Quick question from one who is not particularly automotive savvy. I was driving my automatic 3 last night for about 15 minutes running errands. I was about to park my car into a spot in the lot so I took my foot of the break and proceeded to glide into a spot when the car stalled. Battery and dashboard warning lights came on. I restarted and everything was fine. I called the service department at my dealer and they said it was "probably just a hick-up" Anybody else have an explanation. During the drive I did feel that the engine was a little off, (felt like the AT transmission was a little slow up shifting). I assumed it was just the cold Ottawa weather and the car was warming up. Thoughts.
Now don't you friends in Canada and The Ol' USA laugh !! The Mazda3 s have arrived in Guatemala , but, there is good news and bad news !! Good News : The HB is available in my favorite color " Shimmering Sand" Bad News : All units will come only with a 1.6 liter motor . Conclusion : I will be coming to The Ol' USA later this year to get my HB.
Just this moment got back from the body shop, and it looks great! They did a perfect job...you'd never know. I'm very happy to have it back in one piece!
"I will be coming to The Ol' USA later this year to get my HB."
Be sure to bring enough of those 1.6's hydraulic units for us driving fanatics to convert the power-steering-assist system. That way you don't have to bring any $ w/ you!
Anyone drive both the 3 and 6? If so, which one feels "sportier"? Does the little 4 banger in the 3 put out enough power? I like skiing....I wonder if that little engine would have enough pull to get me up the mountains? On the other hand, I'm somewhat of a stickler....might not have enough for the V6 in the 6.
Yes !! we have our share of "Red Dirt Roads " Oh !! and I almost forgot -- one 4 lane meridian toll road !! It goes to the south coast -- a really beautiful place !! But the road is very dangerous -- there is no speed control in this place and every idiot in the country uses it to test max speed of there poorly maintained vehicle !! Stay safe and stay happy !! barry42.
"Now that I'm complaining I don't like the Ford-derived ignition switch either. It forces the driver to press an awkwardly placed button before removing the key."
Mine doesn't have that. I just put the key in, and pull it out, like any other car.
With my car parked and the key removed from the ignition I have a little red light - shaped like a car with the outline of a key inside it- that flashs every few seconds. According to the owners manual this is normal - so it is not a problem.
I can't understand why I did not notice it before - I have spent several hours messing around in the car over the last 1 1/2 days.
Does this light ever go out - or does it stay on until you put the key in the on position?
my latest fuel economy - 370KM for the tank! Why? 1) long warmups 2) wife was using the battery outlet to charge the cell 3) wife is using defrost like crazy 4) wife is blasting air 5) it's been bitterly cold 6) using the windshield wiper fluid a lot 7) there's been lots of snow meaning *too much stop&go *too much wiper action *too much rolling resistance (very key) 8) oh, and I twice...okay THRICE drove 120km/hr (75mph) for half hour sprints to get somewhere fast during non-rush hour. I could see that fuel tank needle MOVE like the wind towards the Empty slot
Boy, compare this to 600km 4 weeks ago (Dec.27)...it can make a guy feel humble! Of course, it was 25C hotter then too...
There are lots of variables and reasons why the same exact car could yield different 0-60 times on separate occasions.
Temperature and atmospheric pressure will both change the makeup of the air/fuel mixture - colder, denser air will yield a faster time (up to a point - really cold air will mess up the engine computer & be harder for the car to go through aerodynamically).
Did the timer take wind and road angle into account? Most people will take some runs in one direction, and then do the same in the opposite direction or simply alternate then average them all out. This usually factors the wind and if the road went up or downhill into account.
Lastly the driver. Did he do a 'rolling start' with no wheel-spin? Or did he rev up to 4-5k and just drop the clutch? Who knows?
I have a G-Tech accelerometer and will play around with my Mz3 when the weather and road conditions improve. I'll post my results then (0-60 & 1/4 mi).
PS I would probably trust the testers at C&D a bit more, they tend to be more thorough.
The weather up here has been pretty mixed, so I had a chance to take the MZ3 through both types of weather.
