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Comments
What ever you call it - the E/P brake on the Mazda is not much good at stopping the car - which I would most likely never even have noticed if I was not about to giving a driving lesson to my 16 year old.
Even if one of your brake lines completely fails (say the rear) the system is designed so that you will still have braking power on the front brakes. The good news is the chance of ever needing to use the parking brake as an emergency brake is very small.
What? Is it April fool's already?
Since I park in a warm garage at night that helps - but even after letting the car sit outside in the "cold" all day it would warm up pretty fast.
I think the HVAC in the Mazda was designed to handle temps between 40 and 80 degrees. Anyone know if there is a place on Earth where the temp never gets below 40 or above 80?(outside that is)
Mazda must have tested the Mazda3 HVAC at an indoor facility.
2,000 miles problems:
-rattling. on dash, behind steering wheel, glovebox, the usual locations. too lazy to fix, i have the music on all the time. the rattles used to bother me A LOT but i guess i ignore them now. i want them fixed, though.
-when i go over bumps, i hear a squeak/'jeeeek' from the front tires? axel? somewhere around the front, not sure where. i'm not an automobile expert. i really need to figure this one out. i think it might be harmful.
-today i noticed that with the windows open (why do i have the windows open in the middle of winter? because i had pizza in the car and wanted to preserve the new car smell), i hear distinctive squeaking.. like metal... near the tires, i think. DEFINITELY problematic.
-the trunk opener. IS broken. it was broken before i bought it though, so i should just go to the dealership (they agreed to fix it). by broken, i mean i cannot open it from the outside with the key.
-HVAC is a piece of [non-permissible content removed]. no, really. in 30 degree weather the HVAC absolutely does not work. it simply pumps out cold air, and i can't see out the window because they fog up and i cannot get the HCAV to work fast enough. should i let the car idle for 5 minutes or what? it's so annoying. my commuite is 5 minutes and even by the time i get to my destination the car is STILL freezing. ridiculous.
observations:
-why is it that when i use the keyless entry the car doesn't honk or something? (unless i do it twice in a row while locking) i just think it'd be nice to at least have a 'beep' or something, so i can just walk away the car without trying to see if the lights have flashed... you know.. it looks so much more smoother that way.
-the glovebox design is horrible. the moment i opened it at the dealership i knew there were going to be rattling problems.
-the back seats........ did anyone realize that you can essentially tear it off? not sure about you, but my seats are very lose around the edges. its really.. cheap
-the steering wheel makes a very loud whirring sound when i am going slow speeds. its very annoying.
positives:
other than that, i enjoy the mazda3. i'm a A to B type of person, though. i do enjoy the handling, although sometimes the steering seems a little too quick? like on the high way i am usually forced to use both my hands. oh well, thats fine i think thats just a characteristic of the mazda3. people love the 3 - many people say it looks 'pretty' which i think is pretty damn positive.
i guess i need to get my oil changed soon. gulp!
guess i have to drive 60 miles to the dealership!
This is actually a courteous design, IMO--and many other cars work this way. The reason is that many people live in the city, and the beeping from everyone locking their doors can be a nuisance, especially in the summer when the windows are open. This way, you can lock the doors silently and if you really have to have confirmation that the doors are locked (e.g. you weren't looking at the car when you pushed the button), you can simply push it again to hear the beep.
I lived in Minnesota for several years - born and raised up north - so I really do know what cold is - I think it was the winter of 86 or 87 the HIGH temp for the month of January was BELOW ZERO - with many days 15 to 25 below zero and that is without counting wind chill. I recall when the temp finally got up to about 25 degrees - people were going outside without their coats on - it seemed almost warm.
My HVAC issues are with the AC - it always seemed strange -someone from Canada or Colorado would say "my AC works great" - knowing that the high temp in July was like 74 degrees - why would you even need AC.
Thankfully I am close to my Mazda dealer. 60 Miles (one way?) for an oil change is too far -
That's my two cents, I'd recommend Dunlop definitely! The NTB guy that I bought them off from was surprised when he talked with his reseller. Apparently these tires are one of the best out there and the NTB guy thought I was nuts when I specifically asked for them.
John.
Results? The Mazda3 heats up about twice as fast as my 2000 Protege did, and the defroster works extremely well as long as you let it do its job without trying to change the settings it uses.
Meade
And does anyone know how to stop the incessant beeping when I don't put on my seat belt. I'm sorry, but there's something about my car telling me to put on my seat belt, and if I don't it will annoy me to no end. Thanks.
