Quest for OEM+: A 2012 Mazda5 Build Series

[Saepher]

Hello! A short introduction about myself first. The name's Zach, I'm a Certified Mazda Specialist who's just recently left the dealer life to further my career, but I'm still very much enthralled with the Mazda fandom and want to share my knowledge and experience with anyone who wants to hear it.

Anyways. Onto the build. Which will have explanations, pictures, comments, recommendations for the modifications that are performed. Some may be extremely detailed, and others may be brief.

This build series takes off with the purchase of a well used 2012 Mazda5 in Oct. 2022 - 130k Miles on the clock, Owned by an older couple who brought it in for some Transmission Shifting Concerns. At the time, I was the technician who was servicing the vehicle and I had found the vehicle to be in fairly great condition. All it needed was a CV Axle and a TCM, which as we all know here in the forum is a VERY common problem. At the time, the TCMs were becoming very scarce and hard to get as they were going in and out of backorder. We were able to order one from a dealer in Texas for the customer, in case they wanted to perform the repairs.

Fast forward a couple of days and I was told that the customer was just going to trade their 5 in on a newer car and they were going to send the car to wholesale. Normally, the GM of the dealer doesn't allow employees to purchase vehicles due to the fact that we could easily fix and flip the car. In my case, I was actually in need of a vehicle and they made the exception for me. I was able to purchase the vehicle through the dealer at a fairly reasonable price of $2200 after Taxes, Fees, Registration...etc. Now, I'm a fairly big fan of quirky vehicles, but I never thought that in my 28 years of life that I would be a single man driving a minivan.

I purchased the TCM from the parts department that we had ordered for the vehicle, installed it, and have been daily driving it ever since. It's only had 2 issues since my ownership, not including the CV Axle. The Water Outlet failing and the Intake Actuator Vacuum Solenoids Failing. It's been a great workhorse, daily driver, and overall fun little car to drive.

 

[Saepher]

First Month of Ownership:

The first month of ownership, I decided to tackle the oxidized headlights, and take care of some small scratches on the hood, and perform a thorough detail to clean out the previous owner's FUNK from their 10 Years of ownership, as I'm the second owner.

Nothing too crazy here, I wasn't even really thinking about doing anything drastic to this little van at the time, as I already have MULTIPLE projects that I'm undertaking at once, which as we all know isn't great for the wallet.

The Headlight Restoration wasn't anything too fancy, as I just wanted to get the van looking clean. So I just did a quick cut and buff, and performed the same for the hood, as it had the most damage. The rest of the body panels had some slight dings, but no major scratches, but definitely some spots that were touched up.

It had 130k Miles on it, definitely didn't expect perfection, especially since I live down a dirt and gravel road and I'm going to inevitably scratch it up.

 

[Saepher]

First Year Of Ownership:

During the first year of ownership, I just enjoyed the van for what it was. Just a plain car with a working radio and working A/C, a far cry from what I was normally used to driving. I enjoyed the creature comforts.

During this time, I had actually suffered a fairly significant motorcycle accident where I had SHATTERED my left femur to the point of needing surgery. This was 5 months of basically doing nothing, as I couldn't really walk well, lift anything, or drive for the first month or so after getting hurt.

Things didn't start to roll around for the modifications until November of 2023, where I Installed a Broadway Wide Angle/Low Glare Mirror, Modified the Exhaust, Changed some lights to LEDs, and Installed a different shift knob to match all of my other projects.

Separate responses to the thread will be posted below for each modification.

 

[Saepher]

First Year Cont:
Starting things off nice and simply, we made the first major improvement. Installing Every important Light to LED.

Low Beam, High Beam, Reverse, Interior, and Turn Signals

Low Beam/High Beam: Amazon Specials - Fahren Termitor 2023 model Kit H11/9005

Currently $60 on sale on Amazon. I particularly liked these after watching a review of them on YouTube and I especially liked them since the module was built inside the bulb as opposed to having a module that stuck out with a long tail. They provided a very nice, bright white color, even though they're advertised as 6500k.

They have a very nice beam pattern and amount of light to them, at the time I paid $100 for them. If these are to blow out, I will upgrade to Morimoto Bulbs.

Reverse: Auxbeam B2 Series 7440 Bulbs

This is where things kinda get ignorant. I hated the factory Reverse Lamps, so I took advantage of some Black Friday Deals and went and gave AuxBeam a try for some of their products. I went and gave their B2 Series 7440 Bulbs a try and GOOD GOD, you basically have a portable sun as your reverse lamps.

Now, I will say, the mounting of these bulbs isn't the normal "Twist and Lock" type, as it's a more universal fit and uses a Silicone Seal/Gasket that you just push into the housing. Mine were a tight fit and I could rotate the light to adjust the beam pattern to my liking.

