The one in Glenmarie and the one in Petaling Jaya can be considered as their "headquarters" so the technicians there a little bit more trained than the other centres but if you are buying any of their CKD models then it shouldn't be of much concern where you send your car for servicing. By the way, by "service", what are you referring to?

Mazda SAs are a little bit more accommodating simply because their brands aren't in demand so they wouldn't want to scare customers away on first impression since they are a bit hard to come by for them. Just drop by any Honda showrooms and see if they give a nickle to you

I don't rely on SAs to tackle my questions regarding reliability/warranty issues because most of them aren't equipped with the knowledge to answer. They either give you a general reply or just give you nonsensical answers. Just go around forums and ask real owners - that will be the most accurate.

the CX5 isn't small, just a little bit compact in relative to its counterparts but if you don't ferry around rear passengers >60% of your driving time then why be bothered with their comfort

hearsay that the coilmats are also part of the Mazda's design of sound dampening.

if it's just the regular interval service then i reckon there wouldn't be any significant difference in terms of service. after all, Mazda can be considered as a "niche" brand here in Malaysia so without the load of cars coming in daily, they should be able to attend to your needs satisfactorily.

my past experience of claiming warranty was with Honda and it was relatively smooth and quick from the branch so i guess it matters not where you submit your claim but rather how responsive the representative attended to your matter.

what "other brand" showroom you have been to

i've been to the Lexus showroom in Mutiara Damansara and they have not pose such a question to me, not even in the casual chat context or perhaps maybe the SA was trying to be attentive, recommending you the variant/model that suit your income bracket.

Mazda has been "sidelined" since the 2nd generation CX-5 was launched because it is more expensive and much smaller in comparison with its Japanese counterparts so it's normal for the showroom to look "lonely" because no one goes in because it's not "worth it".

more so when the Mazda 3 BP was launched, everyone just kicked the brand to the curb.

as far as I remembered, Mazda was never loud with their advertisements, in fact if you noticed, you hardly come across any banners, posters or even radio placements for Mazda here in Malaysia.

the latest one i can recall is through an radio advertisement promoting their 6+6 extended warranty/service package.

perhaps the one thing that i felt "safe" with Mazda is that they are pretty consistent with their pricing across dealers. no incidents where customers buy a new car today and then by next week, the dealers are offering a RM8,000.00 discount off all variant.

not so sure about the coilmats though because they come as standard in the CBU Mazda 3 so I'm more incline to believe that Mazda Japan sort of makes it mandatory that all of their cars are fitted with these type of mats - which is consistent with what I've read before (part of the sound dampening parts).

as for the Skytint, i have to admit, the one on the FWS is rubbish but the ones on the sides and the rear is actually quite decent.

i removed the Skytint on my FWS and replaced it with something of a higher IRR after a week of ownership leaving the rest untouched.

just to share, the person whom i got the new tint installed told me that one of the reasons why Mazda's Skytint has a relatively low IRR FWS tint is because the original windscreen already has a certain percentage of IRR on it, slapping anything higher (IRR) on it will block sensors. true enough, i couldn't get my SmartTag sensor through once the tint was replaced.

oh wells.

if you really want to play by the rules then you need to allow at least 70% VLT on your FWS which will result in an IRR% of no more than 60 (the original Skytint is about 55%). with our current weather especially between 11am - 2pm, there's NO way in hell you can drive comfortably.

you need to bend the rules a bit to achieve a comfortable ride.

better quality tints will offer higher IRR% (higher TSER) with higher VLT. it is only with the cheaper or lower end tints that the TSER corresponds directly with VLT but not necessary the IRR%.

what you really need to look for is the IRR% - everything else can be ignored negligently.

SmartTag uses IR and I was given to understand that tints with a IRR% rating of 65 or higher will evidently block the signal transmission of the SmartTag. Not sure if this is only inherent on the Mazda because Mazda's FWS already has some IRR elements in it BUT tint shops can carefully and discreetly cut out a small patch on the top of the FWS where the frit sits so that there is no interference when using the SmartTag.

My travelling route doesn't involve a lot of toll booths so winding down the window to have my SmartTag scanned isn't a chore.

it's IRR, not VLT.

