Does your MS3 like the cold?

HAVOC

Member
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MazdaSpeed3 GT Silver soon to have MS CAI
Mine doesn't, every time the weather gets below or around freezing until the car warms up when I go over a speed bump (there in my apartment complex) or a bump in the road, it sounds like the shocks are going to break or the engine is going to fall out of the car. Is anyone else experiencing this problem?
 
I'm in Canada so I know what freezing is all about... it looks like the suspension noises is a common problem to all Speed3 owners over here. I know a guy who had his bushings replaced by the dealer and the problem resurfaced. I believe that's how the shocks/suspension is designed and unfortunately we have to live with it.. so I was told by my service manager.. yeah I know, that just plain sucks and doesn't make sense for a brand new car. I keep my car garaged so it's not too bad. I don't want my dealer to make it worse than it is until they have a TSB..
 
I'm glad, well not glad you guys are experiencing the creeeeks...I thought I was the only one..I posted a question bout the creeks but I guess I posted it in the wrong spot..Yea how annoying are those creeks??? It almost sounds, at least in mine, to loud to be the suspension or bushings..I thought it was actually comin from my seats..guess not tho..

Anyone get little noises by the windshield too??? almost like little pebbles are constantly hitting the lower half of the windshield when its cold out...

So this is just somehting we have to deal with??
 
I left mine outside once in the mountains of NC and it got in the single digits and although I let it warm up for like 15 minutes before I drove it, it didnt start right up like it always does- like it turned over a few extra times- and the radio display was really delayed when I pressed buttons.
 
not really..it was running better when it was warmer..which i was so excited for cold turbo weather but i was wrong
 
I test drove one in Rhode Island yesterday and the suspension sounded like a 40 piece orchestra. Must be due to the cold but was a turn off for someone test driving.
 
I think it may just be Mazda's in general? My CX7 creaks and makes all sorts of hideous noises when its <40 degrees outside. Going around a corner is a creakfest. I took it to the dealer, but they obviously just said that its because its cold outside. I hope it does it when it warms back up... new shocks! :)

My wife's Subaru doesn't make a noise down to 20 degrees.
 
The creaking is nothing compared to the MSP's. My MSP suspension would start creaking at about 35 to 40 degrees F. I've only heard my MS3 supsension creak once and that was about 10 below Zero...quite an improvement over the MSP if you ask me. I just think it has something to with the tighter suspension setups...In terms of the windshield tap tap taping...i've tried to remedy this problem by searching all over the front hood for this little annoyance. If you open up the hood of your 3 and take a look at the plastic molding between the back of the engine and the winshield wiper housing there are a few pieces that can be jiggled around quite a bit that you can almost simulate the same noise as when you're driving...i've tried to put some cushioning between the plastic pieces and it seems to remedy the problem quite a bit...and yes it tends to go away in warmer weather
 
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The creaking is nothing compared to the MSP's. My MSP suspension would start creaking at about 35 to 40 degrees F. I've only heard my MS3 supsension creak once and that was about 10 below Zero...quite an improvement over the MSP if you ask me. I just think it has something to with the tighter suspension setups...In terms of the windshield tap tap taping...i've tried to remedy this problem by searching all over the front hood for this little annoyance. If you open up the hood of your 3 and take a look at the plastic molding between the back of the engine and the winshield wiper housing there are a few pieces that can be jiggled around quite a bit that you can almost simulate the same noise as when you're driving...i've tried to put some cushioning between the plastic pieces and it seems to remedy the problem quite a bit...and yes it tends to go away in warmer weather

I agree with you 100%, my MSP used to creak all the time. My MS3 isnt nearly as bad. It has some creaks but i barely notice it.
 
second gear selection is a bit tough for the first time only on cold mornings, appart form that no other problems for me.
 
I left mine outside once in the mountains of NC and it got in the single digits and although I let it warm up for like 15 minutes before I drove it, it didnt start right up like it always does- like it turned over a few extra times- and the radio display was really delayed when I pressed buttons.
That will happen in almost any car. Batteries don't like being cold, and LCD display response times go down in the cold, too. It's an electrical thing, although I don't entirely understand it... and ANY electrical device will display these characteristics. iPods, CD players, hard drives, etc etc etc...

As for the question at hand: no, my car hates being cold. I've had -20 degree C weather where I am, and the car doesn't like it at all. It idles over 2000 and the steering gets stiff. It's hard to shift between gears and it feels like the synchros are sticking until the tranny oil warms up. The worst is the suspension creaking. I don't know if it's the bushings or something else, but it takes forever for suspension components to warm up. After 5 or so minutes most of the issues go away, although it takes some time to get enough heat into the rear suspension to get rid of the squeaking there.

It's mostly just rubber components or oils needing to warm up enough to work, so it doesn't bother me too much. Every car I've ever owned has done these sorts of things in cold weather. I just wish there was a way to get the suspension up to temp faster. The only thing you can really do is drive it and let the suspension work so that friction, spring flex and radiant heat from the rear brakes warm up the rear end.
 
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cold weather problem solved.(silly)
 

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