Mazda6 Maintenance and Repair

shortbuskid

Yes the headlight thing is normal. I'm hoping someone will respond that has tried an aftermarket bulb or something. It's a strange design the just bugs the hell out me. Shine you headlights up against a wall. My lights have two distinct flat areas as though there was a piece of tape over the top of the bulb.

As for the locking stuff, I have an S so I don't know.

Myself and a few others are experencing the pulling effect. Mine happens to be to the left. While on the highway if I let go of the wheel, I'm switching lanes weither I want to or not. The slope of the road just determines how fast I'm commin over. On a perfectly "flat" road my car will drift over slowly.

vt85pgh

Hey mjvchicago, I have 12,500 miles in 4.5 months! My problem was finally fixed; it was the ABS module. The funny thing was they tried this the day before and as it turned out, they replaced the wrong module. After further consultation with Mazda the got the right location. I am suspicious that dealerships are not up to speed on this car yet. Seemed like it took a long time to figure this out.

Haven't had any other problems. It's definitely fun to drive. Hope there are no further issues.

mjvchicago

I think you've nailed it on the head. A slight scraping is a much more accurate way to describe it. We must be experiencing the same thing. I know I'm not hitting anything or bottoming out on anything. Very odd. Also, I was able to produce the sound when doing the exact same thing, but moving forward instead of reverse... any thoughts as to what it is? I think I've noticed it happening since about 500 miles or so.

ian2

I find it to be a really annoying feature some cars. It would be the first thing I disable if there was a way to do it. My guess is Mazda spent the cost of the circuit on something more useful.

seaf

I don't think a lot of Japanese cars have auto-locking doors. May be due to safety issues, after a crash you want to get out right? And the way the doors are designed, they are not going to come off as loosely as cars that require it to be locked to be secure. In the japanese crash tests, there's a criteria for how easily the doors can be opened after a collision.

As for headlights, it may be due to the projector headlight design, similar to HID lights, it has a sharp cutoff area. Most headlights can be adjusted though, check repair manuals or online search for headlight adjusting levels. If you do it yourself and do it wrong, you might be pulled over.

And finally alignment, it seems to me a few of your cars have a slight alignment problem, on a flat (no crown) road, you should go straight, if it's slightly tilted to the right, driving in the right lane of a crowned road may be enough for it to pull to the right, same with driving in the left lane with a slightly tilted to the left. Mis-alignment is not a simple yes or no, there are degrees of it, some are more misaligned than others, but the dealer should be able to fix it for free since it's such a new car.

sry110

I've never noticed it in 1st gear - it might be happening then, but it could be drowned out by engine noise. I notice it mostly in the morning after the car has been sitting all night, but it does happen at other times of the day as well. The only thought I had was that it could have something to do with the parking brake. Maybe it doesn't fully disengage when you pop the brake handle and there is a rub that occurs? I'm not positive, but it seems for me that the sound occurs after about 1 revolution of the wheels (i.e., I hear the sound when I haven't gone very far yet). Maybe it's the brakes, maybe it's the transmission (I sure hope not). Either way, it doesn't seem to be a major problem yet...if it becomes one I hope that's within the 4 year warranty period. Let me know if you find anyhting out about it.

gadawg21

It's been a while since I've written so forgive me if this is a bit long-winded.

I love my loaded MT 6s and haven't had ANY of the problems folks have listed on all 12 pages of this discussion. However, I do have some problems or issues that I was wondering if anyone else has come across.

First, I have the Bose upgrade...at certain pitches of bass, both of my front door panels (and the rear for all I know) vibrate. One song may have a real heavy bass (dance or hip-hop kind of stuff) and nothing happens, it plays it perfectly. But if I play something like Radiohead that has some more unusual and higher range of bass, the door panels vibrate; I know it's the panels because I can slightly subdue the vibrations by pressing on a few spots on the panels. The driver's side door had a broken panel pin when I got it and this problem arose after they fixed it. I plan on taking it into the dealer when I find time, but was just wondering if anyone else noticed this problem.

Second, my passenger's window has become stuck twice and after messing with the other window switches in an effort to reset it somehow, it works. I assume this is probably a loose connection, but wondered if anyone else has come across this issue as well.

