Mazda Protegé

protege_fan · April 2002

Not me, my friend. Sorry

Airbags
If you look in the manual, there is a diagram showing what angle of impact is required for the airbags to deploy. Perhaps you were not within this range?

mdaffron · April 2002

I hate to tell you, but your agent doesn't, and can't, have any idea what's going to happen to your rate. Underwriters at corporate HQ will make that determination, and there's no way they can do it until AFTER the bill's been paid. Also, whatever happens in the period of time between now and when your policy comes up for renewal will have a lot to do with it -- as will the last five years of your driving record.

Has there been an estimate on the Jeep's repair costs?

Meade

mazdafun · April 2002

Got the info. Probably be going solo, and I've driven to Chi-town for day trips before for business, so I'm not afraid of it. However, my wife's been wanting to go to Chicago for a weekend trip for a while, so this might be a good opportunity.

Now, before Meade tromps all over me, I am considering going out to MAPP this year. It'll definitely be a weekend trip. Might spend a couple more days out there to see my family (got a brother and most everyone on my father's side out that ways).

mileage · April 2002

I have had the same transmission problem. The computer recorded no codes.

meinrad · April 2002

You've got to remember where you park those things.

Have you used Mazda's inventory feature? You can check whats on dealer lots all around you. Might take some time but worth a shot.

speedypt · April 2002

Well...I tell you what, if mine goes up by more than what the agent quoted me, I'll have them pay the difference....

I doubt that my agent is feeding me soup, since they've estimated on the conservative side since I signed with them. I've always gotten straightforward and accurate answers from my State Farm agents. I doubt that they would start misleading me now.

No repair estimates on the Jeep as of yet. I am betting it will be less than $700.00 judging by the amount of damage (or lack thereof) that his car sustained.

I think the Sport20 owner was Jeremy DeHart? At least that's what I was told on the protegeclub board. I hope I can contact him soon. I'm gettin' the itch to create a Silver Sport 20!!!

Regards,

Pete

mdaffron · April 2002

Please remember that I'm still reeling from what happened to our insurance (getting canceled, that is) and my agent and I are now at the end of a relationship that lasted almost 12 years. So I'm a little pissed at insurance companies in general right now, and now that he's educated me on the inner workings of why we got canceled, I'm still walking around kind of stupefied at the whole biz.

Of course I wish you the best. But I'm starting to take the "expect the worst" stance in these matters.

And yes, I believe you're right. Jeremy was the Sport20 guy. I've got a pic or two of his car in the MAPP II folder on the Yahoo group. Good luck!

Meade

vocus · April 2002

I have State Farm insurance. They told me one time you have to get a total of 3 tickets to get cancelled, but that's all I know about that one.

If you think you are unlucky, try this one on for size. My co-worker had a head-on collision on New Year's Eve. He walked away, but his 1996 Concorde was totalled. Then the Sunday before last, someone turned left in front of him while he was going 40mph. Totalled the 1990 junker Ford Taurus he was driving, $2300 in damages. He has State Farm too, but both of his accidents were not his fault. He still has insurance though.

draymond2 · April 2002

How did you get the problem resolved? What was the problem?

I just dropped my car off for the 2nd time this morning, I hope I don't have to wait another 2 weeks to get my car back.

chicagopro · April 2002

Hey, it would be great to see you and your wife at the Chicago meet.

Sounds like you're familiar with the area, but my offer still stands...I'll be happy to show you guys around or give you suggestions on things to do while you're here.

Keep us posted on your plans.

--Dale

newcar31 · April 2002

Hmm..things to do in Chicago. I'd definately have to check out a Cubs game, then go to Pat's pizza. Some bars are open to 5 AM....;)

the_big_h · April 2002

... for Edmund's Consumer's most wanted. the link's on the left column. Put in your vote to make sure the Protege/Protege5 wins their respective classes!!!!

mdaffron · April 2002

I got to question 21 out of 30 (before getting to the Protege5, oh well) and Edmunds froze up on me and then booted me from the question list. When I tried to get back in, it said I had already voted and could only vote once. Good ol' Edmunds. Oh well, at least I got to vote for the Protege in its category.

Meade

chicagopro · April 2002

Okay, Chow-chi, one more thing to consider before you head out here next week. We actually want to have another meet later this spring/summer, when more of the college kids will be around (and when Speedypt's ride will be all fixed up again:). The date for that hasn't been set yet...it's still an idea, but we're really going to try to do it. We'll see how things go this time around. So that's something else to keep in mind. Either way, it would be great to see you.

Todd: Yeah, bars in Chicago are open until either 2:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. depending on their liquor license; they all get to close an hour later on Saturday nights. And you should try to make it to a Chicago meet, too!

