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Comments
Have other folks gotten these?
Will my car be getting birthday cards *every* year?
Should I be sending Mazda NA cards, too?
Didn't realize we were going to be pen pals.
fowler: a new headgasket for offset? that was funny! have you noticed how he/she hasn't dropped by since that comment a few days ago?
re: block heaters..had a factory heater ($18 retail, as optional eq.!!)in my beloved '96 V6
Contour. Their usefulness depends strictly on cold temps your ride might be exposed to outdoors or,even, an un-heated garage (me). Say it gets only to -15 degrees (F)a couple times in any winter. With hot coolant, engine "stuff" heat soaks, thus when your frigid engine fires its a gentler, kinder experience for your powerplant. (fowler3.. i.e. pre-heating a/c engines. I recall engine pre-heaters owned by FBO's all around the Great Lakes area.) In addition one will have heat flowing in three blocks or so. What can you say? Block heaters rule! I plugged it in 3 hrs before start-up.
Price for same: around $200 at the dealer I purchased from. It was a phone call so I don't know if they knew that. That job is mostly all labor. And since I'm parked indoors I hate to spend that kind of money but am considering it anyway.
re: V rated tires. I agree fully newcar31.
ashutoshsm: Didn't know one was available for 95DX.
I received mine from Mazdastuff earlier this week. No directions, not even an exploded dwg. (see my post in Accy & Mods, #516; 12/18/01; 05:19 p.m.) I've marked 2 url's the_big_h posted. Haven't had a chance to look at them yet. Anyway the kit consists of 11 pieces, including the 40" chrome yellow brace. Two sturdy braces for the tower tops, insulator, flange nuts, brackets and spacers. This is a spring time project for one reason. On both this car and my last there was initially a small but marked change in "feel" being much better going from snow tires to oem. This when swapping out tires in the spring and fall. If the brace goes on with snow tires I'll never be able to discern any improvement in handling afforded by the mod. I'd expect any improvement to be in steering input. Who is "Pete"? He apparently did the job on his car.
re: Click and Clack the Tappet Bros. Are there any other fans on this forum besides me?
Have a great holiday All.
Dinu
Floridian
Ain't they sweet--feel them shiftin'
A beautiful sight, we're happy, all right
Drivin' in our Protegés all night
All around, hear them zoomin'
What a sound! Engines tunin'
A beautiful sight, we're happy, all right,
Drivin' in our Protegés all night.
In the driveway, PT's switching parts out
Tells us all about it later on,
Protegextwo is holding hope out
He'll get to be x3 before too long...
Rotors cool? Time for washin',
Must be cool--Meade's not joshin'!
A beautiful sight, we're happy, all right,
Drivin' in our Protegés all night.
Thursday nights, pull over--time to chat now
Fowler, Yooper, Dinu, and the rest...
With Dee the Host, the hour seems so short--wow!
(but ChiPro's silly questions--what a pest!)
Later on, at the stations
We'll refuel, 'cross the nations
A beautiful sight, we're happy, all right
Drivin' in our Protegés all night
(with Vocus in his Jettaaaaa)
Drivin' in our Protegés all night
(can't get much bettaaaa)
Than drivin'...in our Protegés...all night!
Zoom zoom!
Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!
Love and kisses,
Chicagopro
The bar I got was from the Japanese Sport 20. Visually I can not tell a difference from the MP3/Protege5 strut bar. Mine came in Bright Red with most of the same hardware. The brackets I received did not allow for the cruise control to be mounted with it. I was not willing to remove the cruise, so 15 mins with a dremmel on the original cruise bracket and I was in business. Mounting the bar was pretty easy. Removed the 3 of 4 bolts from each strut tower needed to mount the brackets, set the strut bar mounting brackets on the top, replaced the 3 nuts on each bracket but do NOT tighten yet, fitted the strut bar onto the top of the mounting plates, finger tightened all. Torqued the strut bolts to factory specs (can't remember exact, one phone call to the service department got me the answer), then tightened the strut bar bolts to the same setting. The negative battery lead will have to be moved 90 degrees clockwise to allow the driver's side mounting plate to be installed, no sweat...plenty of slack to accomplish and doesn't look out of place either. The "bump" or slightly raised portion of the strut bar goes on the drivers side. Also...I painted mine chrome silver to match the car better.
