What have you done to your Mazda5 today?

[Secondtyme]

Looked at the tires and realized, to my horror, that they won't pass inspection when it comes due at the end of March. So I stand at the edge of a precipice, have to decide whether to replace tires at cost of roughly 450 bucks and keep car for another year. Or start looking for my next car, an option which will cause my wife to have a stroke. I've been on the fence about keeping the 5 for a while now, I love it to death, but its getting on in miles and I don't want to keep it too long and incur some horrendous expense that I will later regret. Countering that though is the FACT that the car has gone 214K (104K in my stewardship) without a hiccup costing more than 150 bucks. How do you get rid of a car that good?

 

[FiftySix]

It sure is hard to get rid of a car that is running well.

Since I hope to get 250,000 miles out of my 5, I'd be in the position to put on another set of tires if I had your 5.

 

[Secondtyme]

I'm kind of thinking that getting the tires and keeping the van is the way to go for me right now, even though I was looking at getting a different car sometime this summer. The 5 has been nearly flawless, is now paid for, and I just got new speakers and an amplifier for it that I haven't even installed yet. It seems stupid to get rid of such a great car just because I'm worried about something breaking. And I have a serious itch for a different car, doesn't this sort of thing usually happen in the spring? LOL

 

[chudzikb]

More cars have been traded or sold due "to the itch" than anything else. Makes no financial sense and usually defies all forms of reason, but, powerful it is! If you could find a "potion" to counter the itch, you would be a hero to many a car guy. (and their wifes)

 

[Db84drteg]

AWR rear endlinks installed onto the Progress 32mm MS3 bar

 

[crazyp8ntr]

Yesterday I painted my Bayson R front lip. Today I got tires mounted on my RX8 wheels,so later in the week I can paint them. I also installed a second gen PMM. My old one was shot.

 

[Primergy]

Valve cover gasket replaced.

 

[Komodo693]

Did an early 60k mile checkup, oil change, filters, trans fluid, and all 3 motor mounts. Changed the trans fluid at 30k looked like motor oil - these cars really need trans coolers - looks like I have a new project.

 

[Foolish]

Finally got the passenger side Speed3 seat installed, two months after the driver's went in:

..Also pulled the driver's seat out again and raised the front using washers and a longer bolt between the seat pan and the base:

Raised the front probably an inch or more:

The tilt it gives the base feels much better so far. We'll see how it is once I get more seat time with the new configuration.

 

[Secondtyme]

Were you having issues with thigh support? I ask because that is my principle issue with the stock seat, and would switch to the Speed3 unless it fails to solve the problem. My issue stems from the fact that the OE seat is 10 years old and the foam has collapsed in the base. It has actually gotten worse in the three years I have had the van. I gotta go to CarMax and sit in a Speed3 to see if the seats suit me or not....

 

[Foolish]

Were you having issues with thigh support?

Yeah, it took a while to figure out exactly what was making me so uncomfortable, and eventually I realized it was that I felt like I was almost falling off of the front of the seat, plus fatigue from essentially holding my legs up in the air above the clutch at all times. The Speed3 seat base is about an inch longer, which doesn't seem like much, but it seems to help. I think your best bet would be to try the spacer trick to raise the front of the seat. That seems to make almost as much difference as the longer seat, to me at least.

If you're ever headed toward DC and want to meet up and try my seats, you're totally welcome to come sit in them!

....And tonight, I wired in the seat heaters!

 

[Secondtyme]

Foolish, I sent you a PM. We here in the mid-atlantic are in for one hell of a snow-storm between tomorrow night and Sunday morning. I have parked my 5 (in the interests of NOT wrecking it LOL) and will be driving my beater Subaru for the duration of the crummy weather. I had to put a new battery in it last night in the dark and the snow flurries but she is ready for whatever comes now! Now if only OPM would get off the stick and close the govt for tomorrow I could maybe relax a little....

 

[torquelover]

Replaced the MZ5 yesterday. We knew this was coming as the kids grew older and our needs changed. It will still be in the family, we're gifting it to a less than fortunate family member.

New family vehicle is a '16 Oddysey EXL-Res. We originally looked at the MDX and Pilot and didn't like the direction Honda took with each one so we decided to snag a '16 at a discount before the new one comes out later in the year also based on the same platform and mechanicals.

Interestingly, we passed on the top trim Touring Elite as the steering, trans, suspension, and engine were tuned to be too sporty. It was noticeably louder, harder, busier with no improvement in actual steering feel, handling, or pickup. I was honestly surprised they felt so different.

 

[Komodo693]

Yesterday put on the snow tires and did donuts in the fresh snow [emoji41]

 

[Vasy]

Changed oil, now that it hit 70k km.
Was gonna wash it but could not found a good hose. Found one, but when I bent it, it just cracked in half (bang)
Hope to give it a good wash in a week or two.

 

[Swenny]

After being frustrated over not being able to find stuff easily, I finally made a divider for the storage space between the seats. Just used a bottle divider from a 12 pack of beer, measured the bottom dimensions, and cut

 

[Komodo693]

Changed the battery, had a bad cell. Yay maintenance. I am starting to like the look of the car with the black steelies, might have to make a change when the regular tires go back on.

 

[ratr0]

last week, overdue oil change, tire rotation, trans drain/fill, reclamped cv boot. took it to a local shop. too cold out for this stuff lately.

 

[j3nsmz5]

Did this over the weekend. Simple cheap mod that makes a difference.

 

[Secondtyme]

The suspense is killing me^^ What is this cheap mod that makes a difference that you speak of?