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Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda3 Care and Maintenance
203 messages, Last post on Oct 28, 2009 at 6:06 PM
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| Hello all. Buying a 2009 Mazda 3 Hatch this month and I had some questions. I am thinking of buying a cold air intake for more power but my friend who owns a 2008 says I'm nuts. I have test driven this car a few times and I know it has power but what about the highway? I frequently drive over 80 and am I going to have trouble passing people, making two lane passes, etc...?? Do I need this intake? Also, does the intake really help that much? I have heard mixed reviews about it. And I can't seem to find one online for a 2009, I only see for 2008 models and below. It's the same engine and should fit, right? Thanks. | |
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I am 85% sure that I will be purchasing an '09 Mazda 3 within a week or so. Any word of advice on buying it, breaking it in, maintenance issues, etc?? This is my first car, and I am kind of freaking out. Thanks! |
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Replying to: matthewm19 (Dec 23, 2008 10:04 pm) My grandfather used to say you shouldn't use your cruise control for the first 500 miles, and I never really understood why (maybe what he meant was to avoid long highway trips until broken in, and therefore no need for cruise control), but I always follow that rule anyway because it's fun to remember him.
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Replying to: matthewm19 (Dec 23, 2008 10:04 pm)  Best regards, Shipo
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Replying to: shipo (Dec 24, 2008 7:11 am) What's that? Can I get it on a podcast?
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Replying to: roadburner (Dec 24, 2008 7:48 am) 
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Replying to: ahightower (Dec 24, 2008 5:04 am) That comes from the advice to vary speed during break in. I don't know why or what the consequences of not doing it would be, but it is considered to be bad for the engine to be run that way when it is new and being broken in. For my Mazda6 with the 2.3 engine, they give the following advice in the owners manual: No special break-in is necessary, but a few precautions in the first 1,000 km (600 miles) may add to the performance, economy, and life of your Mazda. l Don't race the engine. l Don't maintain one constant speed, either slow or fast, for a long period of time. l Don't drive constantly at full-throttle or high engine rpm for extended periods of time. l Avoid unnecessary hard stops. l Avoid full-throttle starts. |
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I am new to the Mazda world, and just bought my first Mazda3 (2009 Grand Touring HB). Noticed that the owner's manual recommends oil changes every 7,500 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. Because of the long intervals, I suspect synthetic will be used. But I am not 100% on that, since I got mixed messages from 2 salesmen. I know lots has been written about synthetic v. conventional, but I am curious to see what most new (2009) owners are doing in terms of type of oil. Parallel to the regular 36K / 3 yr bumper-to-bumper, I have an extended (came with the purchase) warranty of 100K miles or 8 years, that requires all servicing be done at the dealer or the warranty is voided. I want to hold on to the car for a long time. Love the looks and the way it rides. What oil type is everyone using? Thank you for your feedback/input.
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Replying to: ecogan (Jan 25, 2009 6:01 pm) A brief note on extended warranties... The last one that I bought was on a car I purchased in October of 1988, and when all was said and done, even after 100,000 miles I hadn't made back even half of the initial cost of the warranty. Said another way, that was the first and last extended warranty I've ever bought. Since 1993 my wife and I have bought eight new cars and driven them an average of about 100,000 miles per (the high was 170,000 and the low was 30,000 due to the fact that I bought a sports car one day before we found out we were expecting our first child, and car seats and that car didn't mix). Had I purchased the extended warranties that were offered for those eight cars I would have spent something over $16,000 plus the various deductibles (typically $100 per visit). Against that I've had to pay about $5,500 in unscheduled maintenance (including one transmission), so on the surface, I'm over $10,000 ahead in sixteen years. But wait, there's more! The transmission that I mentioned failed at 109,000 on that vehicle, some 9,000 miles after the extended warranty would have expired, and as such, it would not have been covered. Said another way, by my math, I'm some $14,000 ahead of where I would have been had I bought the extended warranties. Granted, on any one car an extended warranty might well pay off, however, over the driving/car ownership lifetime of you, me, and virtually everybody else, the bet is that "self-insuring" will be way-way less expensive than buying extended warranties. Long story short, my advice to you would be to ask for your money back on that warranty and then invest it in a CD or something. Should you be faced with an extraordinary maintenance item at some point after the standard warranty expires, simply use the money that you've saved to pay for the repair. Best regards, Shipo
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Replying to: shipo (Jan 26, 2009 4:41 am) Thanks for your thoughts. EGC |
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