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Vocus...the bra should be taken off each time it rains and allowed to dry out. The Mazda factory bra is backed by a soft flannel-like fabric that allows it to breathe. The paint only yellows or clouds up when you allow dirt or grit to accumulate behind the fabric of the bra. The small amount of vibration that comes from driving around would constantly rub that grit across the paint. If you keep it clean and wash your car before putting the mask back on, you should have no problem with clouding the paint. Cheap bras (LeBra for example) tend to use vinyl only with no (or nearly no) backing that traps water against the paint and don't fit right. Trust me and get the factory bra.
Everybody else...this is my last post for a while, at least until I'm settled in Chi-town. Thanks for the warm wishes and I'll be back in touch soon!
Regards and ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pete
aka SpeedyPT (Speedy Petey)
Also, the engine (at 37K) now vibrates when idling at a stop light, and it never did that before. I even had the oil changed and a tune-up done (maybe they messed up the idle or something), and still it vibrates slightly.
I am not going to break the break-in rules this time either. I am going to follow them very strictly.
protege I saw was SILVER ! Actually its mine that
is white. I didnt notice the front though.
also we took off our cover when it rained or right after wards and it still fogged up (on a neon). her brother had a white neon and his turned yellow underneath. so he ended up never taking it off, which made it worse (catch 22). both were OEM dodge covers.
just remove it when it rains or soon after wards. clean the area before reinstalling it, and clean the inside of the cover so no dirt or anything can damage the paint. and keep tabs on it too. first sign of problems, take it to the dealer.. and get the Mazda one.. not some LeBra.
No Special break in is necessary, but a few precautions in the first 1000km(600 miles) may add to the performance, economy and life of your Mazda.
* Don't race the engine.
*Don't maintain one constant speed for long.
* Don't drive constantly at full-throttle or high engine RPM for extended periods of time.
* Avoid unnecessary hard stops.
* Avoid full-throttle starts.
---------------
Verbatim from page 4-6
Hmmm, nothing about 80 mph there, maybe it was the Hyundai manual.
considered to be HIGH RPM's.. they need to provide more detail. If anyone car provide me with proof, I will gladly agree.
2. $170 each? That's why I suggested Tire Rack. That's www.tirerack.com. More selection and cheaper.
3. One-inch larger in diameter in this case means about a 4% under-reporting of your car's speed and mileage.
4. No auto manufacturer in its right mind would recommend a substitute of 195/60-15 or 185/65-15 for the OEM size of 195/55-15.
5. While the two sizes you suggested are not acceptable, you can use 185/65-14 which are standard on the LX (not 2.0). This means buying new steel wheels and covers or alloy wheels.
6. My suggestion: Stick with the 195/55-15.
does anyone know whether the new protege automatics have a high incidence of failure. I remember that the 626's had big problems a few years ago. Also, is this automatic a Mazda design or a Ford design?
1. With the arrival of extra shoppers in the dealerships during the income tax rebate season, there is the possibility that new car dealers will be less likely to give DEEP discounts right now on a low supply high demand 2001 Protege. If you decide on a Mazda Protege you will probably benefit on waiting several weeks for the inventory of 2001's to build up, as more arrive at the dealerships.
2. The extra time you take, will allow youself to be SURE about your choice. No confusion. When you are sure, the new car buying experience becomes fun and you can't wait to pick up your new car. No buyers remorse for you, Lynn!
I feel your pain, my wife and I have a great child! Our 5 year old son is our pride and joy and we include him in a lot of our decisions. For practical reasons (you can never find a baby sitter when you need one), he went with us on several of our test drives. Somewhere during the process we test drove a vehicle with a rear cup holder, yikes! Thats ALL he cared about, we could of purchased a 1992 Ford Tempo, and if it had a rear cupholder......,hehe you surely know where I am going with this! However, as Dr. Laura say's; I AM my son's father and in the end I purchased a Mazda Protege because it was the best choice for our family! Lynn, go with your instincts, they have served you well to this point.
