Mazda Protegé

gamejunki · February 2001

Thanks for the info, like I said this is my first new car and I appreciate any advice on how on preventive maintenance and the best way to take care of the car.

hkchan · February 2001

When in doubt, always go to the owner's manual. Mazda's recommendation regarding the break-in period should be there.
$1,400? So essentially you're (not always true) doubling the warranty for $1,400.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

Be real easy on the transmission. When changing gears, wait a minute and than drive. Some people do not give the transmission time to change gears. They force the car to jump into gear. Make sure you are also completely stop before changing gears.

hkchan · February 2001

"When changing gears, wait a minute and than drive."
Is that one minute as in sixty seconds?

"Make sure you are also completely stop before changing gears."
Does that apply when making a 1st-2nd upshift?
gamejunki's Protege is a 5-speed.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

Hello...it is nice to see you judging everything I say again....I am giving him some general advice. You know what I meant. I did not mean wait 1 full minute. I meant, wait till you feel the car kick into gear. Oh are you still a protege WANA-BE or have you actually made a purchase?

maltb · February 2001

Henry, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? I did notice his error in the Auto vs Manual assumption, but really, we are all big kids here.

speedypt · February 2001

Lets be nice now....

Pete

hkchan · February 2001

Yes I did. It's snowing and I can't go out.

scrible · February 2001

I know that this it a protege forum but I was wondering if any of you have any experience with the 626? Im looking a possibly purchasing one in the next couple of months and so Im trying to get as much imput as possible.

Thanks for any help.

speedypt · February 2001

No experience with 626.

Regards,

Pete

theparallax · February 2001

I haven't had any hands-on experience with the 626, but I have heard some bad things about the automatic transmission attacthed to the 4-cyl engine models. I think they fixed the reliability issue with them for 1998, when it was redesigned, but I would go ahead and fork over the extra grand or two and buy the V6 model, for the added power, anyway.

maltb · February 2001

I've had a '98 4cy 626 and '99 6cyl. both manual trans(me no lika auto trans). The 4cyl prior to 2000 has poor suspension and the power leaves much to be desired. All 2000 models received the upgraded suspension and steering. As general rule, try to avoid the 4cyl auto. Besides, as a previous post states, get the extra power of the V-6. I'm not sure this is the right forum for your post, but be more specific about what you are looking for.

pat · February 2001

These folks are being very helpful here. You will also want to look into the discussion at this link: Mazda 626 - Part 2. There is lots of good information there.

Good luck!

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

pygmalion · February 2001

Does anyone know how much the invoice is for a Pro ES (auto w/ prem pkg.) in Canada, and then for how much I should ask? Where might I find such information myself?

jumpmom · February 2001

Well it looks like we will be getting a 626... but I keep coming back to this board

- there sure is something about the Protege (and the Protege owners' enthusiam!!) Any one want to rescue me before it is too late!?

hkchan · February 2001

I'll try to "rescue" you even though I don't own a Protege. You can start by telling us why you chose the 626 over the Protege. Have you driven both? Is shoulder room important?

skip616 · February 2001

I am picking up my new 2001 Protege ES tomorrow. I am getting the Sand Mica with ES package and all options (cassette, 6 CD, alarm, automatic). I test drove last weekend and last night and it handles very much like its little brother (the Miata). This will be the 5th Mazda that I have owned and I swear by them. I have had two cars for many years and finally am getting rid of my old faithful 1991 Mazda 626....it has 124,000 miles and it was getting to cost more to maintain than it was worth. I have owned a 91 626 DX (auto), 92 Protege DX (5 speed), 93 Protege LX (5 speed), 96 626 ES (auto), and now 01 Protege ES (auto)....I was going to get 5 speed but the 2.0 engine is more than adaquate to quickly propel the Protege...when I asked sales manager at dealership about S-plan he indicated that Protege and Tribute were not covered under S-Plan. This was only ES they had in stock and no one had a white or silver to dealer trade. So I jumped at getting the Sand Mica ES....I got a very good deal considering it was the start of a new model year for Protege...

