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Mazda Protegé

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Comments

  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    what turned out to be a free TSB warranty fix could end up costing me a couple hundred dollars worth of Mazdaspeed struts. Would they only charge me labor on 3 struts?...lol. Nah, I'll wait for that stuff. Besides, if I was to do that I'd do it myself in my garage and bring the strut/spring assemblys to a buddy at a shop with a spring compressor if I needed it. Whatever Mazda will fix for free, I'll have them do it, otherwise I'm doing it.
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    They should last over 75,000 miles if there's nothing wrong with them. Replacing just the one leaker at 25,000 miles should be OK.

    I replaced the struts and springs on my '89 323 at somewhere past 90,0000 miles. They didn't really need to be replaced, but I figured it was preventive maintenance.

    When you rotate your wheels, it's easy to check on your suspension parts (disc-brake pads, springs, struts, links, boots etc.), so you can inspect your struts for leaking fluid then.

    BTW, are the front axles supposed to have the little hub caps (about 2.5in in diameter) like the rear ones do? I have a '99LX. Seems like there should be something to keep water and debris out of the axle area.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    We just went over the "noisy suspension on cold mornings" thing a week or so ago.

    My 2000 ES is my third Protege; my wife's 2002 P5 makes four I/we have owned. All four share this phenomenon.

    It has to do with the rubber compound used in the struts, or so I'm told, and it's completely normal. Funny; it's not the rear that I've ever heard; it is and always has been the front struts that do it in mine.

    I pull out of the driveway and onto the street each cold morning and ... "scrunch!" Thereafter all's hunky-dory.

    A little character, I say. Like his Daddy, Zoomster don't wanna get up at 6:15.

    Meade
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    mazdafun---I did check my rear struts when I put my winter tires on. They weren't leaking.

    meade--I thought the noise was normal also, but the dealer is the one who pointed out the leaking strut. Who knows, maybe the noise has nothing to do with the leaking strut?
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    That or between my wife's 2002 and my 2000, we have four leaking struts!

    Meade
  • protege_fanprotege_fan Member Posts: 2,405
    My struts (or whatever) still creak even if I've been out on an extended jaunt. And this is even when it's just a few degrees below 0 C (32 F).
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    They're not opening up the engine to fix the valves are they?

    If that's the case and there is NO damage to the engine if knocking, I'd rather have the engine knock than anyone opening my new engine and sticking their paws inside. Who knows how well they'll put things back together...

    Did they say how long it's supposed to take IF they had the parts ready? I don't think Mazda dealers here offer loaners and they probably would not give me one to drive anyway (the age restriction sometime applies in regards to rentals - I'm 22 BTW).

    Dinu
  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
    I ask the question to malt on the Protege5 problem board, and he told that the valve to be replaced is the one outside the engine. The labor time is 0.8 hour (=48 minutes!) according to the TSB.

    I'll drop my car Thursday to the dealer for them to take a look. They weren't aware about the TSB until my call. I double they have a part ready.

    Bruno
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Like bruno says, the part is on the outside of the engine. They didn't have the part. I dropped it off last night at 8, and they say it will be ready tommorow at 3. I'm assuming they did the ECU flash programming and strut replacement today and they are just waiting for the VCTS part to come in. Mazda Cananda doesn't have the rental program? I rented a car in California when I was 21, don't know about the rules in Canada.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Well since next week is car shopping week in the Great White North (well silver lately - plenty of ice to make Antarctica blush), and I'll hopefully have a 6 to test drive (off topic I know), I might just take my PRO and drop it off for a day and see what they can do about the TSB. I'll actually print it: just in case they "don't know" what I'm talking about :)

    Will keep everyone posted on this one. And yeah, when it's freezing (like -19C, -29C w/windchill today!), I sometimes hear a suspension noise at times, but I always did in other cars I've driven too in this type of weather. Hopefully the struts are ok: never took the PRO on a WRC rally, so it should be good.

