Mazda 3 Steering & Suspension Questions
sagrarioluque7
Member Posts: 3
in Mazda
Guys and gals, I was on my way back from my easter holiday and the steering wheel went really stiff and the power steering light went on. The owner's manual said to shut the car off and the light would go off. It actually did, but it went back on after a while. Do you guys have any idea what's going on? And how may I fix that problem. I live in Central America by the way, and drive a 2.3 Mazda 3.
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Give yourself time. If the tires/car still feel unsafe have someone take a look at it. I still cringe a bit when I go through the intersection where my previous car was struck.
This will be the spot to discuss any Mazda 3 steering/suspension problems or questions.
If it's still there or getting worse after like 5 days you might want to have your dealer take a look, but I'd bet it will fade away shortly.
You're still getting used to the car and ANY noises it makes are going to seem strange at first. I just bought a new car in Feb, had the "new exhaust" smell and have learned most of the noises that it makes that are different from my past vehicles.
Hope you're enjoying your new ride!
My mechanic says the pump was flooded with water. I have a problem. Here, in Honduras the only Mazda 3 2.3 are brought from the states as was mine. The dealership only brings 2.0 so the dealership wont go near it. What can I do? Where can i find Mazda 3 2.3 pumps on the internet? Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
How did you pump get flooded with water? :sick:
This is the statement that this forum made in March, 2007:
"Does anyone feel that there is any difference, say an improvement or a degradation in any way with Mazda, whether it's customer service, management style or reliability because Ford owns Mazda?"
Before we dive too far out on this topic, is everyone aware that Ford does NOT own Mazda?
Ford owns a controlling stake (about 33%) of Mazda; that is a bit different from actually OWNING Mazda.
FWIW, while I was shopping for new rubber, I noticed that TireRack is having a closeout sale on the very well regarded Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires (they used to be $165 for the 205/50 R17s that my car needs, and while supplies last, they're $120), and so I ordered a set of four. As things stand right now, I'll have the new rubber mounted on my car next Tuesday, and that means that I'll have a spare set of Goodyear Eagle RS-As in the above size with less than 500 miles on them. Hello? Craig's list?
Best regards,
Shipo
Tires are going to be the major factor in wet weather handling and I'd look there almost exclusively rather than assuming some kind of design problem with the car.
First time I went away from that was in the early 90's and I was amazed how much more tread life I got with a different brand. So my attention turned to "saving money" by getting better wearing and performing tires and not having to change them as often.
I've been running Kelly tires on my cars for years now, and just got 59,000+ out of a set of Navigator Golds on my one vehicle. The Continentals that came on my newest vehicle were horrible in the rain right from the outset (again, compared to what I had become accustomed to with the Kellys) and the day they were completely shot at just under 30,000 miles was a day I looked forward to. On the recommendation of a buddy who owns a tire shop and garage I'm trying Cooper CS4's this time around. About 10,000 miles into the set and I'm very happy with them.
Like many other folks, I usually run through the OEM tires before upgrading to newer/better rubber, however, with winter looming, the RS-As will be history by Tuesday.
Best regards,
Shipo
those same Goodyears on it and I upgraded to Kuhmos Ecsta Asx's after
2000 miles - great price(Tirerack.com),great handling,no hydroplaning
not for deep snow, as the 3 sits low and uses a 50 series tire. If you're
really worried about snow and ice you might have to go to a 2nd set of
dedicated snow tires as I'm doing with the 'speed3(Michelin x ice).
I can't say enough for the Kumho's though, have had them on 2 different
cars and although they're not a name brand icon - they're a real bargain
and about half the price of the Goodyears and were very good in rain and
light snow.
With that said, I was not all that shot with the aftermarket 16" wheels I looked at, and even if I had found a set I liked; the available tire sizes that won't cause speedometer error in the 16" world are precious few and far between. The other option is to stay in the 17" world by going to a 17x7.5 wheel and then moving to a 225/45 R17, however, with TPMS sensors we're taking $1,800 for the set. Said another way, more than 10% of the value of the car just for the wheels and tires.
As you already know, I opted for "Plan-B" instead, and bought a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires in the factory size. That should last me a year or two before I'm faced with this decision. ;-)
Best regards,
Shipo
I replaced the Goodyears with Michelin Pilot Exalta A/S tires after only about 10K miles, and the Goodyears had so little tread left that I didn't even get anything for them on trade-in. The Michelin's are amazing, especially on wet roads. Since we have four distinct seasons where I live, in winter I drive on Bridgestone Blizzak WS60's, and haven't had even one "scary" moment.
If anyone has any experience with the Mazda 3 on roads like these please share your experiences.
Thanks again...
"Back roads that are gravel and dirt" describes quite a wide range of conditions. I've been on some well travelled gravel and dirt roads that lead back to houses off of the beaten path that I'd feel uneasy about in anything but a 4x4.
I'd be more worried about how the car will handle the road conditions than how it will handle. The ground clearance on a Mazda3 s Touring hatch is only 4.8". How rough are the roads you're talking about?
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