IRR and VLT both contributes to TSER so having a high IRR value doesn't necessarily mean a high TSER. heat is transmitted through light and while most heat are radiated through the IR spectrum, a chunk of it comes from other light spectrum itself hence VLT plays a rather major role in maintaining a high TSER.

not sure what's going on with the CKD models but what my SA told me for my CBU makes sense:-

1) the car needs to pass the JPJ/Puspakom inspection so having a tint that doesn't comply with the regulation will get an instant rejection; and
2) the CBU car came tinted straight from Japan so it's not something that Bermaz added after the car arrives in Malaysian shores.

Unless Mazda Japan forces Bermaz to install the Skytint before they roll out from the factory here in Malaysia, I don't see why Bermaz cannot allow the car to come without tint and then let customers decide what to add on.

This post has been edited by shaniandras2787: Sep 22 2020, 12:33 PM

the Skytint for the sides and rear won't trouble you, it's the FWS that's the disturbing one. even under the 11pm sun, you can feel the heat on your thighs (with long pants on) and while we can try to accommodate the heat (though unbearable), it's definitely not going to do any good to the dash.

i did considered putting those PPF on my headlamps when I did my coating but i find that the price doesn't justify itself (at least for the Mazda). an original headlamp would probably costs around RM3k+ each and that is if it was damaged beyond use. a decent PPF wrap will costs around RM5k for a pair.

with that costs, unless i have a full Matrix LED, i'd spend that money elsewhere.

i wasn't acquainted with the news on the Preve but i have never heard of headlights cracking because of PPF wraps due to heat - if at all, they get deteriorated either because it's a bad product or bad worksmanship.

depending on the type of car/headlights you have, PPF can be recommended. how so?

assuming you have a XC60, each headlights costs close to RM12,000.00 brand new - and you cannot drive the car without headlights so you have no choice but to replace it BUT you don't have so much spare cash in hand. of course you can claim it through insurance but it will reset your NCD all the way back to 100%. in this instance, spending monies for the PPF wrap on the headlight is a worth while investment.

however if you're running on a X70, i think each headlights would probably costs around RM3k max and couple with how probable that the headlights are going to get damaged beyond usability (which is quite rare), opting for a PPF wrap may not be the most cost effective way but if having a wrap buys you peace of mind then by all means go ahead.

to be honest, full frontal PPF wrap on a X70 at RM1k sounds a bit too cheap to be good, it's almost even cheaper than applying for a car coating and car coatings aren't considered cheap already.

i think 2 weeks is a reasonable waiting time.

the representatives in the centre will always give you "not there, not here" kind of reply eventhough the know for sure the claim can come true - all to avoid the possibilities of customers grabbing them by the neck.

if you haven't done anything silly to the car, fat chance that your claim will come through.

Not really sure about Mazda but back when I was still with my Accord, I asked the representative regarding the warranty claiming process. He told me that why there's a longer processing time when you submit your claims through the branches instead of the HQs.

According (pun intended) to him, it matters not where you submit your claims actually but rather where you send your car for servicing.

If you send your car for servicing at the branch and then submit your claims at the HQ, the processing time will still be the same as if you are submitting through the branch because the HQ will still need to pull our your records from the branch and this will take time however if you have been sending your car for service in the HQ, all your records are there so it will take them less time to pull your records out.

highly recommended to put on a reputable brand coating to prevent those swirl marks that may be inflicted on the clear coat during regular car washes but don't splurge a fortune for it and don't buy into advertisement gimmicks like 9H hardness etc and definitely not "wash car only once every 6 months" kinda bull.

polishing/waxing may be more "cost-effective" in the long run but don't forget that polishing also wears down your clear coat and "thins" down your paint layer.

unprofessional detailers more often than not will cut too deep unnecessarily, removing too much than it is required (not to mention uneven cutting) resulting in premature paint deterioration. never send your car for polishing unless the paintwork is in dilapidated condition that you cannot even bat an eye

if you have the time and love detailing work, get a good quality clay bar and a good synthetic wax product. give your car a proper wash down (pressure wash), clay the paintwork and then wipe down, after that, wax the car thin and thorough. a good synthetic wax should give you at least 6 months protection with visible hydrophobic effect.