    Dinu
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Good idea. I printed out the TSB and brought it in, just so there was no confusion about my "problem". I don't know why my strut was leaking. I didn't even know. It didn't affect the way the car drove. Never went rally racing in the Pro, but I have been known to scorch a few cloverleafs from time to time, but that shouldn't do it.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Perhaps you're forgetting the "Rally Monkeys" you used to run over last fall? :)

    Back to the PRO now (Sorry Pat)

    Dinu
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    I was hoping Malt forgot about that. Malt--don't tell the Mazda folks that the leaking strut was my fault. Something got stuck up in the fender one time....
  • speedyptspeedypt Member Posts: 200
    Just to chime in (for once in a GREAT while)...my rear suspension does the same thing. Creaks when compressed by a bump, bottom of a driveway, etc...

    At first I thought it was my snow tires rubbing, but then it did it with my stock tires on one cold spring day.

    I asked the dealer and they said it doesn't hurt anything and nothing suggested by MNAO to correct. I have just accepted it and moved on.

    Regards,

    Pete
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    "I have just accepted it and moved on."

    Me too, but the dealer offered to replace the strut for free. I didn't even ask about it.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I thought you said the dealer offered to replace the strut for free SINCE IT WAS LEAKING.

    I don't think they'll replace all four for free because they make funny noises when they're cold.

    Meade
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    That is what they said. The strut is leaking. I figured that it might be the cause of the creaky suspension, but I guess not. I was responding to Pete's post because of this comment: "I have just accepted it and moved on." That sounds like someone is calling someone a whiner. I am picky, but I'm not a whiner. I accepted the creak noises when cold and never complained about them because I have heard them in many cars. Cars don't like cold and they make funny noises when it's really cold. I accepted that 10 years ago when I got my license. I have never commented on the suspension creaks on this board UNTIL the dealer told me I had a leaky strut. That's all.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I didn't take Pete's comment that way.

    I took it as having accepted his service guy's explanation and that's that.

    I don't think anyone here has complained about the noise so much to be labeled as "whiny" -- we've just been exploring the issue.

    Don't be so sensitive!

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I think you might have gotten a little confused by what Todd said too. He said about all 4 being replaced with sport type ones from the MP3, and wondering if the dealer would only charge him the labor to replace 3 since the one has to be replaced anyway.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    and said they also replaced a sway bar link???? I am going to need to talk to the technician that worked on my car. Why did it need a sway bar link?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Maybe they had to replace it when they took out the strut. You know, break one part to get to another. That's the only thing that I could think of.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    You're probably right. I think the anti-sway bar link is attached to the strut.
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    though I suspect THEY broke the link while installing the strut, because when I installed the MP3 rear sway bar on my Protege, I was able to completely remove the swaybar link from the strut without affecting or breaking anything.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    It was still warm, so I couldn't tell if the fix worked. We'll see tommorow morning. First thing I noticed when I drove it away was that the brakes seemed different. I thought, did they do something to my brakes too? They were really touchy. Then I realized I had just been driving a rental Protege with rear drums 5 minutes before. Ah ha!
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    "Then I realized I had just been driving a rental Protege with rear drums 5 minutes before."

    NOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo...............
  • speedyptspeedypt Member Posts: 200
    Todd,

    Ah the hazards of a written discussion...I am sorry if it sounded like I was implying that someone was whining. That was most CERTAINLY NOT my intention. I meant it as a departure from my normal overly-particular and nitpicking self that I didn't have the struts replaced under warranty because of the noise, even though I'd bet that I could convince the dealer to do so. I am a self-critical person and I really don't want to offend anyone here.

    Sorry for the confusion.

    BTW...Saw a Black MS3 at the dealer. Very very very cool! Wish I had 22,500 to spend right now. Or I could wait 2-3 years and spend 30k and get an RX-8. Hmmmmmmm.......

    Update on the EBC Brake pads. Have almost 1000 miles on them now and they have bedded in nicely and are not SOOOOO grabby anymore. They have a really nice linearity to them and still bite better than stock pads. Tradeoff: There is a very slight, almost inaudible, squeal. Since they have no anti-squeal shim on the back like the stock pad, I suspect that's the cause. Not annoying or intrusive, just different.

