- #537 of 589
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by jonat1x
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Dec 12, 2008 (9:37 am)
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Fair observations, but of course a cold engine is at its least efficient. I don't know how long you've owned the car, but one of the things that has struck me about it is how much more quickly the cabin warms up than was the case with our former vehicle, a 99 Windstar.
The remote starter is not a device that I know a great deal about but presumably you know that Mazda offers one for the 5? MSRP is $300 but I found it at Med Center Mazda in AL for $253 plus shipping.
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- #538 of 589
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fix for suspension crunching noise?
by cooppoop
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Jan 02, 2009 (9:29 pm)
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Has anybody gotten the dealer to fix the crunching noise that comes from the suspension in cold weather? I have a 2007 and I know that they issued a TSB for 2006's. The dealer would not provide a fix because the TSB was not for my year and of course by the time I got my car to the dealer it was warmed up and the crunch was gone. They asked me to keep it there for a couple days so they could hear it but I can't give my car up because of my schedule (dropping off kids, picking them up, etc). Anybody else having this problem? Better yet, anybody else found a solution?
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- #539 of 589
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Re: fix for suspension crunching noise? [cooppoop]
by whobodym
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Jan 03, 2009 (7:05 am)
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Replying to: cooppoop (Jan 02, 2009 9:29 pm)
Here is some so-so quality help. Our 5 is a 2006 Touring 5MT. We had a lot of the suspension crunchy noise our first winter with the car ('06-'07). I associated it with colder weather as you do, but also with rain. I think it has to do with the anti-roll bar rubber bushings. This is the place where, on a bump that is equal for both wheels on an axle, the bar just swivels back and forth inside the bushings and doesn't act with any force on the wheels. In my own imagination at least, the wet cold rubber gets "squeakier", just like certain pairs of your shoes, when walking on linoleum floors when you come in from the wet, can be really noisy. We did have the SB work done on our car 1-2 years ago, and it was relatively successful. Our original problem clearly seemed to be coming from the front suspension. Now however, there seems to be quite similar noise effects coming from the rear suspension. The problem is likely something quite similar. I've been too lazy to try to work on this myself, or take it back to the dealer, but it certainly seems promising to be worth working on. I'm going to stay lazy though -- 3 years old is about the point where car noises stop bothering me and I just get used to them. And assuming the analogy about the wet shoes is exact, the problem is purely annoying and completely harmless to safety and durability. The one firm piece of advice I'd give you is, if you do try the dealer, don't accept that stuff about no SB for 2007 models. That sounds like a total cop-out to me.
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- #540 of 589
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Re: fix for suspension crunching noise? [whobodym]
by vg33e power
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Jan 05, 2009 (8:01 am)
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Replying to: whobodym (Jan 03, 2009 7:05 am)
Or if your mechanically inclined and are willing to get you back and hands a little dirty and screw the dealer all together. Just buy the two $8 or so pair of bushings and install them yourself. The rear ones are particularly way easier to get to then the front ones.
On a side note, I guess you can take the darn rear stabilizer bar completely off and never have to worry about another crunching sound in the rear.....LOL!
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- #541 of 589
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Re: fix for suspension crunching noise? [cooppoop]
by riproy
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Jan 05, 2009 (3:41 pm)
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Replying to: cooppoop (Jan 02, 2009 9:29 pm)
Lots of experience on this topic under the suspension forum. Our 06 is going to have parts replaced for the 4th time next Monday for this same problem. Bushings were replaced at least 2 of 3 previous times - no joy. Taking the rear sway bar off may be my next step. Still won't cure the front end however.
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- #542 of 589
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Re: fix for suspension crunching noise? [riproy]
by whobodym
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Jan 06, 2009 (6:06 am)
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Replying to: riproy (Jan 05, 2009 3:41 pm)
I'd be extremely reluctant to remove any anti-roll (sway) bar permanently. The 5 in my experience is an excellent handling vehicle, and corners very well. Especially so considering that it rides quite well, not harshly, too. You do not want to change the carefully engineered stability and response of a vehicle that you may depend on in high speed emergency maneuvers someday.
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- #543 of 589
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Re: fix for suspension crunching noise? [vg33e power]
by whobodym
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Jan 06, 2009 (6:09 am)
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Replying to: vg33e power (Jan 05, 2009 8:01 am)
thanks for the encouragement. I hadn't taken the time to look at the rear setup yet. It's definitely worth $8 -- I'm the kind of guy who changes my own oil because I enjoy it, not to save money.
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- #544 of 589
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Re: fix for suspension crunching noise? [whobodym]
by vg33e power
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Jan 06, 2009 (8:02 am)
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Replying to: whobodym (Jan 06, 2009 6:09 am)
No problem. After reading all these noise problems with the sway bars (front and rear) and actually hearing a little coming from mine from the rear after a couple of rainy days (which by the way, to second someone's post earlier the noise also happens on wet weather not just cold temperatures). I got down underneath the rear suspension only to discover that the bushings are not that hard to get to and with the help of the printable service bulletin from here to change the first set (as I am sure we will have to do it more than once) it should be a breeze.
My other sugestion was to remove the rear sway bar and then you wount have to hear the crunch from the rear ever. Someone said it may affect the handling but I highly doubt anyone will notice the small change unless they are carting the thing around and pushing the suspension to its limits. The front sway bar is the main bar that shouls always stay in place because it is the thicker one and the one that controls the front suspension and for the most part the entire vehicle's dynamics.
I used to own a 2004 Nissan Frontier in which I removed my rear sway bar entirely to have better articulation on the rear suspension when I went off-roading and I never even noticed a change in stability when driving it on a normal basis in freeways and surface streets, I know that this may be comparing apples to oranges in regards to the two different vehicles, but who knows, maybe removing the rear sway bar (for those who just can take it anymore with the rear crunching noise) may not make a difference either in our MZ5's.
Is there after market companies that perhaps make polyurethane bushings instead of the OEM rubber ones???
I know Energy Suspension makes these types of bushings, but they do not make them for our MZ5s.
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- #545 of 589
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Re: fix for suspension crunching noise? [vg33e power]
by cooppoop
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Jan 07, 2009 (6:35 pm)
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Replying to: vg33e power (Jan 06, 2009 8:02 am)
Thanks for all the posts. After going into the dealer with the 2006 TSB (I have a 2007) they said they could not do the work because the TSB was NOT for my year car. However, he promised that they (the dealer) would contact me if an updated TSB that included my car was issued. The one you linked seemed to be for my car, I'll have to check my VIN number tomorrow. How do you find the TSB's? Is there a way to look them up?
Also, did the fix provided in the TSB actually work or is it a waste of time?
Thanks!
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- #546 of 589
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Re: fix for suspension crunching noise? [cooppoop]
by vg33e power
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Jan 08, 2009 (7:52 am)
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Replying to: cooppoop (Jan 07, 2009 6:35 pm)
Rosenthal Mazda does a pretty good job updating the most crucial TSB's issued for all Mazda vehicles. Click on the link and scroll all the way down and you will see at the bottom left corner of the webpage the list of service bulletins by type of vehicle.
I think you should try another Mazda dealer that is willing to help you because the TSB should also apply to 2007 MY MZ5s.
I cannot attest to the rear sway bar bushing replacement fixing the problem because I have never gotten it done, since mine only crunches a tiny bit when it rains and immediately goes away after it dries up. Replacing the fronts however, did fix my "knocking" sound when going up or down a driveway or anytime the road was uneven. I never had the "crunch" noise.
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