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Comments
If initial quality doesn't reflect overall long-term reliability, then I guess it's just a coincidence that the top finishers (Honda accord, Toyota Camry all finish in top 50) happen to be 'reliable cars', and most 'unreliable cars' (Neon, VW Golf / Jetta ...) happen to finish in the bottom of the JD Power survey.
I am sure there are over a hundred surveys out there done by different companies, and some are more accurate, objective, and trustworthy than the others. If J.D Power's initial staisfaction survey and the # of recalls and technical bulletins over the past few years both indicate Korean cars are not that solid initially nor that reliable in the long term, then I guess I'd stay away from them until things get better.
But hey, that's just me. I'm sure there are other surveys that indicate otherwise and it's up to each to pick which one to believe
#17
I got a question to those who own 626 LX 2000 with auto transmission.
Are you experience the same jumpy thing when you press on acceleration pedal? First you press then in a second you car responds and jump ahead?
Or it does that thing when you drive slowly downhill?
I am just asking to know whether or not go to a mechanic..
Thanks,
Igna
The ECU (computer) in the car was tuned specifically for 87 AKI
and, when it encountered the higher octane, got confused and
didn't manage fuel properly. After talking to my dealer, they said
said that using a higher octane than the ECU is tuned for can
actually damage the engine in the long term. Not a happy
thought...
So, remember to check your manual for the proper AKI to use.
They way I look at it is that if a car company with hundreds of
thousands of man hours in research tells me to use regular fuel,
who am I to decide that I need premium? So, unless you're driving
a performance turbo or supercharged engine, stick with what the
manual says.
On a side note... If you insist on running premium fuel, stick with
it. Switching between premium and regular will confuse the ECU
as it tries to compensate between the two octane blends. Also,
doing an ECU reset might help the fuel management system
"accept" the higher octane. Since dealers don't want consumers
to know they can reset the ECU, you'll need to find a group of
enthusiasts to help you with the procedure (each car is a little
different, but usually involves disconnecting the battery for 8
hours, reconnect, start the car, idle for 30 minutes and then
drive at highway speeds for 30 minutes).
OTOH, if a higher octane level of fuel is used, as far as I know the ECU does not speed up the timing above its recommended level to extract more performance from the engine. Therefore it wouldn't give you any real advantage, at the same time there shouldn't be any disadvantage...
#17
Goes to show you can't trust a single source. Look at several, then talk to owners in a forum like this one.
Information is power.
-juice
genes555,
You said "yeah but those studies don't indicate serious transmission or engine problems."
They indicate problems, body, problems. Same rules apply to every car, can you understand that? And Koreans did bad. Poor quality Korean cars prove once again they are nothing but POOR QUALITY cars. Besides, why do you think anyone on Mazda forum gives a darn what LA times wrote about Huyndai?
JD Power's site still only has the awards, not all vehicles:
http://www.jdpower.com/awards/award.html
Mazda is MIA, except the B-series truck, which is a Ford. Kind of bizarre role reversal.
-juice
KOREA is the no.5 automobile producing nation in the world and her cars are proving to be popular all over the world.
they are showing signs of blossoming.
i'd rather pay for a $40,000 Hyundai or Daewoo than a $40,000 Toyota or Mercedes because i know i'll be getting my money's worth.
go check out the Hyundai or Daewoo forums and you will see many happy owners there.
and by the way hyundai is the world's seventh largest automobile company and they stand behind their products.
i'm just waiting for a nice six cylinder sports car to hit our shores...
Hyundai will soon offer the XG300, an Avalon-sized car, but even that should be mid $20's.
I was disappointed that they never produced the HCD conertible sports car. They sold the Tib instead.
-juice
Your $40k MB is prob still worth $25k-27k or so in 5 years time, while your $40k Hyndai is lucky to be worth $18k ... so with the same initial capital you put into the car, you're getting $7k to $9k less in 5 years!!
Don't believe me?? Check the depreciation of Korean cars. Prestigious vehicles like MB, BMW, Lexus, are still worth over 55% of their initial value after 5 yrs. Japanese imports are worth a tad over 50%, while reliable domestics are worth a tad under 50%. Korean cars are worth 40-45% ...after 5 yrs.
#17
All it takes is a little bit of patience... The reason it feels so jumpy is that the transmission is slow to shift, particularly between park, reverse, neutral, and drive. When you first get in the car, start it up and let it sit in Drive until the engine revs down to a reasonable level (below 1,200rpm). When you put the car into a gear (Drive or Reverse), wait a second until you feel the car jerk slightly. Now the car is in gear and you should be able to gently depress the accelerator. Doing this everytime will keep the whiplash to a minimum and the transmission should last longer. It is especially important when you are backing out of a space and going from Reverse to Drive. That extra second works wonders.
If you, or anyone here, have any questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail me. Until recently, I sold Mazda's. mailto:jstand6@yahoo.com
If it does use 4th, the OD Off button would give you more instantaneous power but less mileage.
-juice
As far as Mazda products go, my brother has a 323 with 170,000 miles (it won't die!), and a neighbor has a Mazda minivan with 150,000 miles. If you like the car, buy it.
of Feb.We're about to preform our 2nd oil
change @ the 5500ml mark.We give nothing
but high marks for looks,handling,comfort
(after a few mods)and fuel economy.We are
definatly looking forward to join that 6
digit mileage club!
Actually, I think the worst of the transmission problems are over and done with. Most of them involved the Ford CD4E box, and Ford has made a couple of running changes to the tranny to improve its reliability, the first of which began appearing in, you guessed it, model year 1997. This won't necessarily help someone looking for, say, a '95, but it should improve the odds for someone buying a newer 626.
