Mazda Protegé

riopelle · August 2004

Hi Everyone.

I have a 2002 P5, and I know towing is not recommended per Mazda, but UHaul claims that a hitch can be installed (cost approx $300 with installation) that will allow me to tow a decent load (up to 2000 lbs) I don't need to tow near that, am think 1000 lbs tops, but would appreciate any experiences or advice on this issue. Thanks much.

protegenic · August 2004

I remember it well. Hundreds of posts per day. Record low productivity on my part. Most active forum on Edmunds. Those were the good old days (sigh).

My little '99 ES only has about 62K on it now as it has been recycled to my son. He absolutely loves it and is jazzed that he can drive a manual when hardly any other new, suburban drivers can. We expect this car to take him well into his college years.

anonymousposts · August 2004

What car did you move on to protegenic? A Mazda3?

theparallax · August 2004

...is doing great at 81,000 miles. I still love it to death.

mdaffron · August 2004

Maybe we should start calling this discussion the "Protege Alumni" discussion. And I don't see why it's gotten so slow ... there are still a lot of 'em out there, no? Including some that are only a year old and have less than 10K on them?

Meade

mdaffron · August 2004

I would advise VERY strongly against towing ANYTHING with a Protege or Protege5. For one thing, it has unibody construction, meaning there's no frame underneath to handle the torque a trailer will place on your chassis in turns and sways, and when accelerating and decelerating. Have you slid under your car and looked? There isn't much up under there to carry the load -- even the tongue weight alone will put a lot of stress on the chassis. And the car doesn't weigh very much; a mishap with even a 1,000-lb. trailer could cause you to lose complete control of the car.

I used to own a 1994 Mazda B2300 pickup (aka Ford Ranger), and even though it had a real ladder frame and it weighed quite a bit more than my Protege, it had a lot of difficulty with a pop-up camper that only weighed 1,400 pounds. (And the truck had a little more weight in the rear thanks to a rear axle and differential -- the Protege ain't got much back there to hold it down!) With the truck and trailer, crosswinds and downhill grades gave me some white-knuckled experiences.

A trailer will definitely try to "steer you around," and I can't imagine trying to tow anything with my Protege after my experiences with a truck.

You asked!

Meade

meinrad · August 2004

If you, or anyone you know is at all handy, you can install the thing yourself in about 20 minutes. You can buy a hidden hitch for $100 from etrailer.com. I don't know about the wiring though, so I can't give you an idea on that cost. I don't tow with mine though, I just put my bike rack on it.

I agree with Meade that I wouldn't tow anything with the car, but I've read many other places of people towing all sorts of things with it. Mostly motorcycle trailers and small tool trailers for auto cross. If you check other places, you'll probably find a 50/50 range of people for and against.

mdaffron · August 2004

That "hidden hitch" is going to add about 25 to 50 pounds to the very back of your car. Then, most trailers have a tongue weight of 100 to 200 pounds (our popup camper's tongue weight was 160). So stand on your back bumper and see what the trailer will do to your rear suspension just standing still! Then imagine the trailer bouncing and transmitting that force to the rear of your car via the tongue like a see-saw, and exerting equivalent forces on the body of your car as you brake, turn, take curves, etc.

Whatever you do, make sure you do not exceed the GVWR of the vehicle, which includes the tongue weight and all passengers, cargo, etc. I think if you add it all up, you'll discover that your car really isn't designed to take on a trailer. And keep in mind if your manual says no, you'll void your warranty.

Hey, I don't mean to be so negative! But I did pull a small (1,500 pounds ain't big) trailer with a larger vehicle that was rated at up to 2,000 pounds, and lemme tell ya, I had some scary moments even with a framed truck that was 500 pounds heavier than the Protege5!

Meade

riopelle · August 2004

Thanks for the advice, it's not what I wanted to hear, but you have effectively squashed towing as an option and I will look to other avenues. Really appreciate your prompt responses to my inquiry.

mdaffron · August 2004

Whatcha towing, by the way?

Meade

meinrad · August 2004

a new thread elsewhere where a guy is towing his jetski. He posted a picture of the jetski/trailer and the P5. Forum rules prohibit my posting a link here and your email is private.

I'm not saying Meade is wrong, I'm just saying that others are doing it, and you may willing to take the same risks. Chances are you will be doing permanant damage to the car, but no one will know until time passes.

reitrof · August 2004

Hi riopelle,

I have towed with my P5 and it is not an issue. I have the hidden hitch which works very well. I have a small utility trailer that I use on many long distance trips. I have a 20 cu ft sears box attached to it. Again, not very heavy, mostly luggage and the like.

I have also towed a 16 ft boat and trailer with no issues. I agree that you should keep the load to less than 1000 lbs and 100 lbs hitch weight.

The P5 suspension handles the loads quite well. Give it another thought.

Bruce

mdaffron · August 2004

Well, I didn't say it couldn't be DONE ... I'm sure you can attach a snowplow blade to a Yugo and move a little snow with it too ... but in a similar manner, I'd recommend highly against it.

