Recent content by mraub1

Have you checked your library's website to see if they have audiobooks to download? My library used to have a huge number of books on CD (and before that cassettes) but now mainly offers downloads, rather than physical media. I use a free program called Audacity to combine the parts of the...

Every review I watched on the XC-40 noted it was not much of a driver's car. A very numb steering feel and an overly soft suspension were often mentioned. I'm guessing it can't match Mazda's legendary reliability and repairs will likely cost a bunch. That said, I did like its styling.

I had some Cinturato P7's on my 2016 CX-5 and they worked just fine. No complaints about either ride quality or traction. I got a great price on them at Wal-Mart.

I will try playing with some cables I have. The non-smartphone USB port appears live even when the car is off. Anytime I plug the phone in on that port the phone immediately shows it is charging and the current percentage of charge. Maybe the smartphone USB port is only powered when the car is...

Or at least it seems that way on my 2020 Signature. If that is so it seems a bizarre choice for smartphone integration. Has anyone else experienced this?

From my observations as a driver, I don't think the dimmed headlights as DRL's on US spec CX-5's are particularly effective for that purpose. They are just too small to be very noticeable in bright daylight. Having a larger area of LED's illuminated would work better. I guess someone at Mazda...

Does anyone know how to disable or delete the music database? I mainly listen to MP3 audiobooks and the system keeps changing the author's name to that of some similarly spelled musicians' name; author's names probably aren't in the database, though it never changes the book title.

I had a chance to take my Cayman S out on road course for a high performance driving experience. The instructor leading the cars around the course drove a Macan, one of the twin turbo models. I was struggling in a sports car to keep up the pace the instructor was setting in a SUV. Of course the...

I been getting weather warnings popping up on the infotainment screen of my new 2020 Signature. None have been useful; a flash flood warning 2 counties away is not information I need. I'd like to turn them off, but I can't find where they are coming from. I went through the menus of both the car...

I keep finding features on my 2020 Signature that I really like, but had never really thought of before. The radar cruise control is really great when traffic on the interstates gets congested. No more constantly turning cruise control off and on. The brake lock function makes dealing with...

I case anyone has similar concerns, I bought the Anker cable recommended above and the phone seems to work fine. It only charges when the ignition is on, but seems to charge fast enough that the phone always retains a reasonable charge. An Apple USB to Lightning cable would work as well, but the...

You may be correct, but that would be a very silly design decision--a port designated for use by a phone but which will not actually keep the phone charged.

Thanks. I'll give the Anker cable a try. Am I correct that the USB port only provides power when the ignition is on?

As I understand it, if I want to use CarPlay I have to use the USB port. To the extent the port has any charging capability, is it active all the time or only when the ignition is on? As fast as my phone's battery died I'd guess only when the ignition is on. Do cables make any difference? I...

I just got a 2020 Signature and hooked my iPhone to the car via the dedicated smartphone USB port in the center console. The data connection is fine, but the USB port does not seen to be charging the phone. I can't believe that's the way it was designed to work. I just using a generic USB to...