Next, my seat seems to be a little loose. It was fine until recently when I noticed that if I shift my weight to one side or the other the seat seems to pop over like it's not fully engaged or possible broken. It can probably be fixed, but as I said before, I'm curious.

Finally, has anyone achieved better than 20 mph in the city? This is a fun car, so I do tend to have a heavy foot, but I barely push over 300 miles a tank if the driving includes anything but highway. It was a blast driving it from Atlanta up here to Rapid City SD, much smoother and comfortable than my '99 BMW 323...plenty of bhp to really blast down the highways.

I absolutely love this car, but little annoyances need to go away. With just over 7,000 I don't expect to have any issues.

p.s. I still think the 6s is the best deal out there for sports sedans and that the Accords and Camry are so darn innocuous and lack any character. Once mazda works these little issues out and adds a few more options it could compete very well in teh next bracket up.

maltb

With the DOT's change on headlight restrictions we finally get headlights like those used in Europe for many years. The cut off allows you to get tons of light down low without blinding oncoming cars. If you need it up high in blinding range, turn on the high beams. On all my previous cars I had to install European lamps but now I'm left with a lonely screwdriver.

caligirl94

I have the exact same problem with the doors vibrating. I too have the Bose sound system and have noticed that seems to do it when I play something with mid-range bass. I actually drove a different 6 for a weekend prior to buying mine, and I didn't notice anything on that one.

The other day I had to mute the stereo as I was driving over a fairly bumpy road, and I noticed the door was vibrating slightly then as well. All I can figure is that maybe something is loose in there or it needs some extra sort of insulation. It's annoying during certain songs, but I don't know how soon I'll be able to get it to a dealership to have it looked at. I figure as a worst-case scenario, I'll have them look at it when I have my first oil change.

If you get the issue resolved or find out anything else, please let me know as well.

Thanks

aromas

Anybody had AC problems. Today I noticed that 2 of the 3 middle vents and the passenger side vent were blowing warm air while the 2 vents on my side are still blowing cold. Kind of bizarre since if it was the compressor you figure every vent would be blowing warm air. Getting it checked out next Tuesday.

As for drifting my 6 stays straight on flat roads but has a strong drift when I'm on sloping roads either left or right. I've found that to be a problem with almost every car I drove but it does seem more pronounced with the 6. I figure that it must be the tires as the Michelins grip the road well so it brings out the slope even more. I just learned to live with it. My father's Maxima with 17's does it to the same degree as the 6 so I imagine it's common with the lower profile tires.

mjvchicago

For now, I'm not going to do anything about that scraping sound until it really becomes an issue. I agree on when it happens, about 1 or so revolutions of the wheel, but not sure if it's the parking brake since I don't use it in my garage. Seems to be coming more from the tranny though. We'll see.

sry110

I'm not sure I can say that my front passenger window gets "stuck", but it doesn't quite go down all the way on the first try. I hold down the button and the window comes down, but when it stops the top of the window is about 2 millimeters above the rubber window seal/gasket. It should drop one or two millimeters below the gasket. If I then put the window up a bit, then put it right back down at full speed it drops to the correct level. It's almost like I have to give it a little running start. Another thing I noticed is that the window will drop to the correct level after I drive for a few minutes. I guess wind/vibration puts it in place. I took it to a Mazda dealer to get fixed, and they said they fixed it, but it is still a problem. I guess that's why warranty repairs are free....because they don't fix it. In four years maybe I can pay 50 bucks and get it taken care of.

ashutoshsm

I was wondering about
- When to get the first change - with the initial wear, I understand an early-ish change is a good idea. Perhaps 2K miles? Or earlier?
- How and when to make the switch to synthetic tranny and engine oil. Stick with dino for a couple of changes, do a couple of blend changes or just dump in equivalent synth in both (engine and tranny) right away? I don't live in a bad weather area - so I think Mobil or Castrol Syntech products (instead of RedLine or something more exotic) would do the trick.

