New to mazda

mazda_Dad

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2006 mazda 5
Hello I am new to Mazda just bought an 06 Mazda 5. Extremely clean for a buffalo NY vehicle. Now looking to learn more on it and do some stuff. See what issues run into that may have fixes or not.
 
Welcome!

Got to love the Mazda5! (headbang)

So easy to get in and out of, both the front and rear doors into the nice height seats. Those sliding doors are great, I really miss them. You will forget you are driving a "van".

Little known fact: The Mazda5 is called small, but the proportions are near identical to the very first Mini-vans of the mid-80s from Chrysler.
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Welcome sir! Nice to have another dad around... :)

Post some pics! We'd love to see it.
 
I recently bought a second Mazda5, a 2012 GT, after owning a 2010 Sport/MT for four years. Lotsa good info here! I've already done tint / rims / Koni FSDs / LED bulbs / V1 Mount. Next: trailer hitch / MazdaSpeed 3 rear sway bar / LED DRL's / loud horns. Enjoy!
 
I recently bought a second Mazda5, a 2012 GT, after owning a 2010 Sport/MT for four years. Lotsa good info here! I've already done tint / rims / Koni FSDs / LED bulbs / V1 Mount. Next: trailer hitch / MazdaSpeed 3 rear sway bar / LED DRL's / loud horns. Enjoy!
Having had both generations of the Mazda5, what are your observations so far?
 
And...2010 was Sport/MT (that I upgraded to Katzskin leather + heated seats), compared to my 2012 GT (automatic).

Like the modern instrumentation on the 2012, looks like any other modern Mazda now.

I think I notice the torque increase from one to the other; I don't have the opportunity to drive them back to back. I definitely notice the lower revs on the highway, but that's due to the A/T | its gearing, not the model year per se. The seats are a bit more comfortable (at least the fronts are).

The rest is...really the same. 2nd/3rd row seats, sliding doors, etc. Unchanged as far as I know (other than the outer "skin" with Nagare flow lines, tail lights etc). 2nd row headrests fold out of the way, IIRC they had to be removed before, on the 1st gen, to flatten the 2nd row. And then it's nice having the features the GT brings (leather, auto HID lamps, auto wipers, sunroof). First automatic I've owned in a while, it works "just fine", no issues, usually knows just what to do, and it's a blessing in stop/go commuting. Driven calmly, I can get 26-28 mpg on a tank, and 30+ if I'm trying to economy run for a challenge. That's about the same on both that I've owned.
 
And...2010 was Sport/MT (that I upgraded to Katzskin leather + heated seats), compared to my 2012 GT (automatic).

Like the modern instrumentation on the 2012, looks like any other modern Mazda now.

I think I notice the torque increase from one to the other; I don't have the opportunity to drive them back to back. I definitely notice the lower revs on the highway, but that's due to the A/T | its gearing, not the model year per se. The seats are a bit more comfortable (at least the fronts are).

The rest is...really the same. 2nd/3rd row seats, sliding doors, etc. Unchanged as far as I know (other than the outer "skin" with Nagare flow lines, tail lights etc). 2nd row headrests fold out of the way, IIRC they had to be removed before, on the 1st gen, to flatten the 2nd row. And then it's nice having the features the GT brings (leather, auto HID lamps, auto wipers, sunroof). First automatic I've owned in a while, it works "just fine", no issues, usually knows just what to do, and it's a blessing in stop/go commuting. Driven calmly, I can get 26-28 mpg on a tank, and 30+ if I'm trying to economy run for a challenge. That's about the same on both that I've owned.
Thank you very much for the comparison!
 
I recently bought a second Mazda5, a 2012 GT, after owning a 2010 Sport/MT for four years. Lotsa good info here! I've already done tint / rims / Koni FSDs / LED bulbs / V1 Mount. Next: trailer hitch / MazdaSpeed 3 rear sway bar / LED DRL's / loud horns. Enjoy!

OK well I'm new to some of this stuff. What exactly is FSDs and how what difference will the Mazda speed 3 rear sway bar do for you?
 
Mazda_Dad, since its an 06, head down to the local Mazda dealer and get a run down on the service done on it. The 1st year was buggy and those first 4 years should have seen a ton of warranty work. If I were you, I would want piece of mind knowing what exactly has already been done.
 
Mazda_Dad, since its an 06, head down to the local Mazda dealer and get a run down on the service done on it. The 1st year was buggy and those first 4 years should have seen a ton of warranty work. If I were you, I would want piece of mind knowing what exactly has already been done.


Thanks for the concern. I actually did that before I bought it and all recalls had been done on it as well as a ton of warranty work.
 
Sorry, Koni FSDs are aftermarket shocks/struts that replace the stock units. Koni is probably best known for their adjustable performance shocks. Several years ago, they started offering these FSD shocks, trying to combine improved body control and ride comfort along with performance advantages. They were miraculous on my flinty-riding MINI; night/day difference on compliance, yet it's still a blast to drive on the curves. Marked improvement on my Mazda V as well, not as night and day since it was reasonably smooth riding already, but still vastly improved.

http://www.koni.com/en-US/Cars/Products/Performance/FSD/

The Mazdaspeed 3 rear sway bar is at least 2x thickness / stiffness compared to the stock one, so it will corner with less body roll. The tradeoff is perhaps some additional "head toss" (side-to-side) on undulating surfaces. It's a nice suspension upgrade as it's factory-looking, not terribly expensive (<$200), easy to install, and won't affect suspension compliance on smooth roads (as shorter / stiffer springs would be prone to do).
 
