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Mazda Protege Owners: Meet the Members

335 messages,  Last post on Jan 25, 2009 at 10:59 AM

You are in the Mazda Protege Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda Protege, Mazda Protege5, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 30 of 34

#286 of 335 Thank You by chrison

Oct 05, 2003 (1:30 pm)

Thank you guys!
 
Actually I didn't replace the Jetta with a Pro. The Jetta is a 02 and it's here to stay. I replaced our old Camry with the Pro. I have also thought of replacing the head unit, but it's still kind of new (1500 km only) and I would like to wait until a bit later. Besides, I found the stock head until very egonomic. I know brands like Pioneer sell aux cables that allows connection to the head unit. BTW, IMHO the Jetta's Monsoon sounds significantly better than Pro's. Unfortunately I accidentally busted one of the tweeters two weeks ago..... covered warranty though.
 
Chrison

#287 of 335 Alarm standard in Canada? by blitzboi

Oct 07, 2003 (10:38 pm)

Hi All,
 
I'm new here, so please cut me some slack...
 
Our company just got a new fleet car, a nice laser blue p5. Very slick. Anyway, I was under the impression that the key fob was just for remote key less entry like on our other fleet vehicles (GM minivans).
 
However, one day I found the car beeping and flashing outside my house. And no, I didn't push the red button on the remote either. I didn't even have the remotes with me at the time.
 
When I get a chance I'm going to do some 'scientific' testing to see what sets the darn thing off exactly.. bumps? Handle pulling? Dunno..
 
Do all 2003 P5's in Canada have this alaram or did we just get lucky? I don't recall anything about an alarm in the dealer/lease company docs.
 
Thanks in advance!

#288 of 335 Alarm standard in Canada? by blitzboi

Oct 08, 2003 (7:46 am)

Hi All,
 
I'm new here, so please cut me some slack...
 
Our company just got a new fleet car, a nice laser blue p5. Very slick. Anyway, I was under the impression that the key fobb was just for remotekey lessss entry like on our other fleet vehicles (GM minivans).
 
However, one day I found the car beeping and flashing outside my house. And no, I didn't push the red button on the remote either. I didn't even have the remotes with me at the time.
 
When I get a chance I'm going to do some 'scientific' testing to see what sets the darn thing off exactly.. bumps? Handle pulling? Dunno..
 
Do all 2003 P5's in Canada have this alaram or did we just get lucky? I don't recall anything about an alarm in the dealer/lease company docs.
 
Thanks in advance!

#289 of 335 Re:Blizboi by chrison

Oct 14, 2003 (11:32 am)

Bud, I thought you just got lucky
 
In Canada, anti-theft system is merely an accessory in any Protege. They don't even come with an engine immobilizer (Civics do). But somehow the dealer etched the windows no charge. what a consolation!
 
Chrison

#290 of 335 new-pro es-03 by steven39

Nov 04, 2003 (3:45 pm)

hi folks, well i have had my protege es for about 1 month and iam closing in on 1000 miles. i recentley went through some difficult financial issues regarding buisness, and a messy divorce. so i was basically looking for a cheap new car to drive for a few years till i got back on my feet again, well the protege turned out to be anything but cheap except in the price debt but not in build quality. this car far exceeded my expectations. instead of being just cheap transportation it is a very solid car and rides very nice i got the fully loaded pro es with auto, 6disk-moonroof pack,abs-side airbag pack and the alloys look real cool as well.all for 17,000 otd.not bad plus great warranty,and loaner cars for warranty work as well.hopefully the car will stand the test of time.steve

#291 of 335 Congrats Steve! by protege_fan

Nov 04, 2003 (4:23 pm)

Have fun in your new Pro!!

#292 of 335 Welcome Steve. by mazdafun

Nov 04, 2003 (8:05 pm)

You'll find the Protege rewarding beyond its price tag, like many of us have.

#293 of 335 thank you by steven39

Nov 06, 2003 (11:11 am)

thanks everyone, and iam looking forward to posting very positive reviews regarding my pro es if the way its rideing now is any indication. just went over the 1000 mile mark so now that iam basically out of the so called break-in period i can open it up a little bit and put some zoom-zoom- into the car, and hopefully the fuel economy will improve as well as i put on more miles.thanx. steve

#294 of 335 New owner by mole_hunter

Dec 09, 2003 (11:56 pm)

Hey all.
I am the proud new owner of a Mazda Protege5. It was purchased new a little more than a month ago. It was my wife who actually saw it/loved it/drove the purchase process, but I really like the car as well.
 
We got it fairly loaded: AT, moonroof, abs/side air bags, 6 disc changer, leather, polished wheels, and roof rack. Silver color outside, black inside. It looks very sharp. (My wife wanted the AT, I would have preferred the manual; but it's not a big deal.)
 
I love the way that it handles but it is too bad that the engine feels uninspired. Just doesn't seem to be much of anything there. I don't know if it is the AT or the engine, though. I have used the sport shifting feature off and on and it still seems to be sluggish, so I figure it's the engine.
 
The one problem that we are having with it is the gas mileage. I have seen a few others here mention it, too. The sticker said 25/30 but we have been hovering in the 22-25 range ever since we got it. We even removed the roof rack a few tanks ago to see if that would have an effect. (It doesn't seem to have changed much, which is good; the roof rack adds a nice touch to the sporty look of the car.) This is the same type of driving that gives me 30-32 MPG in our old car (a Mazda 626 4 cylinder). We haven't taken it in to the dealer yet, but we are getting very close to that. Everyone we mention it to says that it needs to be broken in some or it is the cold weather. The other car still gets 30+ in this cold weather, though...
 
Anyway, love the car so far. Will continue to enjoy it as long as we figure out this gas mileage thing.
 
J

#295 of 335 Congrats on your P5. by mazdafun

Dec 10, 2003 (6:40 am)

And hang in there. I think mpg increases after the first 1-3k.
 
Other things you can try:
 
Increase tire pressure from 32 to 34psi (the setting on my wife's P5).
 
Use synthetic motor oil.
 
Use a clean air filter (or replace more frequently than called for in the manual).
 
Removing the roof rack only makes a noticeable difference at highway speeds.
 
Winter formulations of fuel typically have less energy capacity, so expect about a 3-5% drop in mpg.
 
My wife complains about the mpg she gets in her P5, as it's a little lower than that of her old SL2. But she now averages 29mpg (not bad for a wagon IMO). She averaged 26mpg when her P5 was new. The transmission is geared more for acceleration feel, and the throttle is also calibrated for launch feel. Feather the throttle when starting and coast as much to stops. That by itself will probably give you a couple more mpg. However, it does take a bit of fun out of launches and stops. And try to carry more speed through corners. The P5 is very capable in this regard and it's a load of fun too. But it will wear your tires a bit more, though it will wear your brakes a bit less.

Messages Page 30 of 34

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