Any opinions? References? Experiences?

mzda6

I have a problem with my manual 6 for some reason I smell a burnt smell from in front of the hood. Also for some reason when I shift it does not feel right. If i am going into 2nd gear the car will rev up to 6 rpms and then go back down to 3. I changed the oil and did not put it 5w30 I used 10w30 would that be a problem, or can it be a bad tank of gas, or is it my clutch?
Has anyone have problems with the manual 6.

ian2

Sounds like your clutch is slipping, which is premature for the age of the car. Are you sure you're not riding your clutch?

mzda6

I havent really been riding the clutch but at times i possibly was, should I be ok cause I am under warranty.

glideslopes

The dealer will be able to see if the clutch has been abused by misuse. They may give you a hard time.

mzda6

I never misuse the clutch I didnt baby it but I never raced it or power shifted it. I shifted at 6.5 rpms at times but I never misused it. What else can I do, if it under warranty don't i get covered

loupie

Gadawg21,

I've gt the Bose, and have the same problem; certain tracks on certain CDs cause vibration in the door. This happens with bass settings of 1 - 3 (I never set it higher). On some tracks I have to turn bass to negative 1 or 2! Treble stays at 5.

Loupie

cop414

I got mine changed after 1,000mi, then every 3,000mi. I've been told it's a waste of money, but I don't think it can hurt and is $20.00 well spent. BTW, my mechanic at the Midas shop is looking to buy a 6 so he REALLY goes over the car when it's in for service.

mes58

There was a discussion earlier on the board about the dust thrown off by the disc brakes that makes the aluminum wheels look unsightly. I did not have my car then and did not take particular note of the best way to deal with this. Could anyone please provide a refresher?

ian2

Both my brother and I learned to drive stick on my 98 Civic, and I occasionally dump the clutch. 5 years later, the clutch is still working but it slips when I launch with too much rev. So unless you really abuse your clutch, I don't see why it would fail so early. Maybe it can be adjusted by the dealer?

dave461

Anyone else notice this: I have a 6S with automatic (can't drive stick anymore, due to bad knees). It has 500 miles on it, and I love the car. It seems to shift abruptly, especially in the 2-3 shift, and also when re-accelerating after a stop sign. I find the shifts to be sometimes jerky, and almost abrupt. In addition, I hear some whine that sounds like transmission noise at 2-2500 R.P.M, in lower gears.

Is the 6s known to have a fairly abrupt transmission, or are these signs of an automatic that needs adustment or service?? High speed runs seem to smooth out the shifting characteristics somewhat....in general, I find that the throttle response upon shift to be not as smooth as I had expected.

glideslopes

If the AT is still not shifting to your liking after another 500 miles or so I would have the dealer look at it. The TCM on the AT has "fuzzy logic" which means it will learn your driving style. Initially this can result in less than perfect shift points during the first 500-1,000 miles.

My 6s shifts smoother now at 4,000 miles than it did at 500.

I know there is a new flash out for the ECM. I'm not sure if it applies to the TCM or not.

I have seen 5 or 6 posts on the other MZ6 site for this shifting . I have never read anything about the "whine" sound.

Also remember the 6s has a "fly by wire" throttle. It takes a little while to get used to. The response is not the same as a mechanical link. Mazda is aware that people have been complaining about the throttle response on the 6s. Hopefully they will offer a solution. The new ECM flash may help. I'm not sure what it contains at this point.

Mark.

glideslopes

The MZ6 uses fairly soft pads. So, lot's of dust. Installation of harder pads will help, but change your brake performance, and modulation.

I put two coats of Nu-Finish on my 6s the first day. While I still have dust, it only takes me 5 min to wipe it off with a paper towel every couple of days.

Now, if your someone who can't take 5 min every other day, then there is no real solution to the dust issue other than new pads.

Mark.

glideslopes

I am running Castrol 5w-20 with a K&N Oil Filter for the first 6,000 miles. I drained at 500 miles, 3,000 miles. At 6,000 miles I will run Mobil 1 5w-30 with the K&N Oil Filter. At that point I will drain at 5,000 intervals, perhaps a little longer depending on UOA.

I'm running 20w during the first few thousand to facilitate break-in, and insurance if something breaks. Any assembly problems would show up by 6,000 miles. The 6s engine runs hot IMO. There is no way I'm running anything less than a 30w. 20w is CAFE. It will turn your 200,00 mile engine into a 100,000 mile engine, IMO.