One final note! The Mazda Protege and the Mazda 626 are not really comparable. The Protege, is VERY roomy for a small sedan, nonetheless it is still a compact. The 626 is considered a mid-size car. My 2 cents. If I was shopping for my family:
In the small sedan class, test drive the following:
Mazda Protege
Honda Civic
*The Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla are too cramped in the rear cabin to work for a growing family. The Ford Focus is a pig. It is almost criminal what Ford has done to so many young people, a real shame.
In the mid-size class, test drive the following:
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
* The Mazda 626 is a nice car. However the build quality and design of the Camry/Accord's are top box.
Respectfully;
Larry
The 626 is also very underpowered. The v6 version only comes in 165hp and 161ft-lbs. Pretty low for a v6 engine for today's standards.
What's that supposed to mean?
'jumpmom' ....are you located in the Chicagoland area? Judging by the autoshow coupon you mentioned, I'm guessing. But I just bought a '01 prot ES on Mon (car just got off their truck Sat) and got a really good deal from Wilkins Mazda out in Villa Park. They agreed to the price I wanted ($300 over invoice, plus the Autoshow coupon of $500, plus the new gradincentive of $400, plus the 0% financing for 4 years.) You should price them out.
concerning the statement someone made about the 2.0L being 'more powerful than the competitions' " , the 2.0L sentra comes w/ 145hp.
concerning the statement that the sentra's rear seat is too cramped.....I remember my 2K sentra as having essentially the same room back there as the '01 protege.
if you're looking at mid-sized cars, don't overlook the Maxima. This is my primary car and I absolutely love it. The cabin room is huge. V6 is standard, not to mention the most powerful in it's class.
Not true if you're talking about leg room.
The back seat leg room is not even comparable. The protege has much more legroom.
And if you wait until April 4th I think, the new pics of the next 2002 model Altima will be out. It will be based on a Nissan Maxima platform and have a V6 option with 230+ HP.
As it stands now, the Altima has the largest engine in the 4cylinder engines. I bought our Altima after test driving a 626. (I had my heart set on a 626 but the 626 was standing still compared to the Altima. I've had no problems in almost 30K, except alignment hassles, but no wierd noises or rattles or hesitation, etc...
If you are looking for a great small sedan the Protege is the way to go. My car held up pretty well in a car accident. The truck slammed into the side of my car, slammed me into the concrete girder, sent me into a spin and I slammed into the opposite concrete girder. My 'ge did not flip over, nor did anything intrude into the cabin. I was shaken up a bit, and have extensive soft tissue injuries, but no bruises or broken bones.
The seat belt held me firmly in place!
Now, since my 'ge is dead, her internal organs salvaged -- I'm moving on to a different car. I want to maintain the memories of my first car so I will not purchase another Protege. I've been looking at the Nissan Altima, Honda Accord, and the Mitsubishi Galant. Anyone ever own one of these cars? I'd appreciate your input, especially since you are a Protege driver.
TRO
as for your questions, when I bought my Altima, I looked at the Galant too (not the Accord since it was too much $$$).
My top choice would have been the Galant. I loved the styling, but it too was too much and didn't have any rebates at the time. I settled on the Altima because it had the most power of the lot (Jetta, 626). It comes loaded with features (now you have to buy the VOP to get it all which is a given now). Its roomy, I've fit 4 adults in the back with no complaints and have taken several long distance trips without any problems in 30K miles.
So if you are looking at a car that is thousands of $ cheaper than the Galant and Accord, take the Altima.. just beware, you won't get the mileage the Protege gets now.
