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Mazda Protege5

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Comments

  • cakepieninercakepieniner Member Posts: 3
    Nothing to worry about. Usually the wear indicator is only on the outside pad since (a) the inner and outer pads tend to wear evenly, and (b) you can't see the inner pad anyway.

    New pad time!


    These pads and rotors are brand new. The outside wear indicator was pushing the clips that the pads slide into the disc. Grinding off the outside wear indicator solved the problem, but there is no way it could have worked, like this was from another mazda with similar sized brakes... and the wear indicator on the other pad is of a completely different design which works fine..... just weird I tell ya.

    BTW, how many miles are on the car?

    53k

    P.S. Get rid of that cat-back exhaust. You're just asking for trouble down the road!

    Yeah, I really just want a stock system, but they're hard to come by reasonably. Hoping someone will trade or sell me their used old stock system cheaply.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Definitely replace the plug wires too. They tend to break down over time; at the least they'll rob your gas mileage; at worst they'll get to the point where the car won't go! (I've experienced both scenarios in the four Proteges I've owned.) They should be replaced every 30K to 40K miles, an OEM set from Mazda is only about $60, and you can install them yourself -- no tools required -- in less than five minutes.

    Meade
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    There ARE visible signs of damage on the rims, and the installer said they are bent but no need to change right away... While installing they did alingment and everything, put different weights on the rims...
    Well, if they did an alignment I'm a bit surprised that they said that there is no need to change the bent rims if you are experiencing a problem at 60mph. It would be like saying that your TV remote works as long as you don't go beyond channel 10. I wonder if what the installers did was a wheel balance rather than a wheel alignment. In a wheel balancing the technician adds weights to the rim to balance each tire; this is far less complicated than an alignment. The other reason I ask is that the wheel alignment usually allows the technician to see more serious problems involving the suspension or damage due to an accident. Hopefully, it's just the rims; Monsieur Meade sounds like he's ready to help there!

    ... I will take it to a Mazda dealer and get a second opinion ... cost?
    Good idea, they know the car best. Ask them to look at the entire area not just the rims to assure yourself what the real problem is. If you have several dealers in your area I would call/visit a couple of them; ask them for their ideas; let them know that you intend to use their services in the future if you're satisfied with their work; pick the dealer you feel most comfortable with.

    Best of luck and let us know how it goes!
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    Swap that bent wheel out for your spare until you replace that bent wheel. Place the spare on your rear, and move an undamaged wheel up front. This will spare your differential some wear.
  • pdubpdub Member Posts: 1
    I'd really like to own a protege5, but I live in Vermont where the winters can be quite harsh and the snow gets pretty deep. With good snow tires could I use this car as a daily driver through the winter. Do you think ground clearance will be a problem? Anyone from New England got some input here? Any help would be appreciated.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    Canadian winters are often wicked; my Protege5 has had no problem getting through snow. You're right about the snow tires, they make all the difference. Ground clearance has never been a problem for my P5. Does Vermont use a salt mixture in their road de-icing? If so, you might want to consider rustproofing.
  • pciskowskipciskowski Member Posts: 155
    Get a rim off of Ebay. I have bought and sold several sets of rims off of there and never had a problem. You can get a whole set for around $400 or less, sometimes with the tires on them too. Make sure you have the right one. The 2002 rims were different from the 2002.5 and 2003. I had the same problem with a bent rim, and replacing it took care of the problem.
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    I've lived in Windsor, VT the entire time I've owned the car and it's been fine. I comute to and from teh Hanover NH area every day (up and down 91, plus secondary roads).

    Don't even THINK about running the stock tires year round. Get 4 snows. I ran Michelin Arctic Alpins for 4 winters and they were great. I'm going with Hakka2's this year. I got them on a set of 15" steelies from Tirerack.com.