In snow, whether compacted down or fluffy, the car tracks superbly. Very predictable, not a lot of weight in the tail to worry about, remains composed at all times. And those brakes!!! I was able to stop quite quickly at a light (without the ABS coming on - brakes are easy to modulate after they wear in), but a relatively new Jeep Grand Cherokee behind me apparently couldn't; he swerved to avoid hitting me (my car would have been totalled...) went into the intersection against the red light, swerved again to avoid other cars entering the intersection, fishtailed and went over a curb into some grass. So, maybe that's why they build 4x4's to go over rugged urban terrain...
In freezing rain however, I noticed that the automatic wipers get fooled into not sweeping, so you have to go to manual mode. Also, since the defrost vents are in the center of the dashboard only, I was able to only clear an arc in the middle of the car. The reduced visibility was dangerous enough that I had to stop several times to get out and scrape the ice off the sides of the windshield. Also, as you turn up the fan to spread the hot air inside the vehicle, something (I assume its the glass) makes disconcerting expansion noises. Hopefully it not a sign that the glass will crack severely on me.
Yes, there are a couple of other forums dedicated to the Mazda3. I can't mention them here, but if you do a search on google/any search engine, type in Mazda3, or Mazda3 websites etc., and you will see one that is full of owners/future owners talking about all of the cars' features. Good luck finding it
P.S. If you search using M3 or possibly MZ3, you will probably get mostly BMW sites, because BMW has a high performance model of the 3-Series, called specifically the M3. Most people refer/should refer to the Mazda3 as MZ3, not M3.
Test drove RX-8 extensively last weekend. MZ3 has a lot of similar driving characteristics with RX-8 as far as handling etc. I find the MZ3 to be almost like a small RX-8 but only half the price. I'm convinced that I got a good deal with this little car that could. I know that the Canadian car of the year honors and runnerup in Europe is no small feat. Triple zoom.
My guess would be this is the sensor for the automatic climate control. My parents' old Mercury Sable had one of these even though they did not have automatic climate control.
Let me see, the 7" rim will stick out 1/4"=6.25 mm more than the OEM rim.
In addition, your 42mm of offset will push the wheel out about 10.5mm (52.5-42).
So the rim will be out for 10.5+6.25=16.75 mm. Now the tire (not the rim) will stuck out a little less than that, probably somewhere around 14mm. The tire probably don't rub the fender.
BUT, your Pivot radius will increase by 10.5mm. The pivot radius is the distance between the steering axis and the center of the tire. That's around 37-41% bigger than the factory-tuned pivot radius. What does that imply? You will get more road feed back, on the steering wheel. Road bump will perturb a little more your steering wheel, and in some extreme case you might lost control of the car. 10.5mm is quite significant. I would say 2-3mm is OK, and 5mm is probably the max I would go. In any case, I wouldn't buy any after-market rim with offset smaller than 47.5mm.
If your dealer is not aware about the update, please ask them to call the WDS Hotline at 1-877-722-8336, asking for WDS B29 BLUE CD with BLACK C2 Calibration CD. It will be shipped overnight.
Ordered my personalized lic. plate. But I was wondering why folks airbrush out the numbers, etc., when publishing pics. Makes me reluctant to say what the new plate will be. Suffice to say "zumzum" was taken.
Today, while crossing over to another lane through a small snow pile (you know, those little rows of snow that form between lanes), my ABS and Brake warning light suddenly came on. I wasn't hitting the brakes at all at the time.
The brakes seemed to be ok, and I continued driving another 5 minutes to my destination.
I was there 15 minutes. After I returned and started up the car again, the brake warning light went off, but the ABS warning light remained on. However, after about 30 seconds, the ABS light went off by itself.
Any ideas what's up? Is this a warning of further problems with the car to come? Electronic gremlins? Design flaw?
The reason it is recommended is because personal info can be obtained from a license plate, including your address. Hence, if you have a nice car, some creative folks can find you and pick it up right in your driveway. Of course this is a rare event but it apparently happened before. I never really bothered for mine before, but for the rinse'n pic pics, I did not want to publish stokkes and steb's licences plates without their consent. The odds of having something happen are very very low but as an internet rule, the prudent thing is to keep it hidden.