if the surface isn't "rough" to the touch, you can just repeat the process (without the need to clay) as much as it pleases you

coating is basically like wax (adding an extra layer on top of your existing paint work) but only "harder" and is much more durable. if you want convenience and you have the budget, go for a coating but if not then the aforementioned detailing work. it will require a lot of effort and time but at the same time, very satisfying if done properly because you can boast to your peers when they comment how pristine the car looks

most coatings now give "warranties" around 5 years or so (as in free re-application if it wears off within the warranty period) so if you divide the sum over the period, it's only about RM1.00 per day.

part and parcel of driving. things like this will happen whether you have a PPF wrap or not. whilst you could have your front all wrapped up but what if someone parks next to you in the shopping mall decided to give a home run swing with their door and dings yours

if they aren't right at your face then just ignore it else it's just going to affect your entire ownership experience

i still remember the time when i got my first rim/bumper rash - so damn moody the entire day but after that, it's just like any other ordinary day.

no paint work will hold up again stone chips

This post has been edited by shaniandras2787: Sep 27 2020, 11:25 AM

this way buddy ---> Latest Car Loan Rate

Hi!

1) I'd recommend Soft 99's Fusso Wax. It seems the wax was engineered for Japanese make cars and was designed for "soft paints" - easy application and buffing. Reasonably durable, 6 - 8 months before the hydrophobic effect strips off (but only slightly) and most importantly, very easy to the pocket.



2) claying is the process of prepping the surface before waxing for better bonding, much like how people sand the surface of metal grills before putting on the paint - it also removes harmful contaminants so that it doesn't continue corroding their way through the paint layers.

if you run your fingers through the paint surface of your car, you'll feel "resistance" and if you listen closely, it sounds "rough", that's the environmental contaminents that already settled onto the paintwork.

clay bar is the tool used for claying (always shaped like a soap bar) and is also relatively cheap but remember though, it cannot "pick up" all environmental contaminents but definitely good enough for pre-wax prepping application.

wax is just, well, wax

3) you can wax your car anytime you want, there's nothing in it that will have any adverse effect on the paintwork but of course it will be best if you can apply the wax when the paint is fresh out of the factory because the paintwork has not been contaminated yet.

imagine the human face, if a baby was given adequate protection from the time he/she was born and then regularly throughout his/her lifetime, his/her face will appear flawless BUT if he/she was only given protection when he/she was 18 years or after his/her face already suffered from acne breakouts then it may be too late to retain that flawless appearance that he/she once had but not impossible because he/she could undertake treatments or even plastic surgery - the latter is a metaphor for "polishing".

Yes!

accumulate all the battle scars and rashes then at the end of the fifth or sixth year ownership, send it for a thorough polish/detailing work OR better still for a fresh paint job

claybar in itself is in fact non-abrasive but once it picks up contaminants which may also contain particles like tarmac then it becomes "abrasive", if the user is unaware of the condition of the claybar and continue claying the entire car WITH the "abrasion" on the bar, it's basically goodbye as far as the paintwork is concern.

claybar is not commonly used as the ONLY surface preparation tool, it is used as a compliment to the other prepping methods but for general/regular maintenance, it is a good practice.

i know for sure aggressive claying CAN remove wax that has already cured onto the clear coat.

the proper usage of the claybar is actually on per panel basis as in after you have finished claying the fender (for instance) then you switch it to the other side for your other one panel and then you discard it which is why claybars are inexpensive but given our Malaysian's mentality (including yours truly), we tend to get very "sentimental" over our things and refuse to discard them until they turn really black

even if you accidentally dropped the bar onto the floor, you discard it but we probably pick it up, give it a few magical blows from our mouth and very well be on our way

this practice is actually quite rampant on so-called "professional detailing" shops as well, i've seen some of them applying the claybar on customer's car when it is so obvious that the entire bar is soiled.

it is a very tedious process and requires a lot of elbow grease but you don't really need to clay your car unless you find that the bonding of wax on your clear coat is bad.