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I normally check this when I rotate my tires - while they are off the ground I give them a hard spin and see how long they turn - it is normal for a VERY SLIGHT amount of brake drag - at least ever car that I have ever done this test to had some - but not so much that it prevents the wheel from spinning around for 15 or more seconds. By slight I mean you can hear it rub (SHHSHSHSH) but it does not slow the wheel down much.
I only did the rear wheels of the Mazda3 - I guess I should also check the front - which would be a little tricky - think I would need to get both front wheels off the ground at the same time - and I don't see any point on the Mazda3 to put the jack (to lift both wheels at the same time).
The service guy took a test drive in my car and agreed with me that car is pulling to the right and rightaway recommended an alignment adjustment. I spent 3 hours in the waiting lounge, got the car, drove for about 20 kms only to find that the problem is persisting.
I went back to the dealer, but this time the service guy basically said that all that can be done has been done, nothing more to do... He advised me to drive till the first service - 8000 kms, and said that sometimes these problems dissappear!?!?
I am extremely hardpressed for time and had no choice other than taking the car.. it still pulls to the right, to add to the woes, steering feels extremely tight at all speeds and AC is very weak in these brutal summer time.
To sum it all, I am not happy with the car.. and started wondering whether it was a good decision to go with mazda, overlooking Hondas & Toyotas... :mad:
That seems counterintuitive as you would think that most alignment problems get worse with time. Was there any improvement in correcting the "pulling"? Part of the problem with some alignment work is that the shop is not equipped with the proper computerized device to reduce the guesswork and meet specifications. You may want to consider another (larger?) dealership or call a collision centre to ask about how they repair cars with this type of problem.
It would not hurt to document your problem and the incomplete solution in a letter to the dealership and Mazda USA.
I just purchased my SP Hatchback and I'm enjoying this little car ;-) I had done some search here and in other places but came up short. SO, after going to the dealer today, I was told that if your car has rain sensing wipers, then there is no rearview mirror w/ Homelink available yet.
According to the dealer, Mazda is going to make this mirror available by late summer. If anyone knows anything about this or if this is false, then please advise me otherwise. I really want to have this, more for the sake of homelink and autodimmer than anything else. Otherwise, I guess I'll wait till late summer.
I was at the dealer last weekend. The service manager, very knowledgable mentioned this IS a problem and he has sent in a "complaint" to Mazda Canada. Mazda [Canada] at least requires 25 such complaints before they will take a look at the problem.
What he described as the problem is within the PCM (or computer) that is forcing the premature cycle. I asked him if there was a software mod that would allow the computer to delay the cycle, he said no. I know with my TDI one could hook up a peripheral called the VAG-COM through a laptop and modify various computer controlled settings.
So, in a nutshell, some dealers are aware of the problem. But, what we all must do now is speak to service manager at your Mazda dealer and insist he/she write up a complaint to Mazda Canada or USA. I would follow-up with a phone call to ensure compliance. Remember, it takes 25 dealer complaints to Mazda HQ for them to look into the problems.
He did not feel the program logic was the problem - the program is designed to shut off the compressor when the evaperator hits a set temp (normally around 32 degrees) if you changed the program so the compressor keeps running longer it would actually freeze the water that condensates on the evaperator and the ice would block the air flow and the system would blow no air.
He tested this by putting a gauge on the high pressure side of the system - the compressor ran until the correct pressure was reached. I know that they can convert pressure to temperature by using a formula. So if the temp is (guess) 300 PSI then the temp in the evap is 33 degrees.
The evaperator is just too small - I would like to compare the evaperator size of a Mazda3 and Mazda6 - just too see if the one in the 3 was really smaller. That would prove it once and for all - but I have no idea how to get my hands on those parts.
BTW - I have logged complaints at two different dealerships - called the Mazda 800 number many times - and also sent several E-mails to Mazda. Short of booking a flight to Japan I don't know what else I can do!
