anyone else nervous about the car?

[intak3_bLkMs3]

it seems everywhere i turn everyone is parting out the ms3 and selling to get something else. it seems all the blowing up story's have scared people out of wanting the car. i am actually in the same boat. im considering selling it for a 350z next spring... anyone else in the same situation? anyone else willing to put there 2 cents in to prevent me from selling it? i love the car but im scared that even with minor mods im gonna throw a rod =(

[eg6motion]

Well, small piece of advice is that you have to remember that nobody creates a thread saying "I have X amount of mods, X amount of miles, and my engine runs great!". Goes with any forum or board. The number of people out there with perfectly fine MS3's is far greater. There's also a large number of them that will never visit an MS3 board, and still have mods.

[GoFast]

Well, small piece of advice is that you have to remember that nobody creates a thread saying "I have X amount of mods, X amount of miles, and my engine runs great!". Goes with any forum or board. The number of people out there with perfectly fine MS3's is far greater. There's also a large number of them that will never visit an MS3 board, and still have mods.

ed zachery!

i think this paranoid thing is ridiculous. You are on a forum where people mod the hell out of their car and when something breaks they post up. people dont come on forums to talk about how wonderful there car is. if that was the case each person would have 5 posts not 800, 1000, 2000, etc...

if you want to feel better about your car get off the forums and quit getting all scared about every little thing.

like i said in the other thread that this thread obviously is stemming from. if you want to ditch the MS3 because of your ridiculous paranoia, fine. one less paranoid MS3 owner as far as I am concerned. but if you buy a 350z or any other car, stay off the forums because you will get all paranoid about that car too.(dark)

[mordant80]

Man, you just can't be paranoid about this stuff. If it happens it happens. I saw somewhere that there were quite a few of the new WRX's having problems with spun bearings at very low miles. All cars have their problems, sure some more than others. I've seen in magazines our car getting very good reliability ratings. Just enjoy the car man, motors let go occasionally, this is with any car. Give ya an example, I have a buddy with a 99 suburu imprezza RS.. It's on it's third motor, less than 200k on the car, then another guy I know has another 99 imprezza RS, car has over 300k miles on the original motor. Both are pretty hard on the cars and autocross.

Basically all i'm saying is don't let yourself be paranoid, it's not worth it. Shit happens, ya know?

[AutoXRacer]

I feel the same way... Every time I drive my car and see the stupid KR alert flashing, I cringe and ask myself "now?", is it going to blow now?

I really like this car, other than the whole KR issue, suspension crapping out at 25K, and that its FWD.

I've had numerous thoughts of trading it in for something else... But whats out there thats under $25K, 4 doors, with 300WHP? Nothing...

So I guess I'll stick with it as long as I can... I don't think I'll keep it as long as I did my previous car (Mazda Miata w/240K miles) though.

And I agree, there is a small percentage of "blown engines" compared to the vast number of MS3 overall...
Plus we don't really know how the "blown engine" cars were treated...what kind of maintenance was performed and what quality/grade of oil was used, quality of mods, etc...

I race mine 3-4 times a month, drive it to work every day, and go on road trips on none race days... Yeah, my suspension is crapped out at 31K miles, but other than that...its been great!!

[Alexsered]

I'm going to be buying the 370z next year, has nothing to do with my mazdaspeed3. It already has 47,000 miles on it and nothing is wrong.

[DaleNixon]

My car has been rock solid and I plan on driving it for 100,000+ miles with simple bolt on mods... nothing extreme.

The paranoia thread I started is simply about me being worried about my intake. I'm going to remedy that by replacing it with a better-researched intake... not the entire car.

[wisniaPl]

i just bought txs fmic and side mounts

[GoFast]

My car has been rock solid and I plan on driving it for 100,000+ miles with simple bolt on mods... nothing extreme.

The paranoia thread I started is simply about me being worried about my intake. I'm going to remedy that by replacing it with a better-researched intake... not the entire car.

