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Mazda3 Maintenance & Repair

4991 messages,  Last post on Jan 21, 2013 at 9:58 PM

You are in the Mazda3 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda MAZDA3, Hatchback, Sedan

    
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Messages Page 1 of 499

#1 of 4991 Mazda 3 Owners: Problems & Solutions by

Dec 30, 2003 (7:56 am)

Please share Mazda 3 problems and possible solutions here.

#2 of 4991 Electrical Problem??? by vishanp

Jan 01, 2004 (9:20 pm)

Hey
I got my Mazda 3 GT December 18th.... what a great car! However I now have a problem... The engine light has come on and has not come off since New Years Eve?! I called the dealership and they say its just an electrical problem.....kinda frustrating!

#3 of 4991 vishanp by petpad

Jan 02, 2004 (7:59 am)

This was reported by a few others on the Mazda 3 sedan thread. One owner of a MZ3 has been offered by his dealer to have his ECL light analyzed by a Ford dealership and will report soon on the problem. Most dealers aren't too sure yet about it, so thier ignorance may not be all that surprizing. Stay tuned on this and other MZ3 threads.
 
Pet

#4 of 4991 Humming-Whining Sound from Under Hood by guskim

Jan 07, 2004 (10:13 am)

Hey Folks,
 
I noticed the other day that while the car is at rest, and only at rest, you can hear a faint high-pitched whining sound while seated inside.
 
The sound actually was coming from under the hood, and extending into the cabin. But it disappears as soon as the car is in motion. It's not a loud sound, but I was very curious as to what the source was. It doesn't come from the fan or AC unit, or the engine or transmission.
 
So I took it into the dealer.
It's actually the power steering unit. The fluid pressure is programmed to constantly change, depending on the speed of the car.
 
So when the car is not moving, the power steering fluid pressure is highest (to make it easier to steer), and makes the faint whine. But when the car is on the highway, the pressure is the lowest (to make it a little harder to steer).
 
The dealer says it's designed this way, and there's nothing mechnically wrong with the car. I imagine the faint whine will be completely corrected for next year's model year (as they work out real-world bugs like this).
 
But for those who have Mazda 3 cars now (Jan-04), if you hear this faint noise, you can relax and take it easy, knowing all is well. Your car is still like fine wine (even with faint whine).

#5 of 4991 Engine Light - Software Updates by mazda3indy

Jan 07, 2004 (3:49 pm)

I am finally moving my CEL story to the appropriate thread:
 
As some of you know, my check engine light came on about 2 weeks ago. The car appeared to be operating normally, but the CEL would not turn off. I took the car to the dealership and they said that the code indicated that the thermostat was stuck open. They replaced the thermostat and the light went off.
 
This morning, 500 miles later, the check engine light came on again. I called the dealership and they said that the problem is not the thermostat. They just learned about the software bug in the engine computer.
 
This software bug was mentioned some time ago by everfeb and fowler3. My dealer says that there are no mechanical problems and that the car is okay to drive. The software will take about 2 weeks to arrive and they will flash my computer then.
 
My dealer doesn't know exactly what causes the bug to rear its ugly head or what the mechanical effect is on the engine itself.
 
Sure, there might not be any mechanical problems now, but what if the computer glitch is causing my engine to do something damaging to itself that will cause damage before I get the software update, like running rich?
 
Since they don't know what the software bug's effect is on the engine's operation, I can't find justification for them to say that it is okay to drive it.
 
Canadians on the forums are having this problem, and so are Americans, so I assume that every North American Mazda3 so far has been shipped with the same buggy software onboard.

#6 of 4991 Re: Engine Light - Software Updates by bluong1

Jan 08, 2004 (11:17 am)

Thanks! So the bug is just confirmed.
 
Actually I'm the one who brought the bug issue into the attention: bluong1 "Mazda3" Dec 4, 2003 3:57am

#7 of 4991 still no ECL light for me... by petpad

Jan 12, 2004 (9:29 pm)

Keeping my fingers crossed and everything is honkydory.. My 3 is singing happily everytime I take it out.
 
On the power steering whine story, I couldn't help but to make a link to aviation hydraulic systems... I just hope the "whining power steering" system has a fail-safe operation, meaning that if that whining thingmabob was to fail, that you can still steer. In a helicopter for instance, if you lose your hydraulically-assisted flight controls, you can still land, albeit with much stiffer controls. Full hydraulic hardovers have happened where the controls jammed totally and human force could not prevent the subsequent crash. Hopefully the sophisticated power steering in our 3's will allow us to steer safely should it fail.
 
Pet

#8 of 4991 Longterm maintenance by slash764

Jan 12, 2004 (10:01 pm)

I know no one can tell me specifically about the 3, but do Mazdas in general last long? Can they be compared to say a BMW in terms of longevity?

#9 of 4991 it's all about care by petpad

Jan 13, 2004 (6:34 am)

slash... This will generate lots of opinions, but it all depends on how well you care for your vehicle, and also where you live. Older BMW's are very expensive to maintain by the way.
 
I see old Mazdas regularly, such as Mazda 323's and 626' in particular. If you stick to regular maintenance and protect the body from rust if you live in salt-infested roads, you will be fine. In then end, a Mazda will cost you a LOT less than any BMW, in terms of initial costs and long term costs.

#10 of 4991 slash764 by mazda6s

Jan 13, 2004 (10:18 am)

I had a 86 Mazda 626 that I drove 244000 miles over 14 years.

Messages Page 1 of 499

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