Before we'd even left my dad's subdivision (i.e. within two miles of leaving the driveway) my dad remarked from the back seat, "Well, there's nothing wrong with the air conditioning in this car!"
Meade
if so, what does it look like?
Anyway - I think when you turn the little knob to adjust the air temp from cold to hot that it is moving a cable that is moving a little door that is between the AC evaperator and the heater core.
If you want to look at how to get to your AC evaperator (not a good idea - but I may try it anyway just to see what I can see) you can look at a TSB that tells you how to install the diffuser on the Mazda3. Go to this web site
http://web2.iadfw.net/theman/protegefaq/tsb/tsbmenu.html
Click on Mazda3 -
then click on 07-005/04 2004 MAZDA3 - A/C POOR PERFORMANCE
It shows you where the AC Evap is and I think you should be able to also see the little door that adjusts the air temp.
Interesting to note that the above "fix" (or whatever you want to call it) only applies to the 2004 Mazda3. Read into that what you will, but that would imply that the "problem" was fixed for the 2005 MY. If not, the TSB would read "2004-2005 MAZDA3 - A/C POOR PERFORMANCE".
Meade
I can only guess - I do not have a 2005 - but did Mazda just stick the $.99 plastic air difusser on the 2005 model and proclaim it is FIXED? I ask the Mazda tech if I could just upgrade my 2004 AC with something better from the 2005 Mazda3 - at my expense - he claimed they did not change the AC system in 2005.
Maybe it is just REAL BAD quality control - some work OK - others are a little weak - and some are very weak. The thing you can't seem to understand - just because one car doesn't have a problem does not mean that all cars of that model are also problem free. I could also switch that - just because one car has a problem does not mean they all are defective.
The other day, after dropping my son off at day care @ 10:30am, I put the a/c on for my drive to work. I had been out and about with the car with the sun beating down on it for the better part of that morning. Since I still had the thermometer in the glove, I decided to retest the a/c. Surprise – the air vent temp never got below 48 in recirc. I wondered how odd since the day time high was only 78 with 80% humidity. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: I did note at the time that the dash was considerably hot before the commute, during the commute, and after the commute. I wasn’t able to retest the a/c until yesterday afternoon (I wanted a mostly sunny, hot and humid day with the car sitting in the sun during work hours with the all the windows closed). The high for the day was 84 with 90% humidity. When I got in the car, the temp. was 127 with the dash being extremely hot; rolling down the window immediately (under 5 minutes) brought the inside temp. down to the low 100; the middle vent temp. read mid 90. At this point, I turned on the a/c to recirc on fan speed 3. Here are the results of the middle vent: within 5 minutes low 50; by 10 min. upper 40; after 15 min. mid 40 (so I turned the fan speed to 2); at the end of my commute 42. I kept it in recirc the whole time with the fan speed no lower than 2. 6 degrees cooler than the day before and it was hotter than the day before. The dash area above the middle vents was mild to cool where as the dash above the steering was still very warm. The sun was beating down on the dash for most of that commute.
I’ve drawn a couple of conclusions from this which is no different than what everyone else has said before. The a/c unit (from the compressor to the evap) is a good fit for this type of vehicle. It does its job and it does it well; not spectacular (which is probably more attributable to the cycling on/off), but more than adequate. Of course, some of this credit goes unnoticed because of things like the dark interior (especially the dash). The a/c has to cool down the dash area above the vents before the air coming out of the vents is able to reach 42. So, with the interior as such, than the a/c unit needs to grow a bit more so that the optimum operating temp. could be reached more towards the beginning of a commute rather than the tail end. Otherwise, one has to keep the fan speed on 3 (or even 4) for a while until the air inside the cabin is able to filter through and cool off. Remember, it has to also cool off and keep cool a heat absorbing dash. It would be interesting to know how quickly this a/c cools off the base model sedan with a 2.0 and a beige interior vs. a 2.0 and a dark interior after both have sat in the same location under the sun for at least 3 hours. I picked the 2.0 since you can't get a beige interior with the 2.3.
