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Comments
Before I take it in and am at the mercy of their cash register, thought I'd get some advise from you all.
Any ideas?
> increases in pitch w/ speed. At over 30 mph ,,, Noise stops if I turn
> the steering wheel to the right while car is in motion.
Might be a CV Joint. The one on the left side of my 2002 P5 went bad at around 15K while still under warranty. Not sure of the cost-to-fix.
If you don't have a good repair place, but know of a good Honda mechanic, you might want to ask if he'll work on your P5. I go to a shop with the word Honda in the title.
Good luck.
I have a 2003 Protege 5. I went out and started the car. I noticed when I turn the fan switch 1 nothing comes out the vents. However when I move the fan switch all the way to position 4 the fan works. Heres the second problem when I push AC button the light comes on but nothing is coming out of the vents. When I move the fan switch to 4 the fan turns on but the AC light goes out and the AC shuts off. Any ideas?
Consumer Reports rated the Protege5 overall at 25 mpg; that's dead-on with what I've been getting with mine over the last five years. My summer average is generally higher; the mileage really drops in the winter, especially here in Canada. You can always have it tuned up to try to improve its mileage; your car will love it and so will the environment.
Thanks
I also don't buy extended warranties but considering the car is over 4 years old a 3 year warranty may not be such a bad idea and the cost does not seem to be unreasonable.
Is 5, 6 and 7 years new also? This is a three year warranty for a 4 year old car; the chances of the car experiencing a problem increases with age.
7 year warranty for somewhere around $1500 or $1600
That seems like an unusually low price for 7 years. I wonder if your friend's warranty was for a new car. In that case, the extended warranty would only kick in after year 3 and be equivalent to what we are talking about here. That would also make sense from a price point of view.
Thanks
The issue in diagnosing intermittent problems is catching the problem. A mechanic that I trust recommends in these situations to leave the car at his (the mechanic's) garage to let him try to recreate the problem over a few days.
Better that than throwing money at a problem.
My independent mechanic said there were situations where the computer on some P5's were sending wrong signals the the alternator.
"We found alternator output is intermittently high/overcharging. We have seen this on several models with this engine/alternator. Replacement of computer is needed to correct".
But my dealer has never heard of this problem. The radiator fans seems to run very frequently. Has anyone had this problem or heard of this?
Has anyone had their automatic transmission fluid replaced recently? My understanding is that there is a ATF filter involved and that the work involves flushing out the system and installing a new filter. How much labor time would be involved?
My current battery is fine but I think it's prudent to get a new one before the winter hits. The new battery is a Group 35 with 550 cold cranking amps. I'm guessing it would take under an hour to replace the battery, is that right?
My spark plugs are due for replacement. Again, to be prudent I figure that I should have new wires installed as these are the originals with over 5.5 years. How much time should I estimate to replace the plugs and wires?
It could take an hour labor on the battery change only because the crossbrace for the struts needs to be removed to get at the battery.
I still have the original wires with 112k miles on them so I'm not sure what they cost. But, the plugs should run around $100 installed.
All prices before taxes.
Automatic transmission: flushed and replaced fluid; installed new filter. Cost: C$180.
Battery: replaced by Mazda Group 35 with 550 cold cranking amps. Free installation per Mazda Canada promotion. Cost: C$88
Spark plugs: Replaced 4 spark plugs. Supplied my own plugs which I had purchased earlier. Cost (for installation): $20
Ignition wires: I thought it would be prudent to replace these as I am running on the originals. Dealer checked the wires and said they were fine. Cost: $0
Oil change: Cost: C$25
The suspension on my 2002 P5 sounds fine; it has approx. 100K km (60K miles); the ride is still great.
I have recently purchased a 2002 protege5 and the heater doesn't work. Has anyone had this problem before. Is there a way to check the core or the switches without taking it in?
Thanks
The site has the entire manual for the protege/protege5 in pdf.
I must say now that I've had my automatic transmission fluid flushed and replaced it's never been smoother. I'd highly recommend it if you haven't had yours done.
The new part (wiring harness, right headlight, low beam) costs a fortune! I haven't had any luck searching carparts.com or other used part websites.
thanks!
The 2003 model wasn't all that popular, so I'm having trouble finding used parts.
Just hoping that someone out there might be able to help!
thanks!
