Just booked my M3 HS in meteor gray colour. The SA from Mazda Sunway Mentari very friendly and accommodating to thick face git like me who keep asking for freebies haha.

Would highly recommend Seah who made the process for a first time car buyer very easy and smooth!

P.S: Lucky me they still got one grey in stock. Crossed fingers my loan faster approve, possibly get my car at the end of this month before CNY to vroom vroom in front of relatives haha!

This post has been edited by MissHanz: Jan 14 2016, 11:27 AM

Here's a list I compiled you guys might find useful (all sourced from this thread, credit to respective contributors, follow at own risk):

Infotainment Settings and Commands


Infotainment System Mods (Use At Own Risk):


Other Tips + Tricks:


Checklist When Receiving New Car:


After Receiving New Car, You May:


Service Centres:


This post has been edited by MissHanz: Jan 17 2016, 03:16 PM

Check this link out: http://www.carbase.my/search?on_sale=1&mak...a&model=3+sedan

or you can contact my guy from Sunway Mentari Mazda via whatsapp. Good service and sincere. Seah - 0126550708



This post has been edited by MissHanz: Jan 17 2016, 10:25 PM

If your mazda3 is not much different from the current Mazda3, then although some may argue it, I do not think the Mazda3 is fit for family car as the rear passenger seat is cramped, seats are stiff and angled at an uncomfortable angle. The back seat can JUST ONLY fit a baby seat (front passenger has to move seat in front by a bit), to give you an idea. The noise insulation is also not very good and for rear passenger long distance trips are definitely not a comfortable one.

1. AFAIK the 2016 M3 if anything like USA it's the same design wise, but rear view camera is standard now among all variants plus a lot more other features previously only available to high spec at lower prices. Read somewhere that they redesigned the seats and somehow the perforated seats can absorb more road noise. Improved torque and fuel economy. No new colours. Paul Tan mentions that diesel variants are being brought in also, not sure if the M3 will be one of them. Again, don't take my word for it. I haven't got my car yet, wonder if I can wait a bit for the new 2016 model. Also, certain countries are already offering 3 years UNLIMITED MILEAGE across all Mazda models. If they do, 2015 models are eligible

2. The climate control for 2015 CKD is the 3 knobs one.

3. HUD is useful in a sense that it's in your passive view while you drive, very convenient as you don't have to glance down to check your speed. Lane departure warning is at the side mirror if not mistaken.

4. Full tank should be about RM80~RM90 give or take. You can check out the fuelly's scattered around in this thread. That's what I did, haha.

5. The knock knock sound is due to one/two parts in the car that can be replaced, not all models affected, for some replacing parts solved their problem, but some are still persistant. However not a safety issue although still very annoying, but that's what music is for!

6.I imagine the road noise to be at Vios level. Driving at 140km/h can just hear the radio barely at it's original volume while driving at 90km/h.

All this is based on what I read, not my personal experience, so results may wary

Haha, good thing I put a disclaimer then. I don't see any news regarding the 2016 model, but as I've yet to sign my loan yet I wonder if I can still hang around and wait for the new model to arrive or is that wishful thinking?

My friend told me his friend who drove a Mazda need to wait for MONTHS to get his tyre replaced due to defect. I am aware our tyres are an odd size, but is it that difficult to get a 18" tire around here? I thought the factory is based here should be easier no need to wait for import etc? At least not that long la. No car for a week also I will die already, what more months? If it were me I'd ask them to loan me a car or pay me for my troubles

I think that one is still based on CBU.. I originally wanted titanium flash mica too meteor gray is second option..

The HRV is lacking in specs compared to the M3, and while M3 is more expensive by <10k don't forget your HRV service is free labour only whilst Mazda everytime you service within 3yr/60k limit, you don't have to have a cent in your pocket when you go That will save you a lot of money in the (3 years) long run.

On a side note, is it just me who thinks that the M2's leather fabric combination seat is way more sexier than the M3..