If the EBD control unit detects something that doesn't operate properly, it turn on both ABS and brake warning lights at the same time. When the warning light is on, the EBD could lock the rear wheels when you brake. The warning could be due to a faulty weight distribution sensors or wheel RPM sensors.
My guess is the snow pile that you ran through might fool the weight/wheel sensors.
However, I would still bring the car to the dealer to inspect the brake, even if the light goes off (that's manual says). Don't take a chance.
Just got my MZ3 yesterday, havent read my manual yet .. anyone know how to turn off the voice commands for the nav? Can be annoying when you change your mind on destination w/o putting in a new destination.
Thanks Bluong1. You are definitely "the mazda 3 god". And maybe "mazda imperial emperor" as well (I haven't spent time on any of the other forums here, but I am sure that your titles are beyond reproach).
By the way, I was carrying a lot of weight in the trunk (lots of shopping that morning), and it did shift when I crossed that snow pile. But I doubt that it would be significant (it was about 20 kilos / 50 lbs) enough to fool the sensors.
petpad said: The reason it is recommended is because personal info can be obtained from a license plate, including your address.
Many states use social security numbers on driver's licenses, if hackers can get into the DMV computers they can track your numbers and steal your identity. Identity theft is a big thing in the States.
...seems if somebody wants to steal an ID via your licence plates, there are plenty of plates right on the street ready to go... Then again, my mom wants me to shred everything...
Comments
I don't know, but I'm e-registered in MazdaUSA under Mazda owner as well as for getting Mazda3 news. Probably one of those two would do.
I also got a similar certificate when the Mazda6 was launched.
Good News : The HB is available in my favorite color " Shimmering Sand"
Bad News : All units will come only with a 1.6 liter motor .
Conclusion : I will be coming to The Ol' USA later this year to get my HB.
And you thought you had it bad !!
barry42
Enjoy!
...And watch out for those F150's will ya !?
Be sure to bring enough of those 1.6's hydraulic units for us driving fanatics to convert the power-steering-assist system. That way you don't have to bring any $ w/ you!
$35 is not good enough for the Sharper Image car Ionic air purifier to reduce the interior pollen count.
I'll rather have Mazda include one of those for every Mazda3 you buy!
fowler3
Dinu
Stay safe and stay happy !! barry42.
Mine doesn't have that. I just put the key in, and pull it out, like any other car.
Why is this? Only the car gods know
-- stokkes
Jarrett
I can't understand why I did not notice it before - I have spent several hours messing around in the car over the last 1 1/2 days.
Does this light ever go out - or does it stay on until you put the key in the on position?
Why?
1) long warmups
2) wife was using the battery outlet to charge the cell
3) wife is using defrost like crazy
4) wife is blasting air
5) it's been bitterly cold
6) using the windshield wiper fluid a lot
7) there's been lots of snow meaning
*too much stop&go
*too much wiper action
*too much rolling resistance (very key)
8) oh, and I twice...okay THRICE drove 120km/hr (75mph) for half hour sprints to get somewhere fast during non-rush hour. I could see that fuel tank needle MOVE like the wind towards the Empty slot
Boy, compare this to 600km 4 weeks ago (Dec.27)...it can make a guy feel humble! Of course, it was 25C hotter then too...
Saw a really nice Titanium Gray Mazda3 Sport GT in a Richmond Hill parking lot yesterday during lunch.
Was that you X Typer pilot?
Car looks fantastic in Titanium Gray.
Cheers
Car & Driver say their 5 spd. 2.3L wagon did 0-to-60 mph dash in 7.4 seconds (entering V6 territory)
Trevor Hoffman of Carmagazine.com says the car does 0-100km/hr (0-62mph) in 8.9 sec. He was driving a manual 2.3L GT sedan.
That's quite a difference. Anyone read or found anything different?
How could a 5-door wagon be faster than the sedan?
I did see my first Mz3 Sport yesterday too - a Ti GT. I saw it at my daughter's school in King City around 3:10.
Maybe we saw the same one!?
Temperature and atmospheric pressure will both change the makeup of the air/fuel mixture - colder, denser air will yield a faster time (up to a point - really cold air will mess up the engine computer & be harder for the car to go through aerodynamically).
