an alternative email id, or ask each other for it
Yes - you can have MP3 and tape - I do!
enjoy!
-ashu
Thanks for the lighting fast response! Looking it over as we speak.
Please post the sites, I don't see why it will be an issues. If its going to be an issue, can you please fwd those links to vattan4life@yahoo.com. Thx.
Also, thx ashu for the repaly.
vattan
http://home.online.no/~rekse/mazda6/gallery.htm
And here's the installation instructions:
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/timkeenan@sbcglobal.net/lst?.dir=/mazd- a6/MP3+Player+Install&.src=ph&.order=&.view=t&.do- ne=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/
Any thoughts???
Just got my yellow 6s this weekend (read my post in Buying Experience and main discussion).
When I got my car, the sales guy gave me 3 (!) keys, 2 with fob, and one by itself. Looks like I should have given it back and demand a $70 reduction on the car
vudini
Now iRock makes an adapter that allows you to play the MP3 thru the FM radio (just set it at frequencies 88.1 thru 88.7). I don't know how well it works, but can't be worse than the cassette adapter..
Now, better still, Seiko Instruments makes something similar that does not require any power source (the iRock takes AAA batteries). I found it at Fry's Electronics for $20. The iRock can be found almost anywhere for $30.
I will definitely check out the Seiko thingy.
vudini
That's one place where the Accord V6 has the Mz6s beat right now.
to your car?
dondilio - I have the autodim/homelink mirror. What do you want to know about it? Off the bat - I'll volunteer that autoimmin mirrors are God's gift to humankind. Also, the homelink feature works well and has good range. Installation is a bit of a pain, but instructions are floating around (and are provided with the mirror)- so it is possible to self-install if you're reasonably comfortable with opening stuff up.
The installation requires you to remove the old mirror, mount the new mirror, and then run a wire under the headliner, down under the trim on the driver side A pillar, and connect three wires at the fuse box in the driver footwell. To do this you need to remove the A pillar trim, partially remove the rubber door molding, and remove the big trim panel around the fuse box. The headliner does not have to be removed. All the trim pulls off and pops back in, but can be a little tricky since you have to pull it off the right way.
There are more detailed notes on how to do the installation along with pictures showing how to remove the old mirror out on the web. If you google for "mazda 6 forum" and seach the resulting forums you can find more about how to do the install.
The autodim mirror and homelink mirror cost $124 and $225 respectively from mazdastuff. Full MSRP is $153 and $277. To me it would be reasonable for the dealer to charge MRSP plus say one hours labor which would probably be around $60. I never checked the dealer prices myself, but I heard other people being quoted $400+ for the homelink install. It seems to vary from dealer to dealer so the price you get will depend on what you can negotiate with your dealer.
Do you know if the auto dim without the homelink has the same type of compass as the one with homelink.
From what I can tell the homelink version has the compass display right on the mirror. I think that looks great, but was wondering if it is lit at night, and if it is does that bother you while you are driving?
I spoe to someone at Mazdastuff several months ago and asked about installing it myself and they told me that it was quite complicated. While I'm not a mechanic, I do know my way around tools & an engine. Not too difficult from what you say. How do you get the wires from the top of the mirror thru the headliner to the A pillar? Also how does the wire go from the mirror then into the
headliner?
Thanks in advance.
In the homelink unit the compass display is embedded in the mirror in the upper right hand corner. It is lit at night, but it is dim enough that I don't find it to be distracting. In fact I don't notice it at all unless I am looking to find the direction I am going in.
I do not think the installation is particularly difficult, it does not require any special skills, but it is not idiot proof and if you do not follow the directions carefully you could end up damaging something. I would say anyone comfortable using tools, who can carefully read and follow directions, and has a little patients could install the mirror themselves, if they were so inclined.
The mirror ships with all the pieces needed for the install, plus step by step instructions. I found the instructions to be complete enough to do the install, but it would have help things go faster if they had included more details.
The basic installation steps are as follows:
- Remove the old mirror.
- Mount new mirror.
- Remove interior trim pieces so wire can be routed from mirror to fuse box in drivers side footwell. This requires removing the kick panel around the fuse box, partially removing the rubber door seal (side welt) along the front part of the door sill and A pillar, and removing the drivers side A pillar trim (referred to as the A Pillar Garnish). The headliner does not have to be removed.
- Connecting the mirror wire to wires in the footwell. The homelink/autodim mirror has one wire harness with 3 wires in it, one for ground and two for power. The ground wire connects to a bolt. The two power leads plug into T-taps that you must connect to two wires in the footwell.
- Route the wire behind the dash, up the A pillar, and tuck it under the headliner until it reaches a point above the mirror.
- Re-install all the trim.
Some tips that might be helpfull:
- Some people have found removing the old mirror difficult. I purchased a 1/8 Craftsman Professional Precision Screwdriver that was recommended by others, and wedged it directly upwards between the mirror base and the mounting button. With a little pressure I was able to wiggle the mirror off the mounting button.
- You will need a #T20 Torx screw driver to completely secure the new mirror to the mounting button.
- You do not have to remove the door sill plate (also called the scuff plate). You only need to slighltly pull up the forward part of it in order to allow the kick panel to be removed. Pulling up on the forward inner edge with light to moderate force was sufficient to loosen the scuff plate. Pushing down will snap it right back into place.