That's what I thought. Just get some generic one first and ask Mazda to pay for the inconvenience

Is the M3's spare tyre full sized or space saver? I borrowed my Vios to my father's friend who blew it and he put in the spare. I didn't know and drove around 140km/h as per usual speed from klang to subang. It burst on the fast lane and the car was just jerking wildly left and right and veering hard to the left which is where the metal dividers are. Good thing not a lot of car behind me and I managed to steer it all the way to the left in the midst of all the shock although throughout the entire ordeal I knew I had to be calm and grasp the steering tightly. The most kelian one is my colleague who decidedly to follow me to work that day hahaha! Tyres were smoking and flat all the way to the rim, it was shredded into pieces. Within 20 mins a kind man in a black Vios stopped to help me but he also dunno what to do Good thing right at the moment road assistance came to help and I thanked the man curtly and attended to the few men who came to help me. There were 3 of them so they changed my tyre really quick and I didn't know what was the going rate so I just gave them RM50 to divide amongst themselves. After I had the time to calm down, I regret not asking the man for his name card or something because he was truly very nice and tried to help eventhough he didnt know what to do and I wanted to thank him more sincerely. I only remember his car number started with WVD XXXX. I will always remember his kindness in my hour of fear and confusion. Went to work and got scolded because I hold the key to my workplace

My point is. You cannot drive long distance with spare Asking me to drive at 80-90km/h is just horrible for impatient person like me. Although now with a nicer car, I might just cruise at 50km/h...

Whats most important to you?

Luxury, comfort, power, tech, value for money, 2nd-hand value, space.. list them by priority. Usually the first 3 can help decide already.



This post has been edited by MissHanz: Jan 19 2016, 09:07 PM

Grats! What colour and what rebate did you get? There is a CNY promo going on right?

As I understand spares have a different make up in order to last longer in storage and as such it is not advisable to drive long distance faster than 80km/h. Spares are only meant to be replaced with full sized tyres as soon as possible.

I have to admit I do think I have been very lucky on numerous occasions but I always tell myself I only need one unlucky moment for my life to be over, so be careful everyone, need to collect CNY ang pao liao

No idea, the guy who used my car previously replaced it with the spare I had and replaced the spare tyre. Maybe because the spare has been unused for some time so it blew? Anyhow, won't be lending my new car to anyone soon!

Tapping all my wooden furniture right now. How did it happen bro?

Oh, we can change our mind even after we sign? I was actually very satisfied with the service my SA provided me, until I found out I have a regular customer that works at Mazda Sg Besi who happens to be high up. AFAIK Sg Besi doesn't give too much discount based on the feedback that I got from the people who bought from there. Can't say for sure now, but then again it depends on the individual SA so I guess that's not a fair assumption.

Hi guys, I couldn't get any apps to play sounds, only audio via music app, not even youtube got sound.
Anyway, for those who hasn't discovered, under Waze settings, you can check the box "Prefer Bluetooth". The only annoying thing is for some reason Mazda Connect treats it as a call, meaning after Waze finishes speaking, you can hear the two tone call end sound. It also shows on the display that there indeed was an incoming call, and then followed promptly by call ended.

Kinda wish when I use the Mazda Nav, when they give directions they could fade in and fade out the audio; currently it is speaking above my horrible NVH and my very loud music

Also, I decided to risk it and tried to use the tweaks, here are the ones I successfully applied:

•Change background
•Enable touchscreen during driving
•Add date to time
•Positioned connection icons (wifi, battery etc) to above time

Other tweaks that came with this bundle that I am currently not using/impressed by:
•Remove no album frame
•Enable Wifi (For SSH connections)
•Set nag/disclaimer message from 3.5s to 0.1 sec
•Remove safety warning label during reverse

All these tweaks comes in a bundle via this link: http://mazda3revolution.com/forums/2014-20...tml#post1442746

My Mazda Connect is a V51, currently all tweaks works best for V55/V56.
You can check your version by going to Settings > System > Version.
Again, use at own risk! To be clear, the risk they mean is if something effs up, the worst scenario is your Mazda Connect will go into a bootloop; it will keep restarting. There are several solutions to this issue, but if you're not very techy I would suggest you stay away.