My last words: since Mazda wasn’t smart enough to figure this out, maybe they should give away (FREE) those sun shields for the front windshield (with the Mazda 3 logo). Hey, should I be telling this to Mazda instead?
I took the plastic piece that covers the air handler (by the passengers feet) -I can see a couple of metal tubes that (I assume) feed hot coolant to the heater core - It had been about 45 minutes since the car had been driven - and these metal tubes & the side of the heater core were still so hot I could not touch them. The heater core is located right next to AC evaperator - I planned on taking the cover off so I could take a peek inside to check for mold - but it started to get dark and I decided to wait until morning.
Seems to me that the location of the heater core is also making the AC system work extra hard - I know some cars (not the Mazda3 BTW) have a valve system that automatically shuts the flow of hot coolant off when you are on max cooling.
I may remove both heater hoses from where they go into the fire wall and insert a metal tube - so that the flow of hot coolant does not enter the heater core. I have seen this done as a temp fix when a heater core starts to leak - although it kills the heater it stops coolant from leaking onto the floor of your car. I am wondering if removing this heat loan would help the AC system. Couldn't hurt.
UMTRI-97-32 (1997)
http://www.umich.edu/~industry/PDF/97-32-Abstract.pdf
Convex rearview mirrors are currently prohibited in the U.S. as original equipment on
passenger cars except for the exterior, passenger-side position. One of the primary reasons for this restriction is a concern that convex mirrors may cause drivers to overestimate the distances to following vehicles and therefore make unsafe maneuvers.
There is a considerable amount of empirical evidence that convex mirrors do cause
overestimation, but the effect is not theoretically well understood....
Later, another study, done in year 2000 suggests, that the US got it all wrong. http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/STHF0203_7
So everywhere else the convex mirror is used on both driver side and passenger side, but here in US the government steps in to "protect" you
The European and the Aussies gets the original mirror. If somebody finds the part number and place to order from - then please post.
I was just wondering if anyone has had any problems with their mazda 3 GT moon roof? When you tilt it, it starts to make a noise and struggles a bit.
Also does anyone have problem with the diver side window not automatically going down when the button is pushed. Please some body help, I think my dealership thinks that I'm being too sensitive with my car cause i'm a girl. I hope my car isn't a lemon. It's a 2004 with 5000km I bought it in Sept. :lemon:
The drivers window also opens automatically (you need to push it to the second click, not the first). It opens fairly quickly and quietly.
I think the Canadian GT (2.3L) is the same as the US Mazda3 S. I have a 2005 3S Sedan.
I would be polite but persistent with the dealership. Eventually it will come off of the warranty and you may be left with an inoperable sunroof. Sunroof regulators can get very expensive.
Don't say I never gave you anything.
Meade
BTW All - That faint rattle - GONE! Except for adjusting my steering wheel telescope/tilt, I did nothing else. If it comes back, I'll nick name it the GREMLIN
Didn't see anything about solving the vinegar smell.
BTW - the tinting really helped the weak AC system - still far from good -
Mazda should do something to fix this defect - some posts on the "does Mazda have a future" site think Mazda should go upscale into the performance luxury segment - can you imagine this weak of an AC system in a Lexus, BMW, Acura Honda, Toyota, Chevy, Ford or Kia? Mazda should learn how to built the basics (like AC systems that actually cool the car) before trying to swim upstream.
http://www.midwestcarclub.com/mazda/manual/
Terrific find Meade!
p.s. the Protege / Protege5 service manual is also online: http://protege5.ugly.net
I just purchased a 2006 Mazda 5 (AT) last July 7th. Since then I have noticed the car showing symptoms/issues/problems that I have discovered to be related to the Mazda 3. I knew to look in here first since I know for a fact that the Mazda 5 shares platform with the Mazda 3 and equally important as well is the realization that there won't be any TSB's yet for the Mazda 5.
