New Mazda5 owner saying hi!

S

sidewindr

Member
:
2012 mazda5
First Post!

Hi everyone, just picked up a 2102 White Mazda5 Sport 38K miles form Hertz Rent-to-buy program here in Los Angeles.
test drove it for 3 days, even did a mini trip to Palm Springs loaded with family.
Had a mechanic look at it, and all is fine minus not so clean fluids. will be doing a 30K service this weekend.

things that needs to be done:
1. Clean the interior uphostery: anyone have any suggestion on how to clean the sand color cloth interior??? this being a rental, it needs a good cleaning.... ;(
2. it only came with one switchblade key and one emergency spare key that won't start car up. may try the ebay route and get a blank then try to firure out a way to program it.. :(

immediate mods:
Tinting the windows 20% all around this weekend.
painting the stocker 16" to black. i cannot stand silver rims ;)

mods in a few weeks:
looking for Mazdaspeed 3 rims on craigslist and painting it GOLD.
lower springs. (not sure which one but leaning towards Megan)
Inno rack system (already have a roofbox)
K&N style drop in air filter.

mods in the future:
Cold air intake (having a hard time finding one for 2012)
some type of exhaust. maybe Mazdaspeed muffler? for a bit of sound but not loosing back pressure.

other cars in my stable:)
98 Ford F150 4x4 (for when we go camping)
08 Subaru STi (my 350HP daily driver, amazing when its only a 2.5 engine which is the same as Mazda5 but makes twice the power)
03 Lexus IS300 (wife's car)

lw
 
sidewindr said:
anyone have any suggestion on how to clean the sand color cloth interior???
Click to expand...

I'd personally use a proper product from autogeek or detailersdomain, but diluted Woolite (6:1 should work well), spray it on, agitate with a very soft bristle brush, then vacuum.


sidewindr said:
other cars in my stable:
08 Subaru STi (my 350HP daily driver, amazing when its only a 2.5 engine which is the same as Mazda5 but makes twice the power)
Click to expand...

what a difference a snail makes. ;)
 
sidewindr said:
2. it only came with one switchblade key and one emergency spare key that won't start car up. may try the ebay route and get a blank then try to firure out a way to program it.. :(

other cars in my stable:)
98 Ford F150 4x4 (for when we go camping)
08 Subaru STi (my 350HP daily driver, amazing when its only a 2.5 engine which is the same as Mazda5 but makes twice the power)
03 Lexus IS300 (wife's car)
Click to expand...
Welcome.

You can ebay for the key fob and have a locksmith cut the key but will still need the dealer to program the 2nd key. You can program your own 3rd or more key (see how-to section) but first two are deal breakers. Try to get Hertz to pay for a second key.
Btw, I didn’t know this car came with a valet key..? Can someone else confirm this?

Oh, very nice stable!
 
Silentnoise713 said:
You can ebay for the key fob and have a locksmith cut the key but will still need the dealer to program the 2nd key.
Btw, I didnt know this car came with a valet key..? Can someone else confirm this?
Click to expand...

Make sure you take it to a locksmith with an old school key cutting machine, not the big box stores with the joke of a key cutting machine.

Our 2012 came with (2) switchblade keys, and no valet key. There is not a lock on the glovebox for this, so I am thinking the OP has a duplicate key just for lockouts.

I am afraid to see what your interior looks like. Ours is black with 18k miles on it and looks bad enough. What fluids did your guy say looked dirty?
 
hey guys! Thanks for the cleaning tips and key information.
the key can open everything but not start the car, maybe its a lockout key..? not sure.
the interior is not bad from afar, most rental cars you get its never that bad, but if you look closely, you can see stains... it needs to be deep cleaned. and the sand color doesn't help.
My mechanic checked all the fluids and said they were dirty, not real bad but definitely not clean. Rental companies usually just do the minimum amount of up keeping.
 
welcome!

probably since it was a rental, they only get one key to save money, or they lost one. unfortunately, programing another one has to be done by the dealer. getting another key can be done cheaper though, but the dealer has to program it. and at 36k miles, im sure the transmission fluid could use replacing, but the others should be ok.

as far as mods... tint is good. for some reason, there is no tint at all on these cars and they could use some on the rear at least. which gen speed3 wheels? i dont know about the 2010+ ones much, but i know the 1st gen speed3 wheels are a bit heavy. the heavier the wheel, the more sluggish your car will feel. gee... that rhymes. lowering springs can be funny to find. not many made specifically for the 5, so some cause the rear to sag too much because they are for the 3 which is lighter in the butt.

also, nice stable there.
 
did a 30K service this weekend, tranny fluid was kinda dirty. everything else is good.
just finish tinting, started at 2pm and finished at 7 pm, came out ok except the rear where i got a few creases. ;( 20% all around + window strip, got it from Ebay dual layer pre-cut for $45.
got some close to brand new silver Mazdaspeed 3 rims, (the current design) for $325 and yes they are kinda heavy.
and got 4 new 225/40/18 Lexani tires for $260.
Inno racks and fairing on order.

project for next week is to paint the wheels GOLD ;)
 
yeah the mazdaspeed3 wheels come up in craigslist quiet often, i guess the kids here in L.A. switch out the wheels the first chance they get,
i missed a deal where a kid had a mint set for sale for $180. ;(
 
Just rent a carpet cleaner with an upholstery attachment. Use hot water with no detergent first and see how it does.

I have a carpet cleaner that I use in the house all the time, which came with an upholstery attachment. If you use hot water, that is the best way to clean fabric. Detergent, if not 100% removed, will hasten the demise of the upholstery. Only use soap on fabrics if absolutely necessary, and be prepared to spray/vacuum/spray/vacuum until the water coming out is completely clear. It takes forever once you introduce soap.
 
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