What have you done to your Mazda3 today?

[bbrich57]

Last night, with 50,000 miles on the clock (49,929) :
1) I replaced the broken Progress rear sway bar clamp with greaseable 7/8" Polyurethane bushings and new clamps, which in spite of my asking, Auto Zone forgot to charge me for. (FREE bushing kit!! Their loss.) Re-centered and re-torqued the bar & end links.
2) I FINALLY converted to the 2.0L spin-on filter and changed oil. Castrol Syntec 5w-20. I used the K&N filter which I suspect is made by WIX. It is obviously a very heavy duty filter but also way too expensive. It was either that or the Mobil1 filter which was only 0.50 cheaper but appeared to be basically the same construction w/o the bolt on option, or the Bosch filter. And Bosch is not what it used to be but the cost was easier to take. I opted for the better, more expensive filter since I run my oil to 10k (new filter every 5k.)
Next time I go with the WIX name for about half the cost.

Today:
3) I will install my Apexcone DDE HID kits, low beams (55w, 6000k) and fogs (35w, 5000k.) I hope I can find room for 2 sets of ballasts w/o too much trouble?
4) And if I have time, and can find them (currently lost somewhere in my shop,) install the rear mud flaps. I'm tired of that dirty, hard-to-clean rear bumper cover.

 

[KCjohnny]

My 2007 Mazda 3 i-touring sedan is going into the garage for some performance upgrades on my all stock OEM components:

1) new brake lines installed, Goodridge G-Stop Stainless Steel
2) brake fluid flushed and replaced, Ate Super Blue
3) new rotors installed, Centric Premium Vented Blanks
4) new brake pads installed, Hawk Performance Plus
5) oil and filter changed, Pennzoil Full Synthetic 5W20 and K&N Filter (screw-on)
6) manual transmission fluid changed, Redline MT-90
7) power steering fluid topped off, Mercon III ATF
8) radiator flushed, Prestone SL22 rated
9) air filter replaced, K&N drop-in
10) new tires, Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z1s (replacing thoroughly used up Goodyear Eagle F1s)

 

[sunrun176]

New tires..

Wrapped the OEM Snowflakes in new rubber: Dunlop SP Sport Signatures (not the Signature 5000/8000/etc.; just 'Signature'). http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=SP+Sport+Signature

The OEM BadYear RS-A's were worn down to 4/32s after just 17.5K miles (20K on the car minus ~2.5K on the winter tires... XP) and one of them had some damage in the center of the tread (all the way down to the steel (boom05)) that was irreparable. Looked like it'd been there at least 500 miles, tho', and I have no idea what I hit.. (uhm)

The shop I bought the Signatures from has already had to replace one of them (they noticed it had 3 "micro-slices" in the sidewall while they were installing it and they "didn't feel comfortable" leaving it on there (actually they were legally obligated to replace it) but said it was safe enough to drive on until they could get the replacement in) and they've had to rebalance them all again due to some fairly severe shuddering at 50-55MPH on smooth, fresh asphalt, and which still isn't quite gone, so we'll see how it goes..

Also, I just saw that Consumer Reports' latest tire ratings are due out in a little less than a month and they'll include the Signatures. If the results come out in time and they're not high on the list, I might still be able to take advantage of the 30-day money back guarantee. Heck, I might take advantage anyway, considering how the car handles hard, high-speed turns with them (50MPH posted S-curve, taken at 65+MPH (drive)) -- really loose in the back end. (nailbyt) These don't squeal, but the RS-A's handled more predictably even when they did squeal, which was rarely. Maybe that's what one gets with a V-rated tire with a 60K mile tread warranty and a tread wear rating of 460. (dunno)

UPDATE: I'm keeping the SP Sport Signatures. They've worn nicely the last ~1,000 miles and now they handle that same curve with aplomb rather than apathy. (Either that or I've become used to how the handle it.) The remaining speed instability/vibration was actually probably caused by low tire pressure in the Right-Rear, which in turn was caused by a leaky valve stem, which was caused by a faulty TPMS Sensor housing, which was repaired under warranty for $0. (cabpatch) And even though they're not the Signatures that CR tested AND recommended, which were the straight-up All-Season (i.e. "Dunlop Signature", not "Dunlop SP Sport Signature" (c'mon, Dunlop.. come up with some more imaginative tire naming scheme that doesn't serve to confuse people.. please?)), they handle the wet SOOOOooooo much better than the RS-A's ever did (albeit with just a hint of wheel hop if floored from a dead stop on wet asphalt, but then they dig right in with nary a squeak or a slip; corner in the wet like they're running on dry). They even handle better than the Kumho Ecsta ASX's that were on the Silver '04. All that, plus I just didn't wanna take the time.