    It's been a great car for me in rough weather, no real issues.
  • zeniu17zeniu17 Member Posts: 3
    FYI

    I have a 2002 P5 automatic, with a Mazda made performance muffler, and I'm getting 27 mi/gal city , and 40 mi/gal highway, and it is very consistent.
  • zeniu17zeniu17 Member Posts: 3
    Regarding those metalic sounds, check that your scissor-jack is mounted properly and tight in the holding bracket, also look inside your spare-wheel compartment in the trunk to make sure everything is tight and no loose parts rolling around.
  • dwryterdwryter Member Posts: 87
    > I have a 2002 P5 automatic, with a Mazda made performance muffler, and I'm getting 27 mi/gal
    > city , and 40 mi/gal highway, and it is very consistent.

    Do you ever press down on that long pedal, the one to the right of the brake? 8^)

    That's extraordinary MPG for a P5 with an automatic. My 5-speed can manage 27 in the city, but not 40 on the highway, even when I baby it.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    I have a 2002 P5 automatic, with a Mazda made performance muffler, and I'm getting 27 mi/gal city , and 40 mi/gal highway, and it is very consistent

    Yes, the 40 mpg highway quote seems rather high especially for an automatic. When I can control myself, I can manage mid-30s.

    Are you by any chance converting from litres to gallons? In Canada, we use the metric system like Europeans do; I noticed after I was getting better "mileage" than drivers in the US that it was due to my calculating with Imperial gallons versus US gallons. To add to the confusion, the Canadian federal government uses the Imperial (i.e. British) gallon when they assign MPG fuel efficiency ratings in Canada which, of course, do not match the US EPA ratings.

    I've never heard of a performance muffler from Mazda. Perhaps it's a performance muffler installed by a Mazda dealership. Do you have any details about it? Does it use an ionic attachment? :P (sorry could not resist)
  • ekfekf Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for all your suggestions... as I am new to the car world...

    I ended up taking the car to a Mazda Dealership, great idea, after spending $600 things seem to be fine, no shaking and no sounds. What the mechanic did is:

    1) Redid the balance, as he didn't like the balance we had 3 weeks ago.
    2) One of the front rims was really bent so the mechanic put it on the back, he said we might need to change that rim.
    3) the metallic sound was coming from the breaks, he said the person that did the breaks left something there, so he cleaned that.
    4) He flushed??? the engine to make sure... as we bought it used....
    5) He didn't do the alignment as he said we didn't need it...

    So for now things seem fine, hope it goes that way... thanks everyone...ekf
  • mazda6iguymazda6iguy Member Posts: 365
    My friend has a chance to purchase (from a private party) a 2002 Mazda Protege5 hatch with 44k miles.. I have not yet seen the car, but was wondering if a standard lightweight wheelchair could fit in the back without folding down the rear seats.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    wondering if a standard lightweight wheelchair could fit in the back without folding down the rear seats.

    Yes, but perhaps tightly.

    p.s. the P5 has 60/40 split rear seating, so you could collapse one part in case you need to extend the space and still make use of the rear seat.
  • dwryterdwryter Member Posts: 87
    Not all wheelchairs are the same, but the one my mother used fit when folded inward from the sides, and with both P5 back seats upright.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    To everyone ... I've moved this over here from the "Mazda3: Real-World MPG Numbers" discussion. I mentioned there that we'd replaced (for the first time) the brake pads and turned all four rotors on my wife's 2002 Protege5 automatic at 55,000 miles on Monday. Autonomous had a few questions, so I moved the thread over here where it belongs. To resume ...

    Terrific numbers, Meade, and kudos to your better half! Did you want to share details about the brake work, like time, cost ... ? I heard from a talking head that rotors are so inexpensive these days that he recommends them being replaced rather than turned.

    Well, I'm afraid this is going to turn into a flame post against Meineke and a kudos post to my dealership, of all things. When we decided to take the car in Monday morning (we were both off from work), I grabbed the latest stack of junk mail coupons and looked for brake job specials. I'd already gotten a price from my dealership (Whitten Brothers Mazda in Richmond, VA) of $169.95 per "axle" -- everything but tax included -- and used that seemingly top-end price as a basis for comparison.

