The Mazda 3 thread

[cinco]

tuner imports carrys whiteline brand bushings you can call him
just find out the diameter of them and you should be set

[speedist]

Asking for a friend, anyone know where to get fogs for an '07 mazda 3 axela and someone to professionally install?

[eurogirl]

Hey guys brought a 2008 model M3 3 weeks ago and feeling it out ..

Thing is i have a nissan till I dead father and I can't speak japanese .. plus i've been driving a nissan since i was 17 so ...

quick questions ..
Premuim or SUper ? <<<<< I still fuzzy with my engine Octane rating google not helping my ( Engine is the ZY series)
Whats your go to brand for Oil , tranny fluid , coolant , brake fluid ?
I have been told coz of my long distances .. I should use a synthetic oil .. which is true coz it has a longer breakdown as compared to others ..

andddddddddddddddddddd also why does my car have a red mazda symbol in the steering wheel ?

Oh my radio is a mistubishi GPS navigation system ( its the only thing in english ) ..

I gots no fancy steering wheel controls ( which is good coz i'd just be constantly switching lolz )

[speedist]

Red mazda symbol, you say? Sounds bad ass. The m3 gurus here say use premium to avoid knocking in the engine. They may be along shortly to assist or pm rainman.

[xNeXuSx]

Hey guys brought a 2008 model M3 3 weeks ago and feeling it out ..

Thing is i have a nissan till I dead father and I can't speak japanese .. plus i've been driving a nissan since i was 17 so ...

quick questions ..
Premuim or SUper ? <<<<< I still fuzzy with my engine Octane rating google not helping my ( Engine is the ZY series)
Whats your go to brand for Oil , tranny fluid , coolant , brake fluid ?
I have been told coz of my long distances .. I should use a synthetic oil .. which is true coz it has a longer breakdown as compared to others ..

andddddddddddddddddddd also why does my car have a red mazda symbol in the steering wheel ?

Oh my radio is a mistubishi GPS navigation system ( its the only thing in english ) ..

I gots no fancy steering wheel controls ( which is good coz i'd just be constantly switching lolz )

You should browse through this thread since I'm sure all your questions have been answered before, but lets do a quick review.

Your 08 should be 95+ so like speedist said, premium should be used. The ZY is 1.5L, but I think the rating is the same. See if the octane sticker is still on the inside of your gas lid.
Engine oil...Amsoil, Mobil 1 or Redline 10w30. 4.5 quarts
Transmission oil...Redline D4 ATF or Amsoil. About 7 quarts
For coolant, Prestone 50/50 works well. Be sure to completely fill with it and don't add water. That will be good for an extremely long time.
Brake fluid? I assume any DOT3 fluid would be fine.

As far as the red steering wheel symbol goes, that and the missing controls there leads me to believe that your wheel has been changed for whatever reason. Just a guess though.

Guys here have made really good input and this thread contains very good, first hand knowledge so give it a quick scan.

[Rainman]

Hey guys brought a 2008 model M3 3 weeks ago and feeling it out ..

Thing is i have a nissan till I dead father and I can't speak japanese .. plus i've been driving a nissan since i was 17 so ...

quick questions ..
Premuim or SUper ? <<<<< I still fuzzy with my engine Octane rating google not helping my ( Engine is the ZY series)
Whats your go to brand for Oil , tranny fluid , coolant , brake fluid ?
I have been told coz of my long distances .. I should use a synthetic oil .. which is true coz it has a longer breakdown as compared to others ..

andddddddddddddddddddd also why does my car have a red mazda symbol in the steering wheel ?

Oh my radio is a mistubishi GPS navigation system ( its the only thing in english ) ..

I gots no fancy steering wheel controls ( which is good coz i'd just be constantly switching lolz )

You should browse through this thread since I'm sure all your questions have been answered before, but lets do a quick review.