- The kick panel is the piece of plastic covering the fuse box on the left side of the drivers footwell. It is the larger piece that holds the smaller removable panel that allows access to the fuses. You will need to remove the entire panel, not just the small removable fuse box cover. It is held in place by two plastic fastners one near the forward edge of the panel, and one near the rear edge of the panel. The rear (meaning closest to the rear of the car) fastner is a small plastic rivet type button that pops in and out of a hole along the drivers side interior wall. The front fastner grips a plastic stud that protrudes from the front of the car and points rearward. I was able to easily free the kick panel by wiggling the rear part backwards torwards the rear of the car and inward toward the gear shift. Once the rear fastner was free wiggling the panel back torwards the rear of the car freed the front fastner.
- The rubber door seal (called the body side welt) pulls easily off and can be pushed right back on.
- The A pillar trim (garnish) is the piece that runs from the headliner to the dash along the forwardmost pillar. It is a rigid piece of plastic approximately 3 feet long. It is held in place by three fastners. The one torwards the top of the car has a groove that slide over a hook on the A pillar. The other two, about 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down from the top of the car are spring mounted clips. To remove the A pillar trim push it diagonally upwards in the direction that it points. You essentially want to slide it along the A pillar upward about 1/2 inch, this will free the top fastner. Once the top fastner is freed pull it inward, away from the pillar torward the gear
shift, this will pop out the two spring loaded fastners. My car has the side and curtain airbags, but there are no airbags behind the A pillar trim. The airbags are in the sides of the seats and behind the overhead headliner.
- The headliner can be loosened by using the #T20 torx driver to loosen the two screws under the sunglass holder. I had a hard time loosing these screws, they may have been held in using something like Lock-Tight. I don't think it is actually really necessary to do this, as I was able to tuck the wire under the headliner without loosing the screws.
- I had to pull apart the wires in the harness a little bit in order to allow them to reach both the ground bolt and the T-taps.
- You will need a 10 mm socket to fasten the ground wire. I am not sure if a wrench will work, it could be hard to reach with. I used a socket driver with a 2 inch extension.
- You need to pass the wires between the metal door frame and the back of the lower dash (instrument panel) before connecting the wires.
- I would recommend covering your dash with some towels or blankets, especially wihile removing the old mirror. If you drop the screwdriver you could scratch your dash.
- The trim should all go back on easily the opposite way that you removed it.
- I had some extra length in the wiring harness that I gathered and zip tied in the
footwell near the fuse box.
I also went to Homelink.com and ordered a home lighting kit.
I'll let you know how things go after the install attempt.
Received and installed the mirror last night. All went well until I started the wiring. While I could find the correct colored wires in the pin connector-they were not anywhere near the correct locations in the connector according to my directions. Went ahead and installed the taps, closed everything all up and kept my fingers crossed. All works perfect. Programmed the opener, but still haven't received the light kit and vehicle interface for the home lighting. This I ordered directly from the homelink site, the mirror I ordered from mazdastuff. It all appears to be plug in and program though. Thanks for the advice on the install. My total time start to finish-just under two hours.
kylerc-Let us all know if you find them. I would like to get color matched ones for my redfire-but I don't think I'll ever see that.
I've checked out buying the sport pak w/o spoiler, but it's not a viable option. To get it Mazda compels you to buy in addition: leather, Bose and Moon; more (over $2k more) for less. Have complained to Mazda and on this site about '04 pricing policy, but don't expect them to change anything soon.
All advice would be gratefully received.
Even if you plan to lower the car, a miniscule difference may be made in clearance, making the 225s something you'll have to consider carefully.
The fenders can be rolled if needed, and 235 may also be possible.
Be sure to check the manufacturer's section-width and tread-width specs on their websites. Not all 215/50-17 nor all 225/45-17 etc tires are identical. Those numbers are just an approximate guideline
Falken ZIEX ZE-512 (def. available in 225/45-17)
Toyo Proxes 4 (their new All Season Performance tires)
If all season ability is unimportant, you have MANY more choices in Falkens, Toyos, Kumhos, and even Dunlops, Michelins, Continentals etc.
Then again, if the Eibachs are REALLY dropping the car by only an inch and a half (the "inch and a half" drop on the Jetta, also on Eibachs, was more like two inches, possibly a wee bit more!!), I might consider it. But probably not.
Soon, it is known/rumored that Racing Beat will come out with 1" drop springs better suited to the stock 6 shocks. Very, very tempting
Of course, stiffer shocks are also already available from Tein and/or Koni.
Is there a way to take control and have them heat sooner and stay on longer?
Thx
After 2 weeks there is a an occasional light squeal only upon the initial very light application of the brakes which was not there with the OEM pads. I would consider this insignificant. The big change is virtually no dust on the wheels and no reduction in performance in any way.
Below is the description of the Rotex pads:
"The finest Kevlar metallic pad to date. It offers excellent stopping power, combining top-rated performance with a long service life. The friction material blends Kevlar with metallic soft steel wire and powdered sponge iron for maximum heat transfer, and silver virgin graphite for smooth quiet performance. This 60% metallic blend reduces vibration which causes squeal, and runs virtually dust free eliminating the common problem of "black dust" on the wheels."
Bought these thru brakewarehouse.com (Steve Brown). They are in Binghampton, NY, beat the best price posted on line and delivered in 2 days after toll-free phone order.
I recommend this swap to all those who are tired of black wheels that need to be cleaned after 2-3 days.
see my post #826 on "problems & solutions".
I did the exact same modification as you did.
Once I heard the squeak with the new pads I pulled them back off and applied CRC brake quiet to the backs. So far so good-and I do agree-the dust problem is all but gone!
I'd still like to replace with ceramic pads when/if they come out.
I'm hoping once the Rotex pads break in a little the slight squeak will be gone. I'm curious if the effect of your CRC brake quiet application is long lasting. Let us know in a month or so. Thanks.