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Comments
The unit had 13K miles on it and looked to be in good shape. I felt it was noisy and handling and ride was rough. This compares to my 03 MPV 6cyl, granted, and my Toy Camry 4 banger. While 4's are noisy, I found the 02 626 to be noisier than my Camry and not as nice a ride. It just felt small in comparison and rough on the road.
I like the cute electronic vanes that move back and forth...but that's about it.
Just my 2 cents. I know the new Mazda 6 is the replacement, and they needed one based on my experience!
It looks like Mazda finally realized that they cannot compete with the existing 626. Mazda 6 appears to be a much better vehicle. However, some of us who have been sold junk by Mazda will not be lining up to buy the new 6 any time soon.
Any comments? I do not have the service manual for this car and if I keep it any longer, I will get one. Is there anything revealing in the service manual on this subject? And I think that the coolant replacement should be about 30K miles instead of 60 if all you can drain is half the coolant capacity.
I haven't heard this about the V6, but the four seems to be somewhat susceptible to air bubbles; if you don't purge the system carefully during coolant replacement, you're inviting a problem.
(Neons are still in production, though only under the Dodge brand; Plymouth has rung down the curtain and joined the Choir Invisible.)
I hope my MPV doesn't turn out to be sour grapes. So far it seems pretty refined and well put together...but that's after only 4K miles.
Bryan
My '00 LX-V6 (with the manual tranny) has not suffered a major mechanical failure yet, and I'm extremely pleased with it so far. It's no Maxima, but I can't imagine why any 626 owner would even consider comparing those two vehicles. I'm not sure about now, but three years ago, the 626 really compared more with the Altima than the Maxima (although Altima didn't have a V6 at the time). In my opinion there are too many differences between 626 and Maxima for a direct comparison (price being one).
I too looked at the Maxima GXE when I purchased my 626, but in my area the Nissan dealers couldn't even get close to the price of a 626 (not even the ES-V6). If they had, I would probably be driving a Maxima now, although the 626 did have it beat in the handling department when I test drove back in '00.
I completely disagree that the 626 is a "bad vehicle", as tccmn1 states. That's an awfully broad statement to make, simply based on a few posts in a message board. Just because a few folks on the board have had a bad experience doesn't mean the 626 is something to avoid. Let's face it, nearly every manufacturer turns out some lemons, even Honda and Toyota. Ok, I agree that one should probably walk away from a recent I4/Ford tranny equipped 626, even if it's real cheap. That doesn't mean the the entire model line is bad.
At any rate, I for one have had a rather positive experience, and don't regret purchasing the vehicle in the least. It offered me something the Japanese big three and domestic automakers couldn't, with a V6, manual transmission, good handling, and a pretty low price. In addition, it's reliability has been flawless so far.
I'd also like to mention that with my local Mazda dealer, I was able to obtain a vehicle with no ABS, no electric seat (I HATE electric seats), no leather, no expensive alloy wheels and really no other stupid frivolous options I didn't want to pay for. The Honda and Toyota salesmen laughed when I told them what I wanted (and didn't want). And no, I don't consider the swing vents all that unreasonable to have on the car, although I don't use them much. I mean really, how much extra $$$ do you think those cheesy things could possibly add onto production cost? Furthermore, are you going to bother to fix it when it breaks? Who cares? Now an electric seat, that's something that adds cost and is expensive to fix. Not swing vents.
I am looking at a 2002 626 4 cylinder auto with around 7500 miles, the dealer is currently a little under the edmunds TMV price around $13,300. I am concerned about the transmission after reading these posts and looked at the maintaince schedule. According to Mazda they first recommended transmission fluid change at 105,000 miles, then every 30,000 after that.
Did they change to synthetic fluid or did they improve the unit? I am concerned about long term use and thinking of adding an auxillary cooler if I purchase it. Does anyone have any thoughts about the newer 626's transmission's?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Well, at least they did not delete the famous swinging vents. And they added an emergency trunk release button inside the trunk for those who like to travel inside the trunk.