Your 08 should be 95+ so like speedist said, premium should be used. The ZY is 1.5L, but I think the rating is the same. See if the octane sticker is still on the inside of your gas lid. Rating is the same
Engine oil...Amsoil, Mobil 1 or Redline 10w30. 4.5 quarts 4.5 with a larger than OEM filter
Transmission oil...Redline D4 ATF or Amsoil. About 7 quarts 3 quarts if you're only doing a drain and refill
For coolant, Prestone 50/50 works well. Be sure to completely fill with it and don't add water. That will be good for an extremely long time. ditto
Brake fluid? I assume any DOT3 fluid would be fine. ditto

As far as the red steering wheel symbol goes, that and the missing controls there leads me to believe that your wheel has been changed for whatever reason. Just a guess though. All 08's came with steering wheel controls, possible that the car had a collision and the airbag deployed forcing them to change the steering wheel.

Guys here have made really good input and this thread contains very good, first hand knowledge so give it a quick scan.

[eurogirl]

Hey guys I actually read the whole thread
Thanks for the reply
No octane rating on gas lid hence my confusion arghhh
When I googled they said my octane rating was 91 ? So idk???
I put castrol atf transmisson I knrew cjruckus doh like me I go kick he big head when I see him
thanks I hav a navigation system and not the reg m3 set up hence the red symbol on the wheel I go tak pics soo n ok I"ll check reddawg over the weekend and let him gimme a run down on my car

[Rainman]

If the atf meets the Mazda V specification youre okay

[snight01]

my 2012 mazda 3 is super. i use super everyday all day. zero problems

[snight01]

Hey guys I actually read the whole thread
Thanks for the reply
No octane rating on gas lid hence my confusion arghhh
When I googled they said my octane rating was 91 ? So idk???
I put castrol atf transmisson I knrew cjruckus doh like me I go kick he big head when I see him
thanks I hav a navigation system and not the reg m3 set up hence the red symbol on the wheel I go tak pics soo n ok I"ll check reddawg over the weekend and let him gimme a run down on my car

sup.

You can use super. Also, the coolant u use in ur car should be oem if ur ever changing it. You dont wanna destroy ur coolant gasket using prestone or some crap. FL22 is ur best friend for this car and this is the oem coolant

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Mazda-000 ... da+coolant

i bought mine from amazon.

I also use 5w 40 shell ultra, oem filter and air filter. Premium has a better performance tho. Anyway keep ur car good and it u'll enjoy it.

[Rainman]

Hey guys I actually read the whole thread
Thanks for the reply
No octane rating on gas lid hence my confusion arghhh
When I googled they said my octane rating was 91 ? So idk???
I put castrol atf transmisson I knrew cjruckus doh like me I go kick he big head when I see him
thanks I hav a navigation system and not the reg m3 set up hence the red symbol on the wheel I go tak pics soo n ok I"ll check reddawg over the weekend and let him gimme a run down on my car

sup.

You can use super. Also, the coolant u use in ur car should be oem if ur ever changing it. You dont wanna destroy ur coolant gasket using prestone or some crap You're spewing absolute rubbish and what the hell is a coolant gasket?. FL22 is ur best friend for this car and this is the oem coolant

The OEM manual recommends ethylene glycol coolant, the prestone 50/50 is basically thee same formulation as the mazda fl22. i got my car doing 30000kms and used prestone 50/50 in it all the way up to 150,000kms when the car was sold. I never encountered any problems. and just for information sake, mazda does not make coolant, they just rebrand the coolant from their supply companies

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Mazda-000 ... da+coolant

i bought mine from amazon. Wasted money cause i'm sure you also had to pay HAZMAT fees

I also use 5w 40 shell ultra (wrong weight for our climate) oem filter and air filter. Premium has a better performance tho. Anyway keep ur car good and it u'll enjoy it.

FOR SALE: Snake Oil

[snight01]

coolant reservoir my bad. I was typing while attending some duty.

I own two cars (mazda 3 2007 and mazda 3 2012) both work PERFECT just from day one. No sensor or any problem for that matter. Is the prestone FL22? i dont think so. I stick to all oem fluids btw and parts. If you wanna recommend prestone, fix up (i'd use to oem coolant). its her choice and her car. I love my cars and i love how it works.So.. really its just my 2 cents

Oh btw.. my old car is 200,000 ... my new one is 30,000. Both works flawlessly. I use 5w 40 and change oil every 10,000. tranny drain every 40,000. suspension checked every 60,000. brakes, mounts, bushings, cradles, end links fluids, leaks, struts, shocks, brake calipers, brake drums, door locks hingles lube and stuff inspected every service... Mostly myself...