I wanted to use the "Pause on Mute" and Video Player tweak but it's tuned for V55 or higher; previous versions are buggy/unstable so I rather not. I tried running the tweak on my system (it has a revert if failed option) but it didn't work. All I have to do is update my version, but I very lazy and don't want it that bad I am also trying to rearrange my audio source list, move all USB AUX to the top of the list and pandora, aha, stitcher to the bottom. This requires SSH though unlike the above options where you can just download into USB so I am rather reluctant to do in case I mess up.


If you're interested, all the above were simply done via plug and play using USB2.0 thumbdrive no larger than 16GB:
•Download files
•Format thumbdrive (FAT32) & copy file into thumbdrive
•While everything is off, remove other usb/sd from car
•Insert USB
•Turn on your car (not your engine)
•Wait for it to load (approx 30 secs) Do not press knobs or buttons during this, only touch screen
•Wait for "Tweak Applied" & "Date Retrieval Succesful" message to appear, then remove thumbdrive
•Restart Mazda Connects by holding down Nav + Mute for 10 secs (display may turn off after restarting, just press any button to wake it up.)
Done.

I applied the tweaks one by one. All tweaks comes with uninstallers. All tweaks does not interfere with software upgrades (tweaks will be cleared, and need to be reapplied again after update).

Hi, try to keep your password below 8 characters and avoid special characters (#&$@&#)
Wifi is actually for live traffic updates for nav enabled cars.

Anyway, got my car on 29th Jan, Meteor Grey HS. Previous car Vios J spec.

Really love the body kit; when car door opens the scuff plates light up. Interior top notch, feels really luxurious. Accelerator response a little laggy, but if you step on it you will find the car speeds with no difficulty. I expect this is due to the fuel efficiency of skyactiv engine.

NVH for my 18" tires are definitely noticeable; from a scale of 1-10, 10 being unbearable I would score it at 6-7. Might consider soundproofing if they can reduce by at least 40%. If any lesser I wouldn't bother as the reduction wouldn't be significant. I rather turn on my music louder.

I have kruk kruk sounds over certain bumps only. Doesn't bother me one bit. I have yet to hear the ngek ngek, dong, and tik tik sound

I used Raytech MX for my tint, gps/smart tag all pass. Not dark enough for my taste but does the job.

I had glass coating for my car. Meteor Grey seriously jialat, little bit dusty also can see. As new owner who has just received their bonus I impulsively went to coat my car; I suspect after 3 months driving I wouldn't bother about the dust anymore ahahah. Glass coating protects minor chips only, wash car just use water is good enough. During light to moderate rain you don't need to use wipers; the water beads just roll right off. Pretty cool effect. I paid RM2k for 5 years warranty, leather maintenance, disinfection, location in Puchong but while the coating is excellent they didn't clean up very well; some polishing/agent is lodged in the corner of my headlamps, some wax debris still stuck to car body, watermarks etc which all can be removed with 0 damage but I have to inspect properly la, if not have to drive back to ask them to remove/clean. I also notice 2 scratches on my tint which I am pretty sure wasn't there before. When I asked about it they say during interior service they don't use anything sharp etc so not possible to damage. I haven't parked my car in a bright place so maybe It was probably always there and I never noticed; I'd like to give them the benefit of doubt but my guts tell me they do one la. When I received my car I don't think I would have missed it.

I pumped full tank from 45km range left (petrol indicator lighted up) with RON95 amounting to RM70.10 (3rd Jan), drove for 160 +- km, gas gauge drop two bars only, however I doubt it is parallel. Petrol AVG is 9.1l/100km, I coast around 130km/h on average, with frequent acceleration and sometimes drive up to 16km/h if I went back home late and the road is clear.

Comparing the M3 and the Vios, I find that my Vios is more responsive during acceleration, but the M3 really handles curves like a skilled potter; my vios always feel like gonna buang anytime. NVH for M3 definitely is louder, sound system is only slightly better than my vios OEM which is a shame (still cannot play dubstep). Fuel efficiency wise, I have to say I am still not sure as I only had the car for less than 2 weeks. I got my car on 29th Jan full tank, and had to refuel in 5 days. I accelerated more than I should perhaps, but my Vios full tank could last me at least a week under the same driving conditions. Maybe due to physical attributes of the new M3? Anyway after second full tank I drove slightly milder and can see the difference. If it continues at the rate it's going right now, the M3 definitely saves more fuel than my 1.5cc Vios.

