7) Yeah I still service at official sc for now. Still reasonable price with MPC, just the queue sometimes.
9) Not really, it squeaks under certain conditions only not sure if it’s the bushings.

Nope my car is also a BM, 2015 hatchback.

your car age similar to mine.....whats the mileage?

for the transmission fluid change, can just do it outside, not complicated since the skyactiv platform has been in the market for some time with noticeable quantities.....now got after market physical gasket already, can skip the RTV sealing, downtime significantly reduced

since more than 10 years, the arm links can just get it changed alongside your absorbers and mountings.

Other than the infamous front lower arm bushing squeaks, another suspect is the anti roll bar bush....in the end, j just don't give a damn to the squeak already, take it as a "unique" character of the car

BM/BN owners. What's your current mileage? i'll start first. Mine is 310k km. original engine, original transmission. used since brand new. next month habis bayar.

310k km...?

Sudah berapa tahun...?

185k milleage, bought end october 2014

main gripe is how fast the 12v battery can die, other than that, mechanical wise all is good for me....

also need to budget for better tyres to exploit the good cornering ability

the only odd problem i had 4 years back was the broken vvt oil control valve, caused a heck of an engine oil leak until low oil pressure warning.....the oddest problem the SC faced as mine was the only car that had that problem among all the skyactiv range of cars they sold over years.

Mine is 2015 CKD - clocked 250k km, still running on the original engine and gearbox with my agreesive revving and cornering.

Wear and tear-wise - I have replaced the parts during 180-220k km window.
1. All original Mazda absorbers (Front and rear), lower arm, front and rear sway links, and front and rear bar bushing - RM4K+
2. Original Engine mounts, gearbox mounts and lower engine support mounts - RM1.5k (now smooth and quiet idling)
3. Every 100k - Spark plugs, coolant FL22, ATF Filter and etc
4. Walnut blasting once around 180k
5. A/C Flushing - now super cold - compressor all still working fine.
6. Front disc rotor - due to braking vibration
7. ATF - every 20-30k
8. V-Belt - changed twice 100k interval as a preventive maintenance to avoid snap off.
9. Added Apple car play and android auto into the headunit - so far enjoying with as many new cars or car within the same generation does not able to support also.

The next items to watch out for are the top radiator casing, water pump still original, which tends to crack with age, and the air-conditioning system due to its age already 11 years soon.

But once replace those wear and tear items, the car will good for another 5 years easily as Mazda parts really long lasting even compare to my another Toyota where has lower mileage but certain rubber parts already noticable wear off more.

Plan to continue to drive it first since the car is rather well built and dont have much thing to kacau. Plus the interior still solid no noticeable rattling sound even on rough roads.

I aim to hit 500k km.



400kmiles = 700km Mazda 3 BM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKl86pux1QY

This post has been edited by incredibless: Mar 7 2026, 06:06 PM

hi guys, anyone can test yours or know if it is normal? engine is off and sound coming from gear when pressing brake.

Video

kinda curious how to add ac/aa in mazda infotainment? no need physical hardware upgrades ke

Mine clocked 93k km now. Though mileage is not that high, some rubber parts still on time to get replaced.

I just replaced the front strut with all Genuine Mazda parts and Eibach pro kit all round. Reduced a lot of weird clunking sounds, and much more controlled ride. Only gripe is it’s stiffer/more busy with large bumps.

EDIT: Do not use this option. Just don’t, hit bump stop travelling on federal highway from Subang to MV direction (the area under bridge after UOA biz park).

Not enough damping and travel with stock absorber design. Lowered about 25mm, feel by hand there are less than 3 inches of travel to the bump stop. Either have to use sport absorber or coilover.

I don’t really hear much squeaking, only when under hard braking over bump simultaneously.

Did the walnut blasting yield any noticeable improvements? Any recommended shop in KV?

Did you get the wireless version for aa module? Plan to get one too

I believe you will need to upgrade firmware and a module in the arm rest.