So far my Mazda 5 exhibits the following issues:
1. Whine noise related to the power steering
2. Scraping noise when going over speed bumps
3. Loud grinding noise at stops
4. Loud thump thump sounds on every bumps
5. Drifting to the right
6. Poor A/C Performance
Would any of you be kind enough to share your copies of TSB's so I have something to show when I finally decide to go to the dealer? Item 1 is covered by TSB# 0600204, item 2 is TSB# 0901804, and item 6 is TSB# 0700504. If you have the full details of these TSB's can I ask for copies. So far I couldn't find related TSB's for items 3,4, and 5.
Your help will be very much appreciated.
I used to have a link to a Protege/Mazda3 TSB site but it no longer seems to work. We need Meade (or someone else out there) to come to the rescue!
Mazda3 TSBs
You might find something useful there. I noticed that it lists the TSB for the steering wheel "whine" and shows the full content of that TSB (it says the noise may be caused by air trapped in the power steering fluid).
I have had nothing but problems since I bought my car. If you know anyone that wants to but a mazda in Toronto tell them not to go to Scarbrough Mazda, they have no idea what they are doing. This is only the beginning
Apart from the moonroof problem what other problems have you had?
I wish I had seen your post earlier. I would have been the first to tell you not to shop at Scarborough Mazda. Their service department is abyssmal. Go take your car a little further east to Morningside. They have well trained techs and a good service team. Failing that, make the drive north to Newmarket and/or Barrie to go to Dave Wood or NOrthwood Mazda. :sick:
No such thing as being too sensitive about your car. And gender has nothing to do with it, either. Race car drivers are a good example. With them it’s like packing your own parachute for a jump.
Moon roof – Can’t help you there – I don’t have that problem (yet) Glad to know that it might be fixed. Good luck.
Auto Driver’s Window
I’ve driven 4 cars (including the 3) with this option. All but 1 has had the same symptom at one time or another. Problem cars: 97 Toyota Camry; 98 Ford Contour; 05 Mazda 3 (just started occurring). Only our 01 Mazda MPV has not had this problem (yet); still waiting. I personally don’t like it when mechanics have to take apart my vehicle. So for something like this small problem, I would wait until the window doesn’t go up or down anymore. It sounds kind of ridiculous, but even with the other cars mentioned, not one has had a total malfunction of the driver’s window or any other window for that matter. In fact, the last time I had a total malfunction of a window (just happened to be the driver’s side) was with a manual window crank where the window had come off track. It amusing how I’ll make a big deal about the faintest of rattles/sounds and then take a ‘whatever’ approach to a quirky power window switch. I guess its all in the experience of previous ownership.
BTW - there is a TSB for the 04 models (09-032/04 2004 MAZDA3 - POWER WINDOW INOPERATIVE) Go here for more info: http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/maintenance.do
With all the recent discussions about TSBs on this forum, I’m surprised no one jumped in and brought your attention to this rather insignificant detail. Or were they hinting towards you figuring it out yourself? Either way, shame on them.
I've just purchased an '05 3 hatch (as mention in comment #1986), and although my reply has nothing to do with the moon/sunroof, I did purchase my Mazda3 at Scarborough Mazda. My sales rep was nice (I'll leave him anonymous), yet, he was your typical sales rep - denying any problems exist with the car, and giving you guilt trips for not buying the car on your first visit. Anyway, could gandalf17 and Mazdalover please give me their knowledge (other than what has been mentioned) about Scarborough Mazda? I'm curious to know more before my first oil change. I've heard some good things about Dufferin Mazda, yet, I'm not too sure if I want to give more business to Scarborough Maz if you guys are telling me they're lousy at everything they do - other than sell cars. Thanks.
