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Squealing brakes, clattering clutch plates (on manuals) and hard shifting (on automatics), cloth seat covers that are bunching or tearing, rust spots, misbehaving automatic climate control systems, wipers that skip across the windshield, and four recalls over balky software and sensors.
Much of these can be attributed to the 6 only being on the market for a little over a year. Until Mazda figures out to fix them, however, CR seems justified in its ratings (IMO).
As for the other problems you cite concerning hard shifts, brakes, etc., they are reported by owners of all makes. Different owners have different tolerances for issues with their vehicles. Something that "clatters" according to one owner might be totally ignored by another.
After six weeks with my 6, what I know is that this is a well-buttoned down vehicle comparable in build quality to Honda and Toyota.
As time passes, my experiences and others like mine will trickle in to CR and I predict that the car will return to the recommended list.
LOOSE BRAKES - My dealer machined my front rotors to take care of my car shaking when braking per a TSB. But my brakes seem "loose" now. Earlier, the car used to start slowing down when I applied slight force on the brake pedal. No the pedal seems to depress a lot more before the car starts to slow down. Is this normal after machining the rotors? Can anything be done to make the brakes feel "tighter"? Dealer says nothing more can be done.
Appreciate any help on either problem.
Anyone else have this issue, I need to schedule my next oil-change and "punch list"...
i am in the process of buying a Mazda6 S Sport Sedan Black V6 MT w/ Leather, Moonroof and Bose Audio Package. the invoice price for this is $24K and so far I've negotiated the price down to $23K (all this includes the $500 recent grad disc).
I was curious to know what kind of prices are you guys paying for your 6. this is the first time i'm buying a new car n i wanna make sure i'm not getting ripped off in the process.
thanks!
and it's me being picky about the color (i want black exterior) ... otherwise the dealer is ready to give me an in-stock grey with the same specs for 22.5K + taxes, title.
My seat warmer gets uncomfortably hot sometimes, feels like my rear end is frying. My husband (who has a seat warmers in his Subaru) says you're supposed to turn it off after it warms up. I have no problem with that.
C. C.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
Vudini
Unfortunately you're probably at the dealer's mercy. Removing the discs yourself would likely be a significant challenge.
Looks like it will be on the dash.
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The Mazda6 wagon was named best in the station wagon category.
Last year mazda won every category they entered and the Mazda3 was ultimately named the best new car in Canada by the AJAC. They will name the best car for 2005 at the Canadian International Autoshow held in Toronto in February.
I turned 2,000 miles on my 04 6s sport the other day. I've had it two months and it's been flawless.
Hope your experiences are the same.
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As an early Christmas gift, I bought a set of 4 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2's on steel wheels (205/60-R16). As everyone else probably knows, the 17" OEM Michelins are worthless in the snow. After 3 weeks with the PA2's, I'm having just as much fun driving in 4" of lake-effect snow as I do clipping the apexes in summer!
I always thought all-season's were fine for winter... not anymore. If you live anywhere where you get a lot of snow, get snow tires and enjoy driving your 6 year-round!
I've just hit 5,000 miles on my '04 6S. Four months, all smiles, and NO problems. For once, I'll actually ENJOY going to my in-laws for the holidays. They're 2 1/2 hours away, and I get to take my car...
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
The first test of my new Mazda6 wagon in winter conditions was this week, on a combination of unpacked snow, hard packed snow and ice during a heavy snowfall. Ice was a significant challenge, but the snow wasn't unbearable as long as I stayed on top of things. Traction was worst accelerating from a complete stop, as I really had to feather the clutch and accelerator to get going. I've never had traction assist before so I don't know if this is normal, but there seemed to be too much of a lag for it to really be useful most of the time. I really had to intentionally stomp on the accelerator and spin the tires rapidly before it would even kick in, and the delay was significant. Stopping was ok when I was careful, the ABS only kicked in a couple times. It was fairly easy to wag the tail on the hard packed snow, but the car didn't feel unstable as long as my speed was reasonably low. Traction in turns was so-so, as long as I didn't accelerate or brake excessively through them.
I'd say the Michelins were just below average overall, and the car probably would have tolerated a lot more carelessness during the drive with some higher profile snows. However, bear in mind that it's no Subaru. I doubt that my Mazda6 WITH snow tires could ever compete with my wife's Outback in winter handling, even though she still runs on the OEM all-season Bridgestones. That car tackles some of the worst road conditions with ease.
I nearly ordered snow tires on steel wheels from tirerack.com for my car, but decided to wait since brand new all-seasons aren't usually too bad in winter for the first couple years or so. I also wanted to keep my Mazda alloys nice by storing them for winter, but decided to just keep on top of the frozen brake dust this year by cleaning them frequently with warm water.
The snows I priced in the beginning of Nov. on tirerack.com were $87-$88 per tire for either Michelin X-Ice or Bridgestone Blizzak 205/60R16, plus $44 per steel wheel, and about $89 shipping from their closest warehouse (just over $600 total). You'd probably pay more than that locally. My local Mazda dealer wanted about $730 for the same package, and I don't think the tire shops would have been much cheaper.
In terms of price, slickdog's estimates are pretty much on target. I picked up my tires and wheels at tirerack.com for about $650 (including shipping). Fortunately, I was able to get the LAST set of Michelin Pilot Alpins PA2's in that size. Tirerack should consider doubling their inventory for next year, because they sold out QUICK! The lowest estimate from a Tire Shop was $750 for the Blizzaks and wheels. IMHO, stick with tirerack. Not only are they much cheaper, but their customer service is second to none.