Did the timer take wind and road angle into account? Most people will take some runs in one direction, and then do the same in the opposite direction or simply alternate then average them all out. This usually factors the wind and if the road went up or downhill into account.
Lastly the driver. Did he do a 'rolling start' with no wheel-spin? Or did he rev up to 4-5k and just drop the clutch? Who knows?
I have a G-Tech accelerometer and will play around with my Mz3 when the weather and road conditions improve. I'll post my results then (0-60 & 1/4 mi).
PS I would probably trust the testers at C&D a bit more, they tend to be more thorough.
In snow, whether compacted down or fluffy, the car tracks superbly. Very predictable, not a lot of weight in the tail to worry about, remains composed at all times. And those brakes!!! I was able to stop quite quickly at a light (without the ABS coming on - brakes are easy to modulate after they wear in), but a relatively new Jeep Grand Cherokee behind me apparently couldn't; he swerved to avoid hitting me (my car would have been totalled...) went into the intersection against the red light, swerved again to avoid other cars entering the intersection, fishtailed and went over a curb into some grass. So, maybe that's why they build 4x4's to go over rugged urban terrain...
In freezing rain however, I noticed that the automatic wipers get fooled into not sweeping, so you have to go to manual mode. Also, since the defrost vents are in the center of the dashboard only, I was able to only clear an arc in the middle of the car. The reduced visibility was dangerous enough that I had to stop several times to get out and scrape the ice off the sides of the windshield. Also, as you turn up the fan to spread the hot air inside the vehicle, something (I assume its the glass) makes disconcerting expansion noises. Hopefully it not a sign that the glass will crack severely on me.
P.S. If you search using M3 or possibly MZ3, you will probably get mostly BMW sites, because BMW has a high performance model of the 3-Series, called specifically the M3. Most people refer/should refer to the Mazda3 as MZ3, not M3.
fowler3
bluong1 Jan 21, 2004 2:34am
Bruno
1davao
At least that's one thing you don't have to buy the Sports Package, Moonroof and 6 CD Changer to get.
fowler3
Question is: Will 17"x7" - 42mm offset fit my sedan with the oem RS-A ?
http://toy4two.home.mindspring.com/offset.html
In addition, your 42mm of offset will push the wheel out about 10.5mm (52.5-42).
So the rim will be out for 10.5+6.25=16.75 mm. Now the tire (not the rim) will stuck out a little less than that, probably somewhere around 14mm. The tire probably don't rub the fender.
BUT, your Pivot radius will increase by 10.5mm. The pivot radius is the distance between the steering axis and the center of the tire. That's around 37-41% bigger than the factory-tuned pivot radius. What does that imply? You will get more road feed back, on the steering wheel. Road bump will perturb a little more your steering wheel, and in some extreme case you might lost control of the car. 10.5mm is quite significant. I would say 2-3mm is OK, and 5mm is probably the max I would go. In any case, I wouldn't buy any after-market rim with offset smaller than 47.5mm.
Bruno
Today, while crossing over to another lane through a small snow pile (you know, those little rows of snow that form between lanes), my ABS and Brake warning light suddenly came on. I wasn't hitting the brakes at all at the time.
The brakes seemed to be ok, and I continued driving another 5 minutes to my destination.
I was there 15 minutes. After I returned and started up the car again, the brake warning light went off, but the ABS warning light remained on. However, after about 30 seconds, the ABS light went off by itself.
Any ideas what's up? Is this a warning of further problems with the car to come? Electronic gremlins? Design flaw?
PETPAD
My guess is the snow pile that you ran through might fool the weight/wheel sensors.
However, I would still bring the car to the dealer to inspect the brake, even if the light goes off (that's manual says). Don't take a chance.
By the way, I was carrying a lot of weight in the trunk (lots of shopping that morning), and it did shift when I crossed that snow pile. But I doubt that it would be significant (it was about 20 kilos / 50 lbs) enough to fool the sensors.
So, off to the dealer for warranty inspection...
Many states use social security numbers on driver's licenses, if hackers can get into the DMV computers they can track your numbers and steal your identity. Identity theft is a big thing in the States.
fowler3
Not a good night to be zooming in NC, we've had over 2000 accidents today. Tarheels don't know how to drive on ice and snow.
fowler3