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Mazda3 Maintenance & Repair

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Comments

  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    "My only minor complaint at this point is if I go through an automatic car wash - even if I get the so called tire & wheel cleaner option - the rear wheels are still coverd in dust - so when I get home I still need to clean them. Which kind of defeats the main reason to use the automatic car wash in the first place."

    Haha.. I was just thinking the same thing last week when I took my Odyssey through the car wash...

    From here on out I am just going to save the $2 and clean the wheels myself..
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    When were all these test drives done? Spring? summer? what was the outside temp? Sunny, humid? Any car review I have read makes no mention of the cars A/C performance. All we want to hear is how fast, how sporty, handling, horsepower, torque, braking, comfort, etc, thats all these reviews do. Car of the year means nothing when it comes to reliability. Who cares about the wipers, headlights,heater A/C , etc so no mention of them....didn't take you long to post all the reviews, you must eat breath and .... Mazda :P
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    Not sure when the reviews were done, but the fact remains that I have yet to come across a professional review where they complained about the A/C.

    Again, what about the hundreds of user reviews on MSN, Edmunds, Yahoo, cars.com? Do these not count? The fact that the Mazda 3 gets rave reviews and satisfaction ratings from the folks who have purchased it means nothing to you?

    As for Mazda, out of twelve vehicles that I have owned in the last 15 years, this is my fourth. For the price that I paid for it, the performance, the features, and (hopefully) the MPG I am quite happy since this is strictly a commuter car. I have had very good luck with all of the Mazda vehicles I have owned (except for my first RX-7 which was totalled in an accident) I have purchased and have had great dealer service. That said, none of the vehicles that I have owned have been problem free. Every one of them, at one point or another, required warranty work. I actually go out of my way to be nice to a dealers service department and not be visibly upset or confrontational. My 2002 Nissan Altima SE had (what it seems like) about a dozen recalls and I always tried to have a great attitude with the service team..

    nifty56, sell your 3 and get a Corolla.. Life is too short to get this worked up over weak A/C...
  • heel2toeheel2toe Member Posts: 149
    It has been mentioned before, but the Mazda3 is selling like crazy, during the summer, in Dallas. You might have heard, but gets hot here -- we started bouncing off 100 regularly in May this year.

    How do you explain that?
  • dridedride Member Posts: 139
    I agree, the brakes are superior. Doing a little extra cleaning is worth the price of strong brakes. I just find it strange that the front wheels have considerably less dust than the rear. Thanks for the input!
  • yu203964yu203964 Member Posts: 35
    It's not because of the strong brakes produces more dust. It's because the materials of pads are not good. After Mazda changed to use the new pads, the dust reduced a lot. I got all four rotors and pads changed under a TSB called Brake Rotor Grooved. If you want to know if you can claim under any TSB, you can check this site:
    http://www.finishlineperformance.com/mazda3/bulletins_index.html
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Can't explain it? Do you work for a Mazda dealer, how would you know about how the car is selling in Dallas. I have no idea how the cars are selling in my city, how do I find out????
  • heel2toeheel2toe Member Posts: 149
    I've talked to sales staff at five different area Mazda dealerships in DFW about the Mazda3 in the past month while shopping for my recently-purchased Mazda6. Unless they are all lying, it is selling like hotcakes. (I'd be happy to give you a name of an elderly gentleman who claims to have never seen a car sell like the 3 in his 25+ years of selling cars...)

    And were it not selling, why would they be lying about it? If, as you claim, Mazda has deliberately failed to fix a three year issue with the car that would brutally impact Texas sales, wouldn't these dealer employees be absolutely livid?