    Firestone had a coupon for $89 for the front -- regular price $139. All Tune & Lube -- which has a grimy little storefront shop in a crappy part of town -- had a similar coupon. But I've been a customer of Meineke for about 10 years, and they've done several complete brake jobs for me over the years that I've been very satisfied with, and their shop has always been able to take me on the spot. So off we went, with me nearly certain these good guys would meet or break any of the competition's prices. Boy, was I wrong.

    First thing the guy tells me is, he won't be able to give me an estimate until he checks everything out -- for which there's a $24.95 non-refundable fee. Still resting on my good-experience-in-the-past laurels, I told him to go ahead. About 20 minutes later he comes back with an estimate of $420 to replace all eight pads, turn all four rotors, check/flush/bleed etc. the brake fluid, etc. I tell him about the other shops' prices and he says "yeah, but they're leaving out a bunch of charges" and lists things like parts disposal fees, extra fees for turning the rotors, etc. Well, the car's already there (no more waiting or rescheduling time, and time's money, right?), and I'm already out $25 if I tell him no, so knowing they do good work, I say go ahead.

    Well, my wife and I take off and go to lunch and to run some errands, but the whole time, this Meineke thing is bugging me. We happen to be in the area of my Mazda dealership on one of our errands, so I stop by and talk to my service guy. He says it's the same $169.95 "per axle" that he'd told me earlier, but (and here's one reason I like my dealership) he says "hang on, let me make sure there aren't any funny pads on the P5 or whatever" and scurries off to the parts department. Ten minutes later he shows up again and says, "nope, nothing funny -- $169.96 per axle does it." I asked about parts disposal fees etc., and he said "the only other charge will be sales tax." He writes it up for me on Whitten Mazda stationery.

    Anyway, I take this written estimate over to Meineke when we come back to pick up Tammy's car (the job took about three hours). The guy gets very defensive and quite mean actually. When I say I'd like to talk to him for a minute, he says (and this is a quote), "What do you want? Hurry up, I don't have time for this." I show him my dealership's quote, and he slams it down on the counter and says it's a lie. A LIE!!! To counter my info, he calls a CHEVROLET dealership -- despite the fact that the estimate was on stationery from WHITTEN MAZDA. (I guess he knew who to call to get a higher comparitive estimate.)

    To make a long story short, he knocked $30 off his price. (What a guy -- Mazda was still $50 lower than his discounted price.) It's interesting to me that two dealerships beat his price, even if the Chevy dealership was closer to his price. And btw, since he didn't "have time for this," well, I guess I'll make his life easier. I wasn't some newbie teenager coming in looking for a bargain; I'm a 40-year-old businessman who's spent 10 years as his customer, and I was looking for the service and value I've grown accustomed to as a Meineke customer.

    Not anymore!

    Moral to this story? I see a lot of dealerships entering the out-of-warranty maintenance and repair game these days, and my experience, I believe, proves that these days it pays not to write off the dealership as the most expensive place around and ignore them when you need to have something done.

    BTW autonomous, Mr. Meineke Man did show me the measurements on her rotors. Most had only worn about 1/3 of the way between new and their replacement limit, and he said I could get maybe even one more resurfacing out of the OEM rotors at a later date. (But if these brakes last anywhere near as long as the OEM ones did, we won't need to since the car will be sold before we do this again.) I don't know what new rotors cost -- I've only purchased one rotor in my life and it was for a Saab in 1986, and it was more than $200 19 years ago. Meineke's charge for resurfacing was rolled up in the total labor fee (a whopping $250!), so I can't tell you exactly how much he charged me for each rotor.

    You know, I saw a sign in the waiting area that said, "Meineke: Our Service Begins with Me."

    At first I was confused, but now I know exactly which "Me" they were referring to.

    Sad.

    Oh well, now I've got even one more reason to like my dealership, where I'm very pleased to have purchased six new Mazdas since 1991. The way it's looking, I'll never need to go anywhere else for maintenance either!

    More proof?

    Oil change: Meineke, $24.95. My dealership: $24.95.

