New Mazda 3 Owner Couple Questions

[Guyfromhe]

Hi I'm new to this forum and to the Mazda 3 (and to cars built this century ) I was previously driving a 90 Bonneville SSE and upgraded to a Mazda 3 GT Sedan. One little issue i've noticed and hope someone has a soloution to it is every time I get in or out of the car and touch the key or the door I get a huge static shock and it's starting to annoy me, does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?

The other thing I was wondering, i've ordered the MP3 player for my car but it's been on backorder and still is, the dealer has been saying it'll be in any day now for over a week now, I hope it gets in soon now when I was talking to the parts dept they said they had to install some kind of extra panel or something and i'm dying to know what this panel is/what it looks like does anyone have this mp3 player that they could either take a picture of it or describe this panel, also how does the mp3 player work, no one seemed to know anything about it at any of the local dealers here..

Thanks

 

[Macadonious]

Hi I'm new to this forum and to the Mazda 3 (and to cars built this century ) I was previously driving a 90 Bonneville SSE and upgraded to a Mazda 3 GT Sedan. One little issue i've noticed and hope someone has a soloution to it is every time I get in or out of the car and touch the key or the door I get a huge static shock and it's starting to annoy me, does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?

The other thing I was wondering, i've ordered the MP3 player for my car but it's been on backorder and still is, the dealer has been saying it'll be in any day now for over a week now, I hope it gets in soon now when I was talking to the parts dept they said they had to install some kind of extra panel or something and i'm dying to know what this panel is/what it looks like does anyone have this mp3 player that they could either take a picture of it or describe this panel, also how does the mp3 player work, no one seemed to know anything about it at any of the local dealers here..

Thanks

To answer your first question. The static electricity is due to very low humidity and coolness in the air. The same would result in your home on a cold day and you shuffling your feet across the carpet. In essence you are becoming a ground and discharging existing static charge. If you want to avoid a shock, touch the rubber insulation before getting out of you car. This will absorb the discharge without you being the ground, but rather the car being the ground.
(shocked)
Your second question cannot be answered by the community as far as when you will recieve your MP3. Sorry to tell you this, but Mazda has you by the balls there.(boom07)

 

[harrison888]

Another way to avoid static shock is to touch the metal part of the door WHILE getting out, do not let go of your hand until your leg touch the ground. At least this is what I do.

 

[Newf]

The static thing has happened to me with every car purchase I've had. Annoying. But yes, grab something metal as the guy above stated. Some keys work as well. Hold on to your keys.

enjoy the car

 

[michaelyoung]

I used to get shocked all the time in my 91 Saturn, but I have rarely if ever have been shocked in my 99 4Runner. Maybe some cars are more suceptible to this than others. I will have my 3 in June, so I guess I won't find out until then.

 

[Sethlan]

I used to get shocked all the time in my 91 Saturn, but I have rarely if ever have been shocked in my 99 4Runner. Maybe some cars are more suceptible to this than others. I will have my 3 in June, so I guess I won't find out until then.

'94 Crown Vic that my parents own shocks me all the time...
But I have yet to recieve a shock from my Mazda 3

 

[Guyfromhe]

If you want to avoid a shock, touch the rubber insulation before getting out of you car. This will absorb the discharge without you being the ground, but rather the car being the ground.

Woah I didn't know you could do that, but it seems to be working, i've been feeling alot less pain the last couple times i've got in so it must be thanks for the advice.

 

[PeteyBoy3K]

grounding strap

you could theoretically purchase a grounding strap if it really begins to annoy you.


It's basically a little strip of metal that drags along underneath the car that is attached to the frame so that static cannot build up. But, it might get you lots of "there's something dragging under your car" comments, and.. I'm not sure how effective your car will be at repelling lightening (not that I've ever known the farraday cage dynamics of a car-on-rubber-tires anyways.. just heard about it as a safe place in lightening storms)

 

[goldwing2000]

To answer your third question that everybody seems to be ignoring...

The modular sound system has interchangeable components in two locations. The top bay is where the mp3 player, disc player or disc changer goes. The lower bay (between the two black knobs) is where the cassette player or mini-disc player goes. Each component has a different face plate that must be purchased separately and installed.

You can see all the different modules and faceplates on the MazdaUSA web site.

The mp3 player trim panel lists for $30, the CD changer for $25, the cassette player for $45 and the mini-disc player for $75 (in addition to the cost of the component).

Here's a picture of them all:

 

[Guyfromhe]

To answer your third question that everybody seems to be ignoring...

The modular sound system has interchangeable components in two locations. The top bay is where the mp3 player, disc player or disc changer goes. The lower bay (between the two black knobs) is where the cassette player or mini-disc player goes. Each component has a different face plate that must be purchased separately and installed.

You can see all the different modules and faceplates on the MazdaUSA web site.

The mp3 player trim panel lists for $30, the CD changer for $25, the cassette player for $45 and the mini-disc player for $75 (in addition to the cost of the component).

Here's a picture of them all:

Thanks I was hoping someone would get my that info, I should have looked at the mazdausa site
I was hoping for something more exciting the way the service guy was talking about it, but it looks exactly the same, oh well...hopefully it'll get here one of these years -.-

Re the grounding strap, I wasn't sure if that would affect the inside of the car or not, but now that I have this rubber soloution which seems to be working i'm not too concerned about it anymore