Parents just bought a CX-30

Thanks to all who responded to a previous thread in the CX-5 forum. After lots of thought, my parents ended up test driving a CX30. What made this easier was the fact that the used prices are out of control and 0% financing on the CX30. I was really hoping they would want to get the 2016 CX5 GT with ONLY 13k on it, but the dealer wanted over 25k for it out the door and would not budge. My wife and I also drove the CX30 and really like it. It is a little on the small size for me, but for my parents its a good fit. They only put about 10k total on 2 cars, so even split, that is 5k on the new car a year, so this car should be enough for them for some time....unless all the "rust" talk turns out to be true.
 
I believe you made a right decision getting a brand new 2021 CX-30 instead of a used CX-5 if your parents feel the size is fine. More importantly there’s no cylinder deactivation now on the 2.5L used on CX-30. If your parents live in the salt area, you do need to think about rust proofing on any Mazda’s, not just CX-30. Which trim level on CX-30 did you get? (LED lightings ⋯) Congrats!

They got the 2.5S. They are going from 20 year old cars that that. Anything more would be more overwhelming.

Are Mazdas really that different from other modern cars for rust? My parents 20 year old cars had no rust under them at all.

What is the favored rust proofing?
 
They got the 2.5S. They are going from 20 year old cars that that. Anything more would be more overwhelming.

Are Mazdas really that different from other modern cars for rust? My parents 20 year old cars had no rust under them at all.

What is the favored rust proofing?
No LED headlights? :(

Edit: Just double checked, CX-30 2.5 S does have:
LED headlights
LED combination taillights
LED daytime running lights
Rain-sensing windshield wipers.


About the rust issue, go here and read:

Undercarriage Rust

Unfortunately many links are broken and pictures are gone in the thread. Try search on thread title to track back to original discussions.

Honestly if your parents live in snow belt area and plan to keep the CX-30 long, they really need to do something on it. And most Canadian CX-5 owners are also recommend it. Luckily I’m in Texas, snow and salt are not too big of the problem to worry about.

Rustproofing & Undercoating...is it necessary?
 
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What is the favored rust proofing?
Hard to say. Too many different opinions.

Just joined the club and question on rust

My rust-proofing experience is still with “Ziebart®“ many years ago when we’re in Iowa. Surprisingly the Ziebart® is still in business nowadays and got mentioned by some posters in rust proofing discussions.

Under-carriage wash through car wash machine or by yourself is a must during winter whenever possible to get rid of road salt as soon as you can.

Did you get a CX-30 2.5 S AWD? What is the final price before TTL? Post some pictures of your new CX-30! Hope your parents enjoy the new ride and keep posting!
 
Some people like using Krown - they will often drill holes to spray the coating in places they wouldn't normally be able to get to. Others do the rubberized undercoating offered by companies like Ziebart, but many have reported that the undercoating will actually lock in moisture and cause rust anyway. Then there is Fluid Film application, which appears to be very successful, but should be re-applied annually for best results.

Personally, I live in a city that loves to salt the roads in the winter (which tends to last 4-5 months around here). Every 1st and 2nd gen CX-5 that I've seen shows no signs of rust on the body panels or rockers. However, there are some suspension components that do develop some surface rust unless you do the annual rust proofing. I have yet to read about an OEM suspension or structural component rusting to the point of actual failure - that said, the rust might be an annoyance if you ever had to break a rusty bolt or nut loose. If I were to continue rust proofing my car, I'd go the Fluid Film route.
 
Some people like using Krown - they will often drill holes to spray the coating in places they wouldn't normally be able to get to. Others do the rubberized undercoating offered by companies like Ziebart, but many have reported that the undercoating will actually lock in moisture and cause rust anyway.
Back to old days Ziebart® did drill holes to spray anti-rust coating into unreachable areas. That’s why I didn’t like it on drilling-hole part.
 
Back to old days Ziebart® did drill holes to spray anti-rust coating into unreachable areas. That’s why I didn’t like it on drilling-hole part.

I think Ziebart still does that. They seem to offer two services, undercoating (rubberized coating) and rust proofing (similar to Krown).

 
I haven't heard of Ziebart in years. I had an '82 280zx (dating myself) and it was treated with Ziebart due to rusting. It still got rust around the hood scoops.
 
Parents are liking their car. They have put a whopping 250 miles on it in 3 weeks.

Couple of questions for you guys. What is the lug nut size on these? I want to make sure I have what I need to do a tire rotation down the road.

My accord screams at me when I walk away from the car (with the fob in pocket) when the car is not fully turned off. I tried this with the CX-30 and there wasn't anything audible. Is there a setting that I can enable?

Thanks
 
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