This post has been edited by CAL V: Mar 21 2026, 02:41 AM

You need to update to higher version firmware, then change the usb port to AC/AA compatible module. Then your MZD infotainment can use
AC/AA as per today latest model car already. One thing good is the rotary knob will then also function as according to the AC/AA. Like music button it will link to spotify or apple music, then navigiation button will to google map/waze. Then the voice control will use apple SIRI for any voice control stuff.

I done mine but paid to installer to do la...lazy to do myself. Hahaha. Even my friends was shocked WOW,
you car back then already got AC/AA? I said yeah.since 10years ago .....comparing their latest hondas, toyotas, or even other brands.

This post has been edited by incredibless: Mar 22 2026, 10:06 AM

pickup will be lighter and faster, you will be quite surprised in the first few weeks that the engine initially had that feel and you totally forgot about it, very mild fuel economy improvement as a bonus.

i did dry ice blasting, cleaner and can blast the whole engine bay clean as no worry about walnut residue, but takes longer as needed more compressed air.

First time hearing about using dry ice blasting to clean intake carbon buildup.

I shall do my survey, thanks for the recommendation.

When the engine full of carbon built-up, does it feel some slight vibration at cold starts? I felt that for my car, only at cold start period, when already reach optimum temperature, the vibration is gone.

Chatgpt said due to it and not engine mount

This post has been edited by ayamxxx: Mar 27 2026, 06:09 AM

it is possible, but i am no automotive engineer to answer this definitely...

to be fair, the carbon will come back after 20-30k km after the cleaning service, unless you're always on high speed cruise.

Try looking into new set of spark plugs (this engine needs new plugs around 80k mileage, not the 100-120k lifespan that iridium sparks claimed to offer) and have the intake cleaned, maybe even a double/triple cycle of fuel system cleaner before proceeding towards carbon blasting....but if you can afford it, by all means go for it, no harm to the valves and intake channels (unless the mechanic didn't position the valves properly to fully seal the combustion chamber)

use low volatility (NOACK value below 10%) engine oils, that is the main source of carbon as the engine oil fumes are the base for the carbon to accumulate

This post has been edited by wkc5657: Mar 27 2026, 08:41 AM

Hi guys, i need to replace my car's battery. Can recommend me a good q85 brand? Also, do we really need to reset the i-start function after replacing the battery or any car workshop can do it?

my suggestion, get any brand that has the longest warranty of q85 in shopee/lazada/nearby battery shop that is on offer, my experience was that the brands won't differ too much on the duration...

or you can be like me, go try new non lead acid type battery, got sodium, got lfp, priced higher in the beginning, but more than make up for the lifespan (if you believe their marketing)

no need to reset istop, it will readapt after driving for a few days to a few weeks.....

if really OCD to see the blinking icon, get a cheap bluetooth obd reader, download any compatible tool in your smartphone and delete the error code on your own....

you can also get a 12v battery charger online, unless it is dendrite short or plate failure, usually a recharge and reconditioning will restore the battery. If don't want to buy the 12v charger, can just bring to any car battery shop and give them a small tip for a full recharge (takes at least half a day though).

Thanks for your feedback! I'll just get one from Shopee, Mazda PJ branch just quoted me RM690 with 2 years warranty

If a Q85 battery can die every year, doesn't the RM690 with a 2-year warranty battery make up for it as opposed to the RM460+ battery a year...? That is provided if these batteries only last a year or so...

BTW, Mazda iStart/Stop function sucks or Q85 battery sucks, or both...?

I just ordered one from Shopee for RM317.17 with 1 year warranty, if it dies before it hits 2 years then yea i'll probably purchase from Mazda SC the next round.

For me, I don't use the i-stop function at all. I wish i could disable it permanently.

This post has been edited by Jo@NJS: Apr 8 2026, 07:06 PM

RM317 only...? You must have had a heck lots of Shopee vouchers...

Mind sharing the link on Shopee...?