I love the commerical on TV for the Protege....ZOOM ZOOM

Skip

vocus · February 2001

I couldn't pick up my new 2001 ES 2.0 today because we had bad weather today in Maryland. Ugh!

I have to go tomorrow and sign the paperwork for the car. The dealer told me it's sitting on the showroom floor, and everyone's coming in and wants it. They can eat their hearts out!

protegextwo · February 2001

Have a safe trip north, my friend. I hope all goes well with the new job.

-Larry

gamejunki · February 2001

I have nothing but good things to say about this car. I love how quiet it is when running. I did not some road noise when driving on the freeway but it was acceptable but did not hear any wind noise. Just got back from driving around Irving. Had lots of lookers and one had never seen one before and was impressed. I want to drive this puppy to its full potential but I know it has to be broken in first. Whats everyone's opinion about driving it on Highways faster than 75 MPH? It is safe with it this new or is there an ideal MPH I should be going? I read parts of the manual and it said not to go a long time with constant speed. I make sure to keep it under 4000 RPM's. One of the guys I work with is bringing his digital camera to work so I may have some pictures up soon (if it doesn't rain all day). CAN'T WAIT!

mdaffron · February 2001

CONGRATS dude! I am so glad you finally came to your senses and got away from the BONEville. (You're not that old yet!)

I had to stop by my Mazda dealer in the snow yesterday afternoon (our offices closed early due to the same weather you had) and have my new CD player installed. Word to the wise ... DON'T PUT ANY CD WITH A LABEL AFFIXED TO IT IN YOUR CD PLAYER. IT'LL NEVER COME OUT!!!

Anyway, I got to see some new Proteges and pick up a brochure while I was there. Now, Paul, I'm gonna be like you were when you compared your '99 to our '00s a while back -- I absolutely detest the orange-on-white gauges in the '01. Other than that, nice, nice car!!! I was feeling a little jealous until I ran into my mechanic there (we've become friends over the past 10 years I've been a customer). He said I shouldn't be upset; the '99s and '00s are state-of-the-art cars and that Mazda's 1.8L DOHC 4-cylinder is one of the best engines Mazda has ever made. There. I feel better now. (Besides, with the baby on the way, like you Paul, I've gotta keep loving my Protege for a few years!!!)

(BTW, did anyone notice that Mazda has "Daewoo'd" the front bumper of the '01 Protege where it meets the fenders? No gaps! Our old buddy jkobty oughta be beaming with pride! I just hope no one has the slightest front-end fender-bender in an '01 Protege, since the bumper now has no travel allowance at all -- looks like it'll dent the fenders in the slightest front-end collision!!! The insurance companies should be as happy as jkobty!!!)

Meadeball

ed110 · February 2001

oem tire size is 195/55-15. I want to replace tires with a size down.possibly with 195/60-15 or 185/65-15.These sizes are alot inexpensive than the 195/55-15's.Would these sizes fit this car?

vocus · February 2001

I didn't like the fact that the Bonneville that I am driving squeaks and rattles like hell at only 75K. That's not a good omen. Plus, there are steering and suspension problems with it too. Going tonight to get my car though, and CAN NOT WAIT!!!

I am going to probably spend most of the weekend driving. My roommate (who came to the MAPP for those who were there) says, "It's only a car. Why are you so excited?" He doesn't know any better, because he drives a Neon.

But yet, he wanted me to sell my Protege to him and trade his Neon. Uh-huh, just a car eh?

Anyway...

Meade, hope everything is going well with the new baby on its way. When is the baby due anyway, just to keep me up to speed?

hkchan · February 2001

The two sizes you mentioned has a diameter of about an inch larger than the 195/55R-15.
Try Tire Rack.

maltb · February 2001

Are you sure you want the 626?
When we had our third child the Protege was just too small so we went to the 626. We had a loaded '98 Protege that was a joy to drive, but the back seat doesn't do well with two car seats and the boy in the middle. If you have two or less kids, my suggestion is the Protege. I've had 2 626's but I'm just not too hip on them. Maybe when I get into my 40's my taste will change.