The CD4E has been improving over the years, though it's still not what I'd call bulletproof; p100's suggestion of 30k intervals seems quite reasonable, and I'm doing 15-20k intervals on my 2000 model, partly because they dovetail nicely with my actual driving habits.
And tacking on an auxiliary cooler is a Good Thing, since overheating is indeed the worst enemy of an automatic.
If you're thinking of switching to a synthetic - I don't believe Mazda has done so - make sure you flush out all the old ATF first.
Emergency trunk releases, incidentally, don't have much to do with traveling Sopranos-style; it's one of those Protect The Children schemes. (Like the kids are going to play in the trunk, given the amount of stuff I schlep around in there.)
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dorothy.bradbury/probemx/p_m20.htm
Also, I am curious if Millenia Axles would fit the 626 V6. I talked to an axle rebuilt shop and was told that this is possible and that Millenia axles and CV joints are much more heavy duty than those on 626.
I've seen the TSB's for 93-97 626's before, and I agree that it's not a good sign (the list for my wife's Taurus is pretty long, too), but it still doesn't mean much in and of itself. Many owners will never experience the problems described in the TSB's. I know someone who owns a '97 which was purchased new, and has had very little trouble with it. For him, it has been a *good car*, certainly not a disaster like yours.
BTW, I did the switch to the Redline oil in my transaxle last year (but with only 21K miles), and I've been pleased with it. I've also heard that switching to synthetic causing seals to (shrink?) and leak in an engine, but I'm not sure how it would affect a manual transaxle/transmission. Of course on an engine, the seals are under pressure (albeit low) from the oil pump. Manual transaxles/transmissions just bathe themselves in the stuff by splashing it up out of the bottom of the case, and I think the only cause of pressure in there would be the heat, so perhaps the risk of leakage is lower.
By the way, my car has not been exactly a nightmare to own because it never left me stranded or cost me much money out of pocket for repairs (warranty covered those), but the satisfaction factor is missing. This car has a potential to be a really good vehicle. Some of the critical parts,however(in my case axles and CV joints)are of substandard quality, which will make any car less than pleasant to drive. And the suspension in general has a rough feel to it. This Mazda is not what I would call a refined vehicle.
If you look at the Honda Accord line-up, the EX V6 model comes standard with just about every feature, including heated leather seats, ABS, sunroof, 6 air bags, and a 6 CD in dash changer.
BTW, a fully loaded 2002 626 ES V6 MSRP was just about the same as that of 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 - about $ 26K. This comparison will not be applicable when you compare the resale value - Mazda will bring about $ 4 K less after three years. I do not know about the resale value of Mazda 6, but a fully loaded 2003 V6 model does retail for around $ 26K also. And you do not get a 240 HP engine with it.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Nope, but you get 220hp in a chassis that is much more fun to drive. Every vehicle will have its trade-off. Personally, I like 160 ponies in the most balanced FWD car I've ever driven.
I'd also like to add that aside from the significant maintenance cost of replacing them (if you don't do it yourself), timing chains actually have some advantages over chains. They're cheaper, quieter, don't stretch, and don't require any lubrication.
They are cheaper to make, but not necessarily cheaper to buy for all makes and models. I bought a timing chain and sprocket set for a V8 American car for $ 26 vs $ 72 for a Mazda 626 V6 timing belt without cam sprockets. True, timing belts do not require lubrication, but if your cam sprocket seals or the front crankshaft seal start leaking, you can loose your belt prematurely if it gets soaked in hot oil.
One good thing about timing chains is that if they stretch too far, they usually jump a tooth or two on one of the sprockets, but they will rarely break or fly off. On the other hand, belts can break unexpectedly and cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to valves and pistons in interference engines (e.g. 95 Nissan Truck V6).
As far as quietness is concerned, I have dual timing chains on the 98 Maxima and overall this engine is much quieter than the 626 engine, which has a single timing belt.
