yeah, with how many mods?
Saskatchewan17
Member
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- 2008 TR Mazdaspeed 3
I'm saying that the dealer still covered it under warranty and that is pretty amazing.
Cataphract_40
Knock Retard
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- 2008 Mazdaspeed3
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- 2010 Mazda CX-9 GT Dolphin Gray
25k
08 GT. Had bad rear strut. Replaced under warranty. All other TSB's were performed by dealership. Just yesterday had the airbag light come one. End up being a loose connection on the passenger's seat cured by reseating the connector.
No mods. I have a lot of fun with this car when I need to reduce stress. And it's a nice DD when I just need to get from point A to point B.
Those of you who complain that this car is a ticking time bomb need to get a grip on what to expect from a 23K car. It's been said before if you want to mod and remain reliable either get a professional tune or buy a STi or Evo.
THERE IS A REASON YOU PAY AN EXTRA 10+K FOR THOSE CARS. Christ, Edmunds had an 80K GT-R that had more reliability issues than our cars and it's 3x the cost.
I also have a A1 dealership, which in many cases is half the battle because it doesn't matter what car you drive, it will eventually need repair. EVERY mechanical product needs repair/maintenance.
The only compaints I have is the suspension is a bit harsh and there are creaks that come and go with the weather. I also wish I had more room at times, which is one reason I may move to a Mz6 V6 for my next car. Other than that I think it's a great package for the money.
I want to see some numbers for the mechanical failures for the MS3. New posts are consistently made to lash out at these failures, so I think it would be good to get some numbers on who has had problems, and who hasn't. We all know the common issues and fixes, so let me define mechanical failure as an issue which required dealer or warranty service to restore the vehicle to safe operation. Also, if it could have been prevented by routine maintenance, it's not a mechanical failure in my book!
I will start with: I have a stock '07 MS3 with no performance modifications and 40k miles on the clock. Normal preventative maintenance and no major or even minor mechanical problems.
08 GT. Had bad rear strut. Replaced under warranty. All other TSB's were performed by dealership. Just yesterday had the airbag light come one. End up being a loose connection on the passenger's seat cured by reseating the connector.
No mods. I have a lot of fun with this car when I need to reduce stress. And it's a nice DD when I just need to get from point A to point B.
Those of you who complain that this car is a ticking time bomb need to get a grip on what to expect from a 23K car. It's been said before if you want to mod and remain reliable either get a professional tune or buy a STi or Evo.
THERE IS A REASON YOU PAY AN EXTRA 10+K FOR THOSE CARS. Christ, Edmunds had an 80K GT-R that had more reliability issues than our cars and it's 3x the cost.
I also have a A1 dealership, which in many cases is half the battle because it doesn't matter what car you drive, it will eventually need repair. EVERY mechanical product needs repair/maintenance.
The only compaints I have is the suspension is a bit harsh and there are creaks that come and go with the weather. I also wish I had more room at times, which is one reason I may move to a Mz6 V6 for my next car. Other than that I think it's a great package for the money.
C
cymx5
I donno. When I pay over $20,000 for anything, I expect it to run like a top unmodified for a very long time.
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- 2010 Mazda CX-9 GT Dolphin Gray
Yeah...
Maybe if you bought a Corolla or a Civic or a Mz3, but you bought a well-designed 263hp performance car with a decent interior that was built to a price point.
Also the majority of the MS3's are reliable and long-lasting. The blown struts, smoking turbos and other incidental parts issues are a side effect of building an inexpensive, but complicated product. What you're seeing on the forums are a relatively low percentage of failures which from a mass production scale are merely down in the statistical noise floor. The only big issue with a car like the MS3 is that it's affordability lures in the young and inexperienced gear heads who can afford a 23K car but don't mod carefully. And forums such as this don't give you insight into the real story behind these "problems" beyond what you get from the mouth of the person who may not be a 100% truthful or accurate about their situation.
Bottom line: take it with a grain of salt and combine what is said here with real statistical info.
Maybe if you bought a Corolla or a Civic or a Mz3, but you bought a well-designed 263hp performance car with a decent interior that was built to a price point.
Also the majority of the MS3's are reliable and long-lasting. The blown struts, smoking turbos and other incidental parts issues are a side effect of building an inexpensive, but complicated product. What you're seeing on the forums are a relatively low percentage of failures which from a mass production scale are merely down in the statistical noise floor. The only big issue with a car like the MS3 is that it's affordability lures in the young and inexperienced gear heads who can afford a 23K car but don't mod carefully. And forums such as this don't give you insight into the real story behind these "problems" beyond what you get from the mouth of the person who may not be a 100% truthful or accurate about their situation.