I dont think that your thread is the one that bred this ridiculous thread.

[DaleNixon]

Gotcha. I just wanted to add that I don't want my thread being construed as one that inspired this one.

[intak3_bLkMs3]

thanks guys i guess i have alot to consider.. maybe my coming hks bov will lighten me up a bit yay=)

[GoFast]

thanks guys i guess i have alot to consider.. maybe my coming hks bov will lighten me up a bit yay=)

lmgdao thats the way to feel less paranoid about your car breaking....mod it!!! brilliant!(uhm)

[PCspeed3]

Just do what I am doing, do Cobb's modifications and be done with it. They have done the reaserch and know whats up. When you get poeple cranking up the boost and trying to get bigger fuel pumps and all that jazz, thats when shit starts knocking and blowing up. Im no expert but I do know that Cobb has dyno'd thier MS3 anywhere from 500-1000 times and they track the shit out of it and it has yet to blow up or weaken, thats all on stock internals as well, and its because they know the cars limits and how to keep it safely within that range. All these poeple that are running Catless DP and FMIC's cranking up the boost without tunes (or shitty tunes) should almost expect their engine to blow. The bottom line is that the DISI injection system is fairly new to tuners and we need to give them awhile to figure it out before we go mod crazy. Just my small rant. Let the flaming begin!

[SPEED3TYPE2]

I feel the same way... Every time I drive my car and see the stupid KR alert flashing, I cringe and ask myself "now?", is it going to blow now?

I really like this car, other than the whole KR issue, suspension crapping out at 25K, and that its FWD.

I've had numerous thoughts of trading it in for something else... But whats out there thats under $25K, 4 doors, with 300WHP? Nothing...

So I guess I'll stick with it as long as I can... I don't think I'll keep it as long as I did my previous car (Mazda Miata w/240K miles) though.

And I agree, there is a small percentage of "blown engines" compared to the vast number of MS3 overall...
Plus we don't really know how the "blown engine" cars were treated...what kind of maintenance was performed and what quality/grade of oil was used, quality of mods, etc...

I race mine 3-4 times a month, drive it to work every day, and go on road trips on none race days... Yeah, my suspension is crapped out at 31K miles, but other than that...its been great!!

(hand) You Autox race all the time you can't expect your suspension to be like new. I have almost 50,000miles and my suspension is perfect.. Not to mention I have had no issues with my car its perfect..

[mo08ms3]

but if you buy a 350z or any other car, stay off the forums because you will get all paranoid about that car too.(dark)

I totally agree with this. Its so true

[robin2660]

Well, small piece of advice is that you have to remember that nobody creates a thread saying "I have X amount of mods, X amount of miles, and my engine runs great!". Goes with any forum or board. The number of people out there with perfectly fine MS3's is far greater. There's also a large number of them that will never visit an MS3 board, and still have mods.

Me first: I've got 19K on my '07 and have had no problems other than the cowl rattle and the end-link problem in the rear. Then again, I'm completely stock save side molding and "mazdaspeed3" emblem delete.

[Bonafide_Spd3]

I'm not worried about my car blowing up, the only thing I'm worried about is the stock motor mount breaking. I think my car runs better than the day I bought it

[zim]

the one reason I absolutely love honda's is this reason. I never felt nervous about my civic breaking because if something broke it would be so cheap to fix and I could probably do it myself. I'm honestly nervous about the ms3 reliability but I'm still going to drive the balls off it until my warranty. if it's going to break (what I mean by break is catastrophic engine failure of some sort) it's going to be before 75,000 hopefully. it's pretty pathetic though that mazda would not do forged internals on a damn turbo car, it makes no sense unless they were trying to save money. it's also pathetic that some stock ms3's are blowing up for stupid reasons.

I'm definitely not going to dump much money into this car though, just simple bolt-ons. it's going to cost too much money to yield anything decent and I'm happy with the way it is now. it's enough for the street.

if I want speed I'll get a bike, which I'm planning on doing.