Meade

justin · August 2004

i THINK i found a Protege that i want to look at, finally. an automatic with SAB/ABS package. 2003 with 9000 miles. hopefully it is still available. not crazy about the idea of TWO black Mazda's in the garage, but out of about 50 cars, this is the only one with the safety package.

hope its CARFAX is okay....

reitrof · August 2004

Your opinion of course, but I would hardly compare a snowplow blade to towing a small trailer.

Since the Protege is allowed to tow why not the P5?

anonymousposts · August 2004

Are you getting rid of your car for the Protege justin?

civiletti · August 2004

I had a '79 dodge colt that was much lighter than the pro. I towed with it many times, including a trailer full of concrete once [not recommended]. I often towed a small trailer of camping gear on vacations and hardly knew it was there, unless I had to back-up [major pain]. if the hitch is mounted with sufficient reinforcement, I'm sure the pro would do fine towing light loads. BTW, I had the colt for 20 years, so I don't think the towing damaged it.

mdaffron · August 2004

Bottom line: Towing IS "possible" with the Protege5. But it's not recommended, or good for the car, or high on the list of safe things to do with a small car.

OK?

The guy asked for opinions. I gave mine. Let's let it rest.

Meade

yooper53 · August 2004

Exactly. At around only 16K miles??? I typically get a lot of miles on a set of brakes. That's why this is upsetting.
Yooper 53

yooper53 · August 2004

I'll look into that today. I'm looking at 4 new rotors as well. When my rears were done in April '04 the rotors were turned twice for one brake job.The first machine shop screwed up so I ended up going back a few days later.
Yooper 53

justin · August 2004

i am gonna go see the Protege on Saturday. you know my story....if they will take my current sedan off my hands, and i like the Protege, it might be a good thing to do.

i haven't read about any Protege brake problems, recalls, etc, so it might be a good bet. at any rate, if it is at least equal in quality to current car, at least i would be paying much less for so-so quality, right?

i haven't driven a Pro since 99 though, so we shall see how it goes. i just can't believe i found one with SAB/ABS package!

anonymousposts · August 2004

Considering the engine refinement of your current car I think you might be better off with a Mazda3. We had a 01 and the engine was a dog at higher RPM. It made a lot of noise but didn't go much faster and that was with a manual transmission. Around town it's great though.

justin · August 2004

The reason I am looking at Pro's vs. 3's is I am seeing way to many problems with the 3's. I don't want to get stuck with broken a/c or *gasp* faulty brakes. I already have faulty brakes haha. I hope whoever drives my current car during the appraisal phase doesn't notice anything.

I guess the Pro is going to be less refined, noisier, but hopefully more solid? I suppose the 3's will be solid too, just not in the first year out maybe.

The Pro seems like it has a much better quality record than my 96 version did. My 88 and 93 323's wouldn't die, but my 96 Pro couldn't live past 6 months. It does appear that the 2002 and 2003 Protege's pretty much have all the bugs/issues worked out.

Unless I am missing something that you should be telling me

the_big_h · August 2004

i'd agree that the 02-03 Proteges pretty much have all the kinks worked out, and is a fine buy if you're looking more for reliability than performance or comfort.

not that it's a slouch in those depts or something, Mazda3 just sort of tops it in those aspects :-)

pat · August 2004

>>The guy asked for opinions. I gave mine. Let's let it rest.

LOL - well, Meade it's okay if others want to continue to give their opinions also!

mdaffron · August 2004

I meant let's let the "abusing Meadeball for sharing his opinion" rest.

Sorry for the confusion. Carry on.

Meadeball

protegenic · August 2004

I like the 6 hatch much better. Doesn't really matter as I got an Explorer in January. Love the room, hate the gas mileage.

mdaffron · August 2004

My boss drives a fleet 2004 Explorer. It's from the police/federal fleet. Man, what a tank. Too humongous for me!

It still gets me how a vehicle can be that large and still have such crummy leg room for the front-seat passenger. Ford really needs to rethink its transmission placement!

Meade

anonymousposts · August 2004

Our 01 Protege ES was reliable in the 12,000 miles we owned it with the exception of the "death rattle" when cold and a squeaky clutch. The AC could've been stronger (I had a black ES with black interior) for GA summers but otherwise we had no complaints (other than the afore-mentioned engine gripe). It handled great and looked nice for what it was.

Only other thing I can think of is that the crash tests could be better on the Protege. If my memory serves me correctly the 99-03 Protege actually did a little worse than the 95-98 Protege in crash testing.

the_big_h · August 2004

only apply to 99-00 Proteges, 01+ got heavier, hence more reinforcement for crash protection.

gee35coupe · August 2004

Everyone here says that, but none of the agencies retested a later model to prove it.

justin · August 2004

i went and drove it. i couldn't get used to seating position. it reminded me of the old Hondas, how you seem to sit up over the dash. as i get older, i am liking the feeling of sitting IN the car rather ON the car. if that makes any sense...

i have more headroom in my Miata than it felt like i did in the Protege, which stinks.

it was fine though. for such an old design the car seemed solid, engine was no rocket, but actually torquey from 0-30 with the automatic. good city car probably. steering is really Mazda's forte...i swear all of their cars (the 6 included) have Miata steering. and that is a good thing!

if only it were more comfortable. it was pouring rain, so didn't have time to fiddle with stuff. might look at it again in the sun one day.

does the LX model ever get seat height adjusters?

mazdafun · August 2004

At least for the driver. The front knob controls the height of the front of the seat-pan, the rear knob controls the height of the rear.