Comments about the S-plan:
Sometimes an overlooked issue on the S-plan is that there is no barganing over the sales price. Also, the dealer is not allowed to charge for bogus fees like dealer prep and documentation.

sfrat · February 2001

gamejunki: I wouldn't recommend going over 3k rpms, I think that 4k is just a bit too high. Best to be on the safe side I think, maybe others can comment. Also, with regards to speed, if you travel 75 miles per hour on the highway, that would also cause your car to be reving continuously at or very close too 4k rpm. Although I didn't see anything in the manual about a highway speed limit, you still have to watch the rpms. My salesperson told me not to drive above 55 during the break in period, which I've been observing except for the ocassional burst at 60. I would limit to driving your new car to strictly around town for the time being. If there is a back road you can take, non highway to your destination this weekend, do that. Otherwise you might want to find another car to take. I know its tough, but mistakes now could mean big and expensive problems in the future.

Hope that helps you out.

Steve

nikecar · February 2001

Meade no lie.. I can't feel abit jealous at the wave of 01's.. but we still have a great car in our 00 ES's.

ed110 Tire Rack is a good site to see tires and reviews, but here are some other sites.

the first one will give you various sizes that fit your car (or any). just enter the type of car and it will go up as large as your car can take. http://www.discounttiredirect.com

Next one will give you a graphical overlay of the oem size and and aftermarket tire. Good to see what it will look like. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html it also gives comparison sizes

last one does the same as the above, but instead of showing the image or % speed off, it lets you input any speed and gives you the new actual speed you will get. http://pw1.netcom.com/~sgalaba/tiresize.htm#ustires

nikecar · February 2001

also Ed110.. why would you want to get a larger tire like that? they are more inexpensive but where you gain price and maybe some ride comfort, you will lose handling.

vocus · February 2001

I have to drive my new car on the highway, because I work 30 miles from home. I am going to have to keep the speeds down too. No cruise control, engine speed under 4000 rpm, no hard stopping (unless it's an emergency), no rapid take-offs, and change the oil at 1000 miles too. What do you all think about the 1000-mile oil change?

Also, the tachometer on the 2000 ES I drove for one day was at 3000 rpm at 70 mph, so I wouldn't chance going to 75 mph in it. It would probably be like 3500 rpm or so.

626 vs. Protege: I sat in several 626s, and they have this small, shut-in feeling in the front seats. The recent review (July 2000 I think) in Consumer Reports even said that. I prefer the Protege's much airer interior. And actually, the sizes between the two aren't that much different either. I would trust the Protege's reliability more though.

carguide · February 2001

Pygmalion:

Check here for reference and links to a site that offers Canadian invoice. The information is not, free, however. It is impossible to get invoice prices in Canada without paying... I believe the site charges $15 for prices on up to six cars.

http://cars.about.com/library/weekly/blnew_products.htm

agt_cooper · February 2001

when you factor in the fact that you'll have to buy new wheels as well, I'm not sure the savings you envision will actually materialize...

unmarkedcar · February 2001

as the owners manual and most mechanics say, there is no real break in period on newer cars. As long as you do not do the following ( as said in the owners manual):

HARSH STOPS AND STARTS
DRIVING AT ONE SPEED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME
HARSH BREAKING

You can drive at 60mph or 80mph ( as long as you gradually work your way up to that speed). You do not want to redline your car.

There are a lot of false ideas in the automotive industry. The preset speed rule, was on some older cars not on newer cars. If mazda thought that you would damage your engine by driving 80mph, they would tell you that.

You should also avoid changing the oil at 1000miles. Just follow the owners manual. You should change the oil between 3000k - 3700k. Most dealers will not change your oil untill atleast 3k. Some original factory oils have addetives that are meant to stay in the engine till 3k.