--Dale

vocus · April 2002

I did the most wanted already. I voted for the Protege5 as the best wagon, but I voted for a different small sedan...

maltb · April 2002

hehehe.

newcar31 · April 2002

I voted for the Jetta as the best mexican small sedan. ;0

dsm6 · April 2002

the Honda Civic

(no, not really)

sunrup · April 2002

My protege 02, two weeks old, has two problems and is back in the shop today:
The security system just goes off without any reason, I spent the whole of last night turning it off and worrying that in the morning I will be handed my eviction notice for causing noise pollution!
The second problem: The airconditioner is disappointing, over the last two days we have had 92+ deg heat here in Northern VA. THe airconditioner was just blowing somewhat cool air at full blast. The dealer claims that the AC unit is normal.
Has anyone had these problems? I am kinda sick of the service adviser allocated to me at the dealership, he treats me like he is doing me a favor.

protege_fan · April 2002

I don't have the security system so I can't comment on that.

As for the AC, many people here that live in warmer climates have stated that the AC blows very cold air in a matter of moments. I know that here in Calgary, when it does get relatively hot out, the AC on my Pro performs excellently. I've got an '01 LX 2.0.

mdaffron · April 2002

Make sure your temp control is set all the way to cold, and make sure you turn on the recirculate switch. If you're trying to cool the outside air constantly, (a) the air conditioner works harder and (b) the air is more humid. By placing the climate system into recirculate, you're constantly re-cooling air that's already been cooled. Our 2000 ES and 2002 Protege5 have excellent, ice-cold air conditioners that pump out air in the high-40 degree range -- and we live down in Richmond where it was 94 yesterday.

BTW, congrats on your Protege purchase. I don't know if you've been following the thread here, but we're going to be getting together a couple of dozen owners and their cars on Saturday, May 18 at Shenandoah River State Park outside of Front Royal. If you want to come and meet some of us, compare cars, and enjoy some good food, e-mail me and I'll give you all the details!

Meade
mdaffron@the-rma.org

maltb · April 2002

what color is your car?

mdaffron · April 2002

The third-annual Mid-Atlantic Protege Picnic is in exactly one month!

Looking forward to it!

Meade
Event Guru

mdaffron · April 2002

If you're gonna say dark colors are harder to cool, well ... mine's a pretty doggoned dark Emerald Mica and it does fine. In fact, my little buddy is gracing the Yahoo! group's home page right now, sitting atop my parking deck with my building in the background. A nice urban Protege shot.

Meade

protege_fan · April 2002

I thought your car was black??

mdaffron · April 2002

Had a black car once. Been there, done that. Never again. Go take a look at the Yahoo! group's home page.

Meade

protege_fan · April 2002

Oh....in all your pics on Yahoo, your car looks black! Hmmmm...

Mike-the colour blind?

mdaffron · April 2002

Well, actually, it is hard to get that car to look green for the camera, for some reason.

Oh well, it IS Emerald Mica.

Meade

P.S. How DARE you insult my car with a racial slur!!!

protege_fan · April 2002

It's REALLY dark green! The fender in one corner has some good light on it, and you can tell...but other than that, it looks almost black because of the low lighting.

Isn't that dark of a green just as much a problem as black?

maltb · April 2002

that he can't spell color correctly.

Gotta keep some healthy cross-border tensions alive.

mdaffron · April 2002

The green has enough flake in it so that small amounts of dirt and dust just look like part of the finish. When you've got a black car, ANY dirt or dust shows! And having owned a black car, I can say that swirl marks and other things show up MUCH more on a black car. (Vocus can probably shed some opinion here too.) And it really isn't close-to-black as it appears in those photos. Let me go try to find a better pic around here somewhere ....

Meade

newcar31 · April 2002

I had a problem with my A/C. I had taken a 5 hour road trip to northern Minnesota last summer and the A/C quit working about 3 hours into the trip. The fan barely blew any air (even on the "4" setting) and the air that it did blow was warm. I stopped to get something to eat and when I came back to the car, the A/C worked just fine. On the way back, it did it again about 2 hours into the trip. I parked the car, let it sit a while, and the A/C worked fine again. When I took it to the dealer, they said the could not duplicate the problem, therefore they could not fix it. Obviously, the reason why they could not duplicate the problem is because it only happens with extended A/C use which leads me to believe that something is freezing up (condensor, compressor, I dunno know) and when I park the car, the frozen part thaws out. I don't go on many road trips, so I don't know how I will ever be able to duplicate the problem and if I do, I will be far away from a Mazda dealer. IMO, they shouldn't have to duplicate the problem to be able to fix it. I am not about to let a dealer tech take my car on a road trip to diagnose it and I doubt the dealer would want to either. They already know the symptom, they just need to diagnose it. I guess as long as it's documented, I won't worry about it.

vocus · April 2002

My 2001 Protege was black, and it was a nightmare to keep clean and scratch free. Every LITTLE tiny thing showed up on the finish. And talk about hot in the summer! UGH! I had to get the windows tinted dark in order to cool the car inside. I will never, ever own another black car again!

vocus · April 2002

Both of the AC systems in my Proteges (99 silver DX and 2001 black ES) were pretty good. The one in the black car seemed to not get as cool though, but I think that's because it was black.

protege_fan · April 2002

Malt...up here in Cana-duh, we're taught "english", not your so-called "American english." Ususally, I spell words the "American way," like "color" and "neighbor" instead of "colour" and "neighbour", but lately I've decided to show off (read mess with your minds) and spell the Canadian way. Good one, eh?