I would say that if the roads do get slippery, then I would honestly say find a better set of tires than the OEMs. The Goodyear tires have been reportedly bad in the rain and snow conditions. From experience with them so far in Boston, I would say that's true. When the car goes through a small puddle of water on the highway at 65mpg, the car does quickly jerk to one side, which is a BAD reaction to a small amount of water.
I decided to keep the '01 Protege for one more Buffalo winter...did the timing belt, had to get my horn replaced and had to repair the front fender and driver's door as a shopping cart slammed into it one windy afternoon. (I didn't "have to" get it fixed, but decided to since I want the car looking reasonably well)
Anyway, still cross shopping various cars...drove a Subaru Impreza wagon last night and was not as impressed as I thought I would be...the steering wasn't as tight as I thought it would be, the brakes seemed subpar and the seats didn't fit my frame comfortably. The car had a nice set of options though. The M3 hatch looks like it might fit the bill better...especially when cleaning out my classroom at the end of the year.
Keep you posted.
Garth
IMO the best place to do tire research is at WWW.tirerack.com - they cover many brands and give more detail than you will need to know about the specs of each tire. You can also read reviews from people who rate the tires -
I am thinking about Kumho ASX to replace my stock Goodyear tires - they have an all season rating - plus the tread wear is listed as 420 - traction AA (highest rating) and the temperature rating is also A (highest)
Most of the reviews I have read are good - and for the money they seem unbeatable.
My second choice is a Yokohama YK420 that is only sold by Discount Tire -
Also had the A/C checked and it's "within specs" as I thought it would be. The wife was concerned. The a/c always works fine for me in South Florida...I leave the switch at 2 usually and it cools fine. I know the black interior doesn't help and I doubt we'd buy another car with a black interior again. We really like grey interiors.
Zoom Zoom!
The Sandman
After i pulled out of the station, as soon as I pulled away from the first red light I stalled. Should i be concerned that it happened considering the car only has 800 miles on it(all by me). or do you think it was just a case of the engine flooding because of the jerk at the gas station?
Car was fine the rest of the way home, stop n go to brooklyn, about 50 miles
Brake grind - My car is at the dealer now - waiting for parts.
The brake pads to solve the grinding came in - but - while waiting - I measured the rear rotor and by my calculation it was already worn down to almost 9MM (which is Mazda minimum spec) I ask them to take another look and sure enough the rotor was already LESS than Mazda spec for thickness - the tech said the back side of the rotor was "really worn" and there was no way it could be turned down and be safe.
Since Mazda has two different brake pads - one to solve the grinding noise and a different part number if the rotor gets replaced they now need to ordered rear rotors and a different set of brake pads. No one at the dealership could tell me why Mazda has two different sets of brake pads for the same car. I just hope that after they replace my rotors and pads that I don't end up with the same exact problem - It would also be nice if the rear brake dust build up on the rear wheels would be reduced.
Do you know - what the part number is of the pads that they put on your car?
Did they turn your rotors? or replace them?
Thanks for any help.
Salesman was ok. Seemed as above board as I would expect from a car salesman. I used to be in retail, so I'm familiar with what a salesperson will do to make a sale.
The person that did the financing, although, very friendly, caught me off guard. And I really should have asked more questions than I did. But I certainly don't feel like I got taken.
All I can say about the 3 is the price of gas being what it is, I would have loved to have gotten the 2.3, rather than the 2.0, but I'm gonna be puttin about 80miles a day 5 days a week on it and I really wanted to keep the gas bill down. I have been known, at least to my dad(who is a retired nyc cabdriver) to have a lead foot when it comes to driving. I really haven't noticed it struggle to keep up with my supposed lead foot...... yet. But I'll reserve that judgement for next summer when I run the AC, constantly. Thats when I'll probably feel the difference on the hills on route 78 in jersey
He insisted and the problem was a defective Tire.
Check your tire on the side that is pulling and ask the dealer to replace it under warranty.
My Mazda 3 had one tire that exploded (probably defective), but the dealer said it was the road. I checked the internet and the tires are really bad quality, I could notice when I just bought the car.
I had all my tires replaced by AVON tires and the car drives much better now.
In addition to the harsh 1-2 shift I also had this
Lets say I stopped at a red light and wanted to turn LEFT - but a car straight across was going straight - so they have the right of way - after the light turns green I would pull very slowly into the intersection to give the car going straight time to get by - even though I was going very slow my auto would shift into 2nd gear - then after the other car went by when I stepped on the gas the tranny would down shift into first gear -
After the re-flash it seems like my tranny now just stays in first gear. So it fixed more than just the harsh 1-2 shift.
I printed this out (from another Mazda board) and took it into my dealer -
A CUSTOMER STATES THAT TRANSMISSION SHIFT HARD ON 1-2 UPSHIFT MAINLY WHEN COLD, PERFORM TCM REFLASH PER SERVICE MANAGER.
