New to me: 2002 Protege5 - I have A LOT of questions

I recently totaled my 1995 Nissan Altima (low speed accident, no one was injured) that I had been driving for the past 14 years. It had just crossed the 200k mark and I loved that car so much! It had some quirks here and there but it was my baby. I live in the middle of nowhere but I had the opportunity to visit some family this past weekend in a major city and decided to shop around for a new car. Originally I was dead set on buying a newer Altima but after several hours of internet searches there was only one car that stood out for me. A quick test drive and I knew that we belonged together...

2002 Mazda Protege5 hatchback in white. 125k miles, automatic transmission, sunroof, front and rear disk breaks, 6CD player and tape deck (the Altima got 2 AM stations and that was it). The previous owner had done a lot of work to the car himself. Fixing rust spots (this car rusts a lot, I'm sure you guys are aware), he also included summer tires on the alloy wheels and winter tires with steelies, roof rack cross bars, remote start (I live WAY up north, major plus). It's pretty much everything that I was hoping for in a newer used car. I hope it's not against the rules to talk about prices, I'm new to car forums in general (not a lot you can do with a 95 Altima) but I paid 3.7k

Anyways, I'm glad to see you have the 2/AC setting thing stickied, that was one of the first things I noticed on my 320 mile trip back home. I got 28mpg btw, which is awesome. What I really want to know is...

What is AWESOME about this car and what SUCKS about this car? What do I need to know now to avoid problems in the future? I want to get this car up to 200k and beyond. I've never really worked on a car myself aside from changing an alternator but this car makes me want to get my hands dirty. What's the best way to handle the rust? Is it easy to do the breaks yourself? The power steering seems a little stiff, is that normal? The spare tire well gathers water, what's up with that? My father says that this is the last year that they manufactured the car in Japan, is that true? I'm taking the car to my trusted mechanic later this week for a look-over, anything specific I should have him check? My fog lamps don't work and I've switched out the fuse, will buying new bulbs work?

Also, I've been looking at some pictures and everyone's P5s look amazing! I can't wait to get the car to a stable place where I can afford to do some aesthetic modifications. I'm super excited to join your community, thank you in advance for being so helpful.

-Gravy

i love nissans i had a sentra go over 330k miles for me and to over 500,000 for the neighbor i sold it to. solidly built cars! mazdas are too.

on the p5 the engine is very reliable but the coil packs suck, just replace them now and get lifetime warranties (autozone in my area has them for $25 each) i have a stick shift but i have heard around here the automatics have transmission issues sometimes. get ngk iridium spark plugs when you do the plugs. when rear brakes need to be done you twist in the caliper not just push with c clamp just a word of warning. these cars are very reliable mechanically and mine has been in the family since 05 with very few issues. other than coil packs and some automatic transmission issues there really is not much else to warn you on. the h7 low beams can burn out quick but not too bad. the p5 is fun to drive but not fast. its a twisty road car not a drag racer. take it down your local country road and drive it hard you will have fun and be surprised by how good it feels in turns. get kyb or tokio struts when time comes for those.

The P5 ended production in 2003.
If you are looking for idea's on what can be done, do a search. Their are countless P5 builds.
IMO this is on of the sickest http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123838414-Circuit-s-03-5-Protege5
and one of the fastest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gHgey7NrRo

Watch out for the VICS issues. Mine fell outside the recall, but happened to my P5 just last week.

These cars LOVE EBC Greenstuff pads, little more dust, but will stop on a dime with them and any rotor (as already mentioned, you need to remove a bolt and spin a allen key screw on the back side of the rear calipers.
Also, get a set of braided lines for the brakes, work great to help tighten up pedal feel with the upgraded brakes. Use good quality brake fluid!!!

Replace the coil packs and pickup a set of magncore plug wires.

Racing beat cat back is a good little to no drone exhaust but growls. AEM CAI works well.

Grease the door hinges (try lithium grease) and use a little silicone on the window slides to keep those trouble free.

If you want an oil filter with a bit more capacity, try one that will fit a 1993 Ford Protege 2.0L. Same same, just a bit longer, need to check fit on the AutoTrans.

The WORST tire on this car so far has been Continental Contact Extreme DSWs. Yeah, awesome on other cars, suck on this one, sidewalls too loose for the zoom zoom, avoid here.

Paint is thin, it'll chip easy.

My condolences on the Auto, the manual transmissions are WAY more fun! But still enjoy the twistes with the P5.

Or the 2002 Mazda 626 V-6 oil filter

i use a bosch 3323 filter fits and is a bigger capacity than stock.

Suliman said:

Watch out for the VICS issues. Mine fell outside the recall, but happened to my P5 just last week.



The WORST tire on this car so far has been Continental Contact Extreme DSWs. Yeah, awesome on other cars, suck on this one, sidewalls too loose for the zoom zoom, avoid here.

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I have ht DSW, they are actually ok. they took some time to break in, and you must inflate them to 38-39 psi. the recommend by manufactured is too soft.

change the power steering fluid, flush it a few time and put new fluid.

hotcracker69 said:

I have ht DSW, they are actually ok. they took some time to break in, and you must inflate them to 38-39 psi. the recommend by manufactured is too soft.

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I tried that PSI and then ran max per sidewall, still felt like late turn it with these DSWs. WAY better and cheaper tires out there for the P5, but that's only my opinion.


Also, good call on the PS fluid.

If you love to drive you'll love this car! I got mine with 37K on it now I'm at 160k and can't get her to smoke even when I give her a good stompin'. Some early mods I did were very simple and I've never regretted: Injen cold air intake, 10-30w mobile one, and bosch platinums. Dosen't sound like much, but I hooked her up to my buddy's dyno and made 8 hp over stock, plus I'm avg 35 mpg on the hwy! I've driven this car from Miami to Thunder Bay Ontario many times and no complaints later I've only done regular maintenance, and (oh yeah) coil packs. I just removed the vtcs butterflies for even more fun. Hope this helps.

Don't get the kumho ecsta tires if you need to replace them. They are stupidly loud. All my passengers complain about it :/

i like the yokohama yk580s i have on mine