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Comments
That pricey 60k tune-up is only pricey on the S model. The timing belt on the P does not need to be changed until 105k, so it is nothing more than spark plugs and air filter at 60k. Nothing you couldnt do yourself pretty easily. There are some suspect shifts when gassing after a "rolling stop", but it is common on all Millenias and you will get used to it.
The stereo system (Bose and Standard) are both great and the ride is even better. Gas mileage was about 25 in warmer months and closer to 22 in winter. Tires on the P are more expensive than normal because they are wider and lower profile than the average 16 inch tires, but the 17's are even more expensive. Just buy good ones and you wont have to worry about them for 50 or 60k miles. You should be able to get a 99 and maybe even a 2000 for 10-12 grand.
The car is definitley put together well, there are no squeaks or rattles.
Good luck.
Curious if this could happen from over-filling the crankcase after an oil change? The level is definitely high on the dipstick, but just slightly so. Smells like oil leaking an exhaust manifold? Not real bad, any only after 1/2hr or so of driving. Any ideas?
I have no details for you, but you might proceed on that premise to check it out.
For those of you who do not have the S model just changeing the oil it should take 3.9 quarts of oil. If you replace the oil and the oil filter it should take 4.2 quarts of oil.
I drain the oil completely after driving until the oil is hot, so it is not retaining any appreciable quantity of old oil.
Probably just wishful thinking that the problem is that simple. Any other fix most likely means big $$. I'll double check the oil level. That dipstick is a hassle to read accurately and maybe it's way over the full mark.
2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav
My final decision last night was between my new Millenia and a 2003 Mazda 6, 8500 miles, $19,995, 6 cyl sport, leather, heated seats, sunroof, etc. I liked the way the 6 drove, liked the interior layout, the overall "new", contempoary design of the car. But I couldn't stop looking at the Millenia. I've always wanted an S, love the color, really love the miles, satisfied with the price.
I look forward to many years of satsified ownership and will be checking in with progress and any questions. And I do have a question. It seems as if the driver's sideview mirror is slightly distorted. Not like the designed "distortion" of the passenger side mirror, but distorted all the same. I was wondering if this is common, correct, or I have a problem. I also thought the sideview mirrors were heated with the cold weather package, but can't figure out if they are.
And yes, a minor complaint. Unless I am missing it somewhere, there is no light or anything indiciating when the fog lights are on. This is very annoying and very bizarre. The master cruise control switch has a little amber light, but the fog light switch does not.
In any case, I love the car already. An Infiniti dealer wanted to sell me a 2000 I30t with 45,000 miles for $18995, and would not budge on price. When I told the salesman that I purchased the Millenia, he sneered. They just have no clue.
I have enjoyed reading this discussion area, and have learned a lot.
First, I have had no distortion in the sideview mirror.
The other concerns the fog lights. They only operate when you have the main headlights on in "low beam" position. I too had a problem getting used to whether they were on or not, and resorted to turning them on/off reflecting in someone elses bumper. I found out that once turned on they stayed on and operated when the low headlights were activated. I agree, it is a strange situation as is the position of the main cruise control switch.
These are very minor though and you get used to it. You will also have to get used to the transmission shifting at very low speeds.
Congratulations on your new MMS.
erinsquared, I hope that supercharger is OK, because it is about a $5000 problem if it goes out.
Yes, the cruise and fog light switches are strange. I just don't get why no amber light like the cruise control switch. Oh well, can't have everything.
Second, the owners manual discusses a "mid-range" adjustment on the radio, along with the bass, treble, etc. I have the bose radio, six cd in-dash, and I thought that was the top of the line. But I do not have the "mid-range" adjustment feature. So I don't have the top of the line stereo?
Purchased a 2001 Mill S demo with 4000 miles in Oct 2001, I have 30,000 miles on it now. I’m running out of warrantee and am a bit desperate.
In black and silver with chrome wheels ($590+ to replace) and a timeless design it is one of the most beautiful cars now and for a long time to come, and I would like to keep it.
BUT, since day one I've had a problem with the ride. It seems under certain road conditions, i.e., wavy road surface, sharp bumps or pot holes, and certain speed bumps, it feels like the suspension leaves the frame for a brief second. Sometimes the front end crashes (very hard metal to metal sound). Very disconcerting. Sometimes the front end overreact to bumps. At other times, again on certain road surfaces at speeds more than 40 mph, I feel an oscillation. Sometimes, I feel as the temperature drops, lets say, below 32 degrees the ride improves. I feel there is something definitely not right with the struts/shocks.
