Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Mazda Protegé

1124125127129130453

Comments

  • chrischris Member Posts: 9
    I have a 2000 ES and has always had what I thought was fairly loud tire noise (I guess mazda won't be using Bridgestone much more in the future since the Firestone thing...), anyway, has anyone else noticed this, or do I have a bad wheel bearing somewhere...

    thanks...
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    I don't know about the noisy tires, but Mazda said sometime back that they were definitely continuing their relationship with Bridgestone.

    About the noise: Try Rotating the tires cross wise and see if the noise changes. If it doesn't it's most likely the bearing.
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Mazda is definitely continuing using Bridgestones. I wish they probably used better Bridgestones (NOT the Potenzas R92), but that's another story.

    I don't particularily notice any unusual noises from the tires, but if the stereo is NOT on on the highway, going 70mph and above, there's road noise coming into the cabin.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    You had better let a shop install the wood trim kit. The pieces have to be heated and shaped before applying. And the installer gets only one chance to stick them on. The heating makes sure the edges are tucked under to provide a factory installed appearance.

    Darker woods go better with black interiors since there is enough contrast. The lighter, warmer woods go best with beige or ivory trim. My favorite use to be Brazilian Rosewood, but there is a new Burl Walnut that looks good, too.

    If you go with it, have the installer apply the main pieces first and see what you think. You may not want all of the kit installed on a small car. Too much in a small space. Use it sparingly for the best effect. Pieces of wood on the armrests where the window buttons are may not wear well.

    Wood trim requires maintenance, too. Use a good furniture polish to provide moisture so it doesn't crack.

    fowler3
  • protegextwoprotegextwo Member Posts: 1,265
    My Protege lives in all it's former splendor. Wait until MAPP #3, every one will walk around my car and say; WOW what a good looking nose your cars has!!! My Protege will be the BEST LOOKING 2000 model year PRO-ES in the world!!!! I'm going to massage it's paint work EVERY day with exotic polish and hand glazes. I'll give my beloved PRO-ES, coat after coat of KLASSE. I will DEMAND that my family and friends come over weekly and change the oil and clean my tires with their tooth brushes! I will always drive 10 mph below the speed limit! NEVER NEVER again will it's cute little nose impact a living venison roast or an eighteen wheeler retread carcass! NEVER! It's Alive, It's Alive!!!!
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Hey -- I got your voice mail after I left work yesterday. I'm in this morning -- give me a call again if you want.

    Meade
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    So what's going to be the next thing you hit on the highway coming home from work? Just kidding. Glad you got your car back into shape, and wish you luck on not hitting anything else. :)
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Glad you have your baby back. Enjoy it!
  • phoenixmp5phoenixmp5 Member Posts: 60
    WOW!!!!

    I've been pretty enthusiastic about certain things before and I love driving my P5, but WOW.... slow down Larry, your going to burst something! :-) Actually, outside the Protege and Mini Cooper boards, I haven't found such enthusiasm as this.

    Just helped my Mother-in-law purchase a 2000 LX with 29K miles on it (Previously a Hertz Rental) and No squeaks, rattles, loose panels... nothing. Drive train is tight and all appears to be in great working order. Doors still close with a nice thunk.:-) I'm thrilled to see how well these relatively inexpensive vehicles hold up! Even under lesser TLC conditions.