No problems. never had, never will... yup, thats basically it pal. Only thing aftermarket in the old, is the struts and shocks. Which is Kyb gr2/excel g which i ordered.... off amazon

[eurogirl]

Cool beans man thanks

So are all m3's like this where u gotta do a small pump on the gas peddle to switch the gear?

[Rainman]

coolant reservoir my bad. I was typing while attending some duty.

I own two cars (mazda 3 2007 and mazda 3 2012) both work PERFECT just from day one. No sensor or any problem for that matter. Is the prestone FL22? i dont think so. I stick to all oem fluids btw and parts. If you wanna recommend prestone, fix up (i'd use to oem coolant). its her choice and her car. I love my cars and i love how it works.So.. really its just my 2 cents

Oh btw.. my old car is 200,000 ... my new one is 30,000. Both works flawlessly. I use 5w 40 and change oil every 10,000. tranny drain every 40,000. suspension checked every 60,000. brakes, mounts, bushings, cradles, end links fluids, leaks, struts, shocks, brake calipers, brake drums, door locks hingles lube and stuff inspected every service... Mostly myself...

No problems. never had, never will... yup, thats basically it pal. Only thing aftermarket in the old, is the struts and shocks. Which is Kyb gr2/excel g which i ordered.... off amazon

Again you're making it sound as though you HAVE to use fl22. The OEM service manual states clearly:

to use an ethylene glycol based coolant. An no where in the service manual does it mention the use of 5w-40.

[xNeXuSx]

The 2012 MZ3 can use Super gasoline, but the 2007-09 should not. If someone uses it in these models and they have no problems (that they know of), that's all fine, but don't go recommending that others use it against the Mazda documentation and the 95+ sign on the inside of the fuel lid.

Difference between FL22 and Prestone 50/50 is the number of miles you can run them for. It's in the manual. FL22 can do just over 100,000 (funny how Amazon says 60k) and Prestone around 60,000. I change coolant once per year out of habit and I don't do 60k per year. So basically if you don't want to have to think about coolant ever, go buy Peak Long Life because that can go for 150,000. Paying $210 plus hazmat, shipping & customs for FL22 does not appeal to me at all and it's unnecessary.

5w/40 is the wrong engine oil. Plain and simple.

OEM is usually good (unless there was a TSB), but there's aftermarket stuff that is actually better in some cases, as well as worse, but stock = safe. My car is so far from stock in both appearance and mechanics that it's not funny, but to each his own. The OEM oil filter though, doesn't cut it. That is one thing both rainman and I agree on and neither of us use/d it...and Fram? well oh gosh.

[snight01]

Personally, the car runs silent with no extra vibration with shell ultra 5w 30 at accelerating.. I've used all body oils (10w-30, 10w-40 etc) and all brands from castrol, amsoil, royal purple.

I've planned to try 10w 30 sooner or later but i'm still with 5w-30. I only use OEM oil filter. I've tried fram ONCE. Terrible. Changed it after 5k to OEM.

This is my personal experience and my car. If 10w 30 works fine with you. Most likely it will, then continue to use it. I'll try it next oil change and see examine the performance.

The durability and strength of the OEM parts is amazing. Engine mounts, cradle arms, cv joints and brakes, wheel bearing come to mind.

I go oem as much as possible when the part needs replacing. When the kyb gr2 dies out. I'll order pairs of the OEM.

As i said, to EACH HIS OWN.

[cinco]

Guys a little note the coolant u need to use has to be borate and silica free one of the few local coolants is zerex asian formula. The toyota stock coolant also is borate n silica free

[Rainman]

Personally, the car runs silent with no extra vibration with shell ultra 5w 30 at accelerating.. I've used all body oils (10w-30, 10w-40 etc) and all brands from castrol, amsoil, royal purple.