I've got a set of winter steelies wrapped in Goodyear UltraGrip GW3's which are awesome in the snow, so I was looking mostly at "summer" tires that I can swap out once the temps dip down below ~40.

 

[KCjohnny]

Wrapped the OEM Snowflakes in new rubber: Dunlop SP Sport Signatures (not the Signature 5000/8000/etc.; just 'Signature'). http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=SP+Sport+Signature

Trying not to spend more than $120/tire, but I may end up going that way for the right tire. I've got a set of winter steelies wrapped in Goodyear UltraGrip GW3's which are awesome in the snow, so I'm looking mostly at "summer" tires that I can swap out once the temps dip down below ~40. Any suggestions?

I am upgrading this week to summer ultra-performance Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z1s. I'll give you some feedback once I get them on. They run around $100 each. If you want to maximize your car's handling, get a highly rated performance tire - just upgrading that alone will make a huge difference. When I went from stock tires to the F1s, it was like night and day - I was able to do things I would have never tried with stock.

I did a lot of research on tires, and narrowed it down to the Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z1 and Yokohama Advan Neova AD08. I went with the Dunlops on the great things that autocrossing and track goers said about them, and the fact that they were considerably cheaper than the Yokohamas. After I ordered the tires, I read a tire review in Sports Car Club of America Magazine's October issue, titled "Ultimate Street Fighter". Guess which tire won....the Z1. But they were all so close, it doesn't really matter which tire you went with on their list if you are street only. The tires they compared were Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, Dunlop Direzza Star Spec Z1, Hankook Ventus R-S3, Kumho Ecsta XS, Nitto NTO5, Toyo Proxes R1R, and Yokohama Advan Neova AD08.

If you want an ultra-performance all-season radial, I can vouch for the Goodyear Eagle F1s. A little slippery and spinny in snow, but that's to be expected from an ultra tire, but great traction in the rain. The only time I ever heard the tires howl (and believe me, I tried to!) was at open track days, which just about any tire will do except R-compound. Once they go though, they deteriorate fast.

Hope this helps!

 

[sunrun176]

Got a faulty TPMS sensor in the Right-Rear replaced under warranty, and I took the attached pic in the evening sun Weds. night before heading home from work. I wanted to take more but the camera batteries died and I didn't have time to muck around with swapping them out.

 

[79535]

Installed AWR rear motor mount.

 

[YearOfTherat]

Installed some rear chrome dipped turn bulbs as well as replaced the bushings on my rear eibach swaybar with some prothane greaseable ones.

 

[sunrun176]

Last Saturday I swapped out the summer tires/wheels for the winter set now that average daily temperature is down below 40F. Also, I discovered a strange orange and silver "rock" in the tread on one of the winters. It turned out to be the diagonally ground-down head of a 1" phillips-head wood screw. (eekdance)

Luckily it was pushed into the tread largely parallel with the direction of rotation rather than down into it perpendicularly. Didn't even get down to the level of the bottom of the circumferential sipes (where the wear bars are). Dodged a bullet with that one!

 

[sunrun176]

Mon., Dec. 7th: Oil change, tire rotation (winters). Also, reported a creaking sound that recently started coming from the right front when going (carefully) over speed bumps. Diagnosis: faulty sway bar bushings, warranty replacement. Parts ordered, to be installed this Weds.

 

[thejeans]

just bought an AEM UEGO wideband... more goodies coming this spring and summer

 

[Krazee]

I drove it in all the ice on my parking lot

 

[ZoomZoomFan]

I went out and checked all of my motor mounts today. An episode of wheel hop the other night scared the s*** out of me.