Sorry, Koni FSDs are aftermarket shocks/struts that replace the stock units. Koni is probably best known for their adjustable performance shocks. Several years ago, they started offering these FSD shocks, trying to combine improved body control and ride comfort along with performance advantages. They were miraculous on my flinty-riding MINI; night/day difference on compliance, yet it's still a blast to drive on the curves. Marked improvement on my Mazda V as well, not as night and day since it was reasonably smooth riding already, but still vastly improved.

http://www.koni.com/en-US/Cars/Products/Performance/FSD/

The Mazdaspeed 3 rear sway bar is at least 2x thickness / stiffness compared to the stock one, so it will corner with less body roll. The tradeoff is perhaps some additional "head toss" (side-to-side) on undulating surfaces. It's a nice suspension upgrade as it's factory-looking, not terribly expensive (<$200), easy to install, and won't affect suspension compliance on smooth roads (as shorter / stiffer springs would be prone to do).

On the sway bar would that be the stock 07 Mazda speed 3 sway bar?
 
Hello I am new to Mazda just bought an 06 Mazda 5. Extremely clean for a buffalo NY vehicle. Now looking to learn more on it and do some stuff. See what issues run into that may have fixes or not.

Great choice. I'm weighing my options but I'll probably go with the same model and join the club!
 
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I've got a 06 back in November and here's been the fixes, which I hear most are somewhat common.
- passenger motor mount
- sway bar bushings
- transmission speed sensor
- ABS pump
Found all parts pretty cheap


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I did these a week and a half ago. The fronts were a pain....... Solved the front end rattle though. :)

WOO HOO!

I always would swear that it sounds like a bad strut or loose wheel, or something awful, not that goofy little rubber bushing that appears to be fine by external examination.
 
On the sway bar would that be the stock 07 Mazda speed 3 sway bar?

I'll say yes. For my 12, I just looked at the OEM parts listing, and picked the entries (swaybar, bushings, and bushing holders just to be safe) that specified "for 18-inch wheels" since they came on MZSpeed 3's. I got what I wanted, I did not check the parts listing for a '07
 
I recently bought a second Mazda5, a 2012 GT, after owning a 2010 Sport/MT for four years. Lotsa good info here! I've already done tint / rims / Koni FSDs / LED bulbs / V1 Mount. Next: trailer hitch / MazdaSpeed 3 rear sway bar / LED DRL's / loud horns. Enjoy!

Nice - I have mixed thoughts on the LED bulbs in the stock projectors, if you're unhappy at all with distance punch or excessive foreground light, I would seriously consider modded H9 bulbs instead. They're absolutely beautiful with the stock halogen optics. HIR1 9011 bulbs will fit in the highs and there's nothing else that can drop in with comparable hot spot brightness.

For DRLs, if you're into safety and not just looks, I'd really recommend swapping out the 1157NA front turn signal bulbs, replacing them with 3157NA's, and running the Web Electric turn-signal DRL unit. The 3157NA will get you the output required for a conforming DRL, they kick out an extra 25% lumens on the signal filament (might also be a good upgrade for anyone running bright headlights, this will make the turn signal stand out more at night). Aftermarket DRLs are almost never properly tested and certified to NA requirements, and may be illegal or actually decrease safety due to disability glare if they're not wired properly to totally extinguish when headlights are on.

The Speed3 RSB is a great mod. How do you like the Koni FSDs? I've been contemplating shocks, lately.

Tow bars are a subject near and dear to my heart and I've been doing a lot of research to find the best solution. The American towbars are all "class 1" and only good for 2000lb - they also mount in a fairly atrocious way. The European towbars go up to 1700kg/75kg, but I'm currently trying to see if a Euro/Aus/ROW style (the ones that replace the rear metal bumper, and go in to the frame "rails" on the back of the unibody) CX-7 towbar can be easily fitted. The rear suspension is quite similar and I suspect the spacing is the same, it would just need to clear the openings on the rear of the unibody. The 2012+ Mazda5 had stiffer springs and a rear overhang to wheelbase ratio of <1/3, so it should be a reasonably capable tow vehicle by ROW standards, on par with the CX-7 (1800-2000kg braked towing weight, 100kg noseweight or so should only lighten the front by 33kg and put 133kg on the rear). Funnily enough, the "cavity of mystery" on the lower left side of the dash by the OBD2 connector seems the perfect width for a Tekonsha P2. Here's a European OEM hitch for the CX-7:

https://www.pfjones.co.uk/mazda-cx7-apv-2007-bosal-detachable-towbar.html

Which is just a bit more heavily built than the Mazda5 version:

https://www.pfjones.co.uk/mazda-5-06-2005-2010-bosal-detachable-towbar.html

For something light like a 1500kg or so braked utility trailer, either should be fine (I co-own a 5x8 foot landscape trailer that sort of gets used as a virtual truck). It'd be nice to have more safety margin with noseweight, though.

My daughter wants me to change out the horn for something that gives the same minor chord as the intro to phantom of the opera. I'm thinking one of the old Cadillac 4-horn setups, minus the C horn. We'll see!

Oh - heated aspheric side mirrors are lovely! They're readily available in the ROW market, I have a simple convex on the drivers' side and an aspheric on the passenger side. Zero blind spots, great visibility, and no worries about headlight glare in them. Highly recommended!

Ruby
 
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