Here is a good topic: how to keep the polished clear coated factory Mazda alloy wheels from pitting. Some suggestions:
1. When you have your wheels balanced, ask them to tape the centering cone or use a plastic washer of some type to prevent scratching the clearcoat from the edge of the center hole. some places may use a flange adaptor (a rare occurrence), which centers the wheel by the lug holes so there is not need to worry about damaging the clearcoat. If they damage the clearcoat, buy some clear spray paint and apply the paint with a brush around the edges of the hole. This will prevent moisture from getting under the clearcoat, which causes rapid formation of aluminum oxide under the clearcoat and ugly veins of corrosion under the clearcoat that quickly radiate outwards.
2. Always insist that they use coated wheel weights, such as polyester coated, on these wheels. It is important too that they use the correct weights. Some places use universal alloy wheel uncoated weights and these will damage your clearcoat and cause corrosion behind the wheel weight. I know, because the local Mazda dealer used these on my wheels once and they nicked the clearcoat in each case. When I asked why they do not use the proper weights, I was told that the tires should be balanced every 5K miles and therefore the weights do not stay on long enough to cause corrosion. What a lame excuse for being cheap. I do not know many people who rebalance their wheels every 5K miles, especially at $ 10 a wheel.
3. Keep your wheels clean and wax often. These wheels are extremely impractical as far as corrosion resistance goes. Silver painted rough cast wheels are the best and do not cause the headaches these polished clearcoated wheels do.
4. Insist that they torque your lug nuts to proper specifications after the wheels have been removed and reinstalled. Removing the lug nuts with an impact wrench is OK if you use a deep socket, but impact wrenches should not be used on locking lug nuts. If you use a shallow socket (as one character used on my old Mazda years ago) you will pock mark every aluminum skin coverd lug nut. These lug nuts cost $ 5 a piece to replace from the Mazda dealer. Periodic retorquing of your lug nuts is recommended on alloy wheels. I do it about every 5K miles. I use about 85-90 ft-lbs torque for these.
I was laid off and my 02 Max SE 6spd was REPOED! Arrgghhh! Anywho, face it chains are more reliable and more durable, I doubt Mazda switched to Chains 'cause they suck, and the labor is what kills ya, not so much the price, huh? who cares about noise if thay insulate well (like on the Max)
Guys, I think the emergency trunk release was a Federally mandated thing for all cars, so at least pick on them for things in their control.
p100, hey Neon got a bad rap on the head gasgets. Only early models had this, and it was a vendor provided poor material. A different gasget fixed this permanently -(not every 45k) I had an 00 Neon I beat the snot out of, drove to CA and PA back twice, never an issue at 45k when I dumped it. So a cheap priced Neon 96 and after is a good buy. ...and take me along for BEERS! heh heh!
As far as discounts and resale. Thats about even. Cars like Mazda Protege or a Chrysler Sebring are selling well below invoice. A Honda Accord or a VW Jetta are not discounted at all. Its all about supply and demand. I can't believe Misubishi is selling a car for MSRP now: the EVO. If you told me Mitsu was going to sell a car for MSRP a few months ago I would be speechless.
I don't know, but since you brought your Maxima into the equation, maybe you can tell me why it has 2 chains (between cams) shorter than your 390 yet cost $64 each.
When talking about the expense of chain drive, don't forget to factor in tensioners/guides on an OHC engine like your Max that run over $200 themselves.
BTW, got any idea how much a timing set for a current (<2000) small block is? I don't have that info handy.
Don't know about the chains, but I do know that GM is using some sort of diamond coating on their chain sprockets on their new I6.
Furthermore, I wasn't really saying that belts are better than chains, just trying to point out that there are *some* valid reasons for using them. Seems like many folks don't understand why a manufacturer would even consider putting timing belts in their engines. Would I rather have timing chains? Absolutely. Did I know the 626 had belts? You bet, and I purchased it anyway. You really shouldn't single out Mazda for criticism over using belts either - MANY other manufacturers have in the past, and some still do.