New Mazda5 owner! Couldn't be happier!

Spannerhead

'94 MX-6 LS 5-speed
:
Chattanooga, TN
Traded it our old clunker XC90 for this beauty yesterday:

170128-LeftFront.jpg


Love it love it love it. :D It's a 2010, tan cloth interior, manual seats but auto climate control. 24K miles, 1 previous owner. Drives like a new car. It was purchased in Port St. Lucie, FL, and lived most of its early life there. Has a nice tint job so it will be cool as a cucumber in the summer.

I love Mazdas and am so happy to be back in one. We had a 2005 MPV we owned for a number of years and never should have sold, and I've owned several RX-7s. Glad to be back in the fold.

Just gave it its first old change today (first thing I like to do with my new acquisitions). Wix filter and 4.5 quarts of 5W-20 semi-syn and she purrs like a kitten.

First question: Is there a way to fold down just one of the 2nd row seats and still have the center cupholder/bin deployed? Reason I ask is b/c we have 2 kids, and on long trips sometimes we like to put one in the 3rd row with the seat in front of him folded down, and one in the 2nd row, and we'd like the kid in the 2nd row to still be able to use her cupholder. I've tried to just fold it down but the armrest gets in the way. Any insight?

Thanks, and nice to meet you all!
 
I live in Port St. Lucie. There are no Mazda dealers in the city, but one each in the counties north and south. I bought mine in Stuart to the south. The original owner probably lived in PSL. Nice color and you don't need power seats.
 
First question: Is there a way to fold down just one of the 2nd row seats and still have the center cupholder/bin deployed? Reason I ask is b/c we have 2 kids, and on long trips sometimes we like to put one in the 3rd row with the seat in front of him folded down, and one in the 2nd row, and we'd like the kid in the 2nd row to still be able to use her cupholder. I've tried to just fold it down but the armrest gets in the way. Any insight?

Congratulations with the new car :)
I guess you have only two seats on the second row with armrests attached on both sides? I think you're out of luck then...
I've got the European version with a foldable third seat and that configuration allows to fold the right hand side seat down with the cupholder in use.

The armrest is removable, although it may not be an easy job.

As an alternative, maybe you can place a thing like this between both seats?
cupholder.jpg
 
I live in Port St. Lucie. There are no Mazda dealers in the city, but one each in the counties north and south. I bought mine in Stuart to the south. The original owner probably lived in PSL. Nice color and you don't need power seats.

Thanks, and I agree about power seats. The only thing that's nice about them is the memory function, which is useful since my wife is a foot shorter than me and like to drive with the seatback more reclined than I do. But we'll survive. :)

About PSL, the dealer pulled the Carfax and that's how it read. Looks like they bought the car new in 1/2010, moved up here to TN in mid-2015 and traded the car into the Ford dealership just a few weeks ago. I'm just happy it's not a northern car, with all the potential for salt damage that entails...

Congratulations with the new car :)
I guess you have only two seats on the second row with armrests attached on both sides? I think you're out of luck then...
I've got the European version with a foldable third seat and that configuration allows to fold the right hand side seat down with the cupholder in use.

The armrest is removable, although it may not be an easy job.

As an alternative, maybe you can place a thing like this between both seats?
View attachment 215805

We do have just the two seats on the 2nd row with the "table" that rotates to stow under the seat bottom. I think it's just poor armrest design, which is disappointing since the rest of the car is so thoughtfully put together. :( And the kids like the armrests, so I don't think removing them is an option. Will have to investigate further and see what I can do.
 
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Some updates:

- Got rid of the pinstripes.
- Removed the sunroof baffle (AKA the mud trap).
- Added roof bars, a 1.25" tow hitch and a 4-bike rack.
- Purchased a set of front swaybar bushings but haven't installed them yet.

Still loving it! What a great car.

Latest pics after a bath today:

170226-LeftFront1.jpg


170226-RightFront1.jpg


170226-RightRear1.jpg


170226-Side1.jpg
 
Removing the pinstriping from our 2010 MZ5 was one of the first things I did. It went pretty smoothly and quickly. I can't remember the exact chemical I used, but right after I got worried because it looked like the color didn't match where the pinstriping once was, but after a few days it looked fine.
 
Same here. A hairdryer loosened up the adhesive, and a razor blade held at just the right angle made quick work of the vinyl pinstripes. I haven't had good experience with Goof Off or Goo Gone re:removing the residue, so I (sparingly) used some Xylol I had lying around. Worked great.
 
Mine was painted on...not vinyl. It would've been easier if it were vinyl I think.
 
^Oh yikes. Been there done that. We had an old Volvo with a painted-on pinstripe; it was hell trying to get it off. I used the "oven cleaner" technique... Never again. (eek2)
 
Replaced the front and rear swaybar bushings today. Not the easiest job in the world for the fronts---especially for the driver's side. I had to get way up under the car and work around the subframe and steering rack. Lubed them up with some white lithium grease to prevent squeaking.

The rears were cake. No more rattling over bumps now! The car drives like new. 25K miles and counting... (yippy)
 
Replaced the front and rear swaybar bushings today. Not the easiest job in the world for the fronts---especially for the driver's side. I had to get way up under the car and work around the subframe and steering rack. Lubed them up with some white lithium grease to prevent squeaking.

The rears were cake. No more rattling over bumps now! The car drives like new. 25K miles and counting... (yippy)
It is amazing how much they improve the ride quality!
 
It's been about 14 months of ownership and we still love our 5. We've put 11K on it, including a few 300+ mile road trips, and she hasn't missed a beat. We're now up to 35K on the odo. I wash and clean her regularly and she gets fresh Motorcraft 5W-20 semi-syn every 3-5K. Drives tight; no squeaks or rattles to speak of.

At this point my major gripe is how the top of the rear bumper collects dirt like nobody's business... Really that's it. I'm nitpicking.
 
Just checking again! Almost 46K on the odometer and she runs great. Just completed her 7th oil change last weekend.

We've acquired a roof pod/carrier that basically doubles the cargo carrying capacity of the car for road trips. Load it up and it's almost like we're not taking a trip at all since the interior is so empty, relatively-speaking.

Really no complaints. Love our 5.
 
First check engine light yesterday! Just over 52K in. P0139. Looks like I may be replacing an O2 sensor...
 
Reset the code and wait for it to come back. Those are notorious at false positives in all cars.
 
Just did! 52K does seem a little early for the O2 sensor(s) to be going out... Will keep an eye on it. Thanks!
 
Some updates:

- Got rid of the pinstripes.
- Removed the sunroof baffle (AKA the mud trap).
- Added roof bars, a 1.25" tow hitch and a 4-bike rack.
- Purchased a set of front swaybar bushings but haven't installed them yet.

Still loving it! What a great car.

Latest pics after a bath today:

170226-LeftFront1.jpg


170226-RightFront1.jpg


170226-RightRear1.jpg


170226-Side1.jpg
Looks awesome. Congratulations!
May you enjoy it for many years to come.
 
Great cars! Is yours a manual? I'd love to drive one with a stick.
 
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