 

[bbrich57]

Yeah, that can be scary, especially if you didn't intend it.
Upon reading this post, I checked my mounts too.
However before that, and with bad weather coming tonight and tomorrow, I replaced the OE battery (5.5yrs, +/-) w/a top-of-the-line Small-Mart battery. I hate Small-Mart though. My business is actually in direct competition with them so I try not to shop there very often, but their auto batteries are rated as the tops and a very good buy. (C.U.)
I also swapped out the Trico Neoforms that have been on there for over 2yrs and replaced the w/Rain-X Latitude blades. I can only hope these last as long and are as quiet as the Tricos when they were new.

 

[L3vzoomzooom]

Well I didn't do this today, but I did it last week .Change my oil used Royal Purple 5w20 and their oil filter for the first time, the pep boys near has a deal 5Qts + filter $50 not a bad deal. Only time will tell on if it was worth the extra 20 bucks.

 

[sunrun176]

Replacement extra-bright low-beam lamps (Sylvania Silverstar (4000K)): $40

Losing (and retrieving) a retaining pin for the driver's-side cover panel: $0

Discovering that the retainer clip for the passenger's-side lamp assembly was improperly installed at the factory, resulting in it freeing the assembly from the housing while it was still attached to the power socket and the rubber gasket, prompting me to attempt to reseat it in order to remove the power socket from the lamp assembly: ~2 hours, 3 scraped knuckles and 10 nearly frozen fingers

Changing strategy and instead trying to free the lamp assembly/gasket/socket from the head light housing and retainer clip: ~20 seconds (hand)

Successfully performing routine maintenance on my own car rather than paying someone else an exorbitant sum to do it: priceless

BTW: low-beam brightness much improved over the OEM bulbs. Assuming they last at least as long as the OEMs (~18 months) they'll be well worth the extra $5/bulb.

 

[OCARISEORTIZ]

Right tail light needed

Dear all mazda family

my name is ocaris and i am a proud owner of mazda 3s 2004. I heard this is the best place to chat with my fellow mazda family.

My question is where is the best place to locate a right tail light for a mazda 3s. Any suggestions please help !!

Ocaris ortiz
black mazda 3s (aka batmobile)

 

[ZoomZoomFan]

Dear all mazda family

my name is ocaris and i am a proud owner of mazda 3s 2004. I heard this is the best place to chat with my fellow mazda family.

My question is where is the best place to locate a right tail light for a mazda 3s. Any suggestions please help !!

Ocaris ortiz
black mazda 3s (aka batmobile)

Try eBay and snatch one from a reputable seller.

I plowed through the snow with my 3 today. Pretty sure it's the first time it's seen snow, considering it was an Atlanta car before I got it.

Goodyear RS-As suck in the snow, but I managed okay. I put it in manual mode and kept it in 1st as I had to go down a huge hill with cars on either side. Engine braking FTW. I just kept my speed to a minimum and my concentration to a maximum and made it alright.

 

[ZoomZoomFan]

I bought an Axela badge from eBay for like $5. I like it.

 

[sunrun176]

Wow.. not much goin' on for a couple of months... Huh.

Yesterday I swapped out the winter tires/wheels for the summer set. Now it just needs a wash and interior detail (NEXT weekend).

 

[thejeans]

well i was gonna keep all this on wrapstil after MWMF, but f*ck it... haha heres a MASS update with whats happened to whitney so far this spring


angel eyes died on me so i tore them out, while i was in there figured id paint the rings to change it up some... heres what they look like now, also moved the horns up into the upper grill behind the open mouth

i then decided the silverstar turn signal had to go (have since been replaced with the chrome dipped bulbs) the yellow overlays needed to go as well and that it would go alot further to the look i want if the housings were blacked out, so after a few weekends this past weekend was so nice i was able to get that done

the plaid wrapped engine cover... got bored one night so i figured since it hasnt been on the car in a year id play around with it and see what it would look like wrapped in plaid :lol: (still dunno if i like it or hate it)

my AWESOME bandaid to "fix" the damage thanks to the b**** on her cell phone in a wal-mart parking lot

blacked out fog housings

sorry for the crap pics, didnt get a chance to go for pic so some quick phone pics will have to suffice til it stops raining in shittsburgh :lol: