2014+ Mazda3 annoyances and/or issues

I have had my car for a year and still have to look when opening the trunk, gas door, etc. If you look at my post in audio, I took apart the radio/dash and there is enough room for an aftermarket media player with a custom panel. Not much room at all to play.
 
Here is one more annoyance after 1 year of ownership - the body panels are super thin and the paint is weak.
As a result we have more scratched and dings of all sorts than my other car of 7 years.
It's a pity because the car exterior is a real beauty.
 
Here is one more annoyance after 1 year of ownership - the body panels are super thin and the paint is weak.
As a result we have more scratched and dings of all sorts than my other car of 7 years.
It's a pity because the car exterior is a real beauty.

I completely agree about the paint. My red hatch has a lot of white primer lines all over it from this past winter. It almost looks like I was tailgating a dump truck on a gravel road for a 100 miles.

Other complaints:
1. Touch-up pen is not a very good color match. I have a bottle of dr. colorchip so hopefully that will help.
2. I also agree on the fog lights. I can barely tell when they are on.
3. Sometimes the HUD does not come up when I start the car. Minor annoyance but still.
4. There is a rattle/creaking sound coming from the passenger side dashboard. It happens whenever the road is uneven or I go over a bump. There is a TPSR for this problem which worked for a couple of weeks and then went back to creaking.
 
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1. if the temperature is higher than set point by a specified amount.
2. to bring the cabin temperature to set point within preprogrammed time
3. ramp up fan according to demand
4. close intake vent if current temp is this much above set point to assist cooling.


Its how climate ctrl suppose to work, tho not perfect. it can get too cold sometimes lol.
 
I haven't noticed any road noise issues (2015 S-GT). I find the climate control to be OK, but not the best I've had. It seems to blow cold air out of the ducts at times when it seems it shouldn't, for one thing.

One annoying thing to me is the low, sloping roofline at the front. About once a week I manage to crack my head getting in or out and say a few choice words! Also it's not as comfortable to rest my arm on the window sill when it's down --my hand ends up resting on top of the roof instead of being able to grab the top of the window opening (OTOH it is a lot smaller than my Outback!).

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I often get a headache with the auto A/C as a passenger. I can't seem to configure it to my satisfaction unlike the previous gen. I have no issue as the driver though with the A/C and headaches.
 
My complaints so far (I've only had Ian for almost two weeks):
- I have yet to find a good seat position (my neck and shoulders are killing me)
- I can't get my turn-by-turn arrows to display on my HUD
- Mazda Connect doesn't accept iPhone SMS/Messaging
- The Bose system isn't as great as I thought it was going to me. My 2007 CX-9 GT's highs and mids encompasses the cabin and has this FULL sound (no Bose), but the 3's Bose highs and mids fall short. The bass is great though. I'm still fiddling though.
- Needs more interior storage, but Ian is just my daily driver. We save the theme park drives for Brutus!
 
Two issues for me,
1. road noise: my Mazda6 is much better ('16)
2. headlights aim too low. Dealer said it is hard to adjust (need to take bumper off, blah blah...)
This can be dealt with.
 
I've only had my 2015 Mazda 3s Touring HB M/T for a little over month and overall I love it. I test drove 2 different cars (3i HB, 3s Sedan) both with manual transmission (a requirement for me) before I bought my car so I knew exactly what I was getting so no surprises. Although I love my car there are some things that do bother me a bit but certainly not enough to make me not enjoy the car a significant amount. My issues are:

1. I wish there's an actual temperature gage rather than just a blue temp light that goes off when the engine warms up.
2. No 12v or USB plug up front under the center console. In my 3s Touring there's a fantastic rubber covered surface perfect for my cell phone but there's no way for me to plug it in without running a cord from the inside of the center arm rest.
3. Only the driver side window has auto up and down. I wish at least the front passenger side has that feature as well.
4. I (driver) can't control the power windows when I lock them. I have a 5 y/o who just loves to push buttons, pull levers, etc. so I have to lock the windows. But when I do that I can't open any of the other windows without having to unlock them. With my other car all windows are auto up/down and I can still control all the windows when I lock them.
5. No ambiant light.
6. Door pockets only good for water bottle.
7. Not able to only turn on the rear dome light.
8. Back-up camera quality isn't that great and no active guide lines (the guide lines don't move with the steering of the front wheels).

Now, most of those things probably wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for my other car. It may be a bit unfair but I'm comparing the Mazda 3 with a luxury car that costs a lot more but like I said, I love my Mazda 3 and those "issues" are just minor things that don't deminish my love and enjoyment of my Mazda.
 
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