Now that I've introduced the car, I will say that I found this thread yesterday when I was searching something about the vehicle's service schedule since I just took it in today for the 104,000km checkup. Anyway, I was quite intrigued by this thread since I goes back to 2001 when my car was first new and I really enjoyed reading the comments from back then. So much so that I actually just finished reading all 59 pages. I recognised so many of the loves, hates and issues with this car that I wanted to reply to quite a few messages. But it seemed a bit foolish to reply to 5 year old messages. So I'll make a few comments in one general reply.
The one thing that I absolutely hated about this car was the tires. Those Dunlops were atrocious. From almost day one they had severe tramlining and hydroplaning issues. We had it to the dealer a few times for the tramlining, but obviously little could be done. The situation was made better when we got steel rims and Kumho snows for the winter. And more recently got rid of the Dunlops in favour of Kumho Ecsta 711s. Beautiful tire, nice and quiet and most importantly no pulling. And I can drive in the rain. I'm surprised the tramlining was hardly mentioned in this thread.
Someone else mentioned they had the sunroof come off its track. I think it was in 2004 mine did the same. And was made worse because it started to pour and would not close. So I had to pull off the highway and jerk with it just to keep dry on the rest of my trip.
A few people mentioned some issues with the air conditioning not being cold enough. That is something that has always driven me nuts about this car. I've tried every setting imaginable to try to get the AC to cool down the car. And the only thing that works is time. If I am taking a road trip the car will cool down eventually, but I am usually out of luck if it is just a few short trips through town. I just chalk it up to a black car with dark interior, but even both my dealers have said it is just not a terribly good AC.
Like others I had the rear brakes go before the front. And the same rotor and caliper problems. Though in my case I wonder how much it has to do with NOT driving the car enough.
I saw a few fog light issues here, but didn't see my problem. They work (and work well in fog), but the one on the passenger side I guess has a broken seal and there is MOLD growing in it. It has been like that for years and I've just gotten used to it now. Though now and again I search ebay for a used one. Just for a little better resale since I am thinking of selling it.
I think I saw someone comment about the alloy wheels bubbling and corroding. I'll raise my hand to that one too. It actually started doing it on all four when it was less that a year old. It wasn't my car at the time, but I should have insisted my mother and sister complain to the dealer. I asked the service manager today when I had the car in for service about any good wheel repair shops. Good time for it now that my snows are on. Again for the resale.
But could be quite pricey (about $125 per wheel).
One odd little quirk is the hatchback. When there is rain and then snow and a quick freeze, the area around the hinges is so deep that it becomes one solid block of ice and the hatch won't open. :shades: Anyone else notice this? I've had quite a few hatchbacks and this is the first this issue has come up.
There was a pretty big chat about MPG/KPL in some of the earlier pages. I've no idea what mine gets, but I am reasonably pleased with it. With the Ecstas/Dunlops I could get about 600 highway kilometres from full to just a little less than a quarter full. And about 550 with the snows. A little less in the city. Though I've never really noticed how it is in the city because I tend to top up the tank every few days. I find it much less painful to continuously top up my tank with the leftover change in my pocket at the end of the day than to use paper money when I actually need fuel.
I've had a few minor repairs since 2001. A driver side strut in 2005. And I've been informed that the passenger side one will need replacing soon. Um, I noticed one day in 2004 that the OverDrive Off button wasn't working. They repaired that under warranty and a few days later replaced the whole gear shifter. I am not really sure what they did, but when I got it back I could feel in my hand that it was just a millimetre or two off centre and going from position to position would stick. They didn't want to do anything about it at first, but I can be quite insistant. Brakes and rotors of course. And the sunroof as I mentioned...I believe it was a pin of some sort that came loose. They biggie was the catalytic converter, but again that was under warranty. I guess when they do the cat they also do the front pipe too at no charge. Which kinda disappointed me because a few months previous I replaced it.
Aside from that it has just been oil changes and regular services like new plugs, wipers, etc... Oh, and the timing belt at the 96000km service.
As much as I hated the Dunlops, I really love this car. Fun for zipping around town. Could use a few more HP, but I've never had any issues when passing on the highway and often don't notice my speeding until I look down and see the speedo. Especially now with these Ecsta tires...very smooth and quiet. Kinda hate to sell it now.
I suppose I am just prattling.
Thanks everyone for providing such an enjoyable read.
You mention kilometres and snow tires which sounds like code for Canadian driver. Are you a Canuck?