These things are SOLID and are basically a low beam bulb that you're shooting backwards, it's kinda ignorant, but at least I can see now.

Turn Singals: XenonDepot XTR-C 1157 Switchback Bulbs

Again, taking advantage of Black Friday, TheRetrofitSource was having a "Free Bulb Giveaway" if you paid $5 for shipping. I took the gamble on some Switchback Amber/White Led Turn Signals from XenonDepot in their "XTR C" Series Bulbs. These bulbs advertised a long life and had a ceramic body for head dissipation and reliability. They were $5, so why not take the gamble? They're normally $40.

I'm fairly impressed with them, they've lasted a year so far, although the switchback from white to amber has appeared to get longer as the year goes by, you can see the switchback function in the video I provided. The light output is decent and I have no complaints there.

Interior
Unfortunately, I didn't get much media of the interior light upgrades, but I had just used some spare eBay/Amazon bulbs that I had laying around to address the interior lights, nothing special, just made the interior brighter.

I do have a custom interior light post that I'll be making later.

 

[Saepher]

First Year Cont:

Moving onto the Broadway Mirror.

Broadway Mirror:

Broadway is somewhat of a big name, they're known for their Wide Angle, Low Glare mirrors. They have a very nice blue tint to them that lessens the brightness of other drivers LED headlamps and still allows you to clearly see. I had installed Spoon Sports mirror in my 99 EK Civic, and I couldn't go back to a regular mirror after that experience.

You typically see them in a lot of Import cars. My 5 was no exception, as these mirrors are universal and have a spring clamp that just attaches itself to the factory mirror.

This isn't an expensive modification at all, but including this mirror was possibly one of my favorites, as it allows me to see the blind spots a little bit easier in the 5.

They can be purchased on Amazon and I went with the 270mm Variant. In the pictures provided, you can see an example of how the mirror's wide angle can show you your unseen blind spots.

 

[Saepher]

First Year Cont:

Shift Knob: Billetworkz "Rainbow Sparkle" Weighted Aluminum Shift Knob

Now, I know that my 5 is automatic. I understand that adding a shift knob does absolutely nothing for me.

Again, I took advantage of some sales and ordered the knob in the "Piston" variety. The adapter for the "Mazda" fitment was incorrect for the automatic shifter, so I had to make my own to make it fit.

It turned out well, and just added some personality to the otherwise bland interior of the car. I have used this shift knob in every Manual Transmission vehicle that I have owned, so my hand is very comfortable with this setup.

The powdercoat finish is nice and smooth to the touch with no rough edges. I'll always use a Billetworkz Knob as their quality is top notch.

 

[Silentnoise713]

Props to you for appreciating something different. Being a car tech, I suspect you are practical minded and will be driving this for a while - unless you run out of space. What other project cars are in the stable?

Some thoughts:
When you redid headlight, why not leave the hood open?

Not saying LEDs are bad but I'm sure they've evolved but some extra knowledge to be mindful of what you think you see (in front of you) vs what is actually visible (down the road, think high speed).

Broadway mirrors was the thing back in 00s. I didn't think they are still relevant, they remind me of PIAA in the glory days. Folks are moving on to integrated screens/compass/dash cams mirrors. Most of these clip-on mirrors also have a wider frame for wider view but are not convex like Broadway. IMHO, wider rear view is not desirable, wider side view is better. I went this route. I also highly recommend blue tinted side view mirrors. They are not OEM quality but sure as heck good enough, esp for the price! They are convex and covers the blind spot really well. The bule tint provides antiglare. You can opt to get them with defrost/defog elements (none issue for VA), LED indicator, and add BSM (BSM makes people lazy). Above all, pretty shallow, the blue tint looks cool as hell when you walk up to the car


Pull the shift plate cover and shift boot from a manual to give that knob a complete look.

 

[Saepher]

Props to you for appreciating something different. Being a car tech, I suspect you are practical minded and will be driving this for a while - unless you run out of space. What other project cars are in the stable?

Some thoughts:
When you redid headlight, why not leave the hood open?

Not saying LEDs are bad but I'm sure they've evolved but some extra knowledge to be mindful of what you think you see vs what is actually visible.

Broadway mirrors was the thing back in 00s. I didn't think they are still relevant, they remind me of PIAA in the glory days. Folks are moving on to integrated screens/compass/dash cams mirrors. Most of these clip-on mirrors also have a wider frame for wider view but are not convex like Broadway. IMHO, wider rear view is not desirable, wider side view is better. I went this route. I also highly recommend blue tinted side view mirrors. They are not OEM quality but sure as heck good enough, esp for the price! They are convex and covers the blind spot really well. The bule tint provides antiglare. You can opt to get them with defrost/defog elements (none issue for VA), LED indicator, and add BSM (BSM makes people lazy). Above all, pretty shallow, the blue tint looks cool as hell when you walk up to the car


Pull the shift plate cover and shift boot from a manual to give that knob a complete look.