Re. the Civic: I was very surprised that my wife liked the car. She has never really felt comfortable in our Accord and I thought that this was symptomatic of Honda design. Apparently not. The Civic's engine seemed more buzz in comparison to the Protege's and is like the VTEC engine in our Accord--NO low end torque. You really have to fire up the RPM for the torque to come on strong. The improved rear leg room in the 2001 model is quite impressive and the seats were much more comfortable than the Protege's (at least those in the rear; the front seats seemed a little small and I had a little more difficulty getting comfortable). The estimated gas mileage of the Civic is also must better than the Protege...so there definitely is an economy/handling trade off.
I guess we'll mull over our options and decide between the two...
Bill
A note to ES owners: If you unlock the door with the remote, the lights flash. And it does it when you lock it too. Do the 2000s do that too? Also, if I unlock mine and don't open a door within 30 seconds or so, they lock back automatically. Do the 2000s do that too? Just curious.
I plan to keep this car for a long, long time. I love it alot and glad I went for it. The negative equity from the 1999 DX I had got me a little, but I don't care. My payment is in the 420s for 60 months with 12.7 APR (not so good credit). I still love the car alot, and I will try to refinance a year or two down the road.
I got the S-plan deal (pissed the dealer, since 4 people came in for the car before I picked it up, and they all wanted to pay MSRP too). I paid something like $16,700 (if I remember correctly) for a ES 2.0 with Premium Pkg., auto., and cassette.
Definitely a great car inside and out! And I love the interior chrome accents too. Makes it look really sporty. Don't buy a compact-size sedan without checking out the Protege. You will be sorry if you do!
The ABS brakes saved my butt for the first time tonight. I was going into the M-Tag lane (toll road) about 30-35 mph when this stupid person cut from the toll lane to the right of the M lane to the one to the left of it. Hit the brakes hard, and stopped on a dime! Great investment, considering they paid for themselves in the first two days of ownership.
Again, LOVE THE CAR!!!!!! }
Cannot wait until break-in so I can really ZOOM ZOOM!!!!!
Respectfully;
Protegextwo
-Larry
This is my first post in here and first and foremost I wanted to thank those that gave the info for the S-plan (it saved me about $400 off the price I was going to buy for!). It was easy too...I just called EAA, signed up, got member #, logged onto the website, got the PIN, and then showed up at the dealership in Irving, TX with it. Viola! I bought the car for almost $1000 under invoice with no tax (we are military out of state residents).
So we now own a sand mica 01 ES 2.0 w/ premium pkg. I was wondering if anyone knows about any aftermarket accessories that will improve gas mileage?? Also, does anyone have any recommendations for a certain type of wax to use for this car?
The car is great so far. We love it. Our only complaint is that the suspension is just a little stiffer than we'd like (price you pay for great handling). Although, I think someone previously mentioned that it will become smoother as you break in the car (can anyone confirm this?). We were also very pleased with how quiet the car is on the road. It is true that Mazda made improvements in road/engine noise between 2000 and 2001.
So again, my gratitude to you all for saving me $400!!
Borg
What does everyone else think of this years colors?
Still getting around 27-28 mpg 70% city, 30% highway with a very heavy right foot. Put in fresh Mobil 1 this morning and a new Mobil 1 filter. I'd say I only have around 10,000 left on my Potenzas. They sure do go away quickly. I noticed salt really seems to collect around the top of the front strut towers on this car. Specifically, around the rubber boots. If you live around salt I'd wash the area carefully and frequently.
Can't wait to put the first 01 coat of Nu-Finish on it. Getting the "bucket and sponge" ready. How about you Larry?
BTW, there are A LOT of Foci on used car lot's around here all of a sudden.
Regards,
Mark.
and as far as I can recall, if I unlock my door with the remote and don't open it, they stay unlocked, but I usually open the door, or unlock all 4. I will test the 1 door unlock and see.
protegextwo Thanks.. They are good cars, and I think now Nissan is gearing more to the performance aspect of it with all the high HP cars they are churning out (230HP Maxima, 170/180 '02 Sentras, Supercharged Frontier, 230+HP '02 V6 Altima, etc...)