I’ve contacted Mazda in California by phone early on, and they tell me that the low profile tires with a sports suspension is the way it is supposed to feel. I say, baloney. I’ve been driving cars for 40 years, all makes and models, and I can feel if something is not right. I’ve been to four different dealers over the last two years and they claim they cannot duplicate. They look at me like I’m a head case. I just don’t trust them. Wheel weights have fallen off after they tried to balance the wheels within a hundred feet of their service bay. Another dealer wrote it up as a model 626. Where does a dealer in Manhattan, NY test drive the car? On the 6th floor of their garage? I think the dealers just don’t see enough of this model car.
One reason I’ve been so long with this is - I had a chrome wheel that could not be balanced early on. I thought this could be the problem. Mazda said I did it by hitting a pothole or something. I said no, it just a bad wheel. Finally, 18 months later, after much discussion, they agreed to replace the wheel, gratis. Naturally, the ride improved, but did not solve the problem.
BTW this bad wheel masked a bad rotor problem, which was discovered at the 18,000 mile mark. I paid $468 (ridiculous) to cut the rotors and replace the front brake pads. Too late they said, I have to pay.
I’ve had this car at several local mechanics also, and they said everything is normal. I’m beginning to feel that it is truly all in my head and nothing is wrong. So posting here is my last hope of discovering what if anything is wrong.
I’m hoping someone out there may have comments or suggestions that point to a nut, a bolt, a spring, or something I can use to help the dealer figure it out next time I visit.
PS. If it helps - The car tracks straight and true. Tire wear is even. Ride is very good when not being tested by bumps or holes. No shake in the steering wheel. About 5-8 thousand miles of tread left on the Dunlop 5000's ($290 at Sears to replace).
A mechanic on the radio said, “poor shocks, replace them with Koni, Bilsteins, KYB, or the like”. But, I can’t find any after market shocks/struts for this car and I am willing to buy.
If I can't resolve with Mazda,does anyone know where to buy? I don’t want Mazda replacements. I might have the same problem and the dealer just over charges. Thanks
Anyway, you'll see they work once ice starts melting off the mirrors...
Bose does not have mid-rage tone control, only bass and treble.
Tomek ('01 S w/Bose and 4 seasons)
Lammy
It seems that with some nozzles on certain gas pumps it is more difficult to top it off. I had exactly same issue with Nissan Stanza years ago and was told by the Nissan service that "it's how Japanese cars are" and never really contested that (Nissan Stanza, built in Smyrna, Tennessee...). So, I never really questioned the same behavior in Millenia.
Hope this helps,
Tomek
It it actually does not fill, try a different station. If it still won't fill you have a problem with the fuel system that needs repaired.
The Millenia are excellent cars, but 90000 is a lot of use by who knows who. If it is an S, it may end up costing more to fix than it costs to buy if that Supercharger goes bad. And if it is a P or an S which has not had the timing belt changed he is in for a very expensive job to do so.
I love my MM, but I'm not at all sure I would buy one with 90000 miles on it unless I personally knew the present owner and could see all the records proving it has had all necessary maintenance. If nothing else I'd pay a very trusted mechanic to do an end to end inspection of it or any other car with that much milage.
And coming out of a truck he is going to feel like he is sitting on the ground. The MM is very low.
Good luck.
I have had my "new" MMS, 2001, for less than 48 hours. It has been quite cold here in NJ. I was standing directly behind the car, just checking it out, when I saw a rather long icile hanging from the left rear. Looking underneath, the icile was hanging from the driver side "tow hook" just underneath the rear bumper. The tail pipe is of course on the passenger side. I cannot figure out where this moisture is coming from, to trickle down the tow hook and form this icicle, which is nearly touching the ground. I did run my hand under and around the area and did feel air rushing by, out the rear of the car. The car was running at the time and the HVAC system was on. I am thinking this icicle is a byproduct of the HVAC system, but I have never seen icicles forming like that before on any other car.
I am going to call the mazda dealer and speak to service, but I thought I'd throw the issue out here.
