Ok, *Deep Breath* I started out and got 19.5 mpg on the first 2/3 of a tank. I filled in Flagstaff to add weight to the car since we ran into some snow and my tires aren't the best. I ended up running into a freak storm in New Mexico and had to drive 15 mph from Gallap to Albuquerque and ended up calling it a night there since I-40 was shut down beyond that. In Gallup I stopped for a break and noticed a squeeky sound coming from the engine. Figuring it was just wet from all the blowing rain/sleet/snow I pushed on.
The following morning in Albuquerque I started the car and proceeded to pack everything back into the car but I noticed a burning smell, looked up and saw blue smoking pouring out of the hood. Thinking it might be the a/c pump's time to die, I quickly shut the car down and called a tow. I got it to the local Mazda dealer who had me in and out in under 4 hours and sure enough, a/c pump failure and timing belt glazed. Many thanks to Garcia Mazda!!
First thought: thank god this didn't happen in the garbage conditions of the night before. Second thought: F*** this car, I KNEW this was going to happen. Mazda fixed everything under the exteded warranty since I was at about 44.5k when it all happend. I filled back up, calculated 18.4 mpg on that last tank and took off again.
Mileage continued to rise - 19.6 on the following tank followed by 20.2, 20.3 and 22.2. Somewhere in Illinois the temp went down to 7 degrees and the airbag light kicked on followed by the windshield washer lines under the hood freezing even though I put the blue stuff in that's good to -20F.
This morning, in Chicago, I defrosted the lines, drained the tank and refilled with some -60F stuff I found here locally. The airbag light is no longer lit so I'm thinking that car just didn't like that cold blast but I will continue to monitor it.
Overall, the car did well and there was plenty of room for the 3 of us, our luggage and our xmas presents. Of course a cx-9 would have allowed us to eliminate some of the clutter throughout since its larger but that's neither here nor there. The FWD did well in the snow and ice considering my need for new tires in the next 5-10k miles.
I'll report on the travels following which will take us to Nashville sometime after the new year and back over to Vegas thereafter.
Sorry if this doens't make a whole lot of sense, I'm typing very quickly and not outlining my thoughts. Merry Christmas all!!