I've planned to try 10w 30 sooner or later but i'm still with 5w-30. I only use OEM oil filter. I've tried fram ONCE. Terrible. Changed it after 5k to OEM.

This is my personal experience and my car. If 10w 30 works fine with you. Most likely it will, then continue to use it. I'll try it next oil change and see examine the performance.

The durability and strength of the OEM parts is amazing. Engine mounts, cradle arms, cv joints and brakes, wheel bearing come to mind.

I go oem as much as possible when the part needs replacing. When the kyb gr2 dies out. I'll order pairs of the OEM.

As i said, to EACH HIS OWN.

You're contradicting yourself now.....you said that you tried all oils, brands weight etc...but then went on to say that you plan to use 10w30 sooner or later. If you're getting vibration from using a different type of oil then your car isn't running as well as you think.

Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with that weight of oil, seeing that it's not recommended or even mentioned in the OEM service manual? your car isn't special or unique, they're all built the same, there is a reason why there are recommended standards.

To each his own, yes. But you can't give biased advice based on your own experience, especially when that advice is wrong.

[eurogirl]

I have Asian coolant !

one good thing I actually broughttt lolz lol

[snight01]

Personally, the car runs silent with no extra vibration with shell ultra 5w 30 at accelerating.. I've used all body oils (10w-30, 10w-40 etc) and all brands from castrol, amsoil, royal purple.

I've planned to try 10w 30 sooner or later but i'm still with 5w-30. I only use OEM oil filter. I've tried fram ONCE. Terrible. Changed it after 5k to OEM.

This is my personal experience and my car. If 10w 30 works fine with you. Most likely it will, then continue to use it. I'll try it next oil change and see examine the performance.

The durability and strength of the OEM parts is amazing. Engine mounts, cradle arms, cv joints and brakes, wheel bearing come to mind.

I go oem as much as possible when the part needs replacing. When the kyb gr2 dies out. I'll order pairs of the OEM.

As i said, to EACH HIS OWN.

You're contradicting yourself now.....you said that you tried all oils, brands weight etc...but then went on to say that you plan to use 10w30 sooner or later. If you're getting vibration from using a different type of oil then your car isn't running as well as you think.

Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with that weight of oil, seeing that it's not recommended or even mentioned in the OEM service manual? your car isn't special or unique, they're all built the same, there is a reason why there are recommended standards.

To each his own, yes. But you can't give biased advice based on your own experience, especially when that advice is wrong.

i'll stick with 5w 40 for now. Whatever you guys wanna recommend, whatever its all opinions. My car and my rules.Works perfect and i see no flaw. I guess you guys gotta learn ur car your own way yes..

[Rainman]

Personally, the car runs silent with no extra vibration with shell ultra 5w 30 at accelerating.. I've used all body oils (10w-30, 10w-40 etc) and all brands from castrol, amsoil, royal purple.

I've planned to try 10w 30 sooner or later but i'm still with 5w-30. I only use OEM oil filter. I've tried fram ONCE. Terrible. Changed it after 5k to OEM.

This is my personal experience and my car. If 10w 30 works fine with you. Most likely it will, then continue to use it. I'll try it next oil change and see examine the performance.

The durability and strength of the OEM parts is amazing. Engine mounts, cradle arms, cv joints and brakes, wheel bearing come to mind.

I go oem as much as possible when the part needs replacing. When the kyb gr2 dies out. I'll order pairs of the OEM.

As i said, to EACH HIS OWN.

You're contradicting yourself now.....you said that you tried all oils, brands weight etc...but then went on to say that you plan to use 10w30 sooner or later. If you're getting vibration from using a different type of oil then your car isn't running as well as you think.

Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with that weight of oil, seeing that it's not recommended or even mentioned in the OEM service manual? your car isn't special or unique, they're all built the same, there is a reason why there are recommended standards.

To each his own, yes. But you can't give biased advice based on your own experience, especially when that advice is wrong.

i'll stick with 5w 40 for now. Whatever you guys wanna recommend, whatever its all opinions. My car and my rules.Works perfect and i see no flaw. I guess you guys gotta learn ur car your own way yes..