    A lot of questions a while back about checking brakes for how much is left....here's a tip. The stock brake pads have a metal tab that will start to rub the rotor and make a LOUD squealing sound when there is about 1-2/16ths of pad left. You won't mistake the sound. You'll likely notice a drop in the brake fluid level or see your dashboard brake warning light sometime before your pads wear out. I did. When I pulled my pads they still had 5-7k left in them. That was at 37k. Turned 38k on the car on the way home from band practice tonight. Looks like I'll hit the 75k before the 7yrs on my extended warranty.

    Regards to all,

    Pete
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Only 38K so far? I turned 31.3K tonight.. :) I drive wayyyy too much...

    Speaking of which, these high gas prices choking anyone else? I paid 172.9 a gallon for 89 octane tonight in Baltimore, MD. :(
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Don't worry, I've been to busy to add any fuel to that fire. :-D
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    that's not too bad, it's 1.67/gal for REGULAR here in NoVA....
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I know, I always try to remember to gas up before going to work (in Lanham, where 50 and 495 meet). It's the same price, or higher, there.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Still, OUCH. Two weeks ago it was $1.33 at the same station.

    I also had my oil changed yesterday (Mobil One synthetic) and had my tires rotated. And guess what. Seems I have some kind of alignment anomaly that caused the insides of my SP Sports to wear more quickly than the outsides (but on ALL FOUR WHEELS????). The guy at Goodyear says I'll have a hard time getting Dunlop to honor that 50K warranty with the tires worn so unevenly.

    My car's alignment was checked (supposedly) when I purchased the tires, and I've noticed nothing (although I know that slight camber problems can't be "felt"). I still think it's odd that even with an alignment problem, these 50,000-mile tires are worn out -- and yes, one is worn all the way down to the treadwear indicators -- in a little over 18,000 miles.

    BTW, the Goodyear guy quoted me $120 for a new SP Sport A2. Tire Rack sells 'em for $78. But get this -- he offered me a price on Goodyear Eagle GTIIs (a mediocre "sport all-season" tire) for $180 a tire. Know how much Tire Rack wants? $69!!! I told him I could buy Michelin Pilot Sports from Tire Rack for less than he could sell me that Eagle, and in response he went into this tirade about Tire Rack selling "inferior" tires -- then tried to get me to sign up for a Goodyear Credit Card so I could save 5 percent with my purchase, and then started pushing me to buy right then even though I told him I wasn't ready to make a purchase. On top of that, I'm pretty good at reading upside-down. I saw how much HIS cost was on those Eagles that he was going to sell me for $180 apiece. He was gonna make a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR profit on EACH TIRE he sold me.

    I know where I'm shopping ...

    Meade
  • boggseboggse Member Posts: 1,048
    Paul,

    You should treat your delicate motor better than that. Doesn't the 1.8T require 91 or better?

    Speaking of gasoline, I have been filling up at BJ's for $1.559/gallon for 87 octane.

    My SP Sport 5000m were worn very evenly. They just wore too quickly.
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    But that's vulgar! (I could say the same for executive compensation packages....nobody's worth some of those sums...sheesh!).

    [off my soapbox now]

    Tires are one place you can get ripped off, especially if you've got a flat, and not just replacing worn tires (so you have some time to shop). Some chains are better than others. Tire Discounters and Bob Sumerel here are OK. They cost more than Tire Rack or the club stores, but offer more selection. Tire Rack also drop-ships to Bob Sumerel, where they'll install your new tires. They've been good. I brought my '89 323 in for an alignment check and they actually told me I didn't need one, even that they'd never seen one brought into their shop in such good alignment! (swerving around potholes and utility covers does pay off....keeps other drivers away too; looks like I'm too unpredictable, heh).