    Tire rotation: Meineke, $20. My dealership, $15.95.

    Meade
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    Quite a movie, Meade! Close-up shot: Meade looking at the Meineke sign, extreme close up on the word "me", back to Meade as it dawns on him who the "me" is ...

    You mentioned 3 hours, is that the quoted work time or just the duration between your visits? Do you know the hourly rate at your dealership?

    p.s. I'm going to call around a few of the dealers here and let you know what I hear
  • erics6erics6 Member Posts: 684
    I wouldn't get near a Meineke shop if my life depended on it. The dealerships I deal with are pretty competitive with other service shops, especially with the coupons they offer. I use them for some service, but trust a couple of independent shops for most work. For me, it's important to find someone familiar with the car I'm having worked on. Basically, that's the dealership or an independent shop that specializes in the car I'm having worked on. I have a guy who works on my GM van that used to work at a GM dealership. My Mazda's go to the Mazda dealer, or an independent shop that specializes in imports. That being said, I've been ripped off a couple of times by other dealerships and I've had problems with independent shops that overcharge. I've found it helps to ask around to find good shops. I've also checked recommendations from various websites.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    p.s. I'm going to call around a few of the dealers here and let you know what I hear

    I called three local Mazda dealerships (we actually have 4 but I decided against torturing the receptionist with my poor French).

    All the dealers came in about the same price at roughly C$725 + tax (nearly U$600 before tax) to replace front and rear brake pads and rotors. The kicker is that some used aftermarket rather than Mazda parts but charged the same total! Of course, they assured me that aftermarket were still good. One of the dealers quoted the aftermarket rotors at C$49 each compared to the OEM at C$90 each.

    To give you an idea of the price breakdown here is the best case using Mazda parts. The total worked out to C$725.

    C$ 95 = 2 Front pads
    C$133 = 2 Front rotors
    C$158 = Labour
    C$390 = Total Parts and Labour for Front Brakes

    C$ 70 = 2 Rear pads
    C$168 = 2 Rear rotors
    C$ 95 = Labour
    C$336 = Total Parts and Labour for Rear Brakes

    Regarding the labour, all quoted 3 hours to do the job; roughly half for the front and half for the back.

    When I asked one of the dealer reps about the need to replace rotors, he strongly recommended it. He claimed that was because the rotors are "porous" and resurfacing them will not be effective in the long term, "I guarantee you that within a couple of months you'll be back to get new rotors".
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    He claimed that was because the rotors are "porous" and resurfacing them will not be effective in the long term, "I guarantee you that within a couple of months you'll be back to get new rotors".

    Hogwash!

    Sounds like he needs to be in the sales area of the dealership.

    I've had lots of rotors resurfaced in my lifetime. Methinks the man wants to sell ya some rotors!

    Meade
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    I've had lots of rotors resurfaced in my lifetime. Methinks the man wants to sell ya some rotors!
    Exactly! This particular service rep is quite different than his partners. He is quick to volunteer advice; the others are more laid back and frankly sound more credible. Unfortunately, when you call the service line, you can't say "could I speak to anybody but Tom ... ". Happy trails to you and Tammy!
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    That's funny, when I call my dealership's service line, I can ask to speak to anybody I want to. Just get the name of one of those other guys and always ask for him. I try to deal with the same person all the time ... kinda like establishing a relationship with your doctor so he'll know what ails ya ...

    Meade
  • paintedqpaintedq Member Posts: 5
    I bought 2002 P5 two month ago. I just came to realize that my P5 makes rather loud Power Steering noise when turn. Like humming "bzzzzz". My old car didn't have a power steering, so I didn't know if it's rather unusual or not when I purchased it.
    Does your P5 makes same noise? If not, do you have any idea how to remedy it? :confuse:
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    No noises from mine. Have you checked the online manual (see protege5.ugly.net) ?
  • paintedqpaintedq Member Posts: 5
    Thanks I will look up this manual! Hope it has something useful. :confuse:
  • paintedqpaintedq Member Posts: 5
    Hi again! It doesn't seem like the manual has anything on excessive noise on power steering. It sound like somekind of electrci motor is revving up to steer wheels.
    Does anyone have same trouble? :sick:
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    All power steering pumps will make some noise if there's excessive friction (i.e. turning the wheels with the car stopped). If you can't hear it when the car is moving slightly, I wouldn't worry about it.

