Hello Mazda World

chemvw

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2012 Mazda5 6-speed
We just purchased our 1st mazda (a Mazda5) as our family has finally outgrown the Jetta TDI back seat. We are excited to get to know our new (to us) vehicle. We purchased a used 2012 6-speed off of craigslist. Today I rotated the tires and finally got to give the car a good once over since it has been snowing and cold since we got the vehicle on Thursday. We do have a couple of unforeseen obstacles having purchased off craigslist. . . 1. the vehicle has been smoked in and 2. the previous owner lost one of the two switchblade keys so we are working on trying to get another key while avoiding stealership costs. I appreciate all the information on the forum and can't wait to learn lots about my new vehicle.

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What did you give for it if you don't mind my asking? I can't believe how well they hold their value.
 
It has under 20k miles on it and I gave just over 15k for it. Basically not far off the kbb.com price, but a bit higher than edmunds.com price.
 
I detest smoking period, I won't even stand in an area where people are smoking, and I def would never buy a car that has smoke damage. That being said, your only remedy would be to 1. Wipe down all hard surfaces since smoke particles accumulate on everything, 2. Armor-All makes these cleaning wipes, I love them, great for cloth seats and hard to clean things like the headliner, takes most stains off immediately, try scrubbing the cloth with this (of course you might opt for a full detail/shampoo), 3. Change out your cabin air filter as it is probably contaminated, get a charcoal-activated one or with baking soda if possible, 4. Get an odor ABSORBING freshener, I don't know if they sell these in your state but they make a citrus one that comes in a white container, it's a gel, works well in my bathroom so should work well in your car (LoL). Also, spray the interior down with Febreeze and leave the windows open (in the spring/summer) to air out. I would get a REALLY REALLY good interior detail/shampoo, tell them to do it twice due to smoke contamination, then follow up with Febreeze treatments.

If you are the daring type, you can take apart your air blower and clean the fins as they are probably full of particles, and see how far you can clean the air ducts, try using a snake-type tool, crimp a rag on the end, soak in soapy solution, and go in and out of the ducts as far as you can.

As far as the switchblade key, I have seen Mazda keyblanks on eBay and I think they are much cheaper than dealers, if you buy one all you have to do is take it to a dealer so they can program it, but I don't know if the dealer actually cuts the key or if they send it out or if they have a mobile locksmith come and do it, but see if they are cheaper on eBay.

Congrats on your new family hauler!!
 
Welcome! Good to see that these rigs hold their value decently. We've had ours now for 3 days, same color (but automatic). The dogs love it :)
 
My 2010 only came with one key also. I also looked into buying one of online, but had the dealership and an individual mechanic tell me that, basically you have to get it from the dealership. There is no way around it. I was told a blank key with the fob, would save me some, but most of the money they take from you is because they are the only ones with the special equipment to program the key for your vehicle. Independent Mechanic told me that most independent shops will do it for various manufacturers, but all they do is send it to the dealership. It sucks, because either you bite the bullet or live with one key, but in my area the dealership quoted me over 300$, and I ain't paying that for and extra key, when I primarily am the only one who drives it, I just chose to put up with the inconvenience of when my wife needs to drive it.
 
Have you ever thought about going to a place like ACE Hardware? They make Chip Keys for cars and they guarantee their work. Sure, it won't have all the buttons for it but it'll at least be a good spare and your Mazda5 does have central locking.
 
Thanks all for the welcome and suggestions. We are working on various homemade remedies for the smoke smell. Fortunately it is not real bad, only noticeable when it sits in the sun. Unfortunately, it is present and not disclosed by the seller.

As for the key situation, I have seen the blanks on eBay and other places pretty cheap. I think I will order one and hope I can get a shop to program it for us cheaper than the dealership quote. I will look at Ace as well, since I don't really need the fob part for the spare.

Drove the 5 70+ miles this morning and the whole fam is loving it.

Hey, anyone tried putting extra notches in those back headrests so they don't have to be all the way up or all the way down?
 
Thanks all for the welcome and suggestions. We are working on various homemade remedies for the smoke smell. Fortunately it is not real bad, only noticeable when it sits in the sun. Unfortunately, it is present and not disclosed by the seller.

As for the key situation, I have seen the blanks on eBay and other places pretty cheap. I think I will order one and hope I can get a shop to program it for us cheaper than the dealership quote. I will look at Ace as well, since I don't really need the fob part for the spare.

Drove the 5 70+ miles this morning and the whole fam is loving it.

Hey, anyone tried putting extra notches in those back headrests so they don't have to be all the way up or all the way down?

What's a headrest?? LoL I forgot they're even there.
 
Good luck with the key, if do go to ACE don't be surprised if it doesn't start the engine.
 
Good luck with the key, if do go to ACE don't be surprised if it doesn't start the engine.

I had a PT Cruiser (2005) it was a brand new on a lease for 27 months. I had a locksmith cut a spare key for me, he said I probably wouldn't be able to use it to operate the car because the Chrysler key was chipped, but he made it anyway since I just wanted a FLAT key to keep in my wallet if I get locked out. Got in the car, popped the copy in the ignition switch, started right up... then as soon as I pressed the brake pedal to shift out of park, engine cuts out. Tried it 2nd time and 3rd time, no dice. You could start it but you can't get it into D. That was funny.
 

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