Bottom line: take it with a grain of salt and combine what is said here with real statistical info.
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MS3JamOnIt
Member
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- 2007 Mazdaspeed3
44,000 miles and not one problem. Great car, I enjoy driving it, never get sick of the car. I try to not to drive it too much at this time of the year. I have an old Expedition that I drive when it's snowing.
07 MS3, Mazdaspeed CAI, Mazdaspeed CBE, Mazdaspeed coilovers, TWM short shifter and bushings, SU rear engine mount, Hotchkins RS, Cobb shifter weight, Cobb turbo intake, Goodridge stainless steel brake lines, Motul RBF600 brake fluid, Hawk plus pads (track only), RE-01's (track only), Dashhawk, Fuel-Filler door.
07 MS3, Mazdaspeed CAI, Mazdaspeed CBE, Mazdaspeed coilovers, TWM short shifter and bushings, SU rear engine mount, Hotchkins RS, Cobb shifter weight, Cobb turbo intake, Goodridge stainless steel brake lines, Motul RBF600 brake fluid, Hawk plus pads (track only), RE-01's (track only), Dashhawk, Fuel-Filler door.
many problems
lets see where do we begin? It's on 07 now with 44,000 and just a rear engine mount.
VVT actuator
some fuel sensor
3 blown struts, all at different milege
front sway bar mount (at least that darn cold squeeking is gone)
front sway bar links
cv boots on left axle, inner one was leaking
Today is a dead car with a bad purge valve and throttle body, its sitting at the dealer.
lets see where do we begin? It's on 07 now with 44,000 and just a rear engine mount.
VVT actuator
some fuel sensor
3 blown struts, all at different milege
front sway bar mount (at least that darn cold squeeking is gone)
front sway bar links
cv boots on left axle, inner one was leaking
Today is a dead car with a bad purge valve and throttle body, its sitting at the dealer.
C
cymx5
Over 20k miles on them? Factory shocks/struts typically are worn out by 30k miles.
Can you explain more?
Can you explain more?
Saskatchewan17
Member
- :
- 2008 TR Mazdaspeed 3
9,7xx miles. Bad pulley tensioner.
squidmotion
Member
21k... k&n filter is only mod... 5k oil changes with valvoline 5W30 synth.
not a problem...
not a problem...
bradboyd80
Member
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- '12 Velocity Red MS3
Just bought my MS3 yesterday. Seems to run perfectly, but this thread scares me. LOL. (nailbyt)
12.5k in 19 months of ownership. fail has been rearing its head for a while (right now its the hks ssqv surging), waiting for the big one........
previous fails:
p2187 code after sri & tip install
bad Protune - 22psi, 9.xx afrs....boom in the making
cpe rmm - took 2 hrs cuz the motor refused to line back up
swaybars - dont even get me started...back was easy, front.....yea.....creaking like a b**** within 3 days
hks bpv - fail currently going on
previous fails:
p2187 code after sri & tip install
bad Protune - 22psi, 9.xx afrs....boom in the making
cpe rmm - took 2 hrs cuz the motor refused to line back up
swaybars - dont even get me started...back was easy, front.....yea.....creaking like a b**** within 3 days
hks bpv - fail currently going on
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Darth Vader
Member
Only fail so far is my CDFP to keep up with the flow mods. Now that's fixed, the car is transformed. (drive2)
2/07 build date original owner. No problems but the nut loosening in the right rear and clunking the first month. Fixed it myself with red loctite. Oh, i have gone through three sets of tires. I was rear ended pretty good. The head restraints have never been the same but did replace the seat rails that tore out. 53,000 or so miles. The last time i went to the track i could tell the clutch was not happy. But we were playing with 21lbs of boost just for fun. The clutch is still ok for the street and normal boosting but it will need an upgrade. i must be lucky because i have seriously abused my little sweetheart and drive the snockers out of her mostly. No failures or shop repair time. Stock internals and most bolt ons, well, bolted on. I am a poster child for Mazdaspeed 3s everywhere. Best car i have owned for the purpose i bought it. To drive fast and take chances. I look forward to building an mzr motor in the future.
ZoomZoomPSSH
Member
no problems on mine besides a faulty gas cap. other minor things. noise from the seatbealt. i could fix it but been lazy.
as far as mechanical...no issues. 15k miles
as far as mechanical...no issues. 15k miles