    Meade
  • paintedqpaintedq Member Posts: 5
    I noticed this noise when I was doing parallel parking. It made considerably loud buzzing noise while I was turning wheel (standing still). I didn't worry about it till I drove this rental car (Ford Focus 2005). The car was pretty quiet no matter what I did. Then I thought there could be something wrong with my P5.
    I maybe over reacting. It is not life threatening, so I should take it easy, shouldn't I?

    Thanks for your advise! :)
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    considerably loud buzzing noise

    As Meade said, there is some noise; but loud buzzing sounds odd unless its the fan. My P5 buzzes when its fan comes on -- it does that whenever I sit stationary for a while (like a minute or more waiting for my better half). If it doesn't affect driving or parking, I wouldn't worry now but I would mention it the next time I bring it in for servicing and get a tech to give his opinion. It sounds like it's very easy to reproduce so it should be easy to diagnose.
  • mazda6iguymazda6iguy Member Posts: 365
    A friend is thinking about buying a Protege 5 with 44000 miles on it. We test drove it last night, it fits a standard lightweight wheelchair in the back with the seats up. It had been sitting still for the past week before we drove it. The brakes were a little noisy due to a patina of rust on the shoes, but they were ok after we applied the brakes a few times.

    I am not familiar with this car, so I am looking for any opinions on what to watch out for, were there any recalls, etc. It looks like the previous owner maintained it well. I know where she originally purchased the car from.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    any opinions on what to watch out for, were there any recalls, etc. It looks like the previous owner maintained it well. I know where she originally purchased the car

    Based on my experience, the P5 is a great car with no recalls and few parts and service issues. The stock Dunlop performance tires may suffer from hydroplaning in the wet, do not offer traction in snowy climes (a set of winter tires would fix this easily) and wear quickly. The four wheel disc brakes offer good stopping but can be finicky and prematurely wear if rust/crud develops around the calipers; some dealers recommend lubrication to solve this. As with any used car, I would bring it in to a trusted garage to have them give it the once over before purchase. Let us know how it goes. :)
  • iamziamz Member Posts: 542
    Please tell me you have checked your power steering fluid level. If low on fluid, power steering will make a lot of noise.
  • paintedqpaintedq Member Posts: 5
    Of course I did! I am not an expart, but I know that much. :)
    I don't think it's a noice made by fun. I belive the pump is making noise. I am going to mention it to a mechanic when I have next oil change or something.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    I don't think it's a noice made by fun.

    Whew, thanks for the reassurance. I would be in a real noisy car if that was the case. ;)
  • mazdafunmazdafun Member Posts: 2,329
    If it checks out OK with your mechanic, then it's a great car to have. Fun, frugal and practical. Looks cool, to boot!
  • ripcordripcord Member Posts: 23
    When was the last time you changed fluid in the power steering system? I recently changed all fluids to synthetic. Synthetic runs much cooler and the metal parts like to be cool otherwise bad things happen....

    Caution
    • If the steering wheel is kept in the fully turned position for more than 5 seconds, the fluid
    temperature will rise excessively and adversely affect the oil pump.
  • ripcordripcord Member Posts: 23
    Wondering if anyone switches tires prior to winter and if you bought aftermarket rims. I did some research, it is difficult to find 16" steel rims plus the tires are big bucks for 16" rims. Has anyone purchased smaller steel rims (14"-15")? If so, what tire size did you go with to match the size of the original tires? Also are any tires better than others when it comes to winter tires?
  • SporinSporin Member Posts: 1,066
    I have always run a TireRack.com Winter tire package which consisted of 15" steel wheels and a "-1" winter tire. It was a very reasonable $530 shipped to my door.