[240ka]

if i sell my MS3 it will prolly be for the Genesis Coupe but the MS3 isnt going anywhere anytime soon

[///M Compact]

In 26,000 miles my dead stock MS3 has needed a new turbo and a new LF strut. I was planning on using it as my daily driver and track rat for five or more years, but at this point I'm about 99% sure that I don't want to take the chance. I'm not nervous, but I have very little confidence in the long term reliability of this car- and as a result I doubt that I'll keep it much longer.

[FMOS Racing]

The only thing I've seen so far that makes me nervous is that driver's side mount since I drag race the car a lot. That's a cheap fix, though.

I've seen people here get all bent out of shape about the strangest things, even speculation caused by lack of understanding and rumor. Honestly, this site is the worst for it that I've encountered anywhere.

[Alexsered]

I just don't get it, why are people so nervous when they KNOW they are modding thier car and are drag racing, and autocrossing the cars. When you are doing those things, I don't care what car you have, it just wont last as long. Drive the car for what it was made for. Light modding and spirited driving or else expect to be changing internals and fuel pumps and crap like that. Commen sense people.

[mckraut]

28k miles and I only had the cowl rattle, which I fixed myself.

[Moultese]

I'm not nervous. I have a warranty ;)


But seriously though, it does concern me a bit that people seem to be lightly modifying their car, or push it to it's limits and shit starts breaking. It's like we're driving the new GT-R or something.

[AutoXRacer]

(hand) You Autox race all the time you can't expect your suspension to be like new. I have almost 50,000miles and my suspension is perfect.. Not to mention I have had no issues with my car its perfect..

Are you sure? Because people with 15K are complaining about bottoming out. I think you are just used to it and don't realize the state of you suspension.

Multiple vendors have dissected the dampers and have stated they are the worst OEM dampers they have seen!! Maybe you got an odd ball.

[AutoXRacer]

I just don't get it, why are people so nervous when they KNOW they are modding thier car and are drag racing, and autocrossing the cars. When you are doing those things, I don't care what car you have, it just wont last as long. Drive the car for what it was made for. Light modding and spirited driving or else expect to be changing internals and fuel pumps and crap like that. Commen sense people.

Wrong!!! I modified my 99 Miata which I bought with 27K miles... I raced it for 6 years consecutively between 2-4 times a month, drove it everyday to school and work, and took roads trips all the time...I traded her in with +203K miles and not one failure while I owned her...not one!!!

So you tell me...

[Alexsered]

Are you sure? Because people with 15K are complaining about bottoming out. I think you are just used to it and don't realize the state of you suspension.

Multiple vendors have dissected the dampers and have stated they are the worst OEM dampers they have seen!! Maybe you got an odd ball.

off subject AutoXRacer, but what would you say needs aftermarket work done to the suspension? I feel the bottoming out, and just wondering what parts you recommend?

[Alexsered]

Wrong!!! I modified my 99 Miata which I bought with 27K miles... I raced it for 6 years consecutively between 2-4 times a month, drove it everyday to school and work, and took roads trips all the time...I traded her in with +203K miles and not one failure while I owned her...not one!!!

So you tell me...

Miata's are rock solid though, and modifieing is one thing, but modifieing and driving it on autocross, or track days and stuff like that, a car will not last as long. You have to expect that when you are racing, that stuff will blow, or stuff will break in the car, you don't go racing and expect the car to be perfectly fine the next day as if you didn't take the car through the hardest driving it will ever see.

[AutoXRacer]

off subject AutoXRacer, but what would you say needs aftermarket work done to the suspension? I feel the bottoming out, and just wondering what parts you recommend?

I'm actually currently looking myself... Definitely the utter most thing that needs to go is the dampers/shock/struts. You could live with the springs, but they are a little too soft; especially the rear ones.

