What have you done to your Mazda3 today?
- Thread starter Antoine
- Start date
Keepin it OE and runs great -- 150K-miles+ 2010 2.5-GT HB - a solid year that I have no problem investing in when things need attention --- so far not much, except reg maintenance - new TCM , New rear wheel bearings , New Valve cover gasket , one " nagare" front light fillament , all new front struts & rear shocks - all OE - always replacing random little things like plastic Fastners , screw on aircraft type bolts under car and on firewall - nick nack stuff --having factory timing chain , led lights and stainless steel exhaust mani -- make a massive difference in longevity - built 2 last !
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- 2009 CX-9 Touring AWD
Sold this recently. Kinda regret it - just don't think there's anything out there (US) that's this affordable, fun, reliable and economical! Barely got above 3000 RPM in this video clip, and it was throwing gravel and rocks up against the mud guards and breaking traction, was a lot of fun!
Smart looker ! like the ant.
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- 2016 GT ST 47A
Last Saturday I took advantage of the sunshine and mid-40 degree temps to brush the headlights as they were hazy and the light output was decreased. I used some Colgate with peroxide and an old toothbrush to scrub them good. Then I sprayed them down with warm water and wiped them dry with paper towels. After that, I applied some wax to hopefully get me through the winter months. They are not perfect but much better than when I started.
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- 2014 CX-5 2.0/6M
2016 3i 2.0/6M
What have I done today... something I've never done with it in the 14 years I've owned it... I retired it. Bought with 43k miles in 2010. It's got 244k on it now and unfortunately suffering from some bad cancer. Such a great damn car. Made lifelong memories with it.
Added Apple Car Play/Andriod Auto to my recently acquired 2018 SP25. Made the job harder then needed by putting the new USB Media Hub in the back of the console where the box with fake sockets sits. I noticed some higher models have the USB Media Hub here and it makes sense to place it there to hide the wires and phone etc, they are the exact same size and clip out and in.
Attachments
ApexBiped81
Shadow 2018
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- Florida
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- 2022 Mazda3 6MT Hatch
Just put new rotors and pads and did an oil change. Trust he is treated like a little king.
However sadly it is lovebug season here in florida and I have to almost wash him every day but his once a week is enough.
However sadly it is lovebug season here in florida and I have to almost wash him every day but his once a week is enough.
Brakes!
Our '16 (bought NOS in '18) finally started making the wear-indicator noises, so I tore into it to have a look. Always interesting to see the new ways engineers have figured out to retain brake pads. I can be unobservant sometimes - I didn't immediately recognize the worn wear indicator as a wear indicator on first disassembly because I'm used to a giant wear indicator riveted to the back of the pad, so I didn't discover the worn pad until I had shrugged my shoulders, hand-reconditioned the rotors to break the glaze and knock off the excess rust, and went to reassemble. The interesting thing was that only one pad out of eight was actually worn excessively, and that kind of at an angle (toward the wear indicator, conveniently), so I'll have to keep an eye on it. Couldn't find my tube of caliper grease so I put antisieze all over the crazy little springy-slidey inserts. On the plus side (a big plus!), I was able to get the rotor hats off with a moderate amount of bashing - unlike on the 5, where I eventually gave up and got new used steering knuckles. I also like that on the 3 they've gone to the GM style of a two bolt connection from the strut to steering knuckle, which makes both strut replacement and camber adjustment far more convenient.
I ended up putting the original front pads back on and bought the $30 CarQuest rear pads from Advance. Figuring I'll order all new parts within the next few months, and possibly plan the job so I have time to take the front rotors to the machine shop if I so choose (used to be it was down the street, $15/rotor, and done while you wait - last time I went it was a few miles' drive to the shop, $25/rotor, returned with an extremely rough surface finish, and they kept them over the weekend plus a day or two - what's with that? I called all the area parts stores too, who all either lacked lathes or the lathe was broken or they had no one trained to run it, which has me wondering if there's a market for buying a brake lathe and getting appropriately certified to turn brakes for other people.).
An interesting issue I ran into on this car was jacking points. On every other car I've had, both front and rear can be jacked centrally with a normal jack, and usually from somewhere easy to reach. A RWD car can be jacked from the rear pumpkin, and a trailing-axle FWD car can be jacked from the weird L-beam thing. The MZ5 is a bit dumb because I have to put the front on ramps and then reach way inboard to the rear of the front subframe, but the back can be jacked straight from the ground, from the middle of the IRS assembly. Not so on the 3! They put the exhaust pipe going right under the middle of the IRS, and I'm not sure there's clearance for the saddle of the floor jack between the LCAs even without the exhaust there. I ended up jacking one side, then the other from the pinch welds whilst having fantasies of that crazy portable scissor-lift thing the Mighty Car Mods guys have. How do other owners do it?