Handling benefits? Better straight line tracking, especially over uneven roads. Slightly better feedback at the limit of traction, slightly improved cornering...but not much (our cars are more limited by the crummy Potenza RE92's than by suspension design). Asthetic benefit is the visual appeal of a factory-type strut bar that doesn't overstress 2 inner bolts of the strut towers like some of the aftermarket strut bars.
This spring I will be re-buying the passenger side brackets of a Protege5 to correctly remount my cruise control. No problems with the current setup, but I like things perfect.
Please let me know if you have any questions...it's really not all that tough to install. Make sure you have all needed parts and it should go well. You are not going to see a dramatic difference in your car after installation, but if you drive like I do, you will be glad you put it in.
Regards,
Pete
-Larry
:-)
Regards,
Pete
fowler3
-Larry
Never go over the max tire pressure rating on the tire itself.
After that, experiment. I find 38 psi works great on the Dunlops I have (max 44), on a smooth track. Ouchy on regular roads though, so I tune them back to 32psi.
Those are the only places that are available around here for racing and driving. Kind of lame. Oh well. We can't all live around race tracks (although I wouldn't mind taking a vacation to visit one).
Bernadal: I use 32 PSI on the 195/55 R15 R92 Potenzas and it offers a firm ride (best for superior cornering and handling ability, not great if you want comfort above everything).
Dinu
On a different note, when accelerating, I get this slight noise from the engine that sounds a bit like a jet engine spinning up. Almost feels like I am getting ready for take-off. I know it's not the turbo (lol), but is it normal?
Just wondering if that's something I need to bring up with the dealer. thanks.
Igor, 2002 Pro ES
Happy Holidays!
God Bless,
Larry
BTW, my CD player doesn't skip when going over bumps.
Pro_fan
Didn't have this problem last winter.
-Larry
Could it possibly be because we had some pretty damp weather, followed by a cold snap? Moisture in the doors, now freezing?
Sigh...you're probably right, though...I should add a visit to the dealership to my list of things to do on my 'vacation.'
Hope your holiday was happy!
--Dale
Merry Christmas to all you pro drivers!
Well, I'm back in Northern Virginia (in reading all the old posts, it seems that was a popular cross-country roadtrip destination). For those who remember, I was in L.A. debating whether to buy my Protege there and drive it back. I chose not to, and instead rented a car (actually, a V6 Ford Ranger extended cab, which completely surprised me-- I was expecting a lousy cheapo truck, and it turned out to be a real great drive; I'd definitely consider it as a second car for utility hauling). The trip cross country is another story, but it was a great time-- beautiful weather (I traveled the week of Thanksgiving, so I lucked out), great scenery (Grand Canyon, Navajo country, the Rockies from Durango to Grand Junction, through Denver to Kansas, up to Nebraska, through Iowa, stopped off in Chicago to see the family for turkey, and then off to DC). For anyone who has the time or inclination (and a friendly job paying for your move), I'd recommend taking the trip in a heartbeat, it's worth it.
Anyways, I'm writing to inform everyone that I purchased my Protege! I apologize if all my details aren't available, I'm at work and I don't have the bill of sale in front of me, but here's what I can recall:
2002 Mazda Protege ES, 5-spd, black, with premium package, perimeter alarm, and cargo net. I bought it with 2 (!) miles on it.
Price: I bought it on the S-plan (thanks EAA!) for @16150, IIRC. $2000 down, I took the 60 mos at 5.9% (I coulda got the 0.0% at 36 mos, but I'm saving to buy a house next year, so every dollar counts right now, and I'll just double pay next year). Monthly payment comes to $289 and change.
Insurance: GEICO, with a $500 deductible, part-time driver (I walk to work, the car's just for fun ;-), I pay $375 every 6 months.
