New Protege5!

[SixString95]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum. I just bought a 2003 Mazda Protege5 last week. It's my first car, and I will be using it primarily to drive to school (I'm a senior in high school) and then for college. I hope to learn as much about how the little thing works as possible and get the most out of it. It's a thrill to drive, and eventually when I have the money I'd love to do some tuning (aftermarket wheels, a turbo, etc.). Here's a pic:

This is it after two thorough washes and a coat of wax. The previous owner took very good care of it and kept the maintenance up-to-date, so it runs great! The problem is, the paint is chipped in several places (from his daily commute, mostly on the hood and front) and there is some dried tree sap that I scrubbed and scrubbed but couldn't seem to remove. Probably one of the first things I'll do is get it repainted.

Anyway, thanks guys for checking this out, and if there's any Protege5 tips or tricks you have, I'd love to hear them! Take care!

 

[whatusername]

Hi and welcome.. For the tree sap try using nail polish remover (it really works and dont harm the paint) Or WD40 let it sit for a few min then wipe off.. u will need to wash and re-wax that area. Enjoy ur P5

 

[hat1018]

Welcome and congrats on the car.

 

[ProtoPower13]

Hey SixString95, what part of Texas are you in? I drive a yellow P5 as well and I'm currently in Austin

 

[Balls]

My yellow paint is very jealous of your yellow paint.

 

[tweety2300]

Just a heads up the vivid yellow does not have a clear coat. I have to buff mine twice a year and wax it every 3-4 months to keep it shiny or it gets faded an dull looking

 

[mp5la]

No need to use any harsh chemicals on the paint. Go down to autozone and get a claybar and detail spray. It will remove the sap and all the other contaminates in the paint. Be sure to re-wax anywhere you claybar.

 

[hat1018]

Claybar=best thing ever. Well maybe not ever but it is toward the top of the list.

 

[Brian_K]

Wtf DO NOT use nail polish remover! It's acetone. Just use turtle wax tar and bug remover or a cleaner wax. Congrats on the purchase!

 

[hat1018]

I'm pretty sure they make non-acetone polish remover. I still wouldn't use it though.

 

[Hank3]

Welcome and congrats! Many safe and happy miles to ya

 

[kosteniuks17]

In case you plan to do some tuning or upgrading, here's my personal list in the order you might want to follow:

1. CAI or SRI
2. Suspension, the drop makes these cars look a lot more aggressive and sexy,
3. Prob add a rear sway bar, only 100 bucks for Progress and some new endlinks maybe
4. Maybe an exhaust, I like my mazdaspeed one, around 100 also, also not ricer sounding at all
5. Others won't really affect speed much at all other than noise, you might feel some top end rpm power but not much
6. I added some drilled and slotted rotors and painted some new calipers with G2 red paint, I love it....Mostly aesthetics though.
7. The rest is up to you, but make sure you take a look at things like, spark plugs, coils, egr valve, thermostat, small things cause these will make the car run crappy if not taken care of.

 

[P-Funk!]

Welcome!
Unless you know the engine mounts have been changed - assume they are worn out!
How many miles on it? We may have more suggestions for go look/fix stuff

 

[SixString95]

Hello again, guys, and thanks for all the great suggestions!

ProtoPower13, I live in the Fort Worth area. There aren't too many P5's around here, much less yellow ones!

I've never heard of Claybar. I'll have to check it out! Thanks! I've heard good and bad about nail polish, but I tried Turtle Wax Bug/Tar remover and seemed to a good job.

tweety2300, I didn't know that. If I get it repainted in the same color, would they put a clear coat on it?

kosteniuks17, thanks for the list! A CAI/SRI is definitely one of the first things I'd do as well. Which do you recommend?

P-Funk, I'm not sure the engine mounts have ever been changed. Is that going to be a problem in the future? The car's got just over 200,000 on it; timing belt was changed at around 150,000.

 

[Mookhaasa]

start with the front mount its the easiest, then get either a motor hoist or a couple jacks and do the sides. there are videos online. After your confidence is up tackle the rear mount, be sure you have auto matic mount for auto and manual mount for manual.