Our '16 (bought NOS in '18) finally started making the wear-indicator noises, so I tore into it to have a look. Always interesting to see the new ways engineers have figured out to retain brake pads. I can be unobservant sometimes - I didn't immediately recognize the worn wear indicator as a wear indicator on first disassembly because I'm used to a giant wear indicator riveted to the back of the pad, so I didn't discover the worn pad until I had shrugged my shoulders, hand-reconditioned the rotors to break the glaze and knock off the excess rust, and went to reassemble. The interesting thing was that only one pad out of eight was actually worn excessively, and that kind of at an angle (toward the wear indicator, conveniently), so I'll have to keep an eye on it. Couldn't find my tube of caliper grease so I put antisieze all over the crazy little springy-slidey inserts. On the plus side (a big plus!), I was able to get the rotor hats off with a moderate amount of bashing - unlike on the 5, where I eventually gave up and got new used steering knuckles. I also like that on the 3 they've gone to the GM style of a two bolt connection from the strut to steering knuckle, which makes both strut replacement and camber adjustment far more convenient.
I ended up putting the original front pads back on and bought the $30 CarQuest rear pads from Advance. Figuring I'll order all new parts within the next few months, and possibly plan the job so I have time to take the front rotors to the machine shop if I so choose (used to be it was down the street, $15/rotor, and done while you wait - last time I went it was a few miles' drive to the shop, $25/rotor, returned with an extremely rough surface finish, and they kept them over the weekend plus a day or two - what's with that? I called all the area parts stores too, who all either lacked lathes or the lathe was broken or they had no one trained to run it, which has me wondering if there's a market for buying a brake lathe and getting appropriately certified to turn brakes for other people.).
An interesting issue I ran into on this car was jacking points. On every other car I've had, both front and rear can be jacked centrally with a normal jack, and usually from somewhere easy to reach. A RWD car can be jacked from the rear pumpkin, and a trailing-axle FWD car can be jacked from the weird L-beam thing. The MZ5 is a bit dumb because I have to put the front on ramps and then reach way inboard to the rear of the front subframe, but the back can be jacked straight from the ground, from the middle of the IRS assembly. Not so on the 3! They put the exhaust pipe going right under the middle of the IRS, and I'm not sure there's clearance for the saddle of the floor jack between the LCAs even without the exhaust there. I ended up jacking one side, then the other from the pinch welds whilst having fantasies of that crazy portable scissor-lift thing the Mighty Car Mods guys have. How do other owners do it?
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- 2016 GT ST 47A
Replaced the rear springs on our sons 2008 yesterday afternoon. It failed inspection as the DS spring rusted in two. I asked him if he felt any difference in the ride or heard any noises and he said, no. 
I ordered a pair of Moog springs, part# 81003, from Rock Auto for $65.49 and planned on replacing them on my next Friday off.
Given the car has 188K miles and 16 NE PA winter's, I spayed the LCA bolts and rear endlinks with some penetrating oil every night for a week. Lol
It paid off as the bolts broke free with hand tools and a little elbow grease. I thought for sure that I was going to be cutting those endlinks off.
When I popped the PS rear spring out, I found it too had broke. The bottom coil was still sitting in the perch!
Went for a drive around the neighborhood, looking for bumps and everything felt good and there were no clunking noises.
He later drove to Target and when he got home, he commented how much better the ride felt.
DS on the left, PS in the middle and the new Moog on the right.
I ordered a pair of Moog springs, part# 81003, from Rock Auto for $65.49 and planned on replacing them on my next Friday off.Given the car has 188K miles and 16 NE PA winter's, I spayed the LCA bolts and rear endlinks with some penetrating oil every night for a week. Lol
It paid off as the bolts broke free with hand tools and a little elbow grease. I thought for sure that I was going to be cutting those endlinks off.
When I popped the PS rear spring out, I found it too had broke. The bottom coil was still sitting in the perch!
Went for a drive around the neighborhood, looking for bumps and everything felt good and there were no clunking noises.
He later drove to Target and when he got home, he commented how much better the ride felt.
DS on the left, PS in the middle and the new Moog on the right.
I've installed a cold air intake, short throw shifter, wrapped my interior trim pieces and currently upgrading to android auto
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- 2016 GT ST 47A
@Pixelforce Post up some pics of the interior trim pieces. Would like to see what you wrapped and the color you chose. What HU are you upgrading to?
