Our 2k mile '08 Mazda5 has been pretty good so far, but I have noticed a slight vibration at certain speeds since we got it.
I didn't rush to take it in because I wanted to really get a good idea of when/why it was happening, and to see if it just went away on its own. After enough driving analysis, I concluded that between 68 and 72MPH, the vibration occurs. It's relatively minor. You cannot feel it from the front seats. I noticed it when looking in the rear-view mirror initially. You can see an empty seat in the middle row, shake.
I did a number of tests over the last few months, and found that no matter the road surface, no matter the PSI in the tires (I tried a little bit low and a little bit high), no matter the gear the car is in, no matter the throttle position or brake position, the vibration simply occurs between 68 and 72MPH. When I put my hand on the seat behind me, I can feel it (once again...it's not a major vibration, but still...it does vibrate). When I speed up past 72MPH, it's gone. Below 68, it's gone. If I stay between 68 and 72 for any period of time, it persists.
The only other problem I have noticed, is a slight squeak or crunch sound from the rear end when going over speedbumps. I wasn't really concerned about it. It sounded like a bushing that wasn't lubed, or was stuck.
I finally decided to take the car in to address the issues (mainly the vibration) because we are going on a long-ish trip soon. I dropped the car off and described the problems in detail, and how you can replicate them. I saw the service guy write down the problem in enough detail that I was comfortable.
I got a call later that day and they said that they had the tires rebalanced and that fixed the vibration. They also said they couldn't replicate the squeak. They asked to keep it overnight to try again in the morning. I said ok.
I picked the car up the next day and they admitted they couldn't get the squeak to happen. I really didn't care because I was concerned more about the other issue.
So here's how everthing turned out:
- I drove the car home. The vibration is completely unchanged. It still does the same exact thing.
- I was able to replicate the squeek/crunch in the next parking lot I drove in.
- They washed the car. Whatever they used, stripped my wax off.
- The car has a scratch on it now. It had no scratches before.
I have never had good experiences with dealers but I honestly figured since the car is basically new and under warranty, it was better to take it to them. They were nice and friendly along the way, but the results were nothing was fixed, my time was wasted, and new issues were created. I will probably b**** about the scratch and have them fix it. But I won't bother having them fix anything again. I will just fix it myself...and it will cost me money and time, but at least it won't come back worse.
I didn't rush to take it in because I wanted to really get a good idea of when/why it was happening, and to see if it just went away on its own. After enough driving analysis, I concluded that between 68 and 72MPH, the vibration occurs. It's relatively minor. You cannot feel it from the front seats. I noticed it when looking in the rear-view mirror initially. You can see an empty seat in the middle row, shake.
I did a number of tests over the last few months, and found that no matter the road surface, no matter the PSI in the tires (I tried a little bit low and a little bit high), no matter the gear the car is in, no matter the throttle position or brake position, the vibration simply occurs between 68 and 72MPH. When I put my hand on the seat behind me, I can feel it (once again...it's not a major vibration, but still...it does vibrate). When I speed up past 72MPH, it's gone. Below 68, it's gone. If I stay between 68 and 72 for any period of time, it persists.
The only other problem I have noticed, is a slight squeak or crunch sound from the rear end when going over speedbumps. I wasn't really concerned about it. It sounded like a bushing that wasn't lubed, or was stuck.
I finally decided to take the car in to address the issues (mainly the vibration) because we are going on a long-ish trip soon. I dropped the car off and described the problems in detail, and how you can replicate them. I saw the service guy write down the problem in enough detail that I was comfortable.
I got a call later that day and they said that they had the tires rebalanced and that fixed the vibration. They also said they couldn't replicate the squeak. They asked to keep it overnight to try again in the morning. I said ok.
I picked the car up the next day and they admitted they couldn't get the squeak to happen. I really didn't care because I was concerned more about the other issue.
So here's how everthing turned out:
- I drove the car home. The vibration is completely unchanged. It still does the same exact thing.
- I was able to replicate the squeek/crunch in the next parking lot I drove in.
- They washed the car. Whatever they used, stripped my wax off.
- The car has a scratch on it now. It had no scratches before.
I have never had good experiences with dealers but I honestly figured since the car is basically new and under warranty, it was better to take it to them. They were nice and friendly along the way, but the results were nothing was fixed, my time was wasted, and new issues were created. I will probably b**** about the scratch and have them fix it. But I won't bother having them fix anything again. I will just fix it myself...and it will cost me money and time, but at least it won't come back worse.
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