CAUSE: REFLASH PCM
F0010XFX POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE - REFLASHING
BTW - they do several other tests before they do the re-flash - check fluid, test drive, check for fault codes - even though they could not duplicate my harsh shift and everything checked out they still did the re-flash.
I'll take your advice to the dealer for fix.
I know the owners manual says to check the electrolyte (water) level AT LEAST once per week - doubt many owners actually follow this recommendation. I try and check it after every oil change - so far I have not needed to add any water - until now anyway.
Checked it today and it was down about half way between the full and low lines - took about 16 ounces of distilled water to fill it back up.
The last time I had a car battery than needed water added was back in the 1970's - my motorcycle (just sold it last month) battery needed water - as do my boat batteries.
Is this something Mazda uses with all their vehicles?
I recall when I took delivery - was told that Mazda does not cover the battery for the full warranty term (prorated I think).
From my prior experience if you need to keep adding water it is a sign that your battery will need to be replaced soon.
Is anyone else needing to add water?
BTW - Walmart will install it for free!
I'm excited to join this forum! After having a "sh-load" of good and bad domestic vehicles, I have decided to take on my first import and after researching long and hard for the "perfect" lux-sport economy car, I decided to take the plunge for a 2006 Mazda 3s GT sedan loaded with every possible option and I am LOVING IT. In addition to the Mazda 3, I have a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica AWD Limited which both share the core features that I always wanted on a vehicle: Xenon's, Navigation System, Trip Computer and Premium Audio systems with Satellite radio.
I opted for the Titanium color since it's very popular whenever I am looking at 3's on the road. BULLIT (as I call her) has approximately 700 miles on the odometer after approximately one-month of ownership. I just relocated from the midwest (Ohio) to California, therefore the vehicle hasn't been driven that much given that I have been traveling back and forth up until now. Today was my first "long drive" experience here in Southern California and I was sure to get acclimated to all the features of the vehicle including the trip computer.
I've read through several postings on this forum and noticed that there were quite a few issues surrounding the 2004 and 2005 model years. Overall does anyone have feedback concerning their experience thus far with the 2006 models? Now with 700 miles on the odometer, today I took a 200 mile trip and was quite impressed with the overall MPG, comfortness and agility of the vehicle. However, I was a little concerned with the shift-points of the automatic 5 speed transmission. Maybe since the vehicle is still "learning" my driving habits, it seems as if the downshifts do not happen as timely as they should? Prior to my purchase, I had rented a 2006 i model for over a week and it seemed to have better suited shift points with 12K on the odometer. It was an absolute blast to drive and thus convinced me to take the plunge on a new 3s model. Is this something that will eventually get better over time? Other than that, I have 700 flawless miles on the odometer and I am really enjoying the vehicle. Hopefully it will remain trouble-free throughout my duration of ownership. :-)
Thanks for reading and I look forward getting to chat with everyone!
IExplore2000
Its really not that big of a deal - you just don't want the electrolyte level to get so low that the cell part of the battery is exposed to air - this is very bad for your battery. BTW you add distilled water to the battery - the charging process turns the water into acid.
Not sure about the other car companies - I know GM will replace a bad battery - under warranty - no cost - over the full term of the warranty. The fact that Mazda does not (I was told this at closing) made me think that they must know that the battery may not last 4 years. I did not know - was not told - did not ask - if the battery was the type that needed water. I just assumed it was maintenance free. It would not have made any difference to me anyway - a battery is less than $50.
You can buy distilled water at any grocery store - costs a little over $1.00 a gallon.
I need to add water to my boat batteries all the time - let me give you some advise - DON"T OVER FILL - add a little at a time - I use an old turkey baster.
You would be better off being a little BELOW the top "full" line on the side of the battery - rather than be over full. When the car is running and the battery is being charged it actually "boils" the fluid (air bubbles come up) - it expands some and if over full the acid will come out the top of the battery and cause all kinds of issues. Obviously acid is corrosive.
I don't want to give anyone the idea that a non maintenance free battery is bad - they work just as good / will last as long (if maintained) as a maintenance free type. I would not run out and replace my battery just because of this - you could always ask Mazda to check the electrolyte level when you get your oil changed.
I wonder how much Mazda saved per car using this battery? Couldn't be much more than $5.00 - I guess small amounts add up - $5.00 over 200,000 cars is (gulp) $1,000,000.
Curious commentary ... I agree with the last part. They are both excellent choices. The Mazda6, however, has some reliability questions, see Consumer Reports for more information.