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Dinu
Dinu
Meade
Isn't that what internet forum's all about?
""I just read this in the NY Times:
"The only MP3's for sale these days are used ones.
But those willing to wait will soon get another chance to buy this car, or one much like it, in a Mazda showroom. Impressed by customers' enthusiasm — and by reviewers' disappointment in the lack of power — Mazda has decided to produce a new version that it will unveil this spring, perhaps at the New York auto show next month. The car will get a new name and, praise the engineers, a turbocharger to give the engine enough juice to match the suspension.
No word yet on how much more the MP3's successor will cost than the $18,500 Mazda charged for the 2002 model. But in light of the traffic jam among under-$20,000 performance cars — think of the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V, Honda Civic Si, Ford SVT Focus, Dodge Neon R/T, Toyota Matrix XRS and Pontiac Vibe GT — a big price increase probably isn't in the tea leaves."
The MP3 outslalomed a Ferrari 360 Spider and Corvettet ZO6, give it more hp and the car quite possibly jumps up to the top of my list in this price class!""
Did the MP3 outslalom the 360 Spider an Chevette (I know it's a Corvette)?
Hank: It's a good argument though...
Dinu
I too have that cold start hesitation. After cold starts, the car will hesitate around 3000 rpm, but the hesitation is gone after the engine is warm. It's annoying. I think it's a feature of the newer Mazda engines, cause my 93 mx6 2.0L doesn't do that.
Another question I had was re: manual trans fluid changes. How often should that be done? Is it necessary? My MX6 shifts pretty poorly compared to the Protege ES (of course the MX6 has 128k mi on it), but I can sometimes feel gear grinding thru the gearshift as I move thru the gates.
BUT, when I'll buy my used MX-3 in 5 spd in June, I will change the tranny oil, along with the coolant, check the brakes and brake fluid, rotate tires, etc...
Now I'm not 100% sure, but I did hear that changinf the tranny oil on a high mileage car that was never changed before can actually DAMAGE the tranny. Particles and oil that "host" the gears build a strong glue-like residue over time that prevents leaks, etc. So it might not be a good idea to disrupt that "sludge" if the tranny oil change was not done at regular intervals.
Q: Am I right, or way off?
What about an auto tranny? When would you change it?
Dinu
Our Ford powered MPV seems to be a good example of how the two brands can peacefully co-exist.
;-)
Meade
P.S. Would that MPV happen to have the infamous underpowered engine, or the new one that Ford finally got correctly mated with the vehicle?
This may in fact be a problem area for the Ford/Mazda marriage. The guy who dates my next-door neighbor's girlfriend went out and (despite my first-hand warnings) purchased a new Mazda B2300 pickup truck -- with a Ford engine. I just saw him the other day, getting into a rental car, in front of my neighbor's house. I said, "Hey, you didn't go and sell that nice pickup after owning it for only a year, did you?" He replied, "No, I'm going to pick it up now. It's been in the shop for two weeks getting a new transmission."
And to think it was a MAZDA transmission coupled to a FORD engine!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't the current-generation 626s, which also have this kind of shared engine-and-transmission arrangement, also suffered from transmission problems?
Meade
-Larry
Did the MP3 outslalom the 360 Spider an Chevette (I know it's a Corvette)? <<<<<
Yup.
according to them, the only car that can out-slalom the $18,500 MP3 is a $150,000 Porsche
Made me feel very proud that day.
Meade, since the first time I drove a 2.5L MPV I could not figure out what every press writer was so up in arms about. Go to the MPV forum(second happiest bunch of owners on Edmunds). This past weekend I was tailgating an Accord V-6 up one of our major passes going 80. The van easily pulls a trailer with motorcycles and equip to the desert in 100+ heat. I welcome the 3.0 as it gets a 5spd trans, but the 2.5 was fine for me.