I'm actually still in the process of writing everything up, but you'll see what I've got coming up . Some of the things you've mentioned may or may not be on the car already.

 

[Saepher]

Props to you for appreciating something different. Being a car tech, I suspect you are practical minded and will be driving this for a while - unless you run out of space. What other project cars are in the stable?

Some thoughts:
When you redid headlight, why not leave the hood open?

Not saying LEDs are bad but I'm sure they've evolved but some extra knowledge to be mindful of what you think you see vs what is actually visible.

Broadway mirrors was the thing back in 00s. I didn't think they are still relevant, they remind me of PIAA in the glory days. Folks are moving on to integrated screens/compass/dash cams mirrors. Most of these clip-on mirrors also have a wider frame for wider view but are not convex like Broadway. IMHO, wider rear view is not desirable, wider side view is better. I went this route. I also highly recommend blue tinted side view mirrors. They are not OEM quality but sure as heck good enough, esp for the price! They are convex and covers the blind spot really well. The bule tint provides antiglare. You can opt to get them with defrost/defog elements (none issue for VA), LED indicator, and add BSM (BSM makes people lazy). Above all, pretty shallow, the blue tint looks cool as hell when you walk up to the car


Pull the shift plate cover and shift boot from a manual to give that knob a complete look.

As for the other projects, I've got 4 motorcycles, a '99 Civic Sedan, and an '83 Ford Ranger.

 

[Saepher]

First Year Cont:

Lastly, for the First year of ownership, I decided to slightly modify my exhaust. Nothing too drastic, as this is still my current daily driver and I have other projects that I can be obnoxious with.

However, I just wanted a *touch* of noise, just so I could basically hear when the car was running.

Back when I was at the dealer, I sometimes handled body shop repairs, as our attached body shop did not have any technicians that were trained to use a 2-post lift, as they were only panel beaters, parts installers, and a couple painters. It's a job that really didn't require a lift.

That being said, I was given an exhaust system off of a 2022 Mazda3 that had been rear ended pretty badly and I was tasked with replacing the exhaust system from the Cat-Back, as most cars nowadays are 1-piece exhausts systems.

Since the job wasn't a warranty repair, I was allowed to keep the old exhaust for scrap parts. I'm a hobbyist welder, so I took the liberty of chopping off all of the straights, the 90s and 45s to add to my collection of spare pipe that I used for custom odd jobs for friends that want to do some hoonery with a welder.

Anyways, I thought the resonated exhaust tips from this new generation of Mazda3 looked pretty neat. So, I decided to lop the suitcase off the back, cut up some spare pipe, and stuck the Mazda3 tip on the 5.

Now, the welds definitely aren't pretty, I pretty much just threw this together in 30 minutes, so I didn't expect it to turn out perfect my any means. Later down the road, I plan on adapting a Speed3 Rear Muffler with the Dual outlet for a better look in the rear. It's got some great low end noise to it and doesn't sound ricey. Very minimal drone when driving, only really on acceleration, then it calms down to almost nothing.

That Wraps things up for the First Year.

 

[Saepher]

The Second Year of Ownership:

During the second year, I've done quite a bit to the 5. This includes the following:

• Lowered the Vehicle on Coilovers (BC BR series)
• Swapped to Speed3 18x7.5 Wheels
• Installed new Speakers *Including Tweeters* (Skar Audio)
• Upgraded the Side View Mirrors to Blue Anti-Glare Units
• Upgraded the Horn
• Upgraded the Interior Lighting Further
• Prepped and Mocked up the BaysonR side Skirts and Spoiler.
• Swapped to Speed3 Front Seats (Black Suede and Leather, TrueRed Seats)
• Installed a Center Console Arm Rest (Matches the Seats)
• Swapped to Speed3 Front Brakes w/ SS lines and Brass Caliper Bushings
• Installed Foglights with factory parts + Upgrades
• Swapped to the JDM Headlamp Assemblies
• Swapped to the GT painted Grille
• Installed Hood Hood Struts
• Installed a Coolant Temp Gauge
• Relocated the Front Plate
• Performed a Major Maintenance day.

Again, every topic listed is going to have it's own separate response, and write up. Please allow me some time to get everything typed out, as it's A LOT.

The second year is the point where I had decided that I wanted to take this to the OEM+ side of things and use factory parts where I could, make them work, and make them work and fit well.

Most of these topics aren't going to have a huge amount of pictures to them as I've just recently started to take more pictures and video of what I've been doing to the car. A lot of these upgrades I have seen done over and over again and have been posted on the forum, so it may sound like a broken record to some people. Though, some of those forum posts are so old that pictures don't even exist on those anymore, so hopefully this forum thread is a breath of fresh air to new people.