The As Yet Un-named Mazda 3

[JimbbobW1977]

It happened with Fiat and the 1.3 m-jet. The first generation was fairly smooth and quiet. The 2nd generation is noisy and sends vibrations through the cabin.

I have to say though the engine in my Focus is quiet barely audible at idle and vibration free.

 

[StevenRB45]

If it was the econetic with the PSA 1.6 you'd hear it hammering away at cold start from 2 streets away.

Had an interesting experience tonight (at least to me) took a mate to the cinema, he's not a car person at all, as evidenced by him buying a new astra. But on point he didn't know what to make of it, he was complimentry, but thought it was a hot hatch, and an expensive one at that. Joys of relative rarity, people don't know if they are cheap or expensive, fast or slow, the name carries no connotations either, if you say you have a golf or a focus or whatever people make associations and judgements you say have a mazda 3..nothing so they have to use their eyes and the bodykit, interior and wheels do their level best to hide the fact it's just a cooking hatch.

 

[StevenRB45]

Definitely glad I got a petrol bloke on mazda 3 forum got a quote for a 75k service for the same car as mine but a 2.2d...900 quid as apparently the injectors are consumables?!? One way of ensuring you never suffer injector failure I suppose.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Definitely glad I got a petrol bloke on mazda 3 forum got a quote for a 75k service for the same car as mine but a 2.2d...900 quid as apparently the injectors are consumables?!? One way of ensuring you never suffer injector failure I suppose.

Injectors being consumables, that's a new one on me

 

[StevenRB45]

Injectors being consumables, that's a new one on me

Well oddly enough he tried a different dealer, who said the injectors did not have to be replaced, however they should be removed and inspected, and the single use copper washers on them replaced. This option is a snip at a mere 500 notes....unless obviously they discover the injectors do need replacing at the time.

Not massively bothered either way as by the time my car needs a 75k service it'll be 8 or 9 years old and well out of the dealer network also mines as close to basic as these cars get mechanically. But i would be very annoyed if I was presented with a bill of that size for servicing a 3 year old car.

 

[JimbbobW1977]

I've just had my 3 year major service done with fuel filter and the rest at £240 at the dealers. Wasn't to bad I thought.

 

[StevenRB45]

I've just had my 3 year major service done with fuel filter and the rest at £240 at the dealers. Wasn't to bad I thought.

Tbf it isn't a true year 3 service cost, the guy has reached this point in the servicd schedule as he does 2.5 times average mileage every year. It's more of a 7th or 8th year service but it's still a hill of money to spend on a car that has no issues reported before hand. I don't know wjat the 3 year cost is, as my car was 2 years 11 months when picked up and freshly serviced when I did, shall find out what it costs for a 4 year service in 211 days (onboard computers how helpful providing a countdown to when it'll take you to the cleaners).

 

[StevenRB45]

Couple of photos I forgot to put up...

1st oooh engine.


And 2nd..I bet you didn't realise the artistic director from blade runner got a job doing interiors. It doesn't look quite as garish in person...

 

[JimbbobW1977]

Looks nice lit up of a night time, will try one with mine in the night with ambient lighting.

 

[StevenRB45]

Looks nice lit up of a night time, will try one with mine in the night with ambient lighting.

I often wonder how much of the body computers run time is spent making superfluous lights operate/dim/flash.

Anyway my 1st proper annoyance..the fuel gauge. The car has a 12.1 gallon tank, it does around 40mpg so fuel range of about 480 miles. So why the f**k is every single fuel measurement display showing flat empty at 350 miles? Yes I can ignore them but driving round for what would be about 4 days for me until it actually needed filling up would have me on edge every time I used it. Actually did a 50 mile motorway journey last night in the dark with everything on the dash showing "I hope you have breakdown cover" and filled it at the end to find I had more than 2 gallons left despite driving long after the trip reached 0 range. It limits your range for no reason, so with a bigger tank I average fewer miles per tank than the previous car.

 

[JimbbobW1977]

Today I have been driving an Audi A4 2.0tdi Automatic 180bhp Black edition 64 plate.

What a disappointment! From the ride, steering to the build quality. The bang&olufsen stereo was also disappointing.

 

[StevenRB45]

Today I have been driving an Audi A4 2.0tdi Automatic 180bhp Black edition 64 plate.

What a disappointment! From the ride, steering to the build quality. The bang&olufsen stereo was also disappointing.

They had to cut costs, the machining costs on the 4 rings on the front take up 50% of the price.

 

[JimbbobW1977]

I think VAG group have seriously cut costs, especially having a flick through the MK7 forum. Someone quoted 39%. It certainly looks that way, the new Passat is just a big Holf on the same chassis same centre stack.

Their was quality issues on the A4 that you would not expect on a 34k car.

 

[StevenRB45]

Well...got bored lowered it, tuned to 280bhp and took it out on some touge roads...

Nice of forza to include an mps you can take the bonnet scoop off and model it with projector headlights (correct for my car, wrong for an mps). Interior is spot on as well

 

[StevenRB45]

Finished my post winter tidy up today, washed with autoglym bodywork shampoo and conditioner on Tuesday, then polished with super resin polish.




Then rewashed today and sealed with autoglym sealant (no prizes for guessing whose gift set I got for Christmas


Other than a few stonechips it's still faultless..

 

[StevenRB45]

Finally getting round to sorting one of my main annoyances on this car, a bright white car with headlamps like puddles of urine...


So start of the day, MMMM yellow side lights



Fitted new LED bulbs.



I know what you're thinking, your thinking "er mate the car in the second shot doesn't have its' lights on". However this is because they 6000k so around the same colour temperature as day light, In the dark however



Got some 5000k headlamp bulbs on the on way as the headlamps now contrast jarringly with the sidelights. The fogs shall remain yellow, as they are Foglights and yellow is a better colour for them (it has nothing to do with requiring the removal of the wheel arch liners honestly).

 

[JimbbobW1977]

How is it running? It's been a massive relief to me to own a car that has been reliable! The Focus is 3 1/2 years old now and nearly 40k miles.

I've replaced the boot struts that's it, only because they were going slow.

 

[StevenRB45]

Well it will be 4 in October currently has 42k on it, and there is pretty much nothing to report. It has a cold start rattle which is a characteristic of the engine, from what I've read to aid heating it uses a different inlet route so sounds like a diesel for between 30-90 seconds depending on the temperature outside.

MPG was a little disappointing in winter at 38mpg but its back up to 41 now. It's not had a single part replaced in my time with it other than the bulbs, due a service end of july, I'm expecting some new brake pads and discs on the front possibly...and that's about it.

I wouldn't be faffing on bulbs if there was stuff that needed attention.

 

[StevenRB45]

So Mr Postman brought a gift a set of Phillips Diamond Vision bulbs to be precise (33 quid delivered off opie oils) here's one next to the stock Osram H11:


The Usual halfway through shot, slight difference



Gotta say easiest car ever to change a headlamp bulb on literally a 20 second job.

So end results, Sides only:


Sides and dip beam:


And for Giggles/Comparison as the fogs are still the originals, all the above plus Fogs:


Not bad at all for Halogens, think i'll be going round replacing the filament bulbs with L.E.D.s once i'm happy i've found a supplier that won't have me replacing broken ones weekly.

 

[JimbbobW1977]

Hoping I won't have to ever replace a headlight bulb on mine, xenons are costly!!

Looks a lot better with the new bulbs in.