Phantom Cruiser

Very, very thin paint...now I can understand why they charge more $$ for Millenium Yellow paint on the Corvettes.

import_tuner19

the paint in general is very thin no matter what color i just touch my dark green and i have a chip at least thats what it seems like. Thank god i'm getting it repainted black with thicker paint hopefully.

THAPRO1

you know you can just loosen the screw on that little clip sensor that sets the beep off thats what i do everythime i'm working on my car either loosen it or take it off but remember to put it back in when your done otherwise your interior light won't come on when you open the door

oh yeah the cup holders suck!! i guess i was spoiled by the cup holders in my altima they were in the center console!! also no tach on the dx!? i mean if they have the cluster from the lx and es why not just put it in all the cars? Why does an auto es or lx need a tach but a 5 speed dx doesn't?
peace
dante

drivethruecp

THE LACK OF SMOOTH SHIFTING!!

Its hard to explain because its really tempermental and I can't quite figure out when it happens and link it to the temperature of anything really. But any way... my car 2002 Protege ES has 31k and I don't really get good shifts at all... Especially 1st to 2nd! It seems like whatever the combination with the clutch and gas..Most of the time its never smooth. I don't think its me...although it could be...but I think its the car. Could it be that I have to change the transmission fluid? I use castrol every 3k. I don't really drive agressive at all. Just normal accelerating and driving. But I can't stand that the shifts aren't smooth...and other times...are. I am getting a b&m or a kartboy short throw. It seems like when I shift low with the stick rather then the ****...I get better shifts. I am not sure what to do...any thoughts would be great!

juddz

Deja vu! Coulda sworn I'd seen this somewhere before!

lassbol

I recently bought a 99 ES, and the yellow corner lights really bug me. I've been meaning to get a protege for a while, finally found one in good condition at a good price, everything's great but the big yellow corners kind of ruin the front. Any relatively low-cost ideas? (It would be nice if the blinking still remained yellow... I wish they had put in the one-piece light from the later years for 99 and 00 too, it just looks so much better.)

THAPRO1

/\
http://search.ebay.com/99-00-mazda-p...learQ20corners

check here
peace
dante

p5

this one works:

http://www.protegeclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16226

MadeInJapan

So, Zoomgirl's from Knoxville. Well, so am I, and she and I both know that it ain't no hick town. Hehehe. Anyway, my gripes are the cup holders, the damn wipers and believe it or not the mileage. I drive 120 miles round trip from Fountain City in North Knoxville to Sweetwater everday and only get about 27-28mpg...less in the winter. My wife's Volvo V70 Turbo station wagon gets 30-31 consistently for the same trip. Go figure.

Edited: I also could add a note about the intermittent wiper stalk. If you'll notice, I was the last to post on that thread...that was January 2003, two years ago. I ordered the stalk, it was out of stock and then it never came. To this day I don't know if I was charged for it or not...probably not. However, as the wipers have delayed in effectiveness I have no desire to add intermittent to such sucky wipers at this point. Oh yeah, I hate the door lock stems too....they jab me in my arm.

Another feature I wish the Prot. had was not only tilt in the stearing wheel, but telescoping wheel, like the Volvo...really nice feature, but I know that we're driving economy cars, so guess I shouldn't complain about that.

celticbass

i think what bugs me the most.... when i first start the car in the morning, the first 2 miles my car runs like a raped ape, hauling butt trying to get away. but once the engine warms up... no way jose. what bugs me is that it doesnt run all speedy all the time. if i could have the zoom, acceleration, and go i get in the morning, i would be a happy camper.

Tyrael6666

all cars run a lot faster when cold, thats just the way it is, hell some people at street races will actualyl sit there with their hood open for 2 hours (on good nights when cops dont come) and wait for their engine to get cold JUST for 1 race.

meGrimlock

OEM tires are teh suck. im upgrading to the racing hart/mazdaspeed suspension and getting 17" wheels with better tires when the cash comes my way. now that its winter, i hear a rattle in the dashboard when i first drive the car for about 10 minutes but if i hold down the dashboard near the top of the cd player the rattle goes away. is this the cold engine rattle people talk about? other than the rubbery and awful gear shifts those are my only real complaints. maybe i'm spoiled...my friend taught me how to drive a stick on his rsx and that had a very forgiving transmission for a sports car. i test drove a bmw while i was still a n00b at it and it made bad shifting and stalling out practically impossible! oh well, the car is still more fun to drive than a corolla and a better value than a civic (which a lot of dealers 'round here mark up).

btw, i thought the purpose of fogs was so oncoming traffic could see you better, not to provide the driver with more light. it wouldnt be smart to have fogs pointing upward, the fog just reflects the light back at you, reducing your visibility. if your fogs point upwards or aimed at the same level as your headlights, they might be considered "driving lights" which are not allowed in all states.
-meGrimlock

Tyrael6666

my stock tires were bridgestone potenza...they held up quite nicely i think, they took some good abuse before being traded for dunlop 901s, i think those grab like crazy, its an accomplishment to chirp the tires flooring it around a corner

viral_override

The paint by far sucks ***. I have so many chips and scratches....worst paint quality I have ever seen.

zerocover

I responded here at one time but now I KEEP BLOWING SPEAKERS!

Probobly my own fault. However I think it has something to do with them not being properly insulated.

The road noise is also pretty bad. No sound deadening at all, that I am working on though.