    You can track Mazda inventory at mazdausa.com. The last six digits of the VIN represent the build number across the lifetime of the 3. I've been watching for a particular color combination -- it's pretty easy to see that supply has been low and that the cars are not sitting around for long...
  • m3fan3m3fan3 Member Posts: 27
    i have a 2006 mazda3 s grand touring with a 2.3L engine. after experimenting for a couple of weeks i find theres a problem with the gas mileage. my mother has a mazda MPV minivan and she drives 40 miles a day everyday.it takes about a week for her tank to get to empty. i drive at maximum 25 miles a day.after filling up on a sunday with super fuel i ended up with an empty tank today wednesday, 3 days later. then after calculating by dividing the total tank mileage( about 380 miles) by 4 days i should get 95 miles a day. i probably sound very confusing by now but in short words i should get a lot more days on gas than my mothers minivan especially when the mazda 3 has a larger MPG rating. has anyone had this problem or has an idea of what it might before go running to the dealer?????
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    dc_driver, without getting into the A/C debate in this thread. the A/C is so poor, it can't keep up in the 22C temps. again, as posted previously, many variables at play here if you have a bad a/c or not.

    mrblonde, consult a statistician or a high school math teacher and ask/him or her why CR's ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. CR is typically used as an example in how the ratings are skewed. BTW, this topic was also brought up in a Mazda forum and anyone with half a sense won't put any faith in CR's ratings.
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    yeah, some 3's have crappy mileage. it's probably not your driving. some have reported better mpg after about 5000 miles.
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    It's not because of the strong brakes produces more dust. It's because the materials of pads are not good. "

    In general, better stopping power requires softer pads = more dust. Look at the front wheels of all the european cars (those which haven't been cleaned in the past week, anyway)...
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    Mazda has deliberately failed to fix a three year issue"

    2 year. Whatever they did to the 2006's, it's fixed...
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    mrblonde, consult a statistician or a high school math teacher and ask/him or her why CR's ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. CR is typically used as an example in how the ratings are skewed. BTW, this topic was also brought up in a Mazda forum and anyone with half a sense won't put any faith in CR's ratings. "

    For me personally, the cars that I have had are accurately portrayed for reliability in CR. Every one. So I can only go by my own experience. Maybe their methodology isn't statistically sound, but in my experience it lines up with real life data

    You still didn't answer why JD Power is not prone to the same skewing...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    We're getting off topic here I think. If you'd like to bat around JD Power, we have a topic just for that:

    JD Power: 2006 Initial Quality Results

    Thanks,

    Host
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Thanks...Mazda seems to be near the bottom but the results don't really show a break down of the models.
  • gib11gib11 Member Posts: 47
    You cant compared the MPV mileage with the MZ3, the MPV has 75 liters tank of gaz compared to 55 liter for the MZ3.
  • ecm56ecm56 Member Posts: 16
    I've got about 10K miles on my Mazda 3 now.

    A/C works great - we've had 90+ degree days and it'll freeze me if I don't cut it back.

    Rear wheel brake dust - I just spray the wheels with a wheel cleaner before going through the carwash - works great.

    Mileage - highway 37, around town (with A/C on) about 30.

    Complaints - I wish it had variable speed intermittent wipers.

    Another happy 3 owner.

    Eric
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    Where do you live ecm56? Ditto here with my Mazda3i Touring. No problems with A/C gas mileage seems to be inline with EPA estimates, and I agree, intermittent wipers should have been added (and boy have I been using my wipers a lot lately here in Northern VA...)

    I still cannot believe this car cost 17K.. It is a blast to drive. The interior materials and fit and finish are more European than economy Mazda.. The manual shifts much more smoothly than most of previous cars that I have owned. I am counting the days until the car is fully broken-in so I can really open it up..
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    37 miles per gallon on the highway, what size engine do you have? auto or manual? What year is your car? Manual or auto A/C?
  • yu203964yu203964 Member Posts: 35
    "In general, better stopping power requires softer pads = more dust. Look at the front wheels of all the european cars (those which haven't been cleaned in the past week, anyway)..."

    So if it's not bad material quality, why the new pads have much fewer dust while with the same stopping power? :confuse:
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    So if it's not bad material quality, why the new pads have much fewer dust while with the same stopping power?
    "

    Are we sure it's the same stopping power?
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    dc_driver...why do you care about who or what posters here are saying about the car, A/C etc. What is the point of where someone lives as to how we should feel the A/C should perform. Owners may travel to another part of the country or another, (south to California) that may be hot and humid and there is nothing more frustrating than being on holiday and suffering with a weak A/C we all paid good money for and expect to keep us comfortable.
    Go to the link that is posted at #2 and #3 in the A/C problems issue here and look at the poll. Get back to us and let us know what you think.
    Would the real Mazda 3 employees please stand up...me, still sitting.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think this issue has been beaten to death, and the dead horse's future lifetimes are taken care of as well.