The Mazda Connect could be potentially very useful but somehow the features right now are limited and stunted. The Nav is a little mafan and I don't see myself using it much unless my phone date connection is iffy. I like that there are many people who are programming tweaks that are user friendly, but what I want most is to have waze and video playing function on it. Also, the no touchscreen during driving thing is so dumb; my passenger not people ah? Want to pause music also need to turn knob. (didn't want to mute because it's not the same thing!) Bluetooth function is limited and not very intuitive. Main function is to call and not tailored for other uses.

Installed brakelock; just press start button twice, step on brake and it will autolock. Upon killing the engine after driving, your car will unlock. For some reason, the autolock can only be enabled once within a short period: if I locked using brakelock, unlock my car manually, and press brake again it won't lock. Anybody care to explain?

iStop is annoying, I turn my aircon all the way to 18 to disable it so I don't have to manually do it. During idling, engine purrs very softly, but sometimes does have noticeable vibration but rarely. iStop does not resume engine operation gracefully. Jerky and loud.

Shift paddles very responsive with no delay. Signal stalks require a little more effort to push down compared to my Vios, which was very easy to flip up and down. The accelerate pedal goes down at an angle unlike my Vios that goes down parallel so for small footed girl like me I need to sit very in front, unless I want to tiptoe. My brakes also have to pijak very hard; my Vios tap will brake accordingly, but M3 I tap no difference. Possibly get cramps during traffic haha but KennyKB says I can get that tuned at the service centre.

Also, is it just me or are the headlamps super bright? I feel like I am blinding the car in front of me.

Rear seats are more than adequate. It looks small but is actually very roomy, but I am a very short girl. The boot size is also good, can fit 2 regular sized luggage comfortably. Rear vehicle monitoring system is very useful as the car's body blocks certain spots as I am the type that turn my head to look behind left or right before I makan to next lane. Almost bang a car once coz of blind spot during FIRST day of driving when I was 18.

Leather seats and steering wheel does not feel uncomfortable during hot day, maybe thanks to tinting as I was afraid it might feel too hot or sticky if I perspire. Aircond does it's job very splendidly in cooling the entire cabin; rear seat passengers can definitely feel the air cond.

Think this is all the input I can think of. Hope will enlighten potential M3 owners! Don't bombard me if I made/said some mistakes

Haha, I think the others aren't quite as long-winded as I am perhaps? Thanks for the input! Would you care to enlighten me on this:

Try to be familiar in using the pedal shifters and understand the gear shift points in relation to the speed and pedal travel when you're driving.

What I understand from it is when my RPM hits 3-4 I shift up. If I want to overtake I shift down. Do let me know if I am very misled.

My SA gave it to me for free after I asked for more discount

I plan to, but now CNY haven't gotten my car to a car wash yet, so it's a little dirty. Meteor Gray dust very visible. Also, my parking is near a playground and I'm not sure how but there is a small indentation on my passenger car door; I suspect must be some kid who played too close to my car. There seems to be some white paint transfer on the indentation and surrounding (like a sparse dotted trail across my car door) that looks like it can be polished/wiped off but using my finger to rub it has no effect. I am attempting to block out the mental pain and pretending it never happened as it's not very obvious. The other day my colleague bought some nasi lemak and PUT IT ON MY LEATHER SEAT instead of on the floor and I didn't notice. By the time I reach work and removed the nasi lemak, got oil stain on my chair already. Wiped it off with tissue and it left a noticeable green tinge from the oil. Used toothpaste on the area, wiped it with wet tissue and then wiped dry; not so noticeable anymore. But if you know where to look for it you can still spot it. So this is what happened to my car within 2 weeks of driving it. Also my smart tag decided to malfunction and I had to use my TNG manually (not my tint problem coz I checked) and because my arms are so short, I moved my car too close to the toll booth and hit it softly with my tires; left two small scratch on my front body kit. That one was my fault, lol.

Happy Chinese New Year guys! And happy holidays too to other non-chinese

This post has been edited by MissHanz: Feb 11 2016, 01:57 PM