They're really handy for getting the seat "just right". Too bad the 3 went to a 6-way seat...I couldn't find any good position in it (I've let Mazda know my opinion on that). Good thing I have a Protege.

protegenic · August 2004

Yeah, but as I posted a while back in the 'other' place, we needed the room. It actually drives a lot smaller than it is though. Turning radius makes my Millenia look sick. Since I do a lot of mountain biking, the room in the back is great on those all day trips with friends. I couldn't get away with that in the Pro.

That said, I still love small cars. They are just too much fun to drive!

yooper53 · August 2004

Can someone please tell me where I could find the curb weight of my '01 Pro ES?
Tnx
Yooper 53

chicagopro · August 2004

According to Edmunds, the curb weight of an '01 ES is 2634 lbs.

(I did a search under used cars.)

justin · August 2004

is the 2.0 in the 2003 the same 2.0 from the 626? and the same 2.0 from the old Focus models?

thanks.

the_big_h · August 2004

same as 2.0 in 626 (FS-DE IIRC), DIFFERENT from the ZETEC 2.0 in the Focus.

a little bit old tech, but a very solid reliable engine.

mdaffron · August 2004

http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/200408/0824e.html

Note where it says it's Mazda's newest "global vehicle" ...

Geesh, do I have to delay my plans for a 3 next May???

Meade

oskwi · August 2004

So....

Is this replacement for the MPV or more of a crossover vehicle like the Toyota Matrix? The photo is a little unclear.

mdaffron · August 2004

But after reading the description, I'm thinking this is the MPV replacement.

Meade

oskwi · August 2004

I wouldn't mind if it had the cargo room of a MPV and the profile of a crossover as I don't want a tall vehicle like a traditional van. I did some searching online and the 5 is the MPV's replacement...still looks more like a crossover than a true minivan. This might really complicate our future purchases, no? I could see myself easily putting all of my classroom materials when we do the year-end cleanout in something like the 5. I could also easily see myself quickly unloading those school materials and loading in my mountain bike!

fowler3 · August 2004

if the rotors are warped? My Pro doesn't have the vibration but it does have a strange sound in the front left wheel area and it's getting worse. Sounds like a wobble. It has only 19.5K on it.

fowler3

chicagopro · August 2004

I know this sounds obvious, but have you checked the tire to make sure you haven't pick up anything in the tread?

I once had a screw stuck in my tire that had a dealership tech convinced my wheel was loose, until he examined the tire closely.

Anyway, just a thought.

meinrad · September 2004

Dale, you are supposed to store those things in jars on your workbench, not your tire.

chicagopro · September 2004

D'oh!

dbcrux · September 2004

I'm not to sure what year your Protege is but I had the same clutch chatter on my car especially when its cold.(42,000 kilometers) Only happened appx 10 times so far this year. I took it one more time back to the dealer and they admitted they had a problem and it was covered due to a Technical service Bulletin to the dealers. They replace the whole clutch including fly wheel at no charge

fowler3 · September 2004

It's hard to explain since the sound seems to come from the front-left area. It's a metallic sound as if something is loose and hitting another piece of metal. Not real loud, it's less noise than the Potenzas make. I checked the tires and there's nothing in the treads.

It's louder when applying brakes at 35mph, but not much louder. And brakes shouldn't make a noise when not in use. On the otherhand, maybe something was knocked loose when I overran a curb last year pulling into a parking space -- knocked someting loose under the front facia?

Hate taking it in since it's out of warrenty and I don't trust the dealer. They will probably say it's a $500 noise, when it's actually something needs tightening.

fowler3

blueguydotcom · September 2004

So in 10 months now my Pro's been hit twice during my 85-90 mile roundtrip commute for work.

This morning a truck in another lane suddenly released a barrage of gardening implements. Just my luck a lawnmower grass catcher - thankfully without an attached lawnmower - flew into the air and directly into my path at 85 mph. Closing time on that was like - oh damn now it's hitting my airdam. Gee cool now it's bounced up and slammed into my hood and finally it spiraled over my car.

Did the truck stop? Heck no! He kept going. So I chased him down and lo and behold not a plate to be seen on the car. When the driver saw me approach again I saw his head tilt down to the mirror and his eyes got big. Then he took off. I was at 90 already and he freaking zipped away.

Called the cops and they said they couldn't do much without a plate. Ah, okay what about the cop on the side of the road 5 miles up from the incident...he couldn't look for the truck?

Anyway, do you guys have any idea what a new hood would cost me for my Pro? If I can avoid telling my insurance, I will. If it's under 1k in damage, I'll just pay it myself.

the_big_h · September 2004

an aftermarket carbon fiber hood goes for around $500, figures to be about the same for a regular hood + paintwork.

Mazda Protegé

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