I agree with you that overall this is a wonderful car and as you said it's a treat to drive.
Regarding several of the problem areas you mentioned (tires, brakes, rotors, alloys) I have had some issues but not to the same degree. The Dunlops were fast wearing but I chalk that up to them being performance tires. Also, many urban drivers in Canada suffer the blight of salted roads in the winter which wreaks havoc on wheels, underside and paint. My strategy for preserving my brakes was having them serviced by the dealer every 24 months with a cleaning and lubrication for roughly $100. Result: my 2002 Protege5 has nearly 100K km on the original brakes. :shades:
On the other hand, my failed EGR valve & water pump have meant that my dealer continues to be happy to see me and my credit card.
I was pondering selling mine next year but decided against it when I heard the dealers offer ($7500 as a straight purchase or about $9000 if I were to trade it for another Mazda). So, I'll continue to drive it another couple of years and pass it on to a friend. What is motivating you to sell yours?
With the tramlining Dunlops, I had the service manager and mechanic come along with me for a quick run on the highway . I told them if it doesn't do it, I'll buy them lunch at McD's. And if it does, then they know it wasn't just a bit of tramlining, but rather a safety issue. Once I got up to speed I let go of the steering wheel briefly and the car pretty much threw itself onto the shoulder. After that I got a free rotation, wheel balancing and 4-wheel alignment. Didn't help, but at least they were trying. So I just ended up running the snows later into the spring and put them back on in early autumn. Then I got the Ecstas. Love 'em!
I haven't really decided yet if I should sell or not. But it'd be nice to get things cleaned up if I do. The wheels and the fog light to me are the main draw backs. Well, that and my old man took a shovel to it in the winter of 2002.
But why sell? Just a few clicks on it, but the warranty is up at the end of next spring. And since it is almost 7 years old a change would be nice. But of course with so few clicks on the car it is hardly been broken in yet. A big choice. Kinda leaning toward a VW. Prefer an Audi, but well....a bit out of my price range. Though I'm dreading the process. I'd never get what I want on a trade and selling privately can be time consuming and a real pain. Unless maybe I go with another Mazda. The 04 Mazda3 my mother and sister bought is our sixth Mazda from the same dealer since 1993 so I reckon I might be able to cut a great deal.
The Mazda Club Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
You may want to check out the scrap yards, too. In the recent episode of Motoring 2007, the mechanic was talking about replacing parts and cited used wheels from a scrap yard as one example. Getting four may be a challenge though. Might also find a used fog light
My wife has a 2002 Protege 4 speed automatic.
About 5 weeks ago, she noticed that the engine was running a little rough and the "Check Engine" light would come on. When it came on, it flashed for about 5 seconds and then stopped. We took it in for the 60,000 check and they did everything they were supposed to.
Well, we noticed within a few days, the car ran worse than before the 60,000 mile check up. It ran rough at stop lights, the check engine light came on a bit more, and a new twist - when driving on the freeway, the car seemed to hesitate a bit or, when it would lurch to a degree.
We took it in 2 weeks ago, appararently, during the tune up, the mechanic forgot to put some conductive agent on the coil which was causing a misfire, hence the check engine light. Well I got the car back and we are still having the problem of hesitation on the freeway, almost near stall outs at stop lights (Though that was a one time thing and generally runs smoothly at stop lights) and the "Check Engine" light is making new visits. Flashing at first, then turning off after about 5 seconds. But, definetly, more often.
Our trip to the dealership yesterday didn't yield any results. They had the car for about 7 hours. According to the computer, the engine is misfiring still, but they cannot locate the reason why. They did check the EGR valve and it is working fine. (Though this was a problem of the "Check Engine" light about 8 months ago.) We got one phone call wanting to know if we had changed gas stations lately. End Result: Drive the car for a week and bring it back next Saturday and see if anything new is on the computer.
Anyone have any additional thoughts as to what this could be?
Thanks.
Dave
Is the misfiring intermittent or constant? If constant I would wonder about the wires and plugs, especially if you had not replaced them recently.
Also, it may be worth considering a fuel induction system cleaning if you have not already had it done. It did wonders for my 2002 Protege5.
It would also be worthwhile for the dealership to provide details of their findings (such as the OBDII codes coming from the computer). That way you can go to another garage with some detailed information in case your dealer does not satisfy.