    BTW, I was wrong about when I installed my Dunlops. I was off by 11,000 miles. So I've put over 12,000 miles on them to date. From eyeballing, I'd say I have about 5/16 left on the pair that's more worn. I'll have to get my calipers out to check later.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    That they sell inferior wheels. Aren't they the same brands that you can buy anywhere else. Duh. Don't be a dillweed.
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Even though they're wearing fairly quickly. I push them hard at times. :)

    They respond faster than my Michelin X-Ones (excellent wear and wet traction). They don't squeal when pushed to their limits like my last set of Yokohamas (which I got over 45,000 miles on...still had tread, but got squealy and slippery...I think the tires got too old). And they stick like glue on dry roads. I figure it's the price I pay for that kind of performance (of course, in my tire size, they only cost $55 at Tire Rack).
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    80,000 mile warranty. But T-rated. I'll never get to test out the 150 mph top speed. Darn. Great in the rain though.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    The Yokos are T-rated and have a 60,000-mile warranty -- but they're also great in the rain, and inexpensive -- and I used to own a set of Yokos. Good tires.

    The BFGs I'm considering are the ones Larry bought -- Touring T/A VR4s. I'm still on the fence about his non-plus-sizing though, which will leave my speedo more than one mph off at 60 mph. But he says they're wearing well, which is important to me right now! As an additional plus, my local Costco sells them. I'm having to wait until they open today to get a price.

    If Costco has a good price on the BFGs, I'll probably go that route. If they don't, I'll probably go back to TireRack and get the Yokos.

    Tire Rack been berry, berry good to me.

    :-)

    Meade
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    It's the most expensive gas I've ever put in a car. In Montreal regular is $0.899/L. Even if it hits $1.00/L, that will be about $0.30/L more than I'm used paying (about $0.70/L is "normal"), so that's about $15 more per fill-up, say $75 more/mth since I drive a lot (like Paul). Not the end of the world, but not something I enjoy either. BTW, I heard that once gas prices go back down again, it will take about 45 days for this to be seen at the pumps. Yikes!

    In other news: I can't wait for warmer weather so I can cruise with the windows down... And clean the interior of the PRO. Right now it's -15C (5F) with windchill -24C (-11F), but next week we're getting spoiled: +2C on Tuesday! It'll be time to ditch the tuque.

    Dinu
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    It gets 89 and runs fine on that. Fuel economy and performance don't change with the 89 vs. 91. Only the cost of the fuel does. It's about to get 87 if these prices keep going up like they are.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I told you the other day that Goodyear is a rip-off. That's why I stopped taking my car there. I don't know what's going on with them lately.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    My car doesn't have the "death rattle" anymore. The fix worked. It's still a little noisy when cold, but it's normal noisy, not coffee grinder noisy. The slight hiccup in the low rpms when cold is gone too. Nice.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Just looked over today's paper and there's a special Auto Show section. Here are the highlights:

    Mazda will show 9 concepts! Yes, nine!

    They started advertising the 6 a bit on one TV station (CTV) and the RX-8 got a full page colour ad in the Auto Show section. I think dealers don't have enough 6s, so it doesn't make sense to advertise yet.

    There are 3 pics showing Mazda's area at the show from different angles. No other manufacturer has even one pic showing more than one of their cars.

    I spotted the usual suspects (PRO, P5, MazdaSpeed3/PRO, Tribute, MPV, B-series), a few 626s and Millenias (guess they have plenty left for sale).

    The RX-8 is on a rotating stand.

    Noticed 2 6s, but they were both on rotating stands (one with the RX-8 and Miata, one by itself). Maybe they won't have any 6s open for the public to sit in? I hope not! That would be stupid. Missing Canada's largest auto show when so little people know about the car is not a smart move. Hopefully I'm wrong.

    No Mazda3 concept to be seen.

    I think I'm going to the show next Wednesday as we have Reading Week at York.

    Dinu
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Club stores sell for a little less (about $.10/gal or so).