Dealer experience: I bought it from Rosenthal Arlington Mazda on a Saturday. Honestly, if I didn't know this was the car I wanted at this price, I probably woulda walked out of there. The 22 year old salesman could not have been less enthusiastic about the sale (I held back on telling him I would buy on the S-plan, just to see how'd they sell me the car; answer: not very well). After I found the model I wanted, I then got sold hard on buying the paint protection/undercoating/extended warranty. The good cop/bad cop action got so heated that it felt like I was on an episode of NYPD Blue. Anyways, I managed to avoid the (minor) temptation and walk out without buying the extra junk ("I wash my car, thank you very much!"). Basically, the only reason I chose this dealer was that it was next to the subway in case I needed to get my car fixed. At least their selection was good (although I they didn't have a red, which was my other potential choice).
Protege review: Since I spent six months looking at cars, I was pretty well sold on the Pro well before I even test drove it. I looked at everything from a Focus ZX3 up to a VW GTI, with cars like the Civic and Cougar in between. In the end, I settled on the Protege for a few reasons:
-- Raves from the folks here on the Edmunds board (no, seriously-- the praise-to-complaint ratio for the Pro board has to be one of the best in the Town Hall).
-- Driving fun. It sounded more entertaining to drive than a Civic. Since I don't commute, I wanted something I could enjoy driving.
-- Reliability. I'm sure it's a good car, but I can't help it, the Focus just scares me. Growing up, my nationalistic bent told me I'd never buy a Japanese car. Now that I'm older (and actually have to pay for things), I can't afford that luxury. Consumer Reports liked the Pro enough for my uses.
-- Attractiveness. At first glance, I thought the car was boxy and boring, a little too close to the Corrolla for my tastes. However, the styling grew on me, especially in the ES trim (the spoiler is tasteful, I like the chrome accents, and white-face gauges make me go zoom-zoom!). Now I think the car is downright handsome.
After owning it for a month (I've got 740 miles on it as of last night), here are my general impressions:
-- FUN, FUN, FUN: my last car was a 98 Golf GLS, a great car to be sure, but the Pro is a lot more fun to drive. The suspension lets me go exactly where I steer it. I've taken some off-ramps at speeds I probably shouldn't be going, and the car always keeps me in the right spot. For such an inexpensive car, I've been very impressed.
-- Transmission: I like it a lot more than the Honda shifters (I know, blasphemy). It feels a lot like the Golf shifter, which I really enjoyed. The throws aren't too long, aren't too short, and there's a satisfying feeling of being in gear (my friend's 2000 Altima is a great car, but I can never tell when I'm in gear). The clutch pedal lifts up at exactly the right height (although I'd like to get a larger pedal; I pretty much just use my toes on it, and that gets uncomfortable in traffic, I'd rather have a larger pedal I can use my whole foot on). The gear ratio is a little blah; I find myself driving a lot in 4th, more so than in the Golf (3rd was the most used on that one)
HOWEVER, I'd like to corroborate some comments I read earlier on the board. The tranny definitely needs to warm up to work right. The shifter is rubbery and the clutch is jerky until the car is warm (temp gauge squarely in the middle). Since the car warms up fast, I can't complain about it. Also, I believe I also suffer from the mythical "power loss" phenomenon, and I can definitely say it has nothing to with the AC cycling on or off (I had it off, I think ;-). It's very weird, just a brief (1/2 second or so) loss of power in gear, not enough to affect my driving, just enough to notice. I haven't noticed my headlights dimming or anything like that, just a feeling that my gas flow cut out for a moment. Since I don't know what sets it off, I don't think it's really a "problem," especially since it's only happened twice (that I've noticed). I'll bring it up when I take in the car for the first service, unless it becomes an issue. Right now, I feel safe in assuming that it's S.O.P. for the car (every car has their idiosyncrasies, I'll be happy if this is the only one).
-- Great details: The cup holder is in a good spot. The factory radio has no high-range, but it's good in the low- and mid-, and the controls are intuitive (Gotta love that big fat dial!). Lots of storage nooks (although beware of putting CD cases in the center unit-- they tend to rattle around and freak you out). The 60/40 seats and pass-through trunk have already gotten a workout at Ikea, I was able to transport an entire (small) dining room set in the car, plus a 7x10 ft rug. The car has incredible room. Seats are comfy. The parking brake is in the right spot, in the middle of the console (and not next to my leg). Love the soft plastic feel of the dash. Not a single rattle-- the build quality for the price has been excellent, no misaligned panels, all the part
-- REALLY minor nits: In a car this well detailed, you'd think Mazda would add a) variable intermittent wipers (the slow is too slow, the fast is too fast, I need a "just right"), and b) a one-touch sunroof retractor (who opens the roof halfway? Make it like the driver's side window button). I also would prefer to have the fog light button on the steering column, it's a little far to reach on the dash. Finally, I find myself turning on the brights an awful lot when I use the turn signal, but I guess most new cars have that "back on as long as you hold it, forward on until you shut it off" brights function. Wish the gauge lights were that VW blue vice the orange; when I go from seeing red taillights on the road to the red lights in the car, I tend to lose sight of things for a moment. Arm rest is too small, I can only use it when I'm in 2nd or 4th and kicking back; I miss my VW armrest! Oh well, personal preference, nothing's perfect unless I build the car myself.
