Wanted: Borrow / rent your Mazdaspeed Proteg

0

088

Member
:
2003.5 Mazdaspeed Proteg
Wanted: Borrow / rent your Mazdaspeed Proteg

My MSP seems to have a unique / intractable problem that has something to do with suspension / steering / alignment. To me, it feels like the car has "dynamic" toe that changes while I'm driving. Every minor perturbation in the road, especially longitudonal imperfections, causes a noticeable nudge in the steering. I've driven other MSPs -- nobody's car does this.

To make a long story short, the car is at Fremont Mazda currently. I know their service manager and he has pretty good techs at that shop, including a decent alignment guy. They are able to repro the problem, but attempting to fix it has been driving them nuts, so to speak. At this point, they think it would be beneficial to have another MSP with unmodified suspension in the shop for comparison. The problem is -- they're rarer than a hen's tooth. They've had my car for over a month, and not a single MSP has shown up for service. (Why is my car being serviced by a dealer, you might ask? Extended warranty.)

If you or anyone else you know has a fairly stock MSP anywhere in the Bay Area, please let me know. I'm at my wits' ends trying to get to the bottom of the problem.

If you think you can help, please send a PM or post a reply.

Thanks.
 
Wagonbacker9 said:
if it helps, mine did this both before and after drop... the bump steer is annoying, but you get used to it.
Click to expand...

So is that why the steering in my P5 feels so loose? My wheel wiggles alot over bumps and road imperfections while driving. Sometimes even mid-corner, same as the OP's.
 
No -- this is different than any other MSP I have encountered, including those with modified suspension / ride height. I am used to the very active and direct steering in these cars. This is something that has developed over time, recently. I knew a guy in Hayward with the same car but double the miles and even his car didn't do this. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a hold of him.

There seems to be come play in the front strut mounting area (at the top). Mazda has replaced the bearing, the conical rubber piece, and a couple of hardware pieces, but that didn't solve the problem. So now, one of the questions is whether there is supposed to be some degree of play/movement there in the first place. This is one of the things they want to compare.

The extended warranty company is involved and, as you can imagine, they don't just want to throw parts at the car and keep paying for them.

If you're local and can help, let me know.

A side-by-side comparison / test drive of my car and another would be helpful.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Ball joints are fine. Control arm bushings have been replaced.

Not really looking for a technical solution here -- that's for Mazda to figure out. Just looking for another MSP in the Bay.
 
Anyone in the SF Bay have an MSP? I'm still struggling with the problem and I'd like to have the shop test drive / compare to another MSP.
 
almost 2.5 years later and you still haven't solved it? Yikes.

For the record, I did solve this problem on my own car with a new wheel bearing and control arm.
 
^That does make sense. I wish it had solved my issue.
Bearing, hub, and spindle have been replaced in the past. I have a new subframe, as of 1 month ago, installed with all new fasteners. Control arms are good, bushings were replaced about 3 years (15K miles) ago. Front struts removed and inspected (and had been replaced under warranty, less than 20K miles ago).
Everything was torqued down with the vehicle on the ground (i.e., not on a lift, which would have resulted in pre-load).
About 1400 miles driven since the subframe replacement, and the problem is definitely still there.
 
what about your tires? are they just about to the wear point? ive heard that once your tires wear they will pull you whichever way the road is grooved (this is what mine is doing, bet its just tires for me) and hopefully its something simple like that for you to...
 
and you've verified that your alignment is all in spec? I know its an obvious question, but it wasn't in your list so I gotta ask.
 
Wagonbacker9 said:
and you've verified that your alignment is all in spec? I know its an obvious question, but it wasn't in your list so I gotta ask.
Click to expand...

is that towards me or him? if it was toward me, then yes my alignment is in spec as i got it done after lowering my car
 
^ nice car. I don't particularly like the new wave of hatchbacks, but I do like the p5, or, in your case, a "mazdaspeed" p5.
 
To answer the earlier comments:
Tires have been changed twice since this started happening on the original Bridgestone Potenza RE92s. I've had Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1's and currently running Falken RT615's. I've had an alignment after every repair done to address the problem. Not just any ol' alignment place, but at a performance shop where I can specify what alignment I want. At this point, I have stock alignment plus some additional toe-in for added straight-line stability. It didn't make any difference. I've also verified that the vehicle holds its alignment.

Most shops never seen this car; the MSP is exceedingly rare at this point; I haven't seen one at any meets in a long time.
Hence the motivation for this thread -- to come up with another MSP so they have something for comparison purposes.
 
Last edited:
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ninja_Matt
    • Like
Guide Auto Ninjas | All New Mazda Deals | Northeast & Southeast US
Replies
0
Views
169
Ninja_Matt
Ninja_Matt
F
    • Like
What car did you learn to drive on?
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
cloggerm
C
7eregrine
    • Like
    • Wow
Off Topic My Winter Beater
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
Buzzman12
B

Latest posts

Back