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Is this just a normal sound? I find it pretty hard to imagine since my engine started so quiet, and I’ve never had a Mazda engine sound like this. Next time you drive your car, keep the radio off and the windows rolled up. Let me know what, if any, noises are coming from your engine-bay when your engine gets above 3500 rpm.
All Mazda3's have some whine in the steering unit - but it should not be that loud.
But - My guess is the dealer will tell you it is normal.
Glad my Volvo V40 lease expired Dec 1, that "Volvo for life" was killing me ($$$ and unreliable).
If I set the control so the heat goes 100% to the floor I still get alot of air coming out of the windshield defroster vent. Almost the same amount as if the control is at the defrost and floor setting. Is this normal? The HVAC system in the Mazda3 is the major weak spot. I wonder if the vent control problem is part of my poor performing AC issue.
Rattles - I finally solved both of my rattle problems.
The part of the dash that sits above or sticks out over the gauges has rattle for months. I pulled the part partially off and stuck a piece of foam in the small slot that is in the dash. I have seen plastic toys from the dollar store that had better quality. If it starts to rattle again I will replace the foam with double sided tape.
The drivers door has also had a rattle for months. It sounded like something was loose inside the door. I finally solved it. The rattle sound was being made by the door panel - the plastic part right next to the arm rest was rubbing on the metal part of the door. I first used a credit card to stick a piece of wax paper between the door panel and the metal door. Rattle sound stopped. Since I don't want to drive around with wax paper sticking out of my door - I have removed the paper and sprayed the crack with silicone lube. So far the rattle sound has not returned. I was surprised to find that what sounded like a rattle in the door was really plastic rubbing on metal.
I had the roof open today and noticed that if I hold down the built in air deflector with my hand it actually reduces the amount of wind noise. Why did Mazda bother to put a deflector in place if it makes MORE rather than less noise?
At any speed over 25 MPH the noise is so loud that we just shut the sun roof.
The only reason I got the sun roof is because we wanted the CD player -
BTW...with the 3...on FLOOR setting or any setting to the right of floor...the A/C is always on regardless of whether intentionally turned on or off. Any setting to the left of floor and the A/C is not automatic so you can turn it on or off. I didn't know this last winter when I almost always had the FLOOR heater on. -40F or C and I'm driving around with A/C on. Winter driving AND A/C on = lousy mileage.
One of my pet peeves since I got this car Dec 11 '03 WAS the very poor floor heat at idle and around town at low speeds when it's cold outside (-15C/5F or colder). This is subjective but it seemed to me last winter that air coming out of the dash vent is much warmer than air coming out of floor vent. Much warmer. Now that I've learned when I use FLOOR mode only that the A/C is on and a lot of air is being directed to the windshield instead of the floor I think I'm justified in my feeling the FLOOR heat mode is quite inadequate, at least in my particular Oct03 built 3 anyway. I'm hoping that using the 2 settings to the left of FLOOR will improve things.
Z71BILL..I see you got 29 mpg on a 100% highway trip at moderate speeds. I have had a couple of 100% highway trips where I got less than 24mpg with my 2.3 auto but I did have 27 and 29 mpg 100% highway trips. Seems to me the 2.3 auto mileage is almost acceptable on the highway at slow speeds but must be a little pig around town. My last mileage check was 32%Highway68%around town and I got 16.76 mpUSgal. 203 miles on 12.157 gal. I needed 57% more gas to travel this distance than EPA says should be needed. Mind you it was cool up here during this mileage check...3-4 degrees above freezing to 10-15 degrees below freezing and there was snow on the roads for 1/2 the check. Can't wait for real cold weather to set in...10mpg around town??? Sorry for the grumbling.
everfeb
I plan to go in Monday to get the recall for the air bag & an oil change.
I went through all the cars listed on Edmunds trying to determine what I should trade my lemon Mazda3 in on. I have put up with the grinding brakes, harsh shifting tranny, CEL that keeps coming back, rattles in the dash and door, a large clunk coming from the front over speed bumps, low MPG and my all time favorite the AC that will not cool my car. This trip to the dealer will be lucky number 12 - in less than 11 months & 9,500 miles. By far this car has been in the shop more times that any other that I have ever owned. Maybe even more times than my last 4-5 vehicles combined.