Again " FOLLOW THE OWNERS MANUAL AND NOT THE ADVICE OF ANYONE ". If you have a problem down the road, that person can not do crap for you, if you did not follow the owners manual.

Just drive like grandma ( even if it means at 80mph ).

I would also be more concerned with the test drives that your car went through, prior to your purchase. Most people, on test drives, are told to floor it or to " try the great breaks ". The sales reps will encourage people to do everything the owners manual tells you not to do, during the break in period. My sales rep told me to drive the car fast so that he could show me what it can do!!! that is the reason why I only buy cars that are fresh off the truck with under 3o miles on it. Who knows what the customers prior to me did with the car.

vocus · February 2001

It came in on the truck with like 7 miles on it, and still had the paper on it Wednesday night when I saw it. It's on the showroom floor now, so I know no one else is driving it. It may sound rediculous, but I asked the dealer if he could lock the doors, because I didn't want anyone else in my new car.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

You are just like me.....just follow my advice on the oil change ( look above )

speedypt · February 2001

...are not used in Mazda cars. The dealer takes them out as part of the dealer prep. I personally have changed my oil at 600, 1500, 3000, and every 3000 after that. I've never had a problem and the reasoning for the frequent oil changes during the first 3000 miles is that there are tiny little bits of metal floating around in your oil during breakin (hence the term break-in) and I like to get those out ASAP.

My dealer did not refuse to change the oil at 600, but he did say it wasn't necessary, nor would it cause any harm to the engine.

It's a matter of personal preference really, but you won't do any harm by changing the oil too often.

Regards,

Pete

hkchan · February 2001

"Again " FOLLOW THE OWNERS MANUAL AND NOT THE ADVICE OF ANYONE ". If you have a problem down the road, that person can not do crap for you, if you did not follow the owners manual."
I agree with that 100% (but not the rest). Cars whose motor oil should not be changed at 1,000 miles are high-performance (more like zoom-squared) cars like Corvette and Porsche (but not necessarily these two). Furthermore, it would've been stated with a warning right in the owner's manual.

maltb · February 2001

The dealer takes what out? Additives? do tell how that works.

It used to be that new engines came with non-detergent(i.e. no additive) oil and needed to be changed at 300 miles or so, but not so any longer. The way engines are built now, they use regular additives and it's not neccessary as to change it right away. Any metal bits from initial break in get trapped in the oil filter, so that really isn't much of an issue. However, clean oil is never a bad thing.

sfrat · February 2001

I also looked in the manual for the 55mph rule that the salesperons told me, but didn't see it. However, all conventional wisdom (that I've heard anyway) says to avoid reving the engine hard during break in. 4k rpm is 4k rpm whether acheived through a fast start, or gradual acceleration to 80. So I still think its a good idea to drive moderate speeds during the break in.

unmarkedcar · February 2001

The factory oil is made for the break in period. Like I said " follow the owners manual ".

unmarkedcar · February 2001

So you are telling me that conventional thinking is more important than the owners manual. If the manual says " NO REAL BREAK IN PERIOD ", than that is what it means. This idea of under 55mph is OLD SCHOOL thinking for OLD SCHOOL cars. Like I said... flooring to 80mph is not the same as going slowly from 50 to 80. The engine wear and tear is a lot less when you make gradual changes in speed. Mazda knows what is good and bad...that is why they give you a owners manual. They also know the capability of their engines.

vocus · February 2001

In the DX I have now, I changed the oil first at 7500 miles and every 7500 after that. I learned, when it started vibrating at 37,000 miles.

I will never do that again.

suchismit · February 2001

Hi everyone, I am visiting this site after
months!

About an hour ago on lunch break, I parked
outside a SubWay in Arlington Heights, IL.
An almost identical Mazda Protege ES, 5 spd,
white, was parked right next to mine. Just as I was leaving the parking lot I saw the owner of the other Protege walking toward his car.