So the argument could go something like this:
Does the a/c unit cycle too often? Is the a/c unit too small? Is the evap too small and too close to the heater core? Could the HVAC benefit from insulation (better/more)? Yes, yes, yes, yes, but it wouldn’t matter if the interior was a made of a lighter shade.
I estimate if all these things mentioned were to be improved at the same time, one could hang and store meat inside the 3 with the a/c running in fresh mode and the fan speed at 1 while it is sitting outside in dead of summer at 100 degrees and 100% humidity.
- The 3's glass is untinted. I notice quite a difference when the sun shines on my bare arm in the 3, as opposed to when I sit in my wife's Tribute, with factory tinted glass. This could be addressed by adding after-market tint.
- The proportionally large size of the windshield and black dash. Without a window shade, the dash and the rest of the black interior get quite warm.
Someone on another Mazda3 forum had pics of their install of insulating material around the vents in the dash. I've seen the material for sale in home improvement stores - not certain I want to take the dash apart.
I do not however think it is correct to say - the AC is fine - it is just the color of the car that is causing the problem. The complete package needs to be evaluated together - it either has the ability to provide the driver & passengers with a cool comfortable environment or it does not. Although many owners say the AC system is OK - a few even say it is "real good" - the fact that this issue is still around after 18 months tells me that Mazda has a problem that they are not addressing. I wonder if this problem will also carry over to the 2006 model - if it does that tells me Mazda really is a third rate company - not fixing the problem on the 2004 cars is bad - putting the same junk into the 2005 is worse - but letting this thing go on into the 3rd year would be a disgrace.
richml - I agree with your tint comment - I can tell a big difference - parked next to a dark gray Mazda3 with plain windows - and also think the tint looks much better - would be worth getting a tint job done just for the looks.
But I also notice that the sun penetrates the interior far to easily, leaving half my body hot and the other half freezing. Been putting off the tint too busy.
I would have liked more fan speed settings. Typically 2 is not enough, but 3 starts to freeze my head. There is also no outlet settings for air flow i.e. you cannot shut the center air flow to direct more towards the windows.
I’m not sure what the problem is, just glad I don’t have it.
Maybe it's a trim thing... .which I don't think. It's all the same parts inventory pretty much.
One of the better studies available was done by Jan Null, Adjunct Professor, Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University. In her report, "Study of Excessive Temperatures in Enclosed Vehicles", August 2003, she measured interior vehicle temperatures of different coloured vehicles while they were sitting in the sun. While several tests were done, here is a typical example of her results. On a 25C (77F) cloudless day, the vehicle interior temperature reached 35.6C (96F) in ten minutes, 41.1C (106F) within twenty minutes and 43.3C (110F) in half an hour. Letting the vehicle sit for a full sixty minutes, the temperature continued to climb to 50C (122F). Letting it sit longer had no appreciable increase in interior temperature.
Both dark blue and light grey vehicles were used. We all know dark vehicles heat up more. Right? Wrong! While exterior surface temperatures may differ, Null found only minor differences in interior temperatures. Even opening the side windows 1.5 inches made little difference in the end results.
All I know is if I park my black car next to my silver PU truck and let them sit in the sun for a while - the hood of my black car gets so hot that (if I touch it) it will burn my hand - the silver PU - is warm - but no where close to being hot enough to burn.
Something just does not add up -
I will guess - the darker color absorbs more heat - stores it - so when you touch a dark surface it feels hotter than a light color that reflects the heat. The air temp above the hood of my black car & silver PU however is the same.
I don't care what - Jan Null, Adjunct Professor, Department of Geosciences, San Francisco State University says - a car with a dark interior is harder to cool than one with a light color - again I think this is because the darker color absorbs more heat and this heat must be removed before the car feels cool.
This study has been done a number of times.... and, has consistently shown that exterior colors have little to no effect on interior temperatures...
I believe them..
Howver, I think interior colors have a large effect.
regards,
kyfdx
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Agreed (although I can't "prove" it). Some of the temperatures mentioned after a half hour sitting in the sun are amazing!