what a day !
16-Oct-2009, 10:44 PM
#1
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what a day !
So i just wanted to share my day today
I was going to dixie mall with my wife in my mazda 3 to buy some clothes for the winter , half way through i heard this awful sound comming from the rear . I wasnt sure what it wa so i pulled over in the first parking lot i see , as soon as i step out of my car i see that the right rear tire is bent , by vbent i mean the tire was not straigh , it was leaning against the shock ... I had this problem before ( not as bad ) and i pay like 400 to get it fixed and now again , so i called the tow truck to take it back to the shop where i had it fix ..
There goes 120 bucks in the tow truck , i m waiting for like 1 hour in the cold weather before my sister comes to pick me up so that i can go home pick up my civic and just wait for the two truck..
Finally my sister takes me home , i get my keys for the civic , start the car and as soon as a drive i hear this loud noise , it sounded like the transmission just fell and it was dragging , I get out and nothing is dragging so next thing that comes to my mind is the front shocks are gone..
I drive to the parking lot where my mazda 3 is and the stupid tow truck was running a bit late so i had to sit there for like another 45 minutes ..
To make matters worst i got laid off two weeks ago , i was doing so well saving up money and now i have my mazda 3 broken ( and who knows if the shop who fixed it last year is going to give me a discount for the same problem ) plus i have to take my civic to another shop and hope that is only the shocks ...
What a crappy day , and to think i spend the whole morning cleaning my condo and i was looking forward to buy some clothes for the winter .. I guess now all the money goes in the stupid car
i just felt like sharing that.. if its not the right section move it pls..
I was going to dixie mall with my wife in my mazda 3 to buy some clothes for the winter , half way through i heard this awful sound comming from the rear . I wasnt sure what it wa so i pulled over in the first parking lot i see , as soon as i step out of my car i see that the right rear tire is bent , by vbent i mean the tire was not straigh , it was leaning against the shock ... I had this problem before ( not as bad ) and i pay like 400 to get it fixed and now again , so i called the tow truck to take it back to the shop where i had it fix ..
There goes 120 bucks in the tow truck , i m waiting for like 1 hour in the cold weather before my sister comes to pick me up so that i can go home pick up my civic and just wait for the two truck..
Finally my sister takes me home , i get my keys for the civic , start the car and as soon as a drive i hear this loud noise , it sounded like the transmission just fell and it was dragging , I get out and nothing is dragging so next thing that comes to my mind is the front shocks are gone..
I drive to the parking lot where my mazda 3 is and the stupid tow truck was running a bit late so i had to sit there for like another 45 minutes ..
To make matters worst i got laid off two weeks ago , i was doing so well saving up money and now i have my mazda 3 broken ( and who knows if the shop who fixed it last year is going to give me a discount for the same problem ) plus i have to take my civic to another shop and hope that is only the shocks ...
What a crappy day , and to think i spend the whole morning cleaning my condo and i was looking forward to buy some clothes for the winter .. I guess now all the money goes in the stupid car
i just felt like sharing that.. if its not the right section move it pls..
16-Oct-2009, 11:07 PM
#2
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It happens. No car will ever not have any problems especially if its a few years old. One thing I love about having a new car is zero problems and if it does, I have roadside assistance and a warranty. When I did have older used cars, one of the first things I got was a CAA membership.
16-Oct-2009, 11:22 PM
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17-Oct-2009, 12:00 AM
#7
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Everyone has one of those days. Sucks about being laid off, I'm in the same boat, and am going through the skills development program. Just waiting to hear back from them, been waiting for about 2 months now.
17-Oct-2009, 11:42 AM
#8
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Was really surprised to hear that a car as new as your mazda 3 would have such a major break-down like that! What exactly happened to it? By the way you described it, sounds like one of the bolts that fasten the wheel hub/spindle to the strut broke or came out and allowed the wheel to camber-in until the wheel hit the strut....kinda scary. That sort of thing shouldn't happen to any car.
It sucks to have 2 cars break down at once...CAA is definitely worth every penny for sure.
Hope things turn around for ya, and that the repairs are not too expensive.
It sucks to have 2 cars break down at once...CAA is definitely worth every penny for sure.
Hope things turn around for ya, and that the repairs are not too expensive.
17-Oct-2009, 12:31 PM
#9
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I got an estimate to fix my mazda 3, total of 600 $ ... They have to change the struts , do a wheel aligment and something else. Parts itself are 450 and 150 for labour ..
The front bold joints in my civic are done so its gonna cost me around 150 to replace them ..
Total is 850 ( including the towing) , it sucks big time .. Although the cost to fix the mazda may be less the guy just gave me a rough stimate by looking at the wheel but he still has to take the wheel out to see the exact damage, he gave me an estimate for the worst case scenerao.....
My wife crashed the car last year (hit the car againt concrete in the parking lot), same tire that is broken now , so he is guessing that maybe there was some damage already done to the rear right side when my wife hit the car last year and he is thinking a year after the wheel just gave up ... Plus my wife drives to work in a bumpy road everyday so that may of add for the wheel to gave up ...