    Some posts were removed for "flaming". Please try to maintain courtesy toward other members at all times, and if you feel provoked, do not respond, just e-mail me.

    Thank you and remember, you are here to enjoy yourselves.

    Shifty the Host
  • ecm56ecm56 Member Posts: 16
    2005 3i (2.0 litre), manual transmission, manual A/C.

    I hope to get slightly better mileage as the engine loosens up a bit. My Honda Civic EX didn't start getting 40 MPG highway until after 20K miles.
  • ecm56ecm56 Member Posts: 16
    That's why Mazda hasn't fixed the A/C problem - all the employees are busy logging into the forums at Edmunds!

    As John McEnroe used to say "You can't be serious".
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    good one
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Is anybody noticing any paint peeling, rust around the center hub circumference on their 17" rims. My car has not seen winter, any snow, or salt and always garaged. It was stored for the winter. I was giving the car a wash, (noticed I didn't say my "baby") when I noticed some very slight bubbling and dark brown coloring around the center hub. Not serious at the moment but I can see this becoming serious after a while. Tires have not been off the car or rotated.
    Anybody else with a 04 or 05
    Thanks
  • yu203964yu203964 Member Posts: 35
    "Are we sure it's the same stopping power?"

    No, I am not sure because I don't have that data. May be you can ask Mazda to provide. But I don't feel any difference in stopping power between the old and new. If Mazda is willing to replace the dusty ones with low dust ones, the new ones must be at least within the same spec as the old ones. So my logical conclusion is the old ones are not good enough. Therefore, they have to be replaced by better quality ones. If both can provide the same result, why do we have to tolerate the dust and the dirty wheels?
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    Not disagreeing with you, but this issue (dust and dirty wheels) has affected me on most of my cars since 1998. My VW Jetta, Nissan Altima, Honda Odyssey, and Mazda 3 all do this.

    When it was time to replace the brake pads, I put ceramic pads on the Altima and it helped a ton. They cost a little more, but are better pads.

    Pretty sure I will replace the 3's pads with ceramic pads when the time comes.
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Would have to agree, ceramics next time around...
    but the point is the rear get dirty quicker than the fronts. The front dust is normal and not excessive.
    Most cars have the fronts with more dust than the rears as the fronts do most of the stopping, that is why the front rotors are larger than the backs. The amount of dust on the rears builds up too quickly. One day of stop and go driving and at the end of the day it looks like the wheels haven't been cleaned in days while the fronts have a very small amount of dust if you look really hard. We have rear Volvo brakes as many owners of early 2000 Volvo owners complained of the same problem. Ford+Mazda+Volvo... :cry:
    Now don't get me started on early morning brake squeal... :mad:
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    Its been over a year (or two) since I did this test - don't recall the exact numbers - but anyway -

    I thought the front wheels should have more brake dust because they do more of the work stopping the car.

    Since the Mazda3 has way more brake dust on the rear I thought - the rear brakes were doing more work than the front - or maybe the rear brakes were dragging slightly.

    I have a friend who has a laser thermometer (it looks like a pen) - its pretty cool - you point the laser at something and a digital readout gives the temperature. I have no idea how this thing works - but it does.

    After a nice drive & several fast stops - we took the temp of the front and rear rotors.

    The fronts were much hotter that the rears - so much so that I came to the conclusion that the front brakes had to be providing more of the stopping power than the rear. Plus I no longer though there was much change that the rears were dragging.

    Mazda claims the material used on the original front and rear pads is the exact same compound.

    I have no idea why there is so much dust on the rear - but the Mazda3 has very good brakes - so I can live with a little dust.
  • mmendietammendieta Member Posts: 2
    I have a Mazda3, last night I had a flat tire on the road. this morning I tried changing to the spare and the tire won't come out. it is just stuck there. Any suggestions?
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Do you mean out of the trunk or the tire off the hub?
    Do you have steel rims?
  • mmendietammendieta Member Posts: 2
    yes the actual tire from the hub. yes I have steel rims, I removed all the wheel lugs already. The tire won't come out...
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    You don't have roadside assistance? I tend to go the lazy way. I have a can of that puncture sealant in the car, just in case.
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    If you have a heavy hammer hit the side wall at the top of the tire, near the tread, hit it a few times at different places, keep doing it hopefully it will come off. If it still won't come off phone road side assistance.
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    mmendiate,

