Picking up my 2005 Mazda3 Sport GS tomorrow!

[robbiedoo]

It's the first car I've ever owned brand spanking new. So pumped!

Should I do anything special to protect it? I declined the extended warranties and undercoating, but should I maybe Scotchgard the seats to floor, or is that pointless?

Also, being, from Canada, the winters here are pretty bad! I'm looking at getting some used rims for my winter tires, and I'm curious if all of the rims with the same bolt pattern would fit this car? I've found some used rims locally from mid 2000 Mazda's, which all seem to have the 5x114 pattern... Would these typically fit fine if they're 16 inches? I know one set is from a mazda6 and one is from a protige 5...

Thanks for the help!

 

[mapa19]

ok, so you live in canada, acknowledge the horrible winters....but decline undercoating? hmmm....seems odd. THAT would be my first option rather than seats.

 

[concept]

Ah, you are getting a 20-fifteen Mazda 3, not a 2005.

As long as the wheels clear the brake calipers and the tires don't rub, you should be good to go. Eventually, you should get Zaino "Leather-in-a-bottle" and some leather cleaner. The LIAB smells EXACTLY like leather - great stuff!
For a quick wash and wax without actually washing your car (when it's not filthy dirty), I recommend 3D waterless car wash and some microfiber towels. It saves lots of time and your car will look like you just washed and waxed it.

 

[2.0_Mazda]

My brother has a 2014 GS and had no issue installing Protege 5 16 inch wheels for winter.

To make sure your car is well protected against corrosion, I'd recommend going to Krown antirust every year for the first 5, then every two years for the rest of the cars life. With Mazda's "L" shaped rear wheel arch, a lot of sand and dirt gets stuck on the lip and should be cleaned out more frequently than with models with straight edges. Since I have an 08 (more rust prone) I clean the inside of my wheel arches every 2 weeks or so and apply additional antirust oil a few times a year myself (in addition to the yearly antirust treatments by Krown). I may be a little excessive but I really don't want my car to rust. Newer generations are much better designed so you don't have to worry as much as I do.