    The only complaint! The Bridgstones are plagued with excessive tire noise. Rotating them cross wise will probably do some good, though I do remember them being fairly noisy from the start and getting worse with wear, when I had the Potenza's on my CRX.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Carmax of Raleigh has a 2001 Protege ES 5-speed in silver (but it looks tanish in the pic) with sunroof for sale. It has 5K miles on it, and it's going for $12,598. I guess the dealership I traded my car in to really didn't make that much money on it then (I had 20K miles on a 2001 and it had a broken windshield). They gave me $11,500 for it, and probably will only be able to sell it for like $12,000. Last time I checked, the car was still sitting there on the used car lot.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    It's 75 degrees here in Maryland today, sunny and beautiful. I had the sunroof and windows open all the way when I went to lunch. Eat your hearts out! :)
  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    Quick question. Does the passenger side folding mirror on your Protege's fit flush. There seems to be an offset in the way mine fits. Considering having it looked at by the dealer but wanted to see if it was normal. Haven't had a chance to view any other 01 Proteges.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Do you mean the mirror casing itself? If that's what you mean, they do kinda look offset from certain angles. They were the same on both of my Proteges, the 1999 DX and the 2001 ES (black just like yours is). Don't worry about it, it's fine.
  • elec3elec3 Member Posts: 160
    If you want to see something funny (or impressive), head on over to the WRX board. Apparently a lot of them are talking about upgrading their tires to the Dunlops that came standard on my Pro5 (and, I would imagine, on all the newest model Protege sedans). Sounds like I got a good deal on my stock wheels then :) Apologies to those of you who were stuck with "Poortenzas", as Meade likes to call 'em ;)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Only the Protege ES and P5 models come with the Dunlops. They are good tires. I had 20K miles on my 2001 when I traded it, and there were no signs of wear at all on them with regular 6000 mile rotations.
  • protegextwoprotegextwo Member Posts: 1,265
    Paul, I've come close to a couple of disabled VDub Jet's! HeHe, only kidding. They really were not disabled; I think the owners were just stopped along side the road, trying to get their stereo's working. :-)

    -Larry
  • protegextwoprotegextwo Member Posts: 1,265
    I'll call you tommorrow morning.
    Hey everybody, who's CHATTIN TONIGHT?

    "Be there or be square!"

    -Larry
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    The right door mirror is offset compared to the left one due to the limited movement of the mirror. The mirror can only travel so far left or right, so they set the housing at a closer angle to the car's window to accomodate drivers of various sizes,
    heights. A short driver will sit closer to the instrument panel and have a different field of view to the right as a taller driver.

    I knew an Audi owner who set the mirror (pre-electric) to look balanced with the left mirror but couldn't see anything with it. She also set her heater control sliders to look balanced, not realizing the heat was ON in the summer. And asked me why her car was so hot inside even with the windows open. LOL!

    fowler3
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    I always look forward to driving home in my Pro, especially after a long, tough day at work (this week seemed especially tough). I always arrive home with a smile on my face. Too bad my commute doesn't cover more winding back-roads. :)
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    That is the sound that will be coming from under the hood of a protege soon. Road and Track said that sometime next year, the Protege will be available with a turbo. Who would have ever thought there would be a huffin and puffin protege.
  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    Thanks fowler. It just looks a little weird. When my fiance drives the car (he's 6'6) he can't get the mirror to adjust far enough out to be able to see very good. I didn't want to take it in and have the dealer mess with anything if there was nothing wrong with it in the first place.
  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    The only thing that the Protege needs is more power. I can't imagine why they would make a car drive this good and put an anemic engine in it. I think the engine would've been better had they left the higher revving 1.8 in it. It's no fun to be driving at a higher RPM when the engine runs out of steam at 5500.
  • yooper53yooper53 Member Posts: 286
    Outstanding!!! I do agree that a car that handles this well should have at least 20 more hp. However in no way would I consider this engine to be anemic. It certainly has adequate oomph for comfortable passing on two-lane highways so I have no complaint in this regard. Once this one is paid off I would be strongly inclined to get a turbo version. Oh yeah! If they do this turbo thing It seems they'd also offer it in the new "6". I'm sold on Mazda brand, as long as they're built in Japan.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Coming from an Integra VTEC, I was a little disapointed in the Protege ES 2.0L's ability to rev. Yeah, it does run out of steam around 5500, OTOH, the Integra HAD no steam until around 5500. That makes the Protege much easier to drive around town, especially with a 5 sp. The Integra liked to bog and it usually got beat up at stop light grand prixs *unless* you went all out. I've come to like the Protege's power band, it's more flexible. The Integra was either "on" or "off". Unless you have a bigger engine or forced induction, these are the choices that must be made: Low end "city" power (Protege) or screaming high end power (Integra).
  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    Since I do almost no driving in the city I would lean towards having the power at the upper end of the revs. Maybe I'm just used to the higher reving engines after years of Hondas. I would rather drive the Protege in traffic over my fiance's Civic but on the highway I would rather have the Civic because it's quieter and runs at a much lower RPM while getting better gas mileage.
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    The Protege and the Familia are one and the same. Could this be what we're going to be offered state-side?