Well, maybe three -- noise in a console, 1968 Riv. Turned out to be a too-long screw holding the console down, the driveshaft would pound on the bottom end of the screw over rough roads. Easy fix, switch the screws. And a 1957 Plymouth, the dumb factory assemblers left the plugs out of the ends of the rocker arms. Oil was being pumped against the firewall. Rocker arm plugs not listed as parts, the technician hand-forged them from a solid brass rod. You don't get that kind of service these days.
No problems with wheels, tires, rattles, canisters, etc., and no strut tower installation problems. LOL
And three: Touch up paint. Some jerk ripped my 1960 VW Beetle's left front fender as he pulled out of a parking space. The local paint shop did a lousy job matching the paint, it was a different shade of grey. My dad took the VW to an old timer friend in my hometown...his friend use to pinstripe horse-drawn wagons and the first cars, by hand. He matched the paint perfectly after mixing several samples. He charged $40. These days they have conputers that do what he did by eye. Ah the good old days. I miss those real experts.
I go back farther than you guys, when my neighbor's car had a real "trunk"...a leather-covered box strapped to a folding steel rack. When eggs, and a live chicken for Sunday dinner, were delivered by a farmer in his horse-drawn buggy on Saturday mornings. Zoom Zoom that wasn't, but it sure was fun getting a ride around the block. Before I learned to drive a car, I learned to drive a horse and buggy. If you sit on the wrong side of the buggy the horse wouldn't go. Maybe that's why some Pros won't start in the morning.
fowler3
If it were within my power, the 626 would have been fully revised long ago.
Well, if mine ever dies, you can tell me you told me so.
engine noise when cold: My Pro5 does this too. I believe I remember hearing something about engine block and exhaust manifold being made of different materials and heating/expanding at different rates yadda yadda etc. I'm not positive this is really it but it sounds plausible enough. Not all parts of the engine heat at the same rate so it runs rough until the entire thing is warmed up. Mine sounds and even feels a bit gravelly (yes I can tell how warm the engine is by how smooth it idles and accelerates) while it's cold and I try to keep shifts around 2500rpm or so until the temp needle is well into the middle of the range. At this point the engine smooths out and power seems to come up a bit as well.
fowler: Good story, while I'm still a young whippersnapper and wasn't around for the good old days, I'm already amazed how far things like cell phones and computers have come since I was a kid. Makes me wonder what sort of crazy things we'll be seeing 50 years from now. BTW, I'm elec3 and protegelec over on yahoo. The unfortunate fact that a million billion more people use Yahoo than Edmunds Town Hall made that change necessary. Had to add a few letters
The pothole I hit was not a pothole per se, but a leftover of a water mains repair. They basically dug a trench across one lane, replaced a pipe and repaved it. But I guess they did not do it correctly and by the end of the same day the repaved part was several inches lower then the rest of the road with nice sharp edges. That's how I lost all tires and bent the hell out of the rims.. I know it's cheaper to go aftermarket, but even if I got 16" rims from tirerack for $130 or so, it would still be at least a grand with tires. Those Dunlops are not cheap, at $104 a piece... I really wonder if it's some kind of defect or a poorly choosen tire/wheel combination. Lots and lots of people drove over the same thing but I was the one who lost all tires. So those of you with 02 Pro Es and 16" alloys may want to be carefull, seeing my example.
Meade
Since the factory Mazda unit does not have low level outputs, does anyone make an amplifier that I can put in the trunk to ONLY power the new rears that can take a variable input signal from my factory unit? This way the fronts remain stock and I'd have the amp in the trunk to run the new rears.
I'm not looking for anything too heavy duty. I have no interest in shaking my fillings loose.
Hope I explained this correctly. I had a Nakamichi (sp?) amp that allowed variable input but that was on my MGB some 15 years ago when low level outputs were rare.
Thanks,
Ron B.
I just can't believe that Mazda would design the system so that the A/C compressor activates every time the heat is on. For the defroster I understand, but not the heat.
My brother had an F-150 and on his, if the air was directed to any setting other than full feet or full dash vent the A/C would activate. but, his manual made that clear. Mazda'z does not.