It may be 100% stupid but I may just ask what kind of a deal I can get if I trade the 2004 Mazda3 in on a 2005. I keep thinking - cheat me once - shame on you - cheat me twice shame on me! I don't know if the dealership will "give me a break" because I have had so many problems -or if the will "stick it to me" because they know the history.
I would need to wait until the weather warms up again - to make sure that the AC system works -
Also, considering getting snow tires or all season tires (Husband works for Bridgestone/Firestone and we get a GREAT discount.) Which are a better investment, snow or all-season?
What some people do (like me), is have a set already mounted on their own rims for easy on/off. These can be cheap steel wheels or they can be aftermarket alloys - tour choice. The advantage here is you keep the stock summer tires and wheels nice & safe while the snows are on.
Wish I had a connection with a major tire co.! ;-]
I'm getting snowtires put on the OEM rims tomorrow (I don't even have a place to stash the TIRES, much less rims)..STS said they had some in the right size for about $450, but I forgot the brand.
But after driving to work in the snow tonight, I don't care. ANYTHING has to be better than these stinking Eagle RSAs. I've driven BALD all-seasons that were better in snow; I've NEVER been so scared driving in snow in my LIFE. I was gonna save them for spring, but now they can throw them in the trash for all I care. I'll buy summer tires in the spring, or maybe ECSTA ASX, or Nokian WR if the price comes down or I work some extra overtime.
The Eagles you are riding on are likely "performance" tires designed primarily for the best rather than the worst weather. Like many other performance tires they have some drawbacks including: replacement cost, hydroplaning in wet conditions and not being suitable for snowy conditions. For all those reasons, a set of winter tires makes a lot of sense. In addition, if you want to preserve your alloy rims and reduce the headache of switching tires, you should consider purchasing steel rims + winter tires. This is my third winter with snows and the security they provide is remarkable. A tip from my tire specialist: smaller footprints are better in the winter, i.e. go for a 15" rather than 16". With your connections, you know you'll not only be getting safe tires but also a great deal. Happy holidays!
I went the with dunlop winter sport M2's for the high marks in both slippery & dry handling.
HTH
Anyway, these Contis seem to be pretty decent, and the Eagle RSAs don't even do well in rain for all-seasons, so come spring I'll probably shell out for summer tires with good wet traction...STS had some sweet looking Toyos.
Incidentally, those Eagle RSAs are SUPPOSED to be all season tires. Performance all seasons, but still all seasons. What they SHOULD be called is "all season so long as the season doesn't involve any form of water on the road"
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1. Do you get a lot of brake dust on the rear wheels?
2. Any grinding noise coming from the rear?
3. Brake rotors getting groves in them?
2. no grinding noise at all on mine (05 built 10/04).
3. no grooves after 250 miles or so. (i noted some brand new on the lot 04's that DID HAVE GROOVES!)
so no rear brake issues on my 05. any other question???
I'm picking up my mazda 3 hatchback tomorrow....can't wait!:)
Question...i will be parking it on the street. Did any of you get any type of bumper protectors (not sure if that's the right term) that you could recommend me? I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks!
i have also noticed,not turning over w/first crank like normally.????
You have selected INTERIOR TRIM PACKAGE
This requires removal of
• ABS/SAB/SAC PACKAGE
Are you sure you want to select INTERIOR TRIM PACKAGE?
I had first selected ABS/SAB/SAC Package & then I proceeded to chose the Interior Trim Package, in addition.
Apparently & according to Mazda, the ABS/SAB/SAC Package & the Interior Trim Package (Red or Blue: Door & Instrument Trim Panel; plus premium floor mat upgrade)
I could not find this same restriction while trying to build the same vehicle on Edmund’s web site & a couple of other web sites that offer similar car build programs. In fact, on some of these independent web sites they direct the order to Blue or Red Clothed Seats when ordering Interior Trim Package (blue or red to match). Sometimes, this is done by prohibiting the order of black/charcoal leather seats in conjunction with ordering Interior Trim Package. I wasn’t able to duplicate this on Mazda’s Canadian web site because the packaging is different (without descriptions)
What gives? Who’s correct?