    FYI, the Sport 20 is the AWD/turbo version of the Familia 5-dr sport wagon that's been available in Japan for a couple years. I'd like to get THAT over here. What a tough decision to make between the 6, Sport 20 and RX-8!

    This was announced on www.veh-tech.net a couple days ago.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    The Civic runs at a "much" lower RPM than the Protege on the highway? If that's the case, given the low torque output of the Civic, I'd say that the Civic must be a dog on highway hills.
  • chicagoprochicagopro Member Posts: 1,009
    ...but I'm sure you guys will have a definite opinion on this.

    Overdrive: When, where, and how often?

    Thanks!
  • zoomzoom79zoomzoom79 Member Posts: 272
    newcar31: At 80 his Civic is at around 3000 RPM. At 80 I am about 4000 RPM. The only time the Civic is really a "dog" is when the AC is on and you are taking off from a light. Once the RPM get up around 3000 it's fine.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I used to leave the OD on all the time. Some people turn it off in the city. It's used to make the engine run quieter on the highway though. So definitely use it on the highway, turn it off in the city if you want to (there is no point to turning it off though).
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    I leave it on most of the time, I only turn it off when I need to do a downshift immediately, usually when merging onto highways from onramps.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Look for a pssssst kit at local dealer as well.
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    are you kidding maltb? Mazda's gonna come out with a factory turbo kit for proteges??? When will that be???
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    I usually turn it off when in stop-and-go traffic under 35mph, or if I'm staying under 20mph (as in a school zone). Other than that, I keep it in OD.
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Would it be too optimistic to hope there's a turbo kit for the 1.6L? :)
  • shriqueshrique Member Posts: 338
    It's most likely that it will be for current production models only. Of course if a turbo for the 2.0 sold well maybe they would consider the 1.8. I would hate the say though that the 1.6 is probably out of luck. (grin)
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    I highly doubt that his rpms are at 3000 at 80 mph in the Civic. That is wrong. That seem WAY off. What model Civic is it? The only Civic that I can think of that would be close to that is the Civic HF.
  • bjewettbjewett Member Posts: 62
    I agree that a turbo mp5 (familia sport 20) would be a welcome addition (and likely significant success story for mazda). There is plenty of room between say the WRX/Passat pricing and the current mp5 (or sedan) for mazda to make some $$$ and the buyers to get a significantly quick sedan that stands out for not too much $$.


    The protege turbo was mentioned here -

       http://www.veh-tech.net/pages/DailyNews/LatestStories.html


    Look under "Thursday Nov. 29".

  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    They must come with a new computer too. Doesn't the Protege have a returnless fuel rail? If so, you would need to reprogram the computer, or use a piggy back ECU.
  • protegenicprotegenic Member Posts: 199
    Since I am sure Mazda will not give these away, I'll probably just hang on to what I have, let my son drive it in a couple of years when he gets his license and it is paid for, and buy a Mazda 6 with the V6! I just hope they bring the hatchback version over.
  • elec3elec3 Member Posts: 160
    If Mazda had a factory turbo kit available for the 2.0, I'd be all over it assuming 1) performance increase was sizeable with little to no hit on reliability, 2) they didn't want 5 grand for the kit plus installation, 3) it comes out soon enough that I haven't traded up to a WRX but distant enough that I can afford it. Regardless, it would be nice to have the option.

    Overdrive is my friend, having an automatic Pro5. Really what it's meant to do is keep your revs low and gas mileage high. If you are careful, the overdrive OFF button is like a mini turbo booster. If you're cruising around town and need a lot of power suddenly, you mash the gas pedal, the car shifts down 2 or 3 gears, you run the revs up to redline, and go nowhere. Turning overdrive off is like a manual downshift, putting you closer to more power with less chance of doing the above. I drive around with overdrive on but I'm quick to that off button. I mostly use it when I need to speed up to get through a yellow light or if I'm driving 25 for a school or hospital zone and find that my revs have dropped to 800. That makes it tough to get back up to 40 without getting run over. I also turn overdrive off on the highway sometimes for more passing power. I've discovered that the Pro5 develops a fair bit of power and can actually seem impressive if you are cruising at around 40mph, pop the overdrive off, and hit the gas. For whatever reason around this speed, your revs with overdrive off put you right in the power band and you can take off like a rocket (if that's what makes you happy, of course) :)
  • nematodenematode Member Posts: 448
    Major problems:
    My wife keeps taking it. Her 2k Outback Limited is nice but about as exciting as a Camry (unless its snowing).