My mazda only has 75000 kms
As per the civic my mechanic told me , its the ball joints , he said they may only need to be grease but i have to take it in monday or tuesday so he can take the wheel out
The front bold joints in my civic are done so its gonna cost me around 150 to replace them ..
Total is 850 ( including the towing) , it sucks big time .. Although the cost to fix the mazda may be less the guy just gave me a rough stimate by looking at the wheel but he still has to take the wheel out to see the exact damage, he gave me an estimate for the worst case scenerao.....
My wife crashed the car last year (hit the car againt concrete in the parking lot), same tire that is broken now , so he is guessing that maybe there was some damage already done to the rear right side when my wife hit the car last year and he is thinking a year after the wheel just gave up ... Plus my wife drives to work in a bumpy road everyday so that may of add for the wheel to gave up ...
My mazda only has 75000 kms
As per the civic my mechanic told me , its the ball joints , he said they may only need to be grease but i have to take it in monday or tuesday so he can take the wheel out
17-Oct-2009, 01:37 PM
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My wife crashed the car last year (hit the car againt concrete in the parking lot), same tire that is broken now , so he is guessing that maybe there was some damage already done to the rear right side when my wife hit the car last year and he is thinking a year after the wheel just gave up ... Plus my wife drives to work in a bumpy road everyday so that may of add for the wheel to gave up ...
That explains it.
17-Oct-2009, 02:47 PM
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17-Oct-2009, 04:55 PM
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17-Oct-2009, 09:15 PM
#16
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compare to civics , corollas , tercels , elantras ... Mazda 3 comes with 160 hp and 150 torque stock.. If i ever wanted to get close to that i would have to get a GSR integra ...
Although the si ( 2004)has the same HP , it does not come close to the torque of the mazda 3, plus the si was a lot more expensive than the 3 .Not only that but the mazda 3 offers a lot more options and its pretty luxury in the inside if you compare it to the civic
For what it is , the mazda 3 its a pretty powerfull and good looking car , but reliability does leave a lot to be desired if i compared it to my honda civic ... Also fuel economy is not the best
20-Oct-2009, 11:35 AM
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compare to civics , corollas , tercels , elantras ... Mazda 3 comes with 160 hp and 150 torque stock.. If i ever wanted to get close to that i would have to get a GSR integra ...
- that 160hp comes from a big 2.3L...nothing spectacular...
Although the si ( 2004)has the same HP , it does not come close to the torque of the mazda 3, plus the si was a lot more expensive than the 3 .Not only that but the mazda 3 offers a lot more options and its pretty luxury in the inside if you compare it to the civic
- you also have to look at the weight of the vehicles, not just the power/torque. The Si is a bit lighter than the mazda 3 making the power to weight for both very similar. Although the mazda 3 is more practicle with 4 doors instead of the civics 2 doors...
For what it is , the mazda 3 its a pretty powerfull and good looking car , but reliability does leave a lot to be desired if i compared it to my honda civic ... Also fuel economy is not the best
- that 160hp comes from a big 2.3L...nothing spectacular...
Although the si ( 2004)has the same HP , it does not come close to the torque of the mazda 3, plus the si was a lot more expensive than the 3 .Not only that but the mazda 3 offers a lot more options and its pretty luxury in the inside if you compare it to the civic
- you also have to look at the weight of the vehicles, not just the power/torque. The Si is a bit lighter than the mazda 3 making the power to weight for both very similar. Although the mazda 3 is more practicle with 4 doors instead of the civics 2 doors...
For what it is , the mazda 3 its a pretty powerfull and good looking car , but reliability does leave a lot to be desired if i compared it to my honda civic ... Also fuel economy is not the best
To me, mazda's have the looks/design, but I wouldn't say they are "very powerful cars"...thats all.
20-Oct-2009, 12:40 PM
#18
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also you gotta rememer civic si does not compete with the 2.3 mazda 3... The civic si competes with the mazda speed 3 which comes with 265 HP and 280 Torque..
I agree witht he weight - power ratio , but i been in a lot of civics and trust me the mazda 3 does have a lot more torque, it actually feels more like a v6 at times...
However for me civics are still a better option , reliability , aftermarket support ( mazda 3 dont have much aftermarket) and the option of putting all these types of engines , parts etc , etc .. Plus fuel economy . Civics are still a better overall option
20-Oct-2009, 01:40 PM
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^^Yeah, I remember going for a ride in my friends brand new mazda 6 2.3L 5 speed back in 07. Very nice car, don't get me wrong. It felt very torquey and had a lot of low-end grunt, which made it feel powerful. And I know my b16 civic has absolutely NO bottom end, so in that respect, it does feel more powerful, and driving in stop light to stop light, the mazda 6 would probably easier to drive. But when it comes to all out performance, his 2.3 was no match for the top end strength and short ratio gears of the 00 SiR.
The mazda 2.3 does have nice grunt for daily driving, and if you look at thye Si as competing with the mazdaspeed3, the 2.3L mazda 3 doesn't really have any competition, which does put it a above the standard civic/corolla.
I'm enjoying this discussion...hehe...On the mazdaspeed3: I drove one at an autocross event this summer for a shootout event (all drivers drive the same car). My friend owns a new 09 chevy HHR SS.