There have been a few that have upgraded to the Koni FSD for stock replacements and for autocross/track with performance springs the Koni Sports (Yellows). I don't know of any other company making struts/shocks specifically for our cars.

If you wanted to go with coilovers, there are a lot more choices; BCs, Mazdaspeed, HKS, Tien, etc...

Seems like Mazdaspeeds are the favorites, but BCs are very close behind being much cheaper in price.

Does that help?

I want the Koni Sports (yellows), but I don't want the stock springs... So I am stuck; the Eibach Pros are the only ones I'd consider right now, but they are also too soft in the rear...much better than stock though. CP-E is designing a spring to be matched with the Koni Sports for our cars... I might wait for those...if not, I'm might settle on the BC coilovers. It will be about the same price either way.

[AutoXRacer]

Miata's are rock solid though, and modifieing is one thing, but modifieing and driving it on autocross, or track days and stuff like that, a car will not last as long. You have to expect that when you are racing, that stuff will blow, or stuff will break in the car, you don't go racing and expect the car to be perfectly fine the next day as if you didn't take the car through the hardest driving it will ever see.

I do... Autocrossing will not stress out your vehicle; the tires will take a beating and the brakes will slightly wear a little more. But thats it.

A bone stock car should handle autocross just fine and live to its expected max life. Tracking is slightly more abusive though and its totally at a different level than autocrossing.

Autocrossing with the exception of tires is perfectly safe and will not induce premature wear on anything other than tires, suspension, and brakes. Remember, average speed in autocross is like 40 mph...

[Moultese]

I do... Autocrossing will not stress out your vehicle; the tires will take a beating and the brakes will slightly wear a little more. But thats it.

A bone stock car should handle autocross just fine and live to its expected max life. Tracking is slightly more abusive though and its totally at a different level than autocrossing.

Autocrossing with the exception of tires is perfectly safe and will not induce premature wear on anything other than tires, suspension, and brakes. Remember, average speed in autocross is like 40 mph...

Depends on what kind of car you drive (rlaugh)

But yeah, I autocrossed and daily drove my Focus for 5 years and never had to replace anything earlier than I should have.

[Alexsered]

I do... Autocrossing will not stress out your vehicle; the tires will take a beating and the brakes will slightly wear a little more. But thats it.

A bone stock car should handle autocross just fine and live to its expected max life. Tracking is slightly more abusive though and its totally at a different level than autocrossing.

Autocrossing with the exception of tires is perfectly safe and will not induce premature wear on anything other than tires, suspension, and brakes. Remember, average speed in autocross is like 40 mph...

Mazda used to do a cool autocross event around the country where you could come and autocross thier new cars for free (thats where I drove the speed6 for the first time) but they stopped doing that and from talking to reps was because the cars just did not last, even when I was there, cars were breaking down. Most of the people there were pretty experience autocross racers, so I don't think these cars could handle that much pounding, it might be just 40mph, but I would assume most people stay in the higher revs to be able to stay in the powerband.



I'm not sure what to do with the suspension either. An entire aftermarket kit is pretty pricey, and since I don't track the speed3, I don't think I would invest that much into it. The suspension on this car is probably what I know the least about the Mazdaspeed3. But I know I want to do something.

[DaleNixon]

I think 2 autocross days a month is much less abusive than the constant autocrossing Mazda was putting their cars through. Also, yea, look at Cobb's MS3... they've dyno'd it 1000 times. It's seen ridiculous amounts of track days. And they cannot kill it!

[AutoXRacer]

I think 2 autocross days a month is much less abusive than the constant autocrossing Mazda was putting their cars through. Also, yea, look at Cobb's MS3... they've dyno'd it 1000 times. It's seen ridiculous amounts of track days. And they cannot kill it!

I'm starting to see a light at the end of the MS3 tunnel... (lol2)
We need more posts like these... (2thumbs)

[ElGaspo]

slightly off-topic...i received the latest issue of "Winding Road" - an online car enthusiast magazine. this month the editors featured "The Dynamic Dozen - 12 cars we loved this year." Guess which car made the list? Just more proof that ppl who do this for a living agree our lil scooter is a great buy/value/ride. count me among the ppl who aren't nervous at all about the MS3, as long as it's not modded to beat the band.

I'm not a computer xpert like most of you guys are, so i hope this linkee workee...it's on pp 142-143. everybody have a wunderfull wkend! (yippy)(drunk)(cheers)(2thumbs)(headbang)

http://wrmag.nextautos.com/issue/41

[DaleNixon]

I'm starting to see a light at the end of the MS3 tunnel... (lol2)
We need more posts like these... (2thumbs)

In Cobb's own words:


Ultimately, we ended up with two 1st place finishes. We won the Street class by roughly 11 seconds, and the Modified class by nearly 2 seconds. In doing so, we continued the MS3’s torture of being completely beat on over and over. Not only has this poor car done over 1000 dyno pulls (yes, 1000…not 100 or 10), but it has been relentless Time Attacked, track driven, and daily driven since we purchased it nearly 2 years ago. This car is simply…amazing. Not only that (excuse what some may view as a marketing pitch), I don’t know anyone else that’s pushed this platform and their products to this extent. Believe me, it’s far less expensive to publish an engineering document than it is to push a car like this constantly… but our products (and car) have held up perfectly and we’ve learned things you just can’t experience in a controlled environment. This event was the FIRST TIME we’ve every had to actually work on it! Why? A power steering line to the rack worked itself loose. Nothing extraordinary.

[Alexsered]

In Cobb's own words:

I'm not a fan of COBB, but the speed3 is stronger than people give it credit here.

[F430TECH]

Mazda used to do a cool autocross event around the country where you could come and autocross thier new cars for free (thats where I drove the speed6 for the first time) but they stopped doing that and from talking to reps was because the cars just did not last, even when I was there, cars were breaking down. Most of the people there were pretty experience autocross racers, so I don't think these cars could handle that much pounding, it might be just 40mph, but I would assume most people stay in the higher revs to be able to stay in the powerband.



I'm not sure what to do with the suspension either. An entire aftermarket kit is pretty pricey, and since I don't track the speed3, I don't think I would invest that much into it. The suspension on this car is probably what I know the least about the Mazdaspeed3. But I know I want to do something.

I set the fastest time for the weekend at the Houston Event (burnout)

My girl at the time was only a couple of tenths behind me...

[Bravnik]

I'm trading mine in next summer, but not because I'm scared of it but because I have been wanting a new Camero SS from the first day I saw the pre-production model :)

[AutoXRacer]

slightly off-topic...i received the latest issue of "Winding Road" - an online car enthusiast magazine. this month the editors featured "The Dynamic Dozen - 12 cars we loved this year." Guess which car made the list? Just more proof that ppl who do this for a living agree our lil scooter is a great buy/value/ride. count me among the ppl who aren't nervous at all about the MS3, as long as it's not modded to beat the band.

I'm not a computer xpert like most of you guys are, so i hope this linkee workee...it's on pp 142-143. everybody have a wunderfull wkend! (yippy)(drunk)(cheers)(2thumbs)(headbang)

http://wrmag.nextautos.com/issue/41

How do you go about getting subscribed? I like the mag!!!

[Moxhair]

average speed in autocross is like 40 mph...

I don't know where you're autocrossing.

My last event I hit 85+mph going through the follow through. The average speed for the cars in the top 20 through that section were in the 80s. I hit 4th gear twice on the course.

The only thing that sucked hitting over 85 was the next corner was a hairpin and I had to go all the way back into 1st gear to get through it.

[ElGaspo]

i don't remember how i found out about winding road, but here's a link that should let you sign up. look in the top R corner

http://www.nextautos.com/Winding-Road-Magazine/

[mordant80]

I don't know where you're autocrossing.

My last event I hit 85+mph going through the follow through. The average speed for the cars in the top 20 through that section were in the 80s. I hit 4th gear twice on the course.

The only thing that sucked hitting over 85 was the next corner was a hairpin and I had to go all the way back into 1st gear to get through it.

Hehe, where are YOU autocrossing? I've never hit forth at any autocross, not even airport events using a whole landing strip. I hit third at maybe half the autocrosses and the other half I don't even get out of second.

[Moultese]

I've never had to go out of 2nd at any of the autocrosses around here, except for one event where I almost needed to shift to 3rd.

I wish I could participate in an event where I hit 4th, lol

[FMOS Racing]

He did say the AVERAGE speed was 40, not the top speed... 85 mph for 2 seconds, 20 mph for 3 seconds... time waited average of 46 mph...

[AutoXRacer]

i don't remember how i found out about winding road, but here's a link that should let you sign up. look in the top R corner

http://www.nextautos.com/Winding-Road-Magazine/

Sweet!!! Thanks!!! (2thumbs)

[AutoXRacer]

I don't know where you're autocrossing.

My last event I hit 85+mph going through the follow through. The average speed for the cars in the top 20 through that section were in the 80s. I hit 4th gear twice on the course.

The only thing that sucked hitting over 85 was the next corner was a hairpin and I had to go all the way back into 1st gear to get through it.


He did say the AVERAGE speed was 40, not the top speed... 85 mph for 2 seconds, 20 mph for 3 seconds... time waited average of 46 mph...

OK, OK... :rolleyes: maybe my math was a little off... geez!!

Point is, SCCA official rules (IIRC) is max speed should never exceed 55MPH or so...again IIRC.

In most autocrosses, I usually do not get out of second gear... When the site is larger, then a may briefly shift to 3rd for a few seconds. But I never, ever, been in 4th gear... (lol2)

Anyway, whether you're going 25 or 75...shouldn't our cars take that without something breaking, even if its on a weekend weekly basis for the life of the car...thats the point. (encourage

[///M Compact]

I DO understand that a car used for HPDEs will require more maintenance and possibly some additional repairs, but my MS3 has required almost $2500 worth of warranty repairs after just 26000 miles and one-ONE-HPDE.

[240ka]

I'm not nervous. I have a warranty ;)


But seriously though, it does concern me a bit that people seem to be lightly modifying their car, or push it to it's limits and shit starts breaking. It's like we're driving the new GT-R or something.

the new GT-R actaully isnt fragile. the transmissions in the first 1000 were but all the others after that arent.

the people who are complaining about busted transmissions 9 out of 10 times didnt break in the transmissions properly.

there is a guy here in orlando with a GT-R who is running 10's in his GT-R and said his transmission is fine. even with the amount of TQ he's putting down and he said hes using LC launching the shit out of the car hes putting well over 700ft lbs of tq down.


he actaully said he wants to break his transmission to rebuild it and make it stronger. but it doesnt seem to want to break.

so that shows right there there is nothing wrong with the GT-R or its transmissions. its peoples lack of reading the owners manual and failing to break the transmissions in properly

[AutoXRacer]

Who has one in Orlando that does 10s... Awe man, I'd love to see one up close...

[Moxhair]

Hehe, where are YOU autocrossing? I've never hit forth at any autocross, not even airport events using a whole landing strip. I hit third at maybe half the autocrosses and the other half I don't even get out of second.

South West Florida on a old Air Force base. The course is usually over a Mile long. I spend a majority of the time in 3rd gear.

[AutoXRacer]

South West Florida on a old Air Force base. The course is usually over a Mile long. I spend a majority of the time in 3rd gear.

Damn, that sounds like fun... Do they allow passengers during competition runs? When is your next event?

[mordant80]

South West Florida on a old Air Force base. The course is usually over a Mile long. I spend a majority of the time in 3rd gear.

Over a mile long.. sheesh. I'd be ready to go home just after walking the course. Does sound like a blast to drive though.

[intak3_bLkMs3]

im nervous cause i was planning on slappin on a fmic tbe intake and a tune... after seeing srt4's evo's sti's and all those cars do it i figured hey if its in the same class why should i have to worry?

[DaleNixon]

It would be interesting to see a list of "won't blow your shit up mods" vs. "you better build your motor and/or get a tune mods" for our cars.

I think an intake, cbe, shifter, and light suspension mods qualify as won't blow your shit up but what the hell do I know?

[Moxhair]

Damn, that sounds like fun... Do they allow passengers during competition runs? When is your next event?

Yes they allow passangers, and the next event is the first weekend of January IIRC


Over a mile long.. sheesh. I'd be ready to go home just after walking the course. Does sound like a blast to drive though.

Walking it is a pain in the ass. I usually have to take my notebook with me because my short term memory sucks, and its even worse after walking a mile.

[240ka]

Who has one in Orlando that does 10s... Awe man, I'd love to see one up close...

his name is JohnTurbo on www.na gtr oc.org.

his GT-R is black and he goes to Orlando speedway.

last time i checked he ran 10.8 at 129mph

[SwampAss]

The internet is full of arm chair quarterbacks and half truth hypothesizers.

It's a machine. If you take care of it, it will take care of you. If you beat it like a rented mule, you're going to have a working car for a shorter period of time. If you drive it spiritedly on occasion, don't go buck wild with mods, and fix little things before they become big things...it will love you long time.

Some people have had issues they shouldn't have. (smoking turbos, engine fall outs...) If you keep waiting to be one of those guys, you'll stress yourself out with chicken little syndrome. Your best bet is to sell the car and buy a 10 speed.

[DaleNixon]

I love you SwampAss :D

(No Homo)

[SwampAss]

we have something in common. (boom03)

[AutoXRacer]

Yes they allow passangers, and the next event is the first weekend of January IIRC



Walking it is a pain in the ass. I usually have to take my notebook with me because my short term memory sucks, and its even worse after walking a mile.


Hey PM me when you get the dates... I'd love to go out there at least once and experience it.

[AutoXRacer]

his name is JohnTurbo on www.na (http://www.na) gtr oc.org.

his GT-R is black and he goes to Orlando speedway.

last time i checked he ran 10.8 at 129mph

Damn, I live like right around the corner from OSW... Though I've only been 2-3 times... (lol2)

I'll have to keep my eye out for him...

[FMOS Racing]

I said "time WAITED average," I meant "time WEIGHTED average." Embarassed by homonyms...

[SwampAss]

That's ok. Every time I turn around...BAM! I over use onomatopoeia.

[Russm]

Just a thought!
I had a 02 Ford 1 ton Van while working for Snap On, going to work one morning I heard a pop and a cycleing hissing, turned around went home and found a spark plug had blown out, broke coil over. I talked to several of the Ford dealers around and they said they fix 2-5 of these a week on the 5.4 motors from I beleive 1999-06, there was an engeniring mistake that only left 3 coils for the spark plug to engage and be tite. The only fix was REMOVE the cylinder head from motor tap , helic coil and replace head, $2500 dollors with NO Warrantee because they said it was a 50/50 chance of that one going again or another one., moral, even a heavy duty truck can have problems, only hope there fixed befor you hit 100K .

[///M Compact]

Just a thought!
I had a 02 Ford 1 ton Van while working for Snap On, going to work one morning I heard a pop and a cycleing hissing, turned around went home and found a spark plug had blown out, broke coil over. I talked to several of the Ford dealers around and they said they fix 2-5 of these a week on the 5.4 motors from I beleive 1999-06, there was an engeniring mistake that only left 3 coils for the spark plug to engage and be tite. The only fix was REMOVE the cylinder head from motor tap , helic coil and replace head, $2500 dollors with NO Warrantee because they said it was a 50/50 chance of that one going again or another one., moral, even a heavy duty truck can have problems, only hope there fixed befor you hit 100K .


I agree, any vehicle can have problems, but this is the first car I've owned that has needed over $2000 worth of warranty work by 26,000 miles. As a matter of fact, some of the track rats that I've bought used haven't needed that much work.

[Rainman]

This thread reminds me of similar threads that cropped up when people first started modding their MSPs.

R

[GoFast]

This thread reminds me of similar threads that cropped up when people first started modding their MSPs.

R

i think this thread is stupid

[Betelgeuse]

I agree, any vehicle can have problems, but this is the first car I've owned that has needed over $2000 worth of warranty work by 26,000 miles. As a matter of fact, some of the track rats that I've bought used haven't needed that much work.

You're the exception that's all. There are people like you on every forum, even Honda....... just bad luck. Of course that doesn't excuse your issues, but it doesn't speak for the majority of ms3s either.

[Betelgeuse]

Are you sure? Because people with 15K are complaining about bottoming out. I think you are just used to it and don't realize the state of you suspension.

Multiple vendors have dissected the dampers and have stated they are the worst OEM dampers they have seen!! Maybe you got an odd ball.



I guess I do to. 45k and just had 5 people (including me) with stuff in the trunk and no bottoming out. The only time I bottomed out was when I went with slightly larger than oem tires. All it takes is fraction of a centimeter larger in diameter to start touching when going over humps. I don't autocross though, so if that's what you were referring to, then disregard.

[///M Compact]

This thread reminds me of similar threads that cropped up when people first started modding their MSPs.

R


Except that my heap is stock.

[FMOS Racing]

Russ, that was a common problem on the 5.4s until the end of the '03 MY. A seriously knuckleheaded bit of production there.

I've always had great luck with vehicles that other people have hated. My '91 SHO was perfect. '93 Probe had a series of problems with the POS Mitsubishi-sourced ignition, but after fixing it with some good ol' Autzone HEI parts, it's been perfect, though an axle needs replacing... the CV boot blew out 5 years ago and now its finally making noise - and that car has been autocrossed, open-tracked, drag raced and daily driven for 180K miles. I also have a 2002 TDI Jetta and except for the front windows falling out of their tracks (fixed in 30 minutes under a recall), I just did the first non-routine maintenance on the car, replacing the alternator - 160K miles on it.

I actually don't expect the same service from the MS3. I'll be pleased if I get it, but I suspect an economy car with this kind of potential is going to have its share of issues.

[coololddude]

I like the MS3 so much. Even if it did break down on the side of the road, I would sit in it till I died!

[Rainman]

The majority of people who have had this car and the MS6 have owned these vehicles without much drama. I have owned three Mazdaspeed vehicles and four Mazdas with only a few problems, none of which have been major. Nothing that I have heard or read about in any thread on these cars has ever had me particularly worried or wasn't quickly addressed by Mazda. I, for one, will continue to purchase Mazda vehicles, and in particular, Mazdaspeed vehicles because they have been good for me. I guess they can't always be that way for everyone.

I suspect that this thread will be closed soon.

R

[chaos4]

I have tracked my car for the whole time I have owned it. Currently 47,000 miles and I calculate about 6,000 of those are open track days at places like Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Mosport, Mont-Tremblant, etc. I ran my stock suspension for the first year and never experienced any problems. I fear not using this car as my track car and daily driver. I don't slam shift, which is a horrible way to treat a car. I have the stock shift linkage and it shifts smooth as butter. I just cannot find anything wrong with this car, except it won't sit still, too fun to drive!(drive) Oh, and one other minor operator responsibility problem: (five-0)

[///M Compact]

Well, I wish my car was exhibiting the reliability that the rest of you have experienced. It would also help if I had a decent dealer nearby; the two Louisville dealer(Oxmoor and Neil Huffman) are pathetic. I have to drive over 100 miles to Kings in Cincinnati to receive high quality service.