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Mazda3 Maintenance & Repair

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

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

    
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Messages Page 493 of 500

#4914 of 4991 Re: Looking to buy a 2004 Mazda 3 with 85K miles, need comments [Nyamebaa] by autonomous

Dec 10, 2008 (1:49 pm)

Replying to: Nyamebaa (Dec 10, 2008 8:22 am)
have fallen in love with a 2004 Mazda 3, 5 speed standard, with 85,400 miles on it
 
2004 was the first year of the Mazda3 and I believe there were some issues. You may want to check Consumer Reports Used Vehicles ratings to see what the areas of concern were. In any case, I would have your local mechanic check the car out to ensure that everything is fine.
 
Best of luck!

#4915 of 4991 Cold Air Intake by ylz

Dec 11, 2008 (4:11 pm)

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.

#4916 of 4991 New buyer, any advice? by matthewm19

Dec 23, 2008 (11:04 pm)

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!

#4917 of 4991 Re: New buyer, any advice? [matthewm19] by ahightower

Dec 24, 2008 (6:04 am)

Replying to: matthewm19 (Dec 23, 2008 11:04 pm)
Congrats! I wish my first car had been as nice as yours will be. There's tons of advice on the site and in the forums for buying and maintenance. Theories differ on breaking in new engines. Some say it's not necessary at all, let her rip right out of the box. Others say you must be extremely delicate, let it warm up for a few minutes on each start before moving, change your oil after the first 1000 miles. I believe the truth is somewhere in the middle. Don't obsess, but do take it somewhat easy for the first 500-600 miles. Keep your revs low, brake gently, vary your speed (mix of city and highway, don't take a several hundred mile highway road trip right out of the box). Don't be too disappointed in the gas mileage from your first tank, it will improve. Then after a couple weeks (I know I always get my first 500 in about three days!), have some fun. Cars are meant to be driven!
 
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.

#4918 of 4991 Re: New buyer, any advice? [matthewm19] by shipo

Dec 24, 2008 (8:11 am)

Replying to: matthewm19 (Dec 23, 2008 11:04 pm)
The absolute best advice that anybody can give you is to READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL from cover to cover. In that booklet you'll find answers to virtually all of your questions on the care and feeding of your new ride.
 
Best regards,
Shipo

#4919 of 4991 Re: New buyer, any advice? [shipo] by roadburner

Dec 24, 2008 (8:48 am)

Replying to: shipo (Dec 24, 2008 8:11 am)
Owners Manual?
What's that?
Can I get it on a podcast?

#4920 of 4991 Re: New buyer, any advice? [roadburner] by shipo

Dec 24, 2008 (8:52 am)

Replying to: roadburner (Dec 24, 2008 8:48 am)

#4921 of 4991 Re: New buyer, any advice? [ahightower] by jeffyscott

Dec 26, 2008 (9:18 am)

Replying to: ahightower (Dec 24, 2008 6:04 am)
My grandfather used to say you shouldn't use your cruise control for the first 500 miles, and I never really understood why...
 
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.

#4922 of 4991 Conventional vs. Synthetic by ecogan

Jan 25, 2009 (7:01 pm)

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.

#4923 of 4991 Re: Conventional vs. Synthetic [ecogan] by shipo

Jan 26, 2009 (5:41 am)

Replying to: ecogan (Jan 25, 2009 7:01 pm)
I bought a 2009 Mazda3 sedan a little over two months ago and I'll be hitting 7,500 miles in the next two or three weeks. After spending some time on the bobistheoilguy.com web site, it seems that 7,500 miles is very doable on the factory oil (which is a 5W-20 conventional by the way). That said, my plan is to switch to Mobil 1 0W-20 at the first oil change and use that every 7,500 miles, at least through the warranty period. In addition, I will send in an oil sample from each of the first three or four oil changes for Used Oil Analysis (UOA), just to make sure all is well with the oil selection and the engine break-in.
 
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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