Hi, After reading the horror stories in LYN Ford Focus and Peugeot forums it is enough to make anybody run screaming back to H or T. Was about to pull the trigger for a Civic but Bermaz has come up with a very tempting offer for this Mazda 3 CKD. But will I regret it? Please answer this worried refugee from the comfort zone of H and T.

1. Any systemic problem with gearbox and transmission? Is the lower armbush problem resolved yet?

2.Is there any major maintenance milestone like 40K or 60K km which will cost a bomb?

3. Do they have enough service centres to attend to your problems without having to make long appointments ahead?

4. Do you have to leave your car for days for any repairs?

5. Are the parts readily available without long waiting time?

6. Are the service centres willing to replace parts under warranty or do they come up with 101 excuses? (Honda, I'm looking at you!)

7. Does the Mazda 3 use a special battery for the i-stop function? If so, how much does the battery cost?

8. Anything else I should be warned about before I pull the trigger in defiance of my wife's advice that I go for a safe Civic? Will I be listening to "I told you so" thereafter?

Thanks!

Walau! Battery replacement RM1.5K just for the i-stop makes nonsense of fuel saving from i-stop. But fortunately can forget about the i-stop and use normal battery.

Armbush can change in SC under warranty and won't immobilize the car so not a deal breaker.

Normal service RM500-RM600 is rather high as outside price using semi-syn oil should be RM200 - RM250. After warranty sure service outside. Based on 3 years/60K km free service and 3 years/100k km warranty, have to service max of 3 times in SC only (70K, 80K & 90K)

The "god brand" Toyota have to pay more for less safety features. Already discounted Altis from my shortlist.

This post has been edited by kluseng: Apr 20 2015, 02:04 PM

I've test driven Civic 2.0 and Mazda 3. The zoom-zoom one feels more fun to drive although Civic pickup feels more responsive. What sold me is the more sporty look of the M3 compared to the "turtle look" of the Civic. The price diff of RM12K in favour of the low spec M3 is very persuasive too!

This should scare you enough.
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/3372609

So extra service at 5K and 8K interval is at your own cost?

When did you book?

It sounds like springs creaking. Embarrassing for a new car but at least you can keep on driving until SC finds a solution. Compared to VW's gearbox problem, Peugeot's fuel pump problem and Ford's clutch pack problem it is minor. Those problems can stop the car and leave you stranded.

This post has been edited by kluseng: Apr 22 2015, 03:20 PM

Some creaky sounds when driving over bumpy roads at speed isn't a big deal for me. There are cars with much bigger problems like Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 408 and in comparison this is minor. Besides it looks like it can be solved.

The cars are assigned to the buyer before they are sent down to the dealer. Even the dealer has no control over this.

It's normal. The M3 Skyactive drive combines CVT at low speed with slight lag and dual clutch at high speed with more direct feel.

I think we worry too much about the engine mountings. I can feel a little vibration when it restarts but it is very minor. Engine mountings are wear and tear items which need to replace further down the road. If you own the car for long term you probably need to replace once and I doubt the i-stop is going to change that. In fact less idling may prolong the life of the engine mountings. What about saving fuel and reducing engine wear and tear?

As for the special battery if you don't want to pay for it in future then replace with a normal battery and forget about the i-stop. But you already have the special battery now so may as well make use of it.

I think it's more to do with the fear of something new that we are not used to. When I told my wife the engine will shutdown at traffic lights she immediately said, "No, No, I don't want that!"

I think can still delay until the car arrive in the showroom. But you still have to pay irrespective of whether you are satisfied with the car or not. Once loan agreement is signed bank will release the loan so you cannot back out.

I was facing the same dilemma. Although I can afford the high spec I finally chose the low spec.

Firstly I consider the 18" rims too big. It means a more bumpy and noisy ride and more expensive tyres. Yes, I can trade in for 16" but I know nothing about rims and will probably get whacked.

Leather seats are nice but require more maintenance than fabric seats. Despite using leather conditioner the leather seats on my present car still cracked after 6 years.

There are many convenience features on the high specs like keyless entry, auto climate control, auto headlights and auto wipers but all it requires is to press a button. HUD display I can do without. Less of these auto gadgets, less things can go wrong.

Many of the high spec features like Bi-Xenon headlights, auto high beam control, auto dimming mirror and adaptive head lights are for night driving which I seldom do nowadays. I've not touched the cruise control on my present ride for years.

There are some high spec features I consider useful like smart city brake, lane change warning and reverse camera but I'm not prepared to pay RM15K extra for them. Besides the low spec has all the fuel saving and safety features of the high spec.

But if you find all or most of the high spec features useful then RM15K is worth the money. Go for it!

This post has been edited by kluseng: May 3 2015, 08:12 PM

I test drove the Civic 2.0, Cerato 2.0 and Mazda 3 and decided on the M3. No need for me to test the Conti cars. After reading the heart breaking stories of owners in VW, Ford and Peugeot forums I don't know which group to pity more. After buying a new car one should be able to enjoy it instead of spending one's annual leave in SCs and losing the use of the car for months while waiting for spare parts. One Peugeot owner had to leave his car in SC for 1 month even before driving out of the showroom due to windscreen and headlights defects.

I dismiss the Altis earlier on as Toyota charge more while giving less safety features. The Cerato is very well equipped but gives little driving pleasure. It's like driving a well equipped Wira. The Civic is capable but rather long in the tooth now. The M3 low spec gives me the best overall value for money in terms of price, safety, equipment, fuel economy, looks and handling.

@uxb138, Some SA will straightaway tell you no discount but it's possible to get some discount from some SA but not much (~rm500). Do ask around.

Ya, I enjoyed the test drive so much I went 2 rounds. LOL!

With the arrival of the Mazda3 CKD and sharp pricing T & H have better buck up. The Madza3 2.0 low spec is a few K's cheaper than Civic 1.8 and doesn't lose in features esp. safety. Altis is even worse value.

As Soul Red requires an expensive painting process Bermaz will probably need to increase the price. This may lead to complains from customers who don't understand why one colour is more expensive than another so Bermaz may have decided not to deal with the hassle.

Tinting outside should not void your warranty but if you decide to take advantage of the discount coupon from SA do compare the price outside first.

Some members here have already got their high spec model. Since you book early you should call up your SA and press him.

If music from USB hang other users have found that it helps if your USB is formatted for FAT32, there are no other non-MP3 files on the USB and song titles don't contain weird (non-ASCII) characters.

If you are from KL/PJ I would suggest the Mazda 3S centre at the Federal Highway or Mazda Seri Kembangan.