Do a google search for bobtheoilguy. You will never look at oil the same way again.

ashutoshsm

That's exactly what "Bob" and other fora have been making me think to do. I've already hit 1K miles, within the next week I'll have 5W20 (dunno which brand - but dino, right?) put in, and a new oil filter. Any suitable quickie lube place filters available, or should I buy from the dealer, or just order K&N online and wait for them to arrivee? The K&N website doesn't list any suitable oil filter for the M6 - although I vaguely rememember noticing (somewhere else) that the 2110 model number is suitable? I couldn't find that part number - is there more - like alphabets before/after the filter?

Anyone who's already made the switch to synth (either before or after using a couple of 5W20 oil changes)? What about tranny fluid? MaltB?

mes58

Thanks for the info glideslopes!

glideslopes

Champion Labs makes the K&N Filter. Their Tech Support said the K&N HP-2010 is correct. It is the filter for the 3.0 Duratec. K&N will not give you a number as of yet.

The Motorcraft FL-820S is also a very good filter if go with 3-4,000 mile drains with dino.

Mark.

tha1

Hi fellas,

Just was wondering if anyone else had this problem. On my passenger side door the courtesy light cover keeps falling off. I assume it happens when I hit a bump in the road. I put it back on because it looks like it just sits in the slots but it keeps falling out. Also the plastic piece that is situated on the trunk top keeps falling out as well. Any one know what that is for. Car drives great just don't like the fact that parts are coming apart already.

Thanks

T

sry110

I have a 6s w/ MT. I have noticed a slight "whine" coming from the transmission (I think) when I am coasting down in second gear (from 3000 to 2000 RPM or thereabout). Anyone else experiencing this? I noticed there was a post about a whining AT, so I wonder if it also is common for the manual tranny?

gadawg21

Caligirl and Loupie,

Sorry to hear y'all have the same vibrations, I assumed there would be some other folks with the same problem. I only have my bass up to 2, but still get the same response...I would have thought they would have engineered the system to handle all ranges. When I first got the car there wasn't any vibration in the passenger door, but after they replaced a missing screw it started. On the driver's door, they replaced a broken clamp in the door and that was supposed to fix it. I'm going to take it in next week and will let you know if they fix it. It's not a huge deal, but annoying nonetheless.

Love the hell out of the car, but want everything to be perfect. I haven't had any of these other problems I read about.

Has anyone heard anything about MazdaSpeed upgrades yet?

GaDawg21

sry110

All I have seen is some Mazdaspeed body kit stuff, but I haven't seen anything performance-enhancing put out by Mazdaspeed (unless you believe that padded Mazdaspeed seatbelt covers make your car faster). I am anxiously awaiting Mazdaspeed springs and exhaust though.

sry110

I have a 6s with the 17" sport package 5-spoke alloy wheels. I have about 2500 miles on the car. I have noticed an awful lot of brake dust accumulating on the wheels and in order to keep them appropriate looking (i.e. silver, not dark gray) I have to clean them once a week, sometimes twice. Needless to say it is becoming a nuisance. Has anyone else experienced this problem? If so, do you know of any solutions? Thanks!

ian2

I read that if you wax the wheels, it helps somewhat.

gadawg21

Sry110,
I have the same problem and end up cleaning my wheels at least 3-4 times a week. My front right wheel is showing some loss of coating on that wheel and has a gritty/porous quality to it now. I'm going to get this taken care of via warranty...there's NO WAY this should be happening this early, particularly when the other three are fine. I was about to start waxing my wheels because McGuire's wheel cleaner isn't enough.

1wiseguy

Has anyone else noticed that the temperature gauge is really inaccurate? It always seems to be registering a lot warmer than the actual temperature (during the day). I think the sensor must be right next to a metal part that conducts heat. Typically, if it's 82 out the gauge will say 90 until I've driven the car and the wind has dispersed some of the stagnant heat.

This wasnt an issue on previous cars

ashutoshsm

... yeah, certainly wax it. But ALWAYS remember to let it (and the brake rotors) cool down before you go splashing cold water on them! Causes rotor warping, I understand.

ashutoshsm

Yes - the inaccuracy is referenced in the manual as well. Dpeends on whether you have the car parked in the sun or shade, are driving with a cool breeze blowing, etc. Essentially the temperature of whatever body panel is nearest the gauge sensor is returned.