    I got 4 winters out of the Michelin Arctic Alpins but am planning on switching to Nokians this year.
  • isseyvooisseyvoo Member Posts: 121
    Just got the 60K service on the '03 Pro5 done. That plus a "strongly recommended" fuel system service set us back $1,067! I'm still in shock. I know they replaced the timing and other belts, which is no small thing, but still! Does this comport with y'all's experience, or did I just get majorly hosed?
  • erics6erics6 Member Posts: 684
    Me thinks you got hosed.

    Fuel injection cleaning is pure dealer profit. I add a fuel injection cleaner every oil change as insurance to possible bad gas. Timing belt is recommended at 105K.

    I'm guessing I'll spend about $200-$250 for my 60K service. New plugs, wires, some fluid changes. That's about it. I get my servicing done at an independent shop which only does what needs doing, not what makes them big $$$. If you have to go to the dealer, make sure to specify you only want the manufactures recommended service, not the dealer recommended service.
  • flipmackflipmack Member Posts: 12
    60K service is just like the 30K service with the addition of INSPECTION of the timing belt.

    I also took mine to an independent, and I provided the OEM spark plugs and Mobil1 and OEM oil filter...they provided the inspection, labor, coolant, and transmission fluid...and topped off all other fluids. they offered to clean my K&N drop-in air filter for me, but I had just cleaned it.

    cost me less than $100. brakes were still good (they were at 80% back during the 30K)...and I get free tire rotations/balance at Discount Tire.

    new wires would have been nice, but I can do that myself.

    Fuel Injection cleaning is a total ripoff, especially if you're ordinarily using name-brand gasoline, which already has detergent in the mixture. If you're not next to a Chevron or Mobil, throw some Techron in your tank every 10K miles...

    That's a GREAT point about MANUFACTURER'S recommended service versus DEALER'S recommended service. Mazda recommends oil changes every 5K miles for extreme conditions...my dealer recommends oil changes every 3K miles regardless.

    I opt for what Mazda recommends...

    after owning a BMW, I've vowed never to take a car to the dealer for maintenance...the dealer is there to sell you something, not to make sure that you avoid purchases.
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    after owning a BMW, I've vowed never to take a car to the dealer for maintenance...the dealer is there to sell you something, not to make sure that you avoid purchases.

    I dunno; last week my wife and I were royally screwed by Meineke trying to gouge us during a 4-wheel brake job on our Protege5. It took a trip to my Mazda dealership and a signed estimate of the brake job's cost THERE to make the Meineke guys (who already had our car in the shop) to back off $30 -- but they still made about $50 more than what my Mazda dealer would've charged for the same service.

    Meade
  • erics6erics6 Member Posts: 684
    Meineke is not an independent shop in my book. They are often worse then the dealer. At least the dealer is familiar with Mazda.

    I use the dealer for quick and cheap oil change every 4000 or so. They totally screwed up a warranty cd replacement. They are competitive with some independents, but I don't like the hassle of the additional services they try to push on you.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    got the 60K service on the '03 Pro5 done. That plus a "strongly recommended" fuel system service set us back $1,067! ... they replaced the timing and other belts ... did I just get majorly hosed?

    This is disheartening to hear. Did you get this done at your regular dealership? If so, did the dealer recommend that your timing belt be replaced at 60K and not at 105K? Why? Were you having any issues in terms of performance, and if not, why did the dealership recommend the fuel system service at 60K? I would complain that these services were not clearly explained to you, that the charges seem exhorbitant and that you expect satisfaction or you will take your business elsewhere. I would also say that all this will go in writing to the dealership and to Mazda.
  • flipmackflipmack Member Posts: 12
    as someone already indicated, Meineke is not considered an "independent"...I'd say that Meineke is just as bad as Jiffy-Lube (since they push 3K oil change intervals when most cars really only need them every 5K miles).