Umm...no it' snot opinion. It's fact based on the OEM recommendation. I've posted my reference, where's yours?

[cinco]

Personally, the car runs silent with no extra vibration with shell ultra 5w 30 at accelerating.. I've used all body oils (10w-30, 10w-40 etc) and all brands from castrol, amsoil, royal purple.

I've planned to try 10w 30 sooner or later but i'm still with 5w-30. I only use OEM oil filter. I've tried fram ONCE. Terrible. Changed it after 5k to OEM.

This is my personal experience and my car. If 10w 30 works fine with you. Most likely it will, then continue to use it. I'll try it next oil change and see examine the performance.

The durability and strength of the OEM parts is amazing. Engine mounts, cradle arms, cv joints and brakes, wheel bearing come to mind.

I go oem as much as possible when the part needs replacing. When the kyb gr2 dies out. I'll order pairs of the OEM.

As i said, to EACH HIS OWN.

You're contradicting yourself now.....you said that you tried all oils, brands weight etc...but then went on to say that you plan to use 10w30 sooner or later. If you're getting vibration from using a different type of oil then your car isn't running as well as you think.

Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with that weight of oil, seeing that it's not recommended or even mentioned in the OEM service manual? your car isn't special or unique, they're all built the same, there is a reason why there are recommended standards.

To each his own, yes. But you can't give biased advice based on your own experience, especially when that advice is wrong.

i'll stick with 5w 40 for now. Whatever you guys wanna recommend, whatever its all opinions. My car and my rules.Works perfect and i see no flaw. I guess you guys gotta learn ur car your own way yes..

Umm...no it' snot opinion. It's fact based on the OEM recommendation. I've posted my reference, where's yours?

[vybezlord1]

Ok, so I got my first Check Engine Light this week. The scanner threw a P0031 code: H02S11 CIRCUIT OUT OF RANGE- LOW VOLTAGE so I'm in the market for a new oxygen sensor. (Sensor 1 Bank 1) Called the Stealership and they said the MZ3 has two oxygen sensors- Pre Cat and Post Cat (or front and back) so I'm assuming Sensor 1 is Pre-Cat (front) and the cost for the front sensor is $1,822.00! (The back sensor not surprisingly is out of stock) A tad pricey for a sensor in my opinion especially since the car is running fine without it and there is no noticable increase in gas consumption! Still wanna get it changed because i hate seeing this yellow little engine illuminated on my dashboard. Has anyone ever changed this sensor and knows the OEM part number or have a link in Southern Sales who will be willing to give the part number?? Im seeing generic ones and Bosch on ebay but i prefer to try and bring in an OEM part. Thanks in advance guys!

[Rainman]

I changed it using an oem sensor a few pages back. Its pretty simple. I posted the instructions as well.

[dredman1]

Just a question - why do you guys use those lighter body oils in your MZ3?
If I recall the diagram in the manual, the correct body oil for our climate is 20w-50 or 15w-50 (too lazy to go outside to get it now).
Aren't the heavier oils supposed to offer better protection (albeit at the expense of some loss in power)?

[konartis]

Just a question - why do you guys use those lighter body oils in your MZ3?
If I recall the diagram in the manual, the correct body oil for our climate is 20w-50 or 15w-50 (too lazy to go outside to get it now).
Aren't the heavier oils supposed to offer better protection (albeit at the expense of some loss in power)?

My manuel said nothing about 20/50 oil...that might be too sluggish

[ultimatehustler2010]

whats the best plugs to use in a mazda 3 2006 1.5 engine.

[static602]

Asking for a friend, anyone know where to get fogs for an '07 mazda 3 axela and someone to professionally install?

allright its too much to explain call me at 772 0983 i will tell you everything i went through and the best way

[xNeXuSx]

Rainman sold his, so I'm selling too. *bleh*

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=525237

[speedist]

Wow! It's a beauty, kinda reminds me of my old lantis except newer. Is it your daily driver? Would love to get this but is only a set of speed humps by me.