See pages
6-15
and 6-48
in your manual

flatliner

On June 27 I finally went to my local Mazda dealer and bought a new 6s, 5 speed manual with the appearance package, the Bose system, and the rear wing spoiler. I have been super pleased with the car so far, except for one thing: I noticed a few days after purchase that my rear left door speaker did not work. I called my sales person, told him the story and he said he would make me an appointment for July 3 to get it repaired. I showed up bright & early that morning at the service department. When I got there, they had no idea I was coming. Obviously no appointment had been made. Since they weren't busy, I let that go. Left the car, they said they'd call me later in the day to tell me when it would be ready. I got a call LATE in the day that they didn't have the speaker in stock and had to order it. Can't believe they didn't check this while I was there in the morning, but again I let it slide. Picked my car up unrepaired and waited for a phone call to let me know when speaker had come in. That call came on July 9. I made another appointment for July 14. Took car in and again explained the problem: left rear speaker doesn't work, but when I faded the sound to the rear left not only did that speaker not come on...the FRONT left speaker DID come on, but very muted. I told them this whole story and that I didn't think it was the speaker that was the problem. (I sell car audio for a living and know something about ruling out components of a problem to find the REAL problem). I told them I thought it was either a wiring problem or a problem with the amp. Even the tech looked at me with glazed eyes as I was telling him this. He said it was probably the radio. I asked him why and he couldn't come up with an answer. Well, so far they've replaced the radio, and the speaker and just this morning they determined it is the AMP! This service department doesn't seem to have a clue about the sound system in the car at all! So, here it is July 16, and I still don't have my car back. The amp is now on order. I may have my car back by the end of the week. I just hope that when I get it back, everything else in the dash still works and I have NO rattles. I can't believe how incompetent this service dept. seems to be!...Plus look at how much time (money) they are wasting!....So that's my story!....I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

dave461

Just came back from my dealer. I was complaining of rough shifting, and irregular throttle response. Apparently, my car must have been early production, because it did not have the flash for the ECM uploaded. After approximately 10 minutes of work, the car ran beautifully, shifted at the right interval, and was even quicker than was previously displayed. So, if anyone else has problems, go see the dealer, and get the flash--it really DOES work!!

BTW, I would bet that Car and Driver, Road and Track, et al tested a pre-upgrade Mazda 6. After having the ECM upgrade, the car was MUCH faster, and revved even more freely---it is probably an even better performer than was suspected!!

tha1

Hey guys,

I hope this is not a stupid question. What is the ECM flash and where do I find out about it?

Thanks,

T

jbchapman

I think this is a common problem not limited to Mazda. My wife's Acura TL has it too.

seaf

The ECM is a little computer that controls how much fuel and air to mix in the engine for optimum performance and fuel efficiency (along with other engine management tasks). It runs on software stored in its internal memory. Flashing the ECM means reprogramming the computer (kind of like reinstalling a newer version of windows on your PC) so updated software can be used. As for flashing Mazda6's ECM memory, I would ask dealership or mazda about official recall bulletins for your vehicle based on its VIN.

mazda6s

ECM = Engine Control Module
"flash" = reprogram by reloading the non-volatile RAM in the ECM

toolman02

hey dave461, What's the build date on your car?

I'd be interested in seeing if anyone else has noticed improvements after the flash and the build date of your car.

coakleysd

Doesn't matter when you bought it (I think). I'm in MD, had my 6 since New Years Day!!! I also had to get the ECM reprogrammed. BTW, the service rep said it was a recall for all 6's. Check your local dealer though.

kmaurer

I received two recall notices today. The PCM (Powertrain Control Module) reflash was one of them.

"On some 2003 Mazda6 vehicles, the Check Engine Light may illuminate under certain conditions and a diagnostic trouble code may be stored due to improper programming of the Powertrain Control Module."

The reflash greatly improved low-range power in the car (mine was reflashed before the recall announcement). My gas mileage has also improved to 28 MPG 60%highway/40% city.

The other recall notice I received was for the Brake Reservoir.

loupie

I was able to identify the source of the rattle in my door... it's in the door latch itself. The retangular recessed opening for the latch vibrates at Bass setting of 2 or higher. Anyone else experiencing this? I'm taking it to the shop in 2 weeks and will have them fix it then.

loupie

What a PITA to have to unbolt a shroud just to change the freaking oil. What were the engineers thinking about? I'm considering taking the thing off and just trashing it. What's it for anyway.. does anyone know?

Thanks

Loupie