Years back there was a product called Chip-stop that you could apply as a temporary measure. I see Bondo makes something called Marhyde rubberized undercoating and 3M has a product 3M™ Rocker Panel Spray 05911 Clear, Net Wt 18 oz/510g , 12 per case but I need to do more research. My 95 GMC pickup had an OEM coating on the rocker panels that helped.
I feel your pain.
A co-worker of mine had this problem. About two weeks after the surging idle started, the CEL came on, so he took it to the dealer.
This TSB was utilized to identify & fix the problem:
MIL ON - P0442/P0455/P0456
Applicable Models
Model Starting S/N Ending S/N
2004 MAZDA3 00000000 ZZZZZZZZ
Some vehicles may exhibit a MIL ON condition with DTCs P0442, P0455, and/or P0456 stored in memory. See the following list for possible causes.
Capture freeze frame data, then clear all DTCs. Run the WDS evaporative system test to confirm the leak. If vehicle fails, use the Mazda approved, EVAP Tester (Model #134-01049) to further diagnose. Activate Mode 8 to manually close the Change Over Valve (COV). Note that the purge solenoid valve is Normally Closed. Run the gas leak test and the smoke test to confirm leak location.
On Mazda3, the following conditions have been found:
STUCK OPEN PURGE SOLENOID VALVE - Confirm by removing purge solenoid control valve hose at the intake manifold, then inspect to see if smoke exits from the hose. If smoke is seen, this indicates a valve that is stuck open.
Note: If hose is not removed, smoke may not be seen anywhere, and it will appear the vehicle has no leak.
MISSING "BASKET" SEAL - A smoke test will reveal if a basket seal is missing from a quick disconnect fitting.
--
The "STUCK OPEN PURGE SOLENOID VALVE" condition happened on my co-worker's car, so they replaced the solenoid valve and the CEL and surging idle have since been remedied (took it to the dealer just after Christmas).
eoghan1:
There are two Mazda3 rotor sizes, one larger and one smaller. In N. American-spec, the larger one comes with the 2.3l engine and the smaller size with the 2.0l.
If you have the larger rotor (i.e. the 2.3l engine), 16-inch is the smallest you can go. If you have the smaller rotor (i.e. the 2.0l engine), 15-inch is the smallest you can go.
In the case of the Mazda3 the 17 inch wheel has a smaller aspect ratio (the 50 in 205 50 17 VS the 55 in the 205 55 16) this means that the tire will have a sidewall that is (205 X 50% = 102.5) MM tall - the 16 inch tire has a 112.75 MM tall sidewall.
In VERY general terms - a taller sidewall will give you a softer ride - since the tire has more space between the road and the wheel - it can flex more when you hit a bump. The flip side of a larger sidewall is when you turn a sharp corner the sidewall also will have more flex. In the corners a small sidewall will give you more direct steering - so the choice is do you want a softer ride or better handling.
I think the suspension in the Mazda3 is the same for 16 & 17 inch wheel packages - so this trade off will be true. I would however bet that 8 out of 10 drivers will - in everyday driving see very little difference in the handling - you will need to push the car pretty hard before the difference becomes obvious. I would also guess that most people would see a small difference in the ride between the two tire sizes.
Factory rim offset is 52.5mm
1. Rattle in instrument cluster. This occurred at all speeds, but was most noticeable at highway speeds. The dealer removed the cluster, secured some wires and added foam padding.
2. Rattle behind/around glovebox. The dealer removed the glovebox and added padding.
3. Noisy brakes on cold mornings, during the first or second applications. The dealer replaced the saddles on one set (I can't remember if they were F or R). I hear that a new TSB is coming out soon. In any event, the squeal is gone.
4. Stiff, creaking clutch pedal. One dealership tried greasing the spring/assembly. This lasted for only 3 days. My hone dealership (I believe) had to replace the entire clutch pedal assembly. The clutch is much softer now than it was on delivery.
That's about it...it's taken about 8 trips to the dealership to get the car in good condition...I knew that I took a risk when I purchased a car during it's first model year....
In any event, I'm pretty happy. This is my third Mazda; I've previously owned a '95 Protege and a '96 626 V6. When I was on the new car market last fall, I test drove the Civic EX, Corolla, etc. I also test drove the Mazda 6 V6 twice. The 3 blew the Civic and Corolla out of the water. Although the 6 was more luxurious, the 3 was much more fun to drive....