    Your Mazda 3 has road side assitance from Mazda. It should be in the owners handbook that you were given. I have used this service in the past and it is great.
  • myzoomzoommyzoomzoom Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2005 mazda 3 sedan with a manual transmission. I was recently on the highway the other day and noticed a high pitch humming sound coming from what seemed to be the dash. I only noticed this perculiar noise when I was going 140-160km/hr. Now I don't normally drive that fast but was curious to see how it handled. Other than the humming sound it drove perfectly. I have not taken it to a dealership yet but was wondering if anybody else has had this problem. The car only has 15000km.
    Thanks.
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Does it do it at say 100 to 120K/H? or less?
  • sunsh05sunsh05 Member Posts: 8
    I bought my 3S at the beginning of last winter and love it except for the way it handles (or doesn't) in the snow. Luckily we had a very mild winter so I was able to make it through in one piece. I am seriously thinking of getting snow tires for this winter and thought that they may be cheaper and more available in the summer. Or maybe I'm wrong and you can't get them now (I know nothing about snow tires as I've never had to buy them). I'd appreciate any suggestions as to which ones to get for the 3S, where to get them, decent prices etc. Thanks.
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    The wheels are hard to take off because the hub that the wheel fits on is made of steel and it will get slightly rusty.

    The first time I rotated my tires it was very hard to get the wheels off. Rubber mallet did nothing.

    I finally sat down on the ground facing the wheel - car was up on a floor jack with the tire a few inches off the ground - I kicked the edge of the tire with my feet - as hard as I could - after about 3-5 "mule kicks" they came free.

    I solved this problem by spraying WD-40 on a paper towel and using it to wipe the hub / and also the wheel surface where it contacts the hub. I would not just spray WD-40 straight from the can - because you need to control the amount and location - you don't want WD-40 on the studs (that you put the lug nuts on. I do this every time I take a wheel off - and now they are very easy to remove.
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    I just put wheel bearing grease or white grease on the wheel surface and where it meets the hub. Good advice about NOT putting WD40 on the wheel studs.
  • msp1986msp1986 Member Posts: 7
    I have a new 2006 Mazda 3i with Automatic, A/C, and the safety package. I am noticing every once in a while my transmission ( I think?) slipping. When I press the gas it seems to have trouble getting into a gear for a spilt second. It is really worrying me as this is a brand new car. I am just hoping to find someone having the same problems and have a fix for it. I went to the dealer and they said everything was fine. And of course it didn't so it when the tech was in the car with me :( Thanks!
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    Its hard when you have an intermittent problem - because it will never happen while it is in the dealership - even if you ride along to show them yourself.

    About all you can do is keep driving the car (as long as you don't feel it is a safety issue) until the problem becomes more predictable.

    I do understand your feelings - but Mazda can't just replace the tranny unless they can actually determine what the problem is.

    I have not heard of this issue before -

    Is the problem just in 1st gear - like when you shift from R to D - or does it also happen on shifts from 1-2, 2-3?
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    I have heard of this issue on some of the other problem boards (Honda comes to mind), and some folks were told that this can occur during "break-in" while the transmission is learning your driving style.

    However, I have never had an automatic transmission do this for me. As zbill mentioned, there is not much Mazda can do unless the problem gets worse or occurs more frequently. Keep an eye on it.
  • msp1986msp1986 Member Posts: 7
    It happens going from 1-2 2-3 as well..........I can be in any gear let go of the gas then press it and it slips. It happens the MOST though when I and in gear 1 going to 2.

    Thanks!
    Micah
  • myzoomzoommyzoomzoom Member Posts: 4
    No it does not. It only happens at around 140 to 160km/hr and even at the high speed the engine and overall performance is excellent except for the humming sound I hear.
    I should also mention that the air conditioner and stereo are both off.
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Well I guess just keep it below 140K/Hr I know I won't be trying to see if I get the humming at that speed you are driving at and I am sure most won't.
  • myzoomzoommyzoomzoom Member Posts: 4
    Like I said in my first post, It isn't a speed I normally drive.
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