So, today I bought a 2000 Milly from an auction. Mazda Credit dumped the car in the auction on a snowy day here in Ontario. Few buyers, and I bought the car for $9400 US. $12,200 Cdn. It is pearl white, has leather and a sunroof. That's all I know about it, I haven't even seen it yet. My broker is delivering the car to my mechanic for complete fluid changes and safety certification. I appreciate the description of all your experiences. I'll report in as I figure this thing out.
Lots of snow here, zero F. I hope it's good in cold weather. It's my winter beatewr for my '87 Supra Turbo.
Lammy1 I agree with tommek in that I can normally put in an additional 1.5 to 2 gallons more gas after the initial shut off of the pump.
Rpdrpd on your icicle, I read someplace that all cars have a drain line for their a/c. So I would assume that the Mills is in the back therefore the icicle.
I do love this car. I turn down the dash lighting at night a bit because it is rather bright. Love that the heated seats cycle on and off based on the thermostat setting. My 97 MM's heated seats would roast my butt, then I would have to turn the heat off, only to turn it back on again. Annoyances like the steering wheel radio/cruise controls not being lit, no auto-on headlights, lack of fog-light on indicator, are completely overshadowed by the MMS's looks, especially the 2001 re-do, the ride, comfort and performance.
Rpdrpd you mentioned that you had the hvac running when you noticed the icicle and then you felt air coming from that area. Did you turn your hvac off and then check for air?
The AC drips from the right end of the firewall (glovebox)area.
Running the HVAC on auto I see that the A/C is always on. Yet last night I did not see any icicles, and it was cold enough. It will be even colder tonight so I will continue checking.
Shortly after a warm start this morning, the car ran more roughly and then smoothed out again.
I will indeed find another mechanic as I am not very confident after I was told that 1) there is no problem and 2) well, there is and it will cost you $1700 to fix it. A bit slapdash.
tomekk
Does anyone have the dealer installed autodimming review mirror? Does it have a compass? I was wondering how much you might have paid and if it was installed properly.
Thanks
2001 MMS
Don't know if this will help or not...I have the auto dimming mirror on my '02 mms. It does have a compass. Doubt the dealer installed it though. I didn't order the car, it was just on the lot with every option & I bought it that way. I still have the window sticker ( yea, I'm one of those guys ) and under the options section on that, it lists the mirror at $150.
Tuckerdog
I'm pretty sure there is some wiring involved. My wife is out with the car right now, so I can't check it. But it does seem like there is a black line coming off it. It has to get the power to operate from somewhere.
Tuckerdog
Do you have a compass/temperature readout, and where is it, within the actual mirror or on the bottom of the mirror, in the frame?
I have to admit though that as I started to read your post I thought you were saying the non-interference engine was subject to all that damage, but you did clear it up. I just want to be sure that someone else doesn't think they can destroy the MM engines by letting the belt break. ;-)
Here's what I've been able to determine. The seats aren't heating. The little lights on the switches do not luminate when they are turned on. Fuse number 18 in the engine compartment fuse box, which is the one for the seat heaters is fine. The seat heater relay, which is located behind the rear seat passenger side (in the trunk actually) seems to be powered on all the proper terminals.
Has anyone figured out the right procedure to trace this?
I did not notice any loss of power, and the engine works as smooth as before. What I did notice is that the gas mileage went down a few weeks ago, but I thought this is due to cold weather – from 22-23MPG to 20-21MPG in town.
Does someone have any recommendations or suggestions? If not, I would probably go to AutoZone and ask them to read the code of the failure, and then compare what dealer says afterwards.
The CEL on my '01P was due to a faulty knock sensor which AutoZone read out. The dealer got the same code and replaced it. End of problem.
P.S. I still love my Millenia.
When the ECM went out on my 95 Olds 88, the CEL also came and went.
Edmunds has a thread on Check Engine Light in the maintenance forum.
alcan ""Check Engine" light" Jan 29, 2004 5:17pm
It's interesting reading but you won't learn much there except that this is a very common problem to all cars.
Sorry it's taken 2 days to reply. Haven't been back here. The wires go up under the headliner. That's likey why the dealer is charging so much to install. As far as the readout, it just gives compass direction. Outside temp is on our dash. It switches between the climate control temp & outside temp. The mirror readout is on the bottom of the mirror frame in a green LED like display.
I like the mirror, but I don't think it's worth the $350 it would cost you for the item & install.
Tuckerdog