-- Biggest complaint: The stupid car alarm. I can't use it. Nearly every time I use it, I'll find that it went off when a dump truck goes by, or a plane flies overhead. It's gone off at 4 am in my backyard parking lot, much to the chagrin of my neighbors I'm sure (thankfully the key fob has enough juice to shut if off from my bedroom window; that was the ultimate lazy touch!). I find myself just pressing in the "lock all doors" button before I leave the car. Obviously, this isn't the smartest thing to do, but considering how everyone ignores car alarms anyways, I don't think I'm losing anything for security. I'll just have to buy a Club, and debate upgrading with a Lo-Jack or similar system.
Overall, I'm really in love with the car. It drives great, it has good enough power for the city (now that I'm coming out of my break in period, I've discovered the joys of 5500 RPM, although driving like that just kills the gas mileage). It's also a handsome car that looks more expensive than it really is. Unless something pops up that proves the car a lemon, I expect to be happy with the car for a very long time!
Cheers,
Dave
P.S. A few questions for the group:
-- I guess I should change out my oil at 1000 miles and not wait until the dealer service (something like 3500, 3750 miles), right?
-- Does the roof deflector make a big enough difference? I don't have one, and having the roof open at highway speeds (thanks to the oil companies for providing us with this globally warmed winter!), it's pretty loud, so I'm debating getting one installed.
-- Anything I should be looking out for in the next few months? I.e., are there any problems that will typically show up in the 1K-5K miles period?
Very thorough description of what you think about the car! To answer your questions:
1. I would change the oil at 1000kms, not miles. But maybe just b/c we count in Kms here in Canada...
2. My only problems were:
a) A mis-alligned steering wheel that was tilted to the right. It was fixed in 20 mins the week after I got it.
b) The original CD player "ate" my CD. It was replaced on the spot at my dealer (apparently others have had this issue too). Maybe Panasonic fixed the bug for 2002. The new CD player that was installed is working fine, playing even CD-RWs!!! But I stil haven't gotten my CD that was stuck in the player in August.
c) Three lights from the spoiler burned out. The LED was replaced in 15mins in late Nov/early December.
Outside of that I check the tire pressure every week (NEEDS to be perfect if I feel like I wanna DRIVE), change my oil regularly (every 4000kms) and open the hood once every 2-3 weeks to check the fluids are topped-up and there are no problems.
Dinu
PS: Join us for the PRO chat every Thurday 9PM ET.
I had some complaints with my ES and they were all sorted out by either paying a visit to the dealer or the MNAO call center.
I am really curious to know why you would like to talk with the call center supervisor? After all he/she is only the supervisor. I am not sure he/she is anymore knowledgeable in the subject matter.
How would he/she be able to help you? If you have a real big problem with your car, contact the Mazda rep for your area. He/she will surely respond.
Vocus, This is purely for your info.
No harm meant.
Good luck with getting all settled in (although, since a month has elapsed, I'm sure you're all done!)
I've been here 15 days, and am just starting to relax a little, finally! I guess Jan or Feb 2002 would be a great time for MAPP-III, what will all the newcomers to the area, and the new owners :-)
-ashu
Today there was no problem, and it's 18 degrees here.
Reagle, I assume you mean ice formed on the outside of the windows, right? That could have been a possibility. I'll have to pay attention next time.
vocus...yeah, I could feel the power windows trying to go down, but they would budge only a tiny bit...didn't want to force them.
Hopefully, this was just a temporary thing.
Next chat Thursday, January 3rd