As far as I know, there's not been any problems with M/T tranny for the 626 for the past few generations.
My LX V6's M/T has been pretty good in the 2 first months ... coming from a Honda, obviously some adjustments are needed (not as accurate, precise and short as Honda's ... ) but now I'm used to it I have no problem with it at all.
#17
There is one I'm going to see this weekend. 1991 Mazda 626LX, 4DR, HB, 5spd. The car has 206K (km), but the engine has been replaced 2 months ago with "low km" engine as per owner. He could not explain why the original engine died... He claims that "new" engine has had only 40K on it and it came from salvaged car. He is asking $3995 CAN for it, but might let it go for $3.5K
I would appreciate any advice on the above. I've read some horror stories about Mazda's AT at http://www.alvant.alva.ok.us/dan/fan.htm but that should not be relevant to this one should it?
Thanks,
Andrew.
Thanks
Thanks.
I found out AFTER the purchase that Mazda of Canada offers a 10 yr engine + tranny warranty that covers labour and parts, and starts AFTER your 3 yr bumper to bumper warranty expires. That means you have basically 13 yrs of warranty on your engine and tranny!!!
Mazda actually offers very good warranty compared to other imports. 3 yrs/ 80,000 km bumper-to-bumper warranty is a lot better than 3yrs/50,000 offered by Honda and Toyota (which is really 2.5 yrs to most ppl), and the 10 yrs warranty on engine and tranny is even better. The problem is, Mazda NEVER does any kind of advertising and I didn't know about it until I've purchased the car ....
I think Mazda can do a lot better if they let people know about their cars and their services ....
#17
#17
In the US it's 3/50, also better than Honda or Toyota offer here.
You can get an on-line quote here:
http://www.edmunds.com/partners/1source/index.html
Though I also don't think it's necessary.
-juice
Break it down on paper, and offer the dealer actual cost, no profit, and tell him that's best and final, no nickel and diming. He should not expect to profit from an aging car, but then again he may not be willing to swallow a $1000 loss (your current offer).
-juice
I leased the car, unfortunately, and have another 9 months to go. So far, the 626 has required near-zero repairs. If I can return it at 75,000 miles in this shape, I'll be impressed indeed.
If it weren't for having such a high residual ($18K), I'd forego paying the $4K in excess mileage (40,000 miles x .10) and keep the car. Blue Book is for around $10K with 75,000 miles on. It's in perfect condition and runs so quiet in idle that you can't tell it's on. I had no idea a car could be so reliable!
Once I close the lease, any ideas how likely they'll put the car on the same lot? Any chance they would just sell it to me at the Blue Book cost or Blue Book + mileage overage?
So what's wrong with your transmission? (626 engines tend to be sturdy, but some of these slushboxes....)
Thanx,Charles,for that expression. Never heard
of stickshiftin' coined like that Clever!
Regarding the auto. transmission, it does get better over the first 30,000 miles, I've found. The annoying thing (at least on my '98/ES/V6) is when you floor it and performance seems lackluster. Then, when you back off the gas, you hear this GRRRRRRROWWWWWWWWWWL and sudden, intense surge of power, like the engine had to charge up or something. It feels like you have an inline 3-cylinder with a biturbo. If it hits right, you can squeal the tires up to about 85 mph. If it doesn't, you feel like you're driving a Yugo uphill, through snow, with bald tires and a trunk full of lead blocks. I try to either wisely kick off the overdrive (O/D button on the shifter) or downshift to 2nd. Then, there's no problem whatsoever.
Another problem is when it gets confused...accelerate slightly just after it downshifts from 3rd to 2nd and it may shift up and down 2-3 more times...like it's wondering what the heck you're thinking or teasing you.
As for reliability...ALWAYS starts on the first crank, no squeaks or rattles, feels like a new car, looks incredible after a good washing (paint job outshines forest green BMW's and Mercedes' all the time), handles pretty well when I'm bobbing through the mountain roads around here or dodging potholes on 880. Once in a while, I'll feel the traction control kick in and I get this warm, fuzzy feeling...or I'll do a panic stop and, though I'm about to faint, I note that the car stopped in a perfect straight line, and a short line at that.
I do believe I'll lease/buy another when my lease is up. Unless there were a 626 convertible or a more hefty engine, maybe a "smarter" transmission, I'm surprisingly happy.
What an auto is good for is making it easier for you to talk on the cell phone or eat while you are driving. However, unless you are doing one of those things all the time, you would probably really enjoy the 5-speed (it's faster & better MPG). Think about it if you decide to get a new one...
I drove the wife's 626 to work this AM, and the power really lights up above 4000rpm.
-juice
And that's what it boiled down to for me- V6+5sp MT. 626 LX-V6 is the best value ... my only other alternative was the Maxima ... which costs way more.
#17
Mike.
#17
bmclaughlin1 - thanks for your input. 626 ES for 626 ES, I bet you really liked the car eh? = ) Nothing against AT, cos over 95% of family sedans sold are AT's .... but the Mazda AT is especially subpar compared to Honda and Toyota. IMO, on the 626 the MT is a much preferred choice for smoother ride and much better acceleration. OTOH, have you experienced any problems with using 87 fuel?? I think the manual recommends 94 and requires minimum of 91 octane level gas to avoid knocking ...
Finally CD changer - instead of going for the factory changer I've chosen to go aftermarket path... and my Sony changer (which I inherited from my previous cars) is working great .... it's 8 yrs and counting = )
#17