New Member, Older Car

[3Zoomer]

New guy today!

I am a fresh 3 s5 owner (bought an '04 this month) and excited to be able to help if I learn anything new as well as find knowledge when I need to.

I am new to Mazdas in general as I have owned Toyotas and Hondas/Acuras in the past. We shall see how it goes. I am excited though.

If I may I have a few questions since Mazdas are new to me:

A: Are the wipers on these cars supposed to sit on the vent (area between the windshield and the hood)? I notice a horrible noise because it comes off of that area and hits the windshield when the wipers are on. This happens as it is wiping, not only after it is first turned on. As this happens it also leaves an area of about 4 - 6 inches unwiped on the drivers side near the edge of the windshield, when it should be more like 2!
(uhm)
I guess the question I should be asking is is there a way to reset these the way they are supposed to be as the manufacturer would have done? Is there a way to reset/adjust them to wipe with the correct angles? I have never experienced this before, so I wasn't sure if it was a Mazda thing, a previous owner "moron" thing, or something that is easy to do myself or have to take in to the dealer.

B: Has anyone else experienced this problem?

Any answers, comments, questions, etc. appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any help. I have many more unrelated questions, but those can wait for another day and thread.

 

[hat1018]

First off, welcome. Second, I am sure that your wipers are "out of time". I am not totally sure how to fix that but you can try to remove 1 of the wiper arms from it's mount and see if it is knurled (not sure if you know what I mean there but "they have teeth all the way around"). If so you should be able to re-position them to wipe the whole winshield, my 06 wipes all but about 2". If that does not work, I have no clue. Dealership? Good luck!?!

 

[bbrich57]

A previous owner "moron" thing, for sure.
Pop the caps on the arms, using a 10mm wrench loosen the nut and pull up slightly. Reset the arms and re tighten the nuts. Snap the caps back on. Good to go.

Welcome aboard!! By 3 s5, I assume you mean you bought an '04 3S 5dr, like mine? Pictures are welcome.

 

[3Zoomer]

Thanks hat1018. I hope no dealer, but I will if I have to. It is almost unbearable when it rains.

 

[3Zoomer]

bbrich57, thanks for the reply also.

Yeah, I am not sure how the guy was able to go on driving like that, unless it never rained. Of course it is now spring and we have been getting our fair share of the wet stuff.

Just so if I understand you...I shouldn't take the arms off, but loosen the nut "just enough" so I can raise the arms off the connection to rotate and reposition them on the actual glass where they are supposed to be? So are those caps threaded or do they just come straight off without a tool? I'd hate to break one. I'll give it a go this week when I get a chance.

Yeah it's like yours, but I am still unsure on the trim. Why do they not include the "S" on the rear next to the Model badge if it is an "S"? I am not even sure what the "S" means. Sport? Speed?...I know the newer models actually use those words and not just a letter. I just put what the Mazda website calls it.

 

[3Zoomer]

Welcome aboard!! By 3 s5, I assume you mean you bought an '04 3S 5dr, like mine? Pictures are welcome.

Yeah I have to get some shots to post, it is def not as nice as yours. It's a bit dinged and scratched. Gonna need a new brake/rotor job real soon.