How often are these things blowing up

[TUNGSTENGREYWIDOW]

Hey just a little curious if these motors are still time bombs waiting to pop? I really want this car but it seems that the issues /bugs have not fully been worked out yet by mazda. I'm just trying to see if I should go with the speed or the gti hence I can boost in 6th with it and i'm a very hard driver. I just want to enjoy my toy and not worry about it blowing up. Thanks for any help:)

[///M Compact]

Hey just a little curious if these motors are still time bombs waiting to pop? I really want this car but it seems that the issues /bugs have not fully been worked out yet by mazda. I'm just trying to see if I should go with the speed or the gti hence I can boost in 6th with it and i'm a very hard driver. I just want to enjoy my toy and not worry about it blowing up. Thanks for any help:)

Most all of the blown engines have been heavily modded and-usually-improperly tuned. I'd be looking at upgrading the internals if I wanted a MS3 engine that made much over 300 bhp. The only problem that stock and near-stock engines seem to experience is the infamous "smoking turbo" issue- and Mazda claims that they will have have a fix in @90 days. Just my $0.02...

[SDSpeed3]

Don't get one.

They are all blowing up!

Ticking time bombs, totally unsafe!

You engine will blow up or drop out of the engine bay.

Stay away!

[mortimersnerd]

I'm entertained that you're considering the GTI over a speed3 out of concern for reliability. The Mazda is a better made car, hands down. Check consumer reports or any similar site. VWs tend to have problems with electronics and similar expensive-to-fix stuff. The Speed is also a higher performance car. GTI drives well and is more comfortable, but is more of a GT. Great freeway car, not as much fun when riding it hard.

[FrigginGLI]

GTI and GLI are for grown ups.

[JCell]

yet they look like lil prius

[FrigginGLI]

(squinty)That one stung.

[djthom]

Most all of the blown engines have been heavily modded and-usually-improperly tuned. I'd be looking at upgrading the internals if I wanted a MS3 engine that made much over 300 bhp. The only problem that stock and near-stock engines seem to experience is the infamous "smoking turbo" issue- and Mazda claims that they will have have a fix in @90 days. Just my $0.02...

you don't know what you are talking about...
improperly tuned? wtf?! do some research...its the partial throttle knock or balance shaft or gremlins...no one has nailed it down...but don't paint the picture that these cars pop because people are modding and not tuning them correctly...stock and near stock motors are blowing too...this shows me that it is more complex than a tune...

to the OP
if you want a fun ass car with a pretty decent interior and the challenge of high hp/tq on a fwd car and the looming fear that your engine is doomed to pop if you mod it, then the mazdaspeed3 is for you.

before people get all angsty about me "slamming the speed3" know that i f'ing love this car. its retarded fun to drive with its tq steer but as much as i love it i do have that lingering fear that the engine will pop.


oh and to really get the 247 folk's panties all in a bunch...i like the gti!

[Circle9]

At least the Speed3's aren't blowing up as much as the WRX's.

[Sport6]

Don't get one.

They are all blowing up!

Ticking time bombs, totally unsafe!

You engine will blow up or drop out of the engine bay.

Stay away!

Run for your lives!

[TUNGSTENGREYWIDOW]

Thanks for the answers as well as the humor I got a good laugh out of it. I lingering more towards the GTI. I can do an APR stage2 and get the same power if not more than the speed and not worry about things blowing up. I hope mazda fixes the problem with the speed so I can then buy and beat the hell out of it. It also didn't help that the service dept. where I am buying from already said they are not mod friendly. So here is to my turbo prius I mean GTI:p

[///M Compact]

you don't know what you are talking about...
improperly tuned? wtf?! do some research...its the partial throttle knock or balance shaft or gremlins...no one has nailed it down...but don't paint the picture that these cars pop because people are modding and not tuning them correctly...stock and near stock motors are blowing too...this shows me that it is more complex than a tune...


Wow, so you know what you are talking about. I AM impressed...
In that case-since you've obviously done "some research"-you tell me:
What's the ratio of blown stock motors to blown modded-over 300hp-motors?
What percentage of MS3 motors have blown in total?
What percentage blew due to driver error?
Gremlins... yeah, that's it(scratch)

[djthom]

Wow, so you know what you are talking about. I AM impressed...
In that case-since you've obviously done "some research"-you tell me:
What's the ratio of blown stock motors to blown modded-over 300hp-motors?
What percentage of MS3 motors have blown in total?
What percentage blew due to driver error?
Gremlins... yeah, that's it(scratch)

good questions and good luck getting this data...

posting tough questions doesn't make your first statement right. do you have these figures? nope

its all speculation...and i disagree with your conclusions that people blow these b/c they can't tune correctly.

[irnbru83]

Stupidity abounds.

[eg6motion]

ugh. Either car will likely have an equal chance at blowing a motor IMO. Forums are made of up enthusiasts who mainly post when there is a problem or questions, not when things are running 100%. Also, on car forums, the % of people who are 100% bone stock is VERY small. You are better off reading Consumer reports reliability ratings and other 3rd party sites that actually study the data instead of forum members saying "this car is what jesus drives or this car is shit, it blew with 22lbs of boost, what a POS".

[TUNGSTENGREYWIDOW]

ugh. Either car will likely have an equal chance at blowing a motor IMO. Forums are made of up enthusiasts who mainly post when there is a problem or questions, not when things are running 100%. Also, on car forums, the % of people who are 100% bone stock is VERY small. You are better off reading Consumer reports reliability ratings and other 3rd party sites that actually study the data instead of forum members saying "this car is what jesus drives or this car is shit, it blew with 22lbs of boost, what a POS".

I agree with you 100% but being that I am buying a car to mod it I would like to know whats going on first hand from drivers on forums because they are enthusiasts. I looked at all things equal the gtii fsi guys have there problems too thats why I'm getting a tsi, but all in all you don't here about failed motors and service people trying not to fix it as much as you do with the speed. The service dept is a major part of my buying decidion even more so than the car itself. When you tell me you will refuse to work on my car ie a simple oil change because I changed a muffler to make my car a bit louder than stock thats BS to me. I know I could take the car else where but why should I have to inconvienced just because I'm an enthusiest. The speed3 is a great car and I love it, but if it's going to be a hassle just to get work done I rather not own the car and be hassle free. So I will take the less powerful car mod it and be happy, and my VW dealer is the best hands down. Everyone there is an enthusiest from the sells people to the techs. I spoke with service about the matter and they said, hell chip it we work on chipped cars all the time, just don't do anything stupid and you will be o.k. Thats what closed the deal for me. Thanks again for answering I am still a mazda lover but mazda needs to step it up or at least the dealers who represent them needs to.

[eg6motion]

I agree with you 100% but being that I am buying a car to mod it I would like to know whats going on first hand from drivers on forums because they are enthusiasts. I looked at all things equal the gtii fsi guys have there problems too thats why I'm getting a tsi, but all in all you don't here about failed motors and service people trying not to fix it as much as you do with the speed. The service dept is a major part of my buying decidion even more so than the car itself. When you tell me you will refuse to work on my car ie a simple oil change because I changed a muffler to make my car a bit louder than stock thats BS to me. I know I could take the car else where but why should I have to inconvienced just because I'm an enthusiest. The speed3 is a great car and I love it, but if it's going to be a hassle just to get work done I rather not own the car and be hassle free. So I will take the less powerful car mod it and be happy, and my VW dealer is the best hands down. Everyone there is an enthusiest from the sells people to the techs. I spoke with service about the matter and they said, hell chip it we work on chipped cars all the time, just don't do anything stupid and you will be o.k. Thats what closed the deal for me. Thanks again for answering I am still a mazda lover but mazda needs to step it up or at least the dealers who represent them needs to.

That's cool. The Dealers really can make or break a sale, even past the sales team. We have two local dealers that work with Mod's on Mazda's so I can see where you are coming from. I had a Lancer GTS before this and the local Mitsu dealer said they would void warranty even if you installed an intake...not if anything happened, or if you had a claim...they would immediately put a note in with their service department even if they saw it. That kind of practice made me sell.

[coololddude]

"Mod your engine and have some fun, and your Warranty will dial 911" Sorry I'm out of medications!!

[mzdaspd3]

hey. well i don't know what all these ppl are saying, but i would def choose hands down the MS3. I have had mine since jan 07 and haven't had any issues with it at all, besides the motor mount recall. this car has been sound and reliable. I have only the CAI on, but i haven't had any other issues and im nearing 65,000 miles!!!!

[tiagotiago]

I agree with you 100% but being that I am buying a car to mod it I would like to know whats going on first hand from drivers on forums because they are enthusiasts. I looked at all things equal the gtii fsi guys have there problems too thats why I'm getting a tsi, but all in all you don't here about failed motors and service people trying not to fix it as much as you do with the speed. The service dept is a major part of my buying decidion even more so than the car itself. When you tell me you will refuse to work on my car ie a simple oil change because I changed a muffler to make my car a bit louder than stock thats BS to me. I know I could take the car else where but why should I have to inconvienced just because I'm an enthusiest. The speed3 is a great car and I love it, but if it's going to be a hassle just to get work done I rather not own the car and be hassle free. So I will take the less powerful car mod it and be happy, and my VW dealer is the best hands down. Everyone there is an enthusiest from the sells people to the techs. I spoke with service about the matter and they said, hell chip it we work on chipped cars all the time, just don't do anything stupid and you will be o.k. Thats what closed the deal for me. Thanks again for answering I am still a mazda lover but mazda needs to step it up or at least the dealers who represent them needs to.

It's great that you found such a good dealership; If the VW dealership in my area would have been that good I'd probably bought a GTI too. That said, I owned a VW before the Speed and had a problematic relationship with the car mostly because of the dealership, and my experience with the speed3 (and the local Mazda dealership) has been problem free so far.

Tough if mods are important, then you made the right choice. That 2.0L TFSI has a lot of potential(as seen in Audis where that engine makes more than 200 hp), where as the 2.3 MZR DISI is running a bit more at it's limit from the factory.

Have a lot of fun with your new car.

[djthom]

I agree with you 100% but being that I am buying a car to mod it I would like to know whats going on first hand from drivers on forums because they are enthusiasts. I looked at all things equal the gtii fsi guys have there problems too thats why I'm getting a tsi, but all in all you don't here about failed motors and service people trying not to fix it as much as you do with the speed. The service dept is a major part of my buying decidion even more so than the car itself. When you tell me you will refuse to work on my car ie a simple oil change because I changed a muffler to make my car a bit louder than stock thats BS to me. I know I could take the car else where but why should I have to inconvienced just because I'm an enthusiest. The speed3 is a great car and I love it, but if it's going to be a hassle just to get work done I rather not own the car and be hassle free. So I will take the less powerful car mod it and be happy, and my VW dealer is the best hands down. Everyone there is an enthusiest from the sells people to the techs. I spoke with service about the matter and they said, hell chip it we work on chipped cars all the time, just don't do anything stupid and you will be o.k. Thats what closed the deal for me. Thanks again for answering I am still a mazda lover but mazda needs to step it up or at least the dealers who represent them needs to.

sounds like you are making the right decision for your situation!

[Russm]

If modding your car is important , buy a used car out of warranty and take the money you saved and use it to modify the car ! When you begin modding you might want to do what hot rodders have been doing for a long time and that is to start on the foundation of performance, harden your internals and drive train BEFORE you add power.
I have owned my MS3 for 16 months (49Kmiles) which is the same time I have been reading on this forum and I am constantly amazed how many people want to jump straight to HP gains without building a foundation under it.
I am also amazed how a number of adult car owners think that a dealership should embrace a customer who modifies their car expecting the dealership to keep it in repair regardless of mods. Take a Audi/Camaro/Porsche etc into the dealership with third party mods installed and the service manager will probably laugh you right of the shop.

I think as stated before that on these forums we see a lot of likeminded people who enjoy their car and run them pretty hard occasionally hence we probably only hear about a small percentage of MS3 owners, there are a lot of people out there that just bought the car and drive it normal (boring) and have few problems. The time bomb you talk about is just a small percentage of that smaller group.
I think you would find that if you mod your car to get 300HP, approx 14% increase, regardless of brand that you will see a higher percentage of those cars having problems as opposed to the cars left stock.

The funny thing is if you where to go to a national drag race/road race etc where people have spent a fortune to make their cars fast and last that they still regularly break.
The only sure way to avoid a time bomb is to walk or take a bus!

[TUNGSTENGREYWIDOW]

If modding your car is important , buy a used car out of warranty and take the money you saved and use it to modify the car ! When you begin modding you might want to do what hot rodders have been doing for a long time and that is to start on the foundation of performance, harden your internals and drive train BEFORE you add power.
I have owned my MS3 for 16 months (49Kmiles) which is the same time I have been reading on this forum and I am constantly amazed how many people want to jump straight to HP gains without building a foundation under it.
I am also amazed how a number of adult car owners think that a dealership should embrace a customer who modifies their car expecting the dealership to keep it in repair regardless of mods. Take a Audi/Camaro/Porsche etc into the dealership with third party mods installed and the service manager will probably laugh you right of the shop.

I think as stated before that on these forums we see a lot of likeminded people who enjoy their car and run them pretty hard occasionally hence we probably only hear about a small percentage of MS3 owners, there are a lot of people out there that just bought the car and drive it normal (boring) and have few problems. The time bomb you talk about is just a small percentage of that smaller group.
I think you would find that if you mod your car to get 300HP, approx 14% increase, regardless of brand that you will see a higher percentage of those cars having problems as opposed to the cars left stock.

The funny thing is if you where to go to a national drag race/road race etc where people have spent a fortune to make their cars fast and last that they still regularly break.
The only sure way to avoid a time bomb is to walk or take a bus!

Well said, I will take that into consideration being the process just got put on hold for a second. That's why I still love this forum lots of people with common sense.

[///M Compact]

It's great that you found such a good dealership; If the VW dealership in my area would have been that good I'd probably bought a GTI too. That said, I owned a VW before the Speed and had a problematic relationship with the car mostly because of the dealership, and my experience with the speed3 (and the local Mazda dealership) has been problem free so far.



I'd be driving a 2007 GTI today if the Louisville Ky VW dealers hadn't been so incompetent- on both the sales and service sides. That said, I still had to drive to Cincinnati to find a Mazda dealer with excellent sales and service practices(Kings Mazda).

[slowtege5]

It's a turbo car! There's always a chance, go n/a if you want to be safe.

[TUNGSTENGREYWIDOW]

My buddy today said I should just pay off my rabbit and mod the hell out of it.

[gonerogue]

My buddy today said I should just pay off my rabbit and mod the hell out of it.

Mod the hell out of a 5cyl Rabbit? Dunno if you should be listening to this buddy...if you're overly concerned with modding, pay off the Rabbit and save up for a project car. At least you'll have a dependable DD...while your VW is under warranty ;)

[TUNGSTENGREYWIDOW]

Mod the hell out of a 5cyl Rabbit? Dunno if you should be listening to this buddy...if you're overly concerned with modding, pay off the Rabbit and save up for a project car. At least you'll have a dependable DD...while your VW is under warranty ;)

The 2.5 5cyl has proved to be a good build for some. It produces good torque. I already have a project car going now. I just need a kickass daily driver that's all.

[dmclone]

I owned an 06 GTI w/dsg. I would say it is more reliable and the interior is better. With that being said, once I drove the MS3 I knew there was really no comparison. The MS3 is a beast that will put a smile on your face every time you drive it. The GTI is more like driving an Accord.