    My Mazda dealer has service in 'green', 'yellow', and 'blue' intervals; where are these so-called intervals in the car's service/warranty manual?

    a synthetic oil change for the Protege5 at the dealer (which only uses 3.3 qts of oil) is $65.00! if you purchase your own Mobil1 at a shop for $5/qt and a filter for $5...figure out how much the dealer is making on 'labor', since an oil change takes 10 minutes, at most.

    granted, there will be exceptions to the rule. my dealer just happens to be an exception. period.

    anyway, glad to hear that your dealer treats you fairly. most of us can't say the same.
  • isseyvooisseyvoo Member Posts: 121
    Yeah, this was our regular dealership from whom we bought the car. Middletown Mazda in Middletown, NY. The manual says replace the belt at 60K if you live in the snow belt, so we figured we better not tempt fate. The fuel service thing was pitched to "clean out all the carbon build-up" allegedly caused by all the modern pollution control equipment. Whatever. I guess it's our fault for being gullible. Caveat emptor, right?
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    First of all, isseyvoo, let me apologize for not checking my facts before expressing an opinion.

    I thought like others here that you had mistakenly had the timing belt replaced at 60K miles instead of just having it inspected. But then I checked the Mazda Protege manual! Being in Canada I follow Schedule 2; it turns out this schedule also applies when "driving for long perioeds in cold termperatures or extremely humid climates" which I think qualifies many northern states and elsewhere. In Schedule 2 there is a footnote for Engine Timing Belt which states explicitly "If the vehicle is operated in cold districts (below 18 degrees C or 0 degrees F) replace the timing belt at 96,000 Km (60,000 miles). So your dealer is absolutely correct to do this service at this time and I apologize for questioning his integrity.

    As for the service to remove carbon build-up, I have heard similar advice. Kirk Robinson, a trustworthy mechanic hosting Autotalk, a local TV auto show which regularly features other mechanics and experts in its panel, recommends this service. Kirk says that due to the nature of current gasoline, over time the throttle body, fuel injectors, etc. can get fouled up with a carbon-like deposit. This buildup of carbon prevents the right air/fuel mixture which eventually leads to symptoms of sluggish performance and increased fuel usage. Here is a website describing the fuel/air induction service ( http://www.bgfindashop.com/unitedstates/). Personally, I've never had this second service performed, but I don't doubt that it has some value. I have not priced this so I would not know if your dealership service was reasonably priced.

    It sounds like your dealer has prepped your car for some problem-free future use which sounds good to me!

    p.s. a lesson I've learned from all of this : do your research!
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    I have just had these installed on my P5 and they are a dream. The OEM Dunlops 195/50/16/V were fine tires except in the wet when they showed their weakness to hydroplane. Although the Dunlops had enough tread to last another thousand miles I had a side puncture a few days ago which made it easy to justify switching now to the BF Goodrich tires which I had bought on sale earlier. Although the BFG tires are larger 205/50/16 they fit perfectly and in fact give the car a more muscular appearance (maybe I should add WRX :P to the P5 nameplate).

    The Dunlop Sport 5000 M are pricier and are sold in fewer shops making them more difficult to cross-shop and to replace.

    For more information see http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com and check under Passenger cars for Traction T/A H/V. The tires come in various speed ratings (H, T, V); the P5 stock tires are V rated. The specific model no. (MSPN) for the 205/50R16 87V is 88328.

    p.s. this attests to one of the benefits of being a reader of Edmunds: I found these tires after checking out the forums here; kudos to Edmunds!
  • mdaffronmdaffron Member Posts: 4,421
    Had 'em installed on my 2000 Protege ES; they were far superior to the OEM Bridgestone Potenzas and the Dunlop SP Sport A2s that replaced the Bridgestones. They had about 30K miles on them when I traded the car and were doing just fine.

    We put a set of Traction T/As on my wife's P5 last July (15 months ago) and they're doing very well with about 15K miles on them.

    They do give the car a more muscular appearance. They also last a lot longer than many other tires, plus they handle very well in dry and wet (AA traction rating), and they're quiet as well! Anyone looking to replace their OEM Dunlops should give these tires a close look and read the reviews at Tirerack.

    Meade
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