    I was pretty disgusted listening to some gas station association rep say on a radio interview this morning that they're only raising prices in anticipation of [their] cost increases. Gee, I don't recall them ever dropping prices in anticipation of cost drops. (Remember 9/11? Some stations hiked their prices up to something like $4-6/gal that day. Greedy.)

    They're like lenders and banks. Rates jump up right away with or in anticipation of rate hikes. They take forever to come down with rate drops (except for the rates they pay on money you keep in accounts like savings, money market, etc.).

    The good thing is the higher fuel prices will make people recognize that it's a limited precious resource (yeah, at these prices, it'll make more economic sense to develop more costly sites, but it'll run out some day) and maybe use it more wisely. Maybe it'll clear some of the piggish SUVs that folks bought when gas was $1/gal off the road so I can see what traffic ahead of me is like again so I can "anticipate" my actions.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    >>>Seems I have some kind of alignment anomaly that caused the insides of my SP Sports to wear more quickly than the outsides (but on ALL FOUR WHEELS????). <<<<

    Mebbe you got the wheel alignment that are used on P5's??? the sport alignment where the wheels are -ve camber in anticipation that the driver is going to go around corners at pretty high speeds.

    I did hear when the P5's and 2002's came out that many complained of inside wear due to -ve camber.

    can anyone back me up on this one?
  • protegextwoprotegextwo Member Posts: 1,265
    BFGoodrich TA 205/55VR5 R15's
    4 tires @ 73.99 = $295.96
    4 Environ Tax @ 1.00 = $4.00
    4 Wheel Deal @ 9.95 = $39.80Goodrich TA
    Pa State Tax 6% = $17.76

    Total $357.52
    less Club Coupon 4 @ 10.00 = -$40.00

    Grand Total for 4 tires @ 79.38 = $317.52 out the door price at BJ Club.

    My car's odometer reading was 36,308 at time of purchase. Just had one of the tires replaced because my wife gashed up the side wall of one of the Goodies, bouncing off a curb. My car's odometer reading was 50,150 at time of replacement. Guess what? Because, I had used less than 15% of the original Goodrich TA's tread the replacement was gratis at my BJ Club!

    Two points:
    1.) The 4 Wheel Deal @ 9.95 = $39.80 paid for valve stem, mounting, old tire disposal, life time rotation, and provided hazard insurance that paid for a new tire because my wife bitched up the side wall. Well, worth $39.80!!!!

    2.) After 13,842 miles I still have over 85% of total tread left on the original Goodies. Now granted, it is impossible to drive the tire to the bitter end! Nonetheless, these tires have held up very well.

    -Larry
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    I just priced the tires at my Costco, which sells them for $79 each installed, including valve stems, mounting, balancing, etc.

    $330.22 installed, not counting any special discounts or coupons.

    Looks like Costco has BJ's beat.

    Meade
  • tomcivilettitomciviletti Member Posts: 207
    i reccommend the bridgestone pole position s-03 to anyone who wants a performance tire [check out the tirerack tests and user feedback]. Great handing all around. Best tires i have driven. Not M&S rated, but i believe they will do well in snow anyway [based on the tread design]. The only drawback, as far as i am concerned, is they are almost as noisy on rough pavement as the OE potenzas.
  • drumm01drumm01 Member Posts: 97
    I was reading information on the new Mazda 2 in a Spanish auto magazine. In the text it said that after the Mazda 2 is released in Europe, the Mazda 3 (a substitute to the Protege) will be released.

    Anybody knows anything about this model, what it looks like, Ect...??
  • mazdanymazdany Member Posts: 28
    Makes me glad that I am driving a Protege, instead of the Wrangler I owned. It was actually a reliable vehicle, but it was a fuel hog. I was spending over $200/month for fuel. Spending about half that amount now. I heard on the radio here that some auto dealers are giving $8K rebates and/or discounts on SUV's because of the rising gas prices, upcoming Iraq war and social/political backlash vs SUV's.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    There's an entire discussion devoted to the Mazda3 in the Sedans section. There are links to photos of the car there too. It will be the successor to the Protege, to be released in North America in early 2004.

    Meade
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