BTW, I don't think we need any more border tensions after yesterday's training fiasco...sad, sad day.

But I digress...this is not the place to discuss such things.

mdaffron · April 2002

Check these out. They're of Larry's (protegextwo) Emerald Mica 2000 ES at MAPP II. Taken with a more forgiving camera:

http://mazdaprotege.net/meets/mapp2/larry1.jpg

http://mazdaprotege.net/meets/mapp2/larry2.jpg

(With a special thumbs-up to Larry's laborious work that has resulted in an exquisite finish on his car! No wonder his Yahoo! username is "ilovetodetailmycar.")

Meade

protege_fan · April 2002

Somebody please explain to me why they think the car's exterior paint being black would reflect the interior temperature?
This should be interesting....

vocus · April 2002

It's true. Dark colors absorb more heat. Go outside when it's hot in a light colored shirt. Then go change into a black shirt. You can feel the difference.

My VW is white, and even with black leather, it doesn't get nearly as hot inside as the black Protege did.

protege_fan · April 2002

Ah...much clearer in that pic..thanks. Compare those to your pics...maybe you'll see why I thought it was black.

protege_fan · April 2002

That's not the same though.

mdaffron · April 2002

Check out Larry, ever the anal, polishing his car at MAPP II. Man, check out that FINISH!

http://mazdaprotege.net/meets/mapp2/LarryPolishes.JPG

Meade

mdaffron · April 2002

... as well as make some of you who can't make it to MAPP III really jealous. Check out Jeremy's baby!

http://mazdaprotege.net/meets/mapp2/jeremyd3.jpg

Meade

(OK, I'm finished.)

protege_fan · April 2002

Isn't that the Sport 20 front end??? Wasn't Pete looking to find out who had done that????

mdaffron · April 2002

Look at my post. I SAID it answered this morning's question, and the URL of the link has Jeremy's NAME in it. Do I need to spell it out for you, or has the Arctic cold slowed down your synapses?

;-)

Meade

mdaffron · April 2002

Check out EVERYBODY'S cars!

http://mazdaprotege.net/meets/mapp2/

Meade

P.S. You can even (sniff!) see (whimper) Paul's beloved, short-lived, never-to-be-forgotten (sobbb) black 2001 ES there...... WAAAAAHHHHHH)

vocus · April 2002

Now you had to post that link from MAPP II. You make me miss my Protege now.

maltb · April 2002

I trade my car out every year. I know for a fact that some colors of the SAME cars tend to be hotter than other colors. I never get the same color two years in a row so it's always exciting to try and guess how hot the interior will be. Right now we have a White MPV and it is way cooler then the red and even somewhat cooler than the Silver. My last truck was black, this one is red and the next one will be silver. I have gone from dark to light many times and it does make a big difference.

My heart goes out to the families of those killed and to the ones that who were injured. A real tragedy.

mdaffron · April 2002

Meade

dsm6 · April 2002

Ugh. The next time a service technician tries to tell me that a real, genuine problem with my car is just "normal" for that car, I'm going to shoot him or her! I hate that! Oh, so the AC isn't really supposed to be able to really cool down the car, huh? It is supposed to just tease you with some mildly cool air without really giving any relief. Yeah, right. That's exactly how it is intended to work, I'm sure. Mine blows plenty cold, as it should - as should be "normal" for any AC in any car. I'd take it to another service department.

If I had a nickel for every time I've been told a genuine problem is just "normal" for that car, only to bring the car back in later for a repair - well, maybe the real problem is that the domestics I've been driving until now have been built like crap.

Sorry for the rant, but boy does that burn me up. I'm still angry about the noise the Chevy I just sold was making. I took it in to have it checked out while the car was still under warranty. I was told it was "normal for this car." A few years later, after the car is out of warranty, I get a hold of the TSBs for the car. Turns out the noise was caused by loose piston pins that needed replacing. The worst part - the TSB was out long before I took the car in. So he was either incompetent, lazy, a liar, or all three. This was by no means an isolated case - shall we talk about my whining alternators - twice, or my leaking fuel injectors causing chugging at start-up, or my scraping supercharger, or my noisy transmission. Jerks.

vocus · April 2002

That's why I always get on the web and research TSBs and things like that. I took my Protege in for an alignment problem when I first got it. The steering wheel was crooked a little bit, but they kept saying the alignment was perfect. I told them to check the TSBs on it (yeah, I had to TELL THEM, they didn't automatically do it). It turns out there was a TSB for the steering wheel being mounted wrong. They remounted it, and it was fine.

The best line I received from a service tech..."Why don't you just drive the car and enjoy it?". That came from a Chevy tech when I took my 1996 Cavalier in for a rattle in the front. It turned out to be a bad strut. And that statement cost him his job.

Mazda Protegé

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