    Minor problems: Had a dash rattle at 3k miles but it has since gone away without me doing anything.

    MPG: 24city/29highway. It will get 33mpg if you drive 60mph. At 70-75 it gets 27-30mpg. Overall I'm at 28mpg. Yup, I'm lucky because its a mostly highway mid-western commute.

    Other: I run 35psi all around. I switched over to Mobil-1 full synthetic 5w30 engine oil at 2k miles. It was changed at 7500 miles with Castrol Syntec and I'm doing 7500mile changes until the warranty runs out and then 15k changes after that. Unless I go back to dino oil and then it will be 7500miles. The transmission will be flushed with the next oil change at 15k and every 30k after that.

    Overall: Its a very nice car so far and pretty cheap to operate. In my opnion I dont think one can comment on reliability until it gets beyond 50k and 3-4 years. Still, no problems so far.

    My take on the turbo:
    1) My limit is $3000 installed.
    2) Must not void warranty.
    3) Must come with a warranty for the turbo and installation.
    4) Must increase hp/ft-lb by around 30 but not more than 50. I dont like torque steer.
  • yooper53yooper53 Member Posts: 286
    Your 4 items above are in line with what I'd be willing to go with an oem turbo. Guess I'll wait til then. Anxiously...
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    I'd definately want more than 30 hp from a turbo kit. 30 hp is not worth the hassle of a turbo kit. I'd want *at least* 50 hp.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    can't even agree on the power. the bird told me the '02 mps was good for 180. Not sure what that does for the kit.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    to hear the complaints about turbos and how espensive to repair. Isn't that one of the main Jetta owners' complaints, along with electrical problems?

    Was I ever glad to have quick steering Sunday! Some dumbass in a Chrysler Town and Country crossed the double-yellow lines and ran me off the road into a yard and back. Sheesh! Thought for a minute I was joining Larry's club.

    I checked that heater/AC question this afternoon. It has been raining all day and the windshield started to fog up. Yep, the AC comes on when you move the selector to feet/defrost. But it's nice not having to turn it on separately, even though there are times you may need the extra power and come up short. Turning the A/C on manually in other cars it gets too cold quickly. The Pro way blends it with the heat nicely and I also noticed the fan speeds up.

    fowler3
  • protegextwoprotegextwo Member Posts: 1,265
    IMHO, most small Japanese sedan's are built for those who want to drive lots and lots of trouble free miles without worrying about feeling the road, while the Mazda Protege is designed for drivers who want to feel the road, with tighter steering and suspensions, while driving those same reliable miles! Jim, I'm glad to here you drove thru that little fiasco. BTW, I ain't in no crash club!

    -Larry
  • yooper53yooper53 Member Posts: 286
    I used to work with a guy whose wife had some turbo Mopar product that required two turbos to be r&r'd, fortunately under warranty. He stated how much it would have been out of pocket and I was shocked. Wish I could remember how much he said. Anyway that would be one reservation I'd have at the end of warranty. But you gotta admit a turbo Pro would be a hoot, no?
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    You may recall that I got 36mpg on the trip to Virginia, on November 28. I refilled the tank on the return leg that same day with 9 gallons at 4971 miles on the ODO. It's now at 5239 ODO, 268 miles around town and the fuel guage is just below half a tank. I'll give you the exact town figure when I top it off this week. If you haven't figured it up yet, it was 12 days ago I made the trip. That's GOOD fuel economy in anybody's book.

    I'll take a Protegé over a Civic any day! Of all the compact cars I have owned -- 12 -- the Protegé is the BEST of them.

    fowler3
Sign In or Register to comment.