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Also there is a weird chemical smell coming from the front of the car that can be smelled while driving the car, that I can not explain. It is like plastic burning but there is no sign of plastic burning anywhere.
Also when I step on the breaks there is a click coming from the break. I asked the dealer and they brushed it off. Also my front alloy wheels ar constantly getting covered with this dark reddish brownish colored dust that I suspect is coming out of the breaks, but is not present on the rear wheals at all... Any ideas?
Trust me, it's not your driving. I get the chatter in 1st gear when I first get started, but it quickly goes away, and unfortunately, it's all too common with the 6.
The clutch in the 6 has been getting a reputation in the car forums as being "dynamic". The engagement point changes ever-so-slightly that it's hard not to "jerk" the car into gear sometimes. The clutch itself has been failing in cars as early as 10K miles!
The chatter that you're experiencing is a common thing with the 6. It doesn't mean that it's failing in any way, shape or form, and you don't need to try to change your driving habits, because it's the car, and not you.
Based on what I've read, I'll be lucky to get 60-80K miles on the clutch, but it's not keeping me from driving it with a smile on my face.
This noise, and the rattling, is probably a dashboard pin that is used to hold the dashboard in place during assembly at the plant, it gets buried inside the dash and isn't removed. There's a way to remove them, do a little digging online to find out how. I know it's out there somewhere...
Also my front alloy wheels ar constantly getting covered with this dark reddish brownish colored dust that I suspect is coming out of the breaks, but is not present on the rear wheals at all... Any ideas?
It's brake dust, and it's a menacing problem with the 6's brake pads. It happens in front because the front brakes work a lot harder than the rears when stopping the car. The front brakes on all vehicles work harder, but it doesn't yield NEARLY as much brake dust as the 6 does.
Besides replacing the pads with an aftermarket brand, the best thing to do is to keep the wheels clean as often as possible. Brake dust that builds up on our alloys will eventually mar and pit the finish.
Even if you're not planning on buying the tires from them, check out Tirerack.com, and enter your make and model year and size wheel. They can also analyze your driving style and recommend to you which type of tires to get.
Having said that, a friend of mine bought a set of the Assurance Tripletreds for his Taurus about 4 months ago, and hasn't stopped bragging about them since! According to him, he gets good dry-weather traction, and they track very well both in rainstorms and blizzard conditions. I don't think you'd go wrong buying them for the 6...
Has anyone else had asimilar problem? If so how was it resolved?">
If you can tell us exactly what doesn't work, we'll be able to tell you if they're not supposed to, or if you have a genuine problem.
Do you have the Automatic Climate Control, or ACC (on V6 models) or manual controls (on 4-cyl models)? The ACC uses this display to indicate the function that it's in. I don't believe the manual controls use it. I could be wrong, but I have ACC, and don't know for sure...
Also the numbers that should show the 6 preset radio stations (whichever station you are on should light up i would assume) do not light up either.
If you're talking about the small icons above the main number display that show 1-6, if you have the 6-disc changer (an option), these lights indicate if there's a disk in the respective tray (1-6), and are not used for the radio function.
I hope this helps. If you'd like, you can get an owners manual (if you didn't get one) from the MazdaUSA.com website. Click on "owners" and follow the instructions to register. Once you do, you can download the manual in .pdf format.
Enjoy your 6! 18 months later, I still do!
What is the reasoning behind CR 2005 rating of slightly poorer than average for the M6? Looking at many different sites, the majority of the M6 owners seem satisfied and CR lists almost every category for 2004 as above average...so why the refusal to recommend?
Also, who produces the 4 cylinder engine for the M6? I'm under the impression from my research that Mazda does the tranny and engine for the 4 cylinders while Ford does the tranny and engine for the 6 cylinders.
Thanks.
Thanks for the info & TSB. I've been pleased with my dealer to-date, but started a paper trail file just in case.
I don't know for sure, because I'd rather save the $$$$ and change it myself. There are a number of websites that sell them, and even with shipping, they will be less expensive than the parts counter at your local Mazda dealer.
Changing it is a breeze as well. It's located directly behind the glovebox, and it takes 10 minutes max to do it yourself.
On a side note, Mazda recommends changing them every 30K miles (I think). Personally, I do it once per year (every 15K miles), simply because you won't believe just how dirty the filters really get at 15K, let alone 30K miles!
I think the replacement recommedation is 12K...
That would explain how bad it looked when I finally got around to changing it.
Easiest way? Request the dealer to do it.
On the headlight did they mean the Headlight or headlight lamp? I'll be really upset if changing the lamp is difficult enough that the dealer. I just changed the bulb on our other car (Subaru Outback) the bulb was $5 and the change took under 5 minutes
Replacement of the driver's side headlamp bulb requires you to remove the air intake assembly, since it prevents access to the back of the headlamp, where there's a snap-on cover that protects all of the headlamp innards.
I'm sure that it was easier for Mazda to write "bring it to your dealer" than it was to write detailed instructions about how to remove the air intake in order to change the headlamp bulbs. But honestly, removing the air intake box is pretty easy- 4 snaps holding the top half to the bottom, move the top out of the way, and pull up firmly on the bottom half to pop it free from its rubber grommets.
Duratec 30
The 3.0 L Duratec 30 or Mazda AJ was introduced in 1996 as a replacement for the 232 in³ (3.8 L) Essex V6 in the Taurus/Sable. It has 2967 cc of displacement and produces between 200 and 240 horsepower (150 and 180 kW). The same basic engine is used in the Jaguar S-Type, Lincoln LS, Mazda MPV, Mazda6, Mondeo ST220 and many other Ford vehicles. It is essentially a bored-out (to 88.9 mm) Duratec 25 and is built in Ford's Cleveland, OH #2 plant. A slightly modified version for the Ford Five Hundred entered production at the Cleveland, OH #1 plant in 2004.
There are two key versions of the Duratec 30:
(1) DAMB - The Lincoln LS and Jaguar AJ30 versions have direct-acting mechanical bucket (DAMB) tappets. Output is 232 hp (173 kW) at 6750 RPM with 220 ft·lbf (298 N·m) of torque at 4500 rpm.
(2) RFF - The Taurus/Sable/Escape version uses roller finger followers (RFF) instead and produces 201 hp (150 kW) at 5900 RPM with 207 ft·lbf (281 N·m) of torque at 4400 rpm.
The 2006 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr feature a version of the Duratec 30 utilizing variable valve timing. The engine will have an output of 221 horsepower (165 kW) at 6250 rpm, and 205 ft·lbf (278 N·m) of torque at 4800 rpm.
Mazda's MZI version adds variable valve timing, as does Jaguar's AJ30. Note that the MZI name is also used in Europe on Mazda's version of the Ford Sigma I4. The 3.0 L, 226 hp V6 used in the Mondeo ST220 is called Duratec ST. The 3.0 L, 204 hp V6 in the Mondeo Titanium is called Duratec SE.
Message #1557:
For those of you who are still experiencing clutch chatter with your manual tranny...Mazda sent out a TSB today. The clutch disc material is modified to address the concern. TSB # 05-003/05. just came out today, so your local dealers may not be up to speed yet.
J
Good luck.
The breakdown was the filter cost $29.00 and the Labor $10.00 and Freight $5.00.