blower motor problems
 

im having problems with the blower motor on my 2004 2.3L mazda3 hatchback. it does turn on, however, it does only after about 20-45 minutes of putting it in "2" and waiting for it to start. this is a big problem in the winter because i need it to defog the windows. the ppl at pep boys told me it would cost about $350-$400 for parts and labor. they told me that labor cost a lot more on my car because they have to remove the dashboard in order to access the blower motor? i was wondering if this was a reasonable price or should i go to another place and see if it could be something else wrong with the fuse or computer that controls the blower? thank u

Someone else may reply who has taken the motor out, but from what i've seen it is an involved job taking most of the dash apart to get to it. They buried it dead center in the dash behind & below the radio area.
I'd verify all the other wiring is ok first, the switch assembly (where the fan 1-2-3-4 control is) comes out fairly easily - could be a bad wire somewhere. It could also be the resistor pack, but I think that usually fails with only full speed being an opion - then again it depends if a wire corroded or the resistor pack did.

that is what i was afraid of. is the $350-$400 price range to replace the blower motor a good price though?

Including parts, that isn't too bad I don't think - most of it's labor pulling things apart, so a different shop may be cheaper if it's lower labor... then again too low may break stuff when they pull it apart :)
Good luck.

The last post is pretty old but hope my comments help others with similar problems. My 2008 Mazdaspeed3 blower motor would not come on for a few minutes for either heat or AC. I fixed the problem by replacing the relay. My local Mazda Dealer had it for about $14.
See photos for the part and the location in the fuse compartment under the hood on the drivers side.