Comparing these two without bias:
Mazdaspeed 3:
-2.3L turbo 4, 26Xhp, 28Xft-lbs torque
-Top mount IC
-6 speed
-weight ~3200lbs
HHR SS:
-2.0L turbo 4, 260hp, 260ft-lbs (his car dyno'd stock 250whp, 260ft-lbs @ wheels)
-front mount IC
-5 speed
-weight ~3200lbs.
Both weight about the same, both have similar power output (SS having a smaller displacement), both are fwd, both have direct injection, the mazda by far has the better styling inside and out. The SS is more understated and more of a 'sleeper'.
Where the 2 differ is in performance. Stock, I don't know who would win a drag race. In the corners, the mazda would win, purely on factory tire choice. Having driven both of these cars, the SS had a much more broad power band, pulling hard down low and all the way to the rev limiter. The mazda seemed to have a bit more lag down low and took a few seconds to come alive. The mazda's top mount intercooler hurts it in durability and efficiency, we had to retire the mazdaspeed half way through the day and it began to detonate due to severe heat soak under the hook. The HHR will not suffer this issue with it's front mount intercooler. The turbo might be better better sized to the engine in the SS, but the mazda felt like it had a little more top end was a little less conrtolable when the power hit....until my friend installed the GM stage 1 upgrade on his SS.
The kit was cheap considering what it did to the car. In consisted of a simple MAP sensor swap and ecu re-flash. The car now has the same quick spooling low end with an explosive top end. They estimate it brings it to 290hp and 315ft-lbs of torque...I believe it's close to that. In 3rd at 5000rpm the boost increases significantly and you feel a strong step in power as it pulls hard to the limiter at 6500. Even with an lsd, it hard to keep straight under hard acceleration.
I'm sure the mazda has similar kits/upgrades available, and with the addition of a front mount intercooler, I'd take the mazda over the HHR. In bone stock trim, my choice would be the SS.
The mazda 2.3 does have nice grunt for daily driving, and if you look at thye Si as competing with the mazdaspeed3, the 2.3L mazda 3 doesn't really have any competition, which does put it a above the standard civic/corolla.
I'm enjoying this discussion...hehe...On the mazdaspeed3: I drove one at an autocross event this summer for a shootout event (all drivers drive the same car). My friend owns a new 09 chevy HHR SS.
Comparing these two without bias:
Mazdaspeed 3:
-2.3L turbo 4, 26Xhp, 28Xft-lbs torque
-Top mount IC
-6 speed
-weight ~3200lbs
HHR SS:
-2.0L turbo 4, 260hp, 260ft-lbs (his car dyno'd stock 250whp, 260ft-lbs @ wheels)
-front mount IC
-5 speed
-weight ~3200lbs.
Both weight about the same, both have similar power output (SS having a smaller displacement), both are fwd, both have direct injection, the mazda by far has the better styling inside and out. The SS is more understated and more of a 'sleeper'.
Where the 2 differ is in performance. Stock, I don't know who would win a drag race. In the corners, the mazda would win, purely on factory tire choice. Having driven both of these cars, the SS had a much more broad power band, pulling hard down low and all the way to the rev limiter. The mazda seemed to have a bit more lag down low and took a few seconds to come alive. The mazda's top mount intercooler hurts it in durability and efficiency, we had to retire the mazdaspeed half way through the day and it began to detonate due to severe heat soak under the hook. The HHR will not suffer this issue with it's front mount intercooler. The turbo might be better better sized to the engine in the SS, but the mazda felt like it had a little more top end was a little less conrtolable when the power hit....until my friend installed the GM stage 1 upgrade on his SS.
The kit was cheap considering what it did to the car. In consisted of a simple MAP sensor swap and ecu re-flash. The car now has the same quick spooling low end with an explosive top end. They estimate it brings it to 290hp and 315ft-lbs of torque...I believe it's close to that. In 3rd at 5000rpm the boost increases significantly and you feel a strong step in power as it pulls hard to the limiter at 6500. Even with an lsd, it hard to keep straight under hard acceleration.
I'm sure the mazda has similar kits/upgrades available, and with the addition of a front mount intercooler, I'd take the mazda over the HHR. In bone stock trim, my choice would be the SS.
20-Oct-2009, 08:47 PM
#20
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I kind of agree with the 2.3 mazda 3 and the sir .. Even though the mazda 3 does feel more powerfull ( low end torque) it still seems that a civic si can reach 100 before the mazda 3 can.. Kind of weird but your explanation does make sense...
I personally dont like the design of the mazda speed , i dont like hatchbacks , although i have a softspot for the sir and the golf gti but aside from those i dont like the others...
Another car that i drove and it felt pretty powerfull is the 350z , i drove the speed3 before and the 350z felt more powerfull with bette handling...
I personally dont like the design of the mazda speed , i dont like hatchbacks , although i have a softspot for the sir and the golf gti but aside from those i dont like the others...
Another car that i drove and it felt pretty powerfull is the 350z , i drove the speed3 before and the 350z felt more powerfull with bette handling...
