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Comments
However, as with any used car, have a mechanic or even a dealer check it out. Better to spend under $100 before you buy then to spend a lot more after.
I'm not that familiar with Mazda's scheduled maintenance, but a tune-up is likely due at 30K; that tune up will probably eliminate this problem.
mhernand
Meade
Try that first before dumping any other money...
:-)
Regards,
Pete
On overdrive problems, or any problems: be sure to check the NHTSA information easily linked-to via Edmunds, which shows "formal" complaints of problems to NHTSA.
This happens in spells. Used to happen only when the tank was less than half full, and only when one of us drove it. The problem became dangerous last week, stalling when I had to slow down because of obstructions in road, for example, so we took it in. The mechanic drove it around town, checked the computer, and found nothing wrong. Seems to drive fine now.
Any idea what the problem is?
Best regards,
Krzysztoslaw
Talk about a need for remedial spelling.
Must be a Daewoo owner in disguys, oops, sorry, I ment disguise.
It's worth noting that (at the moment, at least) there are NO Daewoo owners that bothered to enter complaints on that site.
People are human, and it appears from the above post that possibly there were problems/ignorance on both sides of the bargaining table.
If you don't like the service you receive at one dealership, take it to the management. If that doesn't work, go to another dealership! But your poor experience at one dealer doesn't change the fact that I've owned four Mazda vehicles, all purchased from the same good dealership in Richmond, VA!
Geesh!
Meade
Matt
One thing you can get checked is the transmission axle ends (they contain sliding bearings to compensate for suspension movements) at the differential side. If they are worn out, you may get rattling sound under load, not under regular cruise speeds.
I heard of a TSB about exhaust resonance when you rev the engine to around 3700 RPM that will make something rattle, but I don't think that applies since the car is does not rev at 3700 RPM idling!
all the major moving parts are on the right side.
Mpshute: I don't know if this will work, but try grabbing the corner of the hood where the sound is coming from and try to see if it is loose. Then, go to the dealer and tell them you have an idea of where the noise is coming from, and they should look at and fix it if that's where it's coming from. (That is, if you have a good service department)
I don't quite understand what you are trying to pull here, but you have to understand that most of the Protege owners that post here were not born yesterday.
Thanks for posting that link though. It was very helpful in that I didn't have to search for evidence for the point I am about to make. Here is a link to the Toyota complaints on that same link.
http://www.thecomplaintstation.com/t/toyota_toc.htm
There was even more complaints on the Toyota link than the Mazda link...including people complaining about getting cheated out of their deposit and being treated rudely.
I suggest you take your game and move it over to the Saturn forum. Oh yeah, Saturn has a link on that web site too.
I had posted a note a while ago stating that
the radio in my 2000 ES gets interference
(in FM) from the engine. The weaker the
station, the stronger the interference, like
a sputtering noise whose frequency increases with
engine RPM.
The dealer recently replaced the radio, but
the new one does the same! The dealer called
Mazda and the solution suggested was to
incrementally replace all engine electrical
components that could cause interference. I.e,
the dealer would replace parts one by one
until the interference stops! I'm highly
skeptical of this approach, and I don't
want to screw up factory-installed engine
innards.
The dealer also claims that he sees the
same problem with another brand-new 2000
protege.
My questions are:
1. Is there anyone else out there (2000
protege owner) who has
this problem?
2. ANy idea on how to fix this??
Thanks.
There are also filters that can also be installed between the antenna and the radio; a good car stereo shop would be familiar with this problem. Does this also affect AM radio?
The plug wires in our cars go down into the valve cover before contacting the head of the spark plugs. They pass through that rubber grommet you see on top of the valve cover and go another few inches before meeting the plug, in other words. What happened on my '92? Moisture had caused one of the wires to arc through its insulation and short to the metal "tunnel" above the plug. Replacing the wires (about $40) did two things -- it made the car run better, and the interference disappeared.