It was only moments later after he drove off that
I wondered if that was speedypt. Was it you ? :-)
I remember you said you were moving back to the Northwest suburbs in spring and that you drove
a 5 spd ES. I know there is only a small chance
as there are so many ESs these days, but I just couldnt help wondering ...

suchismit · February 2001

Someone who drives a 5 spd ES has got to be a
Protege enthusiast and must be a member of Edmunds.com Please identify yourself sir, ~6 1/2 ft tall, from the northwest suburbs of Chicago,
driving a white 1999 5spd ES, and who happened to
park outside a SubWay on Golf and Arlington Heights Road. :-)

gamejunki · February 2001

"I would also be more concerned with the test drives that your car went through, prior to your purchase."
-I lucked out and the car was straight off the truck when I picked it up, but the dealer did drive it back from another dealer 20 miles away, so I feel it will be ok. Being in Dallas I have to use the highways most of the time. I try to keep it between 60 and 70 MPH while keeping the speed variable. Hopefully I didn't damage it too much when I did drive up to 75 and then sped down. Thanks again for the info.

sfrat · February 2001

Well, I don't think there's anything I said which contradicts what's in the owners manual. Essentially the manual says to go easy on the engine for the first 600 miles. For me, going 80 would be working the engine to hard before its properly broken in. Also one of the things that is supposed to happen is that a protective layer of oil is building up on the internal parts of the engine. On such a new, unbroken-in engine, it hasn't had the time to build up properly. While its probably being a bit cautious, but not contrary to the owners manual.

vocus · February 2001

You forget, Pete's 2000 Protege ES is silver and has a front mask on it.

Speaking of front masks, I was thinking about getting one put on my 2001 ES when I get it. Do you have to remove those things every time it rains? How about when you wash the car? Just curious.

I will probably end up waiting to change my oil first at 3000 miles then, since it's no difference in changing it at 1000.

It's going to definitely be hard to hold down the revs and the speed for the first 1000 miles. Since I drive 60 miles a day for work anyway plus drive alot of other places, it should only be about 2-3 weeks before I am at 1000. I can't wait!

One more thing: What kind of fuel economy are the current 2001 2.0 ES/2.0 LX owners getting? Just curious. I know it's probably going to use more gas than my 1999 DX did (25-27 mpg constantly), but just want to know just how much more.

suchismit · February 2001

I made an error in my previous message.. the
protege I saw was SILVER ! Actually its mine that
is white. I didnt notice the front though.

nikecar · February 2001

well if he travelled the 1800 miles already.. he was flying!!!!

and vocus.. you don't have to remove it everytime, but its best to let it dry out when it stops. seeing as how you have new black (if I recall) car, its best to do it to prevent fogging.

My wife's previous black car had a problem fogging. the paint underneath got cloudy.

vocus · February 2001

Are those things hard to take off and put on? Also, about how much do they go for? Just curious.

Pete said he was not leaving until Sunday afternoon in a previous post if I remember correctly. So it wasn't him you saw, Such.

And yes Nike, my new ES 2.0 baby is black! I pick it up from the dealer tonight. Only 4 more hours. I can hardly wait!!!

I am having ZOOM ZOOM withdraw!

unmarkedcar · February 2001

Do you think that 70 - 75 is going to make a big diff? I think not! Even 60 - 80mph is not a big task on a NEW CAR...even if it is during the 600 mile break in period. The newer engines also seem to run better at higher RPM's. The owners manual also says to avoid VERY high RPM's ( redline ). It is more of paranoia than anything else. You can not safely drive on a highway now days without staying around 60 - 80 mph.

As far as gas milage, I am getting around 24mpg ( i only have around 1k on my car) LX 2.0 auto. It should be more in a few months. I do mostly highway driving and stay between 65mph and 75mph. I will probably get better milage if I drive around 55 - 60mph.

Mazda Protegé

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