Thanks,
Ron B.
Anyone know what if any manufacturer allows low and variable inputs on the same amp?
Be careful about upgrading speakers, especially ones with larger magnets. Many cars have computer chips in the frames and door posts which can be ruined by large magnets. I don't know if the Pro has chips like that, better check with the service people before changing.
fowler3
I suppose Jim that an airplane will crash when I turn on a cell phone too?
Who eliminated in your breakfast cereal this morning?
(Sure, I thought Jim had taken a little leave of reality with that suggestion too -- but hey!)
I'd rather say, don't put larger magnets in your car doors because they tend to affect things like window panes, drywall joints and MY EARDRUMS!!!!
Meade
Spring can't get here soon enough!
Meade
I wouldn't exactly call where you and I live "this area!" You're almost three hours north of me! Sorry big guy -- according to your weather for Baltimore, it's only going to hit 57 up there today.
Meade
If you are serious about using an amp, look for one which has line-level or speaker level inputs. There are dozens out there that have this. Essentially, you just hook up the speaker wires from the head unit to the amp, and your new speakers to the amp. The head unit really isn't that bad. Mazda just saddled it with cheap speakers. This is apparently common practice amongst automakers these days. I had to pay about $400 extra for the Infinity system in my Jeep (it was worth it). My Jetta came with a "Monsoon" 8 speaker system, but it sounded about the same as my Protege's stock stereo. As far as speakers go, I would recommend something with a high sensitivity or efficiency rating (92 dB or better). This will take the most advantage of the stock head unit. Personally, I plan to replace the speakers first, then add an amp if necessary.
;-)
Meade
Meade
Been by the automotive department at Wal-Mart lately? What's the deal with those subwoofers that have NEON TUBING around them? Anyone with half a brain for electronics knows that as far as interference is concerned, neon is second only to those high-voltage power lines you pass under -- only the neon isn't just in your car and a few feet from your receiver, it's also mere INCHES from the coils in your speakers! What moron thought that up? Obviously someone who wants you to keep buying replacement speakers ...
Why don't these people just mount their speakers OUTSIDE their cars? Isn't that the whole purpose anyway? To show off?
As a newspaper reporter in the early 90s, when names like Rockford Fosgate were starting to replace names like Jensen and Nakamichi, I did an investigative piece on these high-bass, high-treble, high-volume custom installations. After getting the specs on these things from a local car audio dealer, I interviewed an otolaryngologist. Using a power level that was mid-range for a lot of these installations, he said the young people who listen to these things will in most cases lose the upper range of their hearing entirely by their mid-30s, and many of them will lose their hearing altogether by age 50. Once you damage the receptors (cilia) inside your eustachian tubes, gentlemen, they're damaged for good!
Meade
I'm not that old and still recall W&F. The lower the THD, the better too. I never could afford the really quality stuff, but apparently, my ears aren't that sensitive, so I make do with "good-enough" stuff.
I almost never take the volume meter on my '99's factory unit past 4 bars (out of 10), unless the recording level is really low. Of course, I did upgrade the speakers to ones with decently-size magnets.
-Larry
Here's some backup for what I just said from hayesdiscbrake.com:
"DOT 4 or DOT 3 brake fluid naturally absorbs water and should be changed every 2 years. Failure to change the brake fluid will result in a lower boiling point for the brake fluid and can cause poor braking."
Meade
Don't use anything below DOT 4.
Speakers: When buying speakers I don't look for anything above 50W since it's pretty useless. I don't think wattage matters as much as high treble and deep bass. By deep bass I don't mean shake the PRO until the doors fall off the car, but the type of bass you get at a movie theatre. The factory PRO system is ok for my needs, but it does not compare with a good system, like you might have at home. I know it doesn't compare with mine (which is a $600 system) or one of our family friend that paid over $3000 for speakers alone! But for winter weather is fine, and when I have the windows down during summer, I can live with it, although I will admit I miss the Sony Xpolde in my Civic.
Dinu