What brand of tyres comes with the lowspec Mazda3? How's the road noise?

That's one of the main reasons why I booked the low spec. Prefer 16" for the reasons you mentioned.

Congrats on your new ride. You mean there is no way to check coolant temp when you are driving? How can this be?

I hope there is a way to monitor the coolant temp. If you notice the temp going higher you can do something like turning off the air-con or look for a good place to stop. Getting an alarm is already too late.

It's a grey area and manufacturers like to keep quiet instead of explaining how installing accessories will affect warranty. Logically installing something into the electrical system like audio system or alarm should not affect warranty of non-related parts like engine and transmission. But if your wipers malfunction can they blame it on your aftermarket alarm? It's possible but arguable. If you don't want to have any argument about warranty don't install anything aftermarket but you may be missing out on better security/conveniences/audio for your car.

How long is the coating expected to last?

If your wife is the primary driver my advice is go for the Mazda 2. It's also a very well equipped and fun car to drive and you save quite a bit. And she can choose RED which is not a Mazda 3 colour.

You can get soul red Mazda 3 if you are willing to shell out extra $$$ to respray. Ask your SA about it.

This post has been edited by Ginny88: Sep 28 2015, 07:11 PM

I wouldn't spend so much on coating. It makes the surface smooth and easy to clean but other than that it can't protect the paint much. It doesn't protect against bird droppings, tree sap, scratches or watermarks. The coating usually last only a year.

Probably the layer sprayed on the bumper is too thin so the different type of surface show different colour from the body. Nothing much we can do about it.

So you have to remove the door panel to install? Any possibility of rattling/humming noise later on?

By the way, what's the purpose of folding the side mirror when you park?

Well look at it this way. The GL is the same engine and same body as the HS. All the important safety features including reverse camera and USB/bluetooth entertainment/telephony system are included in the GL. The extra gadgets are nice but not necessary for you to enjoy your car. Besides you should get slightly better performance and FC than the HS due to lighter rims and lighter body (due to less gadgets). And don't forget you saved RM15K.


This post has been edited by Ginny88: Nov 25 2015, 01:53 PM

I think it means just touch the start button with your remote to allow the ECU to recognize the remote then start with your finger normally.


This post has been edited by Ginny88: Dec 2 2015, 03:17 PM

1) You mean playing movies on the screen? From the factory no but there is a hardware and software hack for it.

2) Forget about adjusting the back wheel camber. Manufacturers don't put in any adjustment screw because it is not necessary although your mechanic will try to convince you otherwise.

3) The i-stop feature require special battery to work. If you use normal battery you lose the i-stop function.

Try Settings/Sound/ALC. The loudness gain can be set.

I don't consider the high beam control to be working optimally if it only works on really dark roads. Some things are best done manually instead of depending on the electronics to make the decision for you. Others are the auto headlights on and auto wiper on. Lane Departure Warning is extraneous. If you need electronic aid to tell you when you are changing lane you should really hand in your license.

The blindspot monitoring sounds like a good idea but one HS owner told me he can't depend on it 100% because there are times it fails to detect and almost got him into an accident once. One thing I realize is there is very little blind spot for our M3. When the car in the next lane disappeard from the side mirror I can already see it looking out of my side window. But of course have to look la.

You can go for the service at 59,990 km. I'm sure they won't bat an eyelid.

A parking curb is usually a low wall about 6" high. How did you get a big dent on the passenger door and bonnet from a parking curb?

If your car is soul red only Mazda SC can spray back the same colour. It may cost you a bomb though.

Coil mat

Actually it's totally different. The high spec leather is thicker and much better quality.