New Mazda owner

[mntbiker2008]

Hello all from Cincinnati OH! just brought home my 2010 Mazda 3 i touring today! awesome car! Cannot wait to start doing simple modifications to make it absolutely perfect! Looks like I have access to plenty of info here about my car.

There she is.

 

[MZ3SPORTRUE]

very nice! congrats! i havent drove a 2010 yet, but im sure youll love it! whats your plans for it?

 

[paul88]

Hey that's a nice car.Congrats for the new car and welcome to the forum.Its good to know you.have a good time.

 

[mntbiker2008]

very nice! congrats! i havent drove a 2010 yet, but im sure youll love it! whats your plans for it?

Thanks! It is an awesome ride! For now, it will stay stock but maybe in a month or two it will get tint and a roof rack for the bikes. Not too sure what else I can do that is quick and easy. Last night I bought the Mazda 3 all weather mats, the cargo tray, and the sun shade for it. I am still trying to decide if I want to do the iPod integration or the Sirius radio integration. Nothing else otherwise. If you can point to an area on this huge board of quick/inexpensive modifications I am sure it will keep me busy for hours!

Hey that's a nice car.Congrats for the new car and welcome to the forum.Its good to know you.have a good time.

thanks! I am not even sure where to start tweaking to get everything just how I want it. haha I just figured out how to do the bluetooth stuff today. thats awesome!


thanks everyone for the warm welcome! I am sure I will learn a ton about the new car!

 

[mjstew]

welcome!

i drove a '10 just a few weeks ago and it was a great ride so im sure you'll love it... i would totally get the ipod hookup...driving without ipod is just not fair for anyone to endure

i'd start by doing some tint, some aftermarket rims and maybe lamin-x on the lights

 

[mntbiker2008]

welcome!

i drove a '10 just a few weeks ago and it was a great ride so im sure you'll love it... i would totally get the ipod hookup...driving without ipod is just not fair for anyone to endure

i'd start by doing some tint, some aftermarket rims and maybe lamin-x on the lights

thanks! I am just not sure. I have the aux. jack in the center console and have a sirius radio tuner (separate from the in dash radio). Im leaning towards the sirius so I can get rid of all the wires (for the most part). The iPod can just hook in to the aux. jack and be able to switch between the 2.

Tint will probably be first. I just dont like how clear the windows are. haha. I like my privacy plus it will protect the interior a little more. Never heard of the lamin-x on the lights. I will have to check that out.

Thanks for the input!

 

[mjstew]

if you get the dealer to do the ipod hookup, they run the cord right into your center console or glove compartment and you control the ipod from the radio/steering mounted controls...i had the aux hookup, but its just not the same lol

i dont know how much the dealers charge in cinci but in cleveland it only costs like $150 with the install

and btw lamin-x is a pre cut "tint" if you will...it protects the plastic lenses (which are notorious for scratching on 3s) while changing the color of the lense a little bit...i had just tint on mine, but i got in an accident and had to have the headlight units replaced so i gotta do it all over again

 

[mntbiker2008]

if you get the dealer to do the ipod hookup, they run the cord right into your center console or glove compartment and you control the ipod from the radio/steering mounted controls...i had the aux hookup, but its just not the same lol

i dont know how much the dealers charge in cinci but in cleveland it only costs like $150 with the install

and btw lamin-x is a pre cut "tint" if you will...it protects the plastic lenses (which are notorious for scratching on 3s) while changing the color of the lense a little bit...i had just tint on mine, but i got in an accident and had to have the headlight units replaced so i gotta do it all over again

I will most likely do the install myself. I was reading on a site (cant remember where it was) that sold the sirius radio integration kit that they are now compatible with the ipod integration as well. so... looks like I am buying both! now I have to figure out where to mount everything.

I just called a few of the more reputable shops around here, one place said 160-250 and another said 150. guess it all depends on how dark I go. This is my first time having any car of mine tinted.
I will definitely be doing the lamin-x on the head lights, maybe even the tail lights as well. I heard the 3's are bad about getting rock chips in the hood? any way to protect that at all?

 

[mjstew]

the tint will look so good

and the rock chips are a nasty ordeal lol something about the shape of the hood and how low it sits to the ground...lamin-x makes a protective film for the front end. it's invisible and i heard it works well but its pricey, like 250 and up for the kit. Those car bras are nasssssty looking and you gotta take em off during the rain or the paint will turn white. im not sure what else there is for hood protection...

 

[sunrun176]

There are a couple of different brands of "Clear Bra" that can be applied to the nose end, the most well known of which (at least to me) is by 3M™. They are all fairly expensive @ $500-600+ including installation (highly recommended; self install is tricky if not trained properly), but definitely worth it, IMHO. [Ed: Caveat: I don't have it, but I sure wish I did. :/ ]

As a side note, on the previous generation (2007-2009) Mazda got wise and started putting small strips of the 3M protector on the body at the bottom rear corner of the rear doors so they wouldn't get dinged by rocks and rust like this:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3340603&postcount=45

(BTW: never got as far as making the mistake of half-assing the paint repair like I said I would.)