To me, snow tires are well worth the money. If snowfall is sporadic in your area, and you are very cautious when driving in it, or don't have to drive at all, then snow tires are not worth it. If snow and ice is a daily occurance in your area for 4-5 months a year, or if you travel through ever-changing conditions all the time, then don't wait any longer.
BTW, the debate of 2 versus 4 snow tires, ALWAYS use 4, no matter what you drive. I've driven all kinds of cars and trucks with both 2 and 4 snow tires, front, rear, and AWD. NOTHING beats the peace-of-mind and confidence you get from having 4 snow tires.
I too got my first taste of snow driving the other day. Just a dusting on the roads with some ice in spots. All in all I was surprised at how well it handled the light snow. Definitely handled better than the '96 Civic it replaced but not as well as our Escape. If we have another winter like last year I think I'm going to have to give in and get the snows though. Snow was everywhere all the time which is actually unusual for this area. We usually see sporadic snow and as mz6grehghost said, snow tires aren't necessarily worth it in those conditions if you're careful.
It's funny you mention the tirerack.com inventory, because the biggest reason I didn't get the snows this year is that I wanted to order the Michelin X-Ice (I'm not a big fan of Blizzaks), and by the time I decided to do it they were out of stock and won't get more until next year! The Pilot Alpins must have been completely gone by the time I first went to the site, because I didn't even see those as an option.
I was flipping through the owner's manual and was surprised that I can't find any information about when (if?) to change the automatic transmission fluid. Did I just miss it?
Just my $.02...but I really think you need to do more research here.
The Sandman :-0
I'll let you know when I hear something.
My question is whether this option provides a 'torso bag' in the REAR seat. This would be the one that is stored in the outboard edge of the seat and deploys forward along the door at torso level. I know that there is the curtain in the rear and I know that there is both curtain and torso bag in the front.
Apparently the torso bag in the rear is now not recommended by some safety experts (including the NHTSA I think) because a child who sits or lies out of normal seating position may be injured by a deploying airbag coming out of the seat.
I want to buy a 2004 but I want to make sure about this point.
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My main question is this: The Mazda 6 V6
Gets rated as being very smooth, refined, reliable and fun to drive. First of all, this car has a Ford Taurus V6 Engine in it. If the engine is so great then why do they Rate the V6
Engine in the Taurus as being unrefined, not smooth, and not so reliable ? I need an unbiased answer. I don't like FORD, I prefer the imports
but I am unbiased. I don't think all their cars are bad. SO how is the Taurus engine different in the Mazda 6 that makes it get such great reviews and the Ford Taurus Recieves bad reviews ? I mean I believe Ford should get credit in the Taurus but they don't so please tell me the difference in the Mazda 6 Taurus Duratech Engine and the Taurus Duratech V6 Engine.
Also:
#1. Is it true that the Mazda Proteges after 1995
and just Mazdas built in Japan with Ford Engines?
#2. Which Mazdas have Ford engines and Parts to this day ?
fowler3
I could have sworn it says that it's
a Modified Duratec V6 Engine.
As far as engines are concerned, I think it's virtually impossible to find a TRUE American or Japanese car, or engine, these days. I'd try not to make a decision about a vehicle based on whether it's an American, Japanese, or German powerplant, you have to look at the sum of it's parts, and how they work together. In case of the 6, it may be a Ford motor, but it's been redesigned to be much more suited to the intentions of the 6. I personally don't like Toyota, not because of their motor design, but because their cars as a whole are not very exciting to me. If you choose to leave out the Mazda 6 (or any car, for that matter) based on the origin of their parts, then you are missing out, IMHO.
However, I believe the ATs in the gen 2 and gen 3 Proteges are Ford designs, if not Ford-built.
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Question 2: does the auto 6 cyl have enough low speed oomph? I'm currently driving a slightly heavier sedan with a 3.5l V6 with 230 lb-ft of torque. The only 6 I've driven was a manual but I would prefer an automatic do to my stoplight/stop sign intense commute.
Question 2- I traded in my '01 Saab for my Mazda 6 5-door..and yes- quite often in automatic I do miss the lack of "oomp" vs the Saab....that said, I knew this prior to purchasing my car (a 2004 I bought in November)...but when I need the "oomph," I throw my car into "manual" shift mode- and then do get the "oomph" that I need (but it doesn't get the "oomph" until I reach 4000 RPM)....PLEASE NOTE THAT THE '05's NOW OFFER A 6 SPEED TRANNY, WHICH WILL GET YOU THE "OOMPH" AT A LOWER RPM.
In summary- unless you are 17 yrs old and live to race folks off the line at red lights, I wouldn't concern myself about the "oomph" thing...I drive approx 30k annually, and do get frustrated with slow moving traffic- I just simply "pop" my auto into manual when nec, and blow folks away by "popping" my car into 4th gear when doing 80 MPH on the NJ Turnpike....
Steven
What I'd really like to see is a stability control option. Camry has it but Accord, Altima, and M6 do not. I agree with the car mags that ESC is probably the most important safety advance in 50 years.
As for the Duratec, yes the Mazda 3.0 is based on it but modified significantly. If you have ever driven a Taurus equipped with a 3.0 Duratec, you would know that the two engines sound and feel completely different. Besides, the Ford Duratec really seems to have a decent reputation anyway.
Check my post 17160. I hope it answers your V6 question. As I stated in that post, the motors from Ford and Mazda are night and day, with Mazda's V6 being the much better choice. I have the V6 with 5-speed manual, and I LOVE revving up that motor! What a rush! The Duratec in general is a good engine, and many auto testers give it good marks in terms of durability and reliability. With Mazda's tuning in a great-handling car, it rocks!
The V6 and 5-spd manual for your 6 is a great choice. Enjoy it.