You can check this yourself -- unplug your wires and look for burn-through marks (black sooty spots) on them between the rubber grommet and the top of each plug. Even if this ain't the problem, it's a cheap ($0) way of ruling out the wires as the culprit!
Good luck,
Meade
1.The throttle plate and assembly needs to be cleaned regularly. This may smooth things out. ( upper engine cleaning systems are expensive and you may get some results with Tektron) 2. The automatic transmission is electronic and shifting is rough, this may add to that hesitation when accelerating. My car downshifts from 4th to 1st and redlines when I try to accelerate after braking and cornering. I have my car at the dealer today, with 6 weeks left on my warranty. These are ongoing issues with the Mazda Protege. I really like the car and want to keep mine.
Stick to topics you know something about. The Protege is an extremely reliable car and has been recognized for it's overall value by both Car & Driver and Consumer Reports.
Wanna talk depreciation? Okay....
1996 Porche 911 Turbo in Sunday's Arizona Republic with 48k, stated original title, no salvage title or damage. New it cost over $105,000.00, selling for $38,500 OBO FROM A DEALER!!! 63% depreciation in 4.5 years.
1996 Protege ES cost 17,000 new with 68k miles, again no damage, "like new" for 9500.00 OBO from a dealer. 44% depreciation over the same period.
Tell me again how buying a more expensive car is better?
Pete
In response to post #49 - my protective plate on my driver's side wore out and made my lock inoperable. the dealership replaced it. my passenger door is wearing out but sill works i have about 8000 miles to get that replaced.
In response to post #30 - my brakepads wore out just before 30,000m and i'm not a super freak stopper...i drive like my dad as of late. it seemed unusual. but i replaced them and got my tune-up. hopefully these will last longer.
sorry about my long windedness.
by the way i love my protege although i am jealous of my little brother's '99 it seems to have more room inside.
later
kris
After driving long enough for the engine to be fully warmed up, say 20-25 minutes on the freeway,
and am idling for 1 minute or longer, I notice a burning oil smell. It only occurs with the heater on, and only at idle. It is not overpowering, but noticeable. I had the oil changed and thought that might have been the cause(spilled oil on the engine), but cannot find any oil anywhere on the engine. I am not losing oil either. I have tracked
the smell to a location right next to the timing belt cover, but cannot find a drop of oil leaking anywhere. Anybody else run into this smell/problem?
I am the proud owner of a 2000 Protege LX that I bought in December of 1999. I will be turning 30,000 miles within the next two weeks and I have had absolutely no problems except for pinging with cheap gasoline. I am happy to say that this Mazda replaced its evil twin Kia Sephia that I traded in on the transaction.
VIVA MAZDA>
1. Rear defrost switch, replaced under warranty
2. Dome light bulb, replaced under warranty.
3. Small crack in exhaust manifold at 100k. Bought used part and replaced myself.
4. Check engine light at 100k. Replaced both Oxygen sensors myself(relatively easy to do with ramps and a few tools) and this fixed the problem.
5. Some ideling irregularities when stopped in neutral similar to Mq76 post above. Problem has gone away and car never stalled, so I ignored it. This may be related to bad gasoline.
6. Some CV joint clicking starting at 70K and noticable on left turns when car is first run(cold). This goes away when warm and since both boots are fine I will ignore this until it gets really bad.
Overall this is the highest quality car I have ever owned. Engine is still tight and powerful. Does not burn or leak any oil and I change it every 7,500 miles with full synthetic. Clutch is still strong and the original brakes went 115K(mostly highway miles). Finally, since I tow a trailer/ATV quite a bit and have tested the top speed (115 mph) on several ocassions, I consider myself a tough user. To top it off I get 30-40 mpg.
To save money on parts consider used from nationwide used Mazda parts dealers listed on the internet. I got a used exhaust manifold for $80 and a used secondary O2 sensor for $120. I also bought a new main O2 sensor from carparts.com for $60 with a coupon. Mazda dealer prices are much higher.
Now I just wish someone could make a minivan as reliable as my Protege for $18K.
Regards,
Pete