Matter of fact, here's the start of this topic in that thread (since it's relevant):

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2995120&postcount=33

The factory-applied 3M™ strips seem to be doing their job quite nicely after 2+ years, but then I also don't drive on dirt/gravel if it can be avoided.

 

[mntbiker2008]

the tint will look so good

and the rock chips are a nasty ordeal lol something about the shape of the hood and how low it sits to the ground...lamin-x makes a protective film for the front end. it's invisible and i heard it works well but its pricey, like 250 and up for the kit. Those car bras are nasssssty looking and you gotta take em off during the rain or the paint will turn white. im not sure what else there is for hood protection...

crap... I will have to look in to lamin-x'ing my hood. Id rather spend 250+ for something I can put on there for a long time rather than repaint the hood.

There are a couple of different brands of "Clear Bra" that can be applied to the nose end, the most well known of which (at least to me) is by 3M™. They are all fairly expensive @ $500-600+ including installation (highly recommended; self install is tricky if not trained properly), but definitely worth it, IMHO. [Ed: Caveat: I don't have it, but I sure wish I did. :/ ]

As a side note, on the previous generation (2007-2009) Mazda got wise and started putting small strips of the 3M protector on the body at the bottom rear corner of the rear doors so they wouldn't get dinged by rocks and rust like this:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3340603&postcount=45

(BTW: never got as far as making the mistake of half-assing the paint repair like I said I would.)

Matter of fact, here's the start of this topic in that thread (since it's relevant):

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2995120&postcount=33

The factory-applied 3M™ strips seem to be doing their job quite nicely after 2+ years, but then I also don't drive on dirt/gravel if it can be avoided.

I found a place that has the bras for around 200 or so. I might just lamin-x the whole front end if it looks ok.


one more question for you all. (thank you all very much for the info). I want to put those LED door sills that the pre 2010 m3's have. Does anyone know if those will fit or not? just looking at pictures of the 4 doors, they dont look much different. I really want to put something there because I can already see those sills getting scratched.
This is what I want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6DTe3cQXNQ

Here is a picture of my car.

where I have it marked, is that where the sills are going? (im assuming this is correct)

 

[mjstew]

i would venture to say that the sills from 04-09 will fit the '10, but if not...http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2010-Mazda3-3-Polished-Blue-LED-Scuff-Plate-Door-Sill-/220642594321

 

[mntbiker2008]

i would venture to say that the sills from 04-09 will fit the '10, but if not...http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2010-Mazda3-3-Polished-Blue-LED-Scuff-Plate-Door-Sill-/220642594321

thanks! I came across some of those a little while after I posted that question. gotta decide.... red... or blue... hmmm.

 

[mjstew]

red for sure...it will contrast the silver so much better than the blue

 

[mntbiker2008]

red for sure...it will contrast the silver so much better than the blue

yeh thats what I was leaning towards. It will also match (or come close to) the gauges as well.

Thanks for all the info!

Im going to have the windows tinted sometime next week. Going to the shop friday to pick out the darkness

 

[fam]

I beat the hell out of a 2010 rental for a month...good car but I blew the speakers ;-) Jumps railroad tracks real well too!

 

[R242]

+1 for the 3M clear bra. Got mine at 1000 miles and its still like new now at 35k! Get it done by a pro installer though(car wrapper...)
And welcome! First Mazda?

 

[mntbiker2008]

I beat the hell out of a 2010 rental for a month...good car but I blew the speakers ;-) Jumps railroad tracks real well too!

haha I wont be jumping railroad tracks for a little while. haha

+1 for the 3M clear bra. Got mine at 1000 miles and its still like new now at 35k! Get it done by a pro installer though(car wrapper...)
And welcome! First Mazda?

Thanks! I will definitely look at the clear bra. This is my first Mazda! I love it! You definitely get a lot for your money!

 

[mjstew]

yeah with mazdas you get a lot more than any other car at pricepoint, plus quality, performance and fun factor cant be beat by any other mfg

damn i sound like a car commercial lol

for the first few weeks i had my 3 i drove like a grandma on her way to church...the novelty wears off and then you begin testing the limits...thats when the real fun of mazda ownership begins

 

[mntbiker2008]

yeah with mazdas you get a lot more than any other car at pricepoint, plus quality, performance and fun factor cant be beat by any other mfg

damn i sound like a car commercial lol

for the first few weeks i had my 3 i drove like a grandma on her way to church...the novelty wears off and then you begin testing the limits...thats when the real fun of mazda ownership begins

haha yeah, I have been driving really slow just getting a feel for the car since I have always owned trucks and suvs (never even had anything smaller than an suv in the family). I am not used to being able to whip around the turns!

Just got the cargo mat, All weather mats, and windshield shade in today and ordered my tinted lamin-x headlight covers today. cant wait! next mod is window tint.