Not impressed with my Protege5
 

Just wanted to know the general consensus about how all you feel about the overall quality of your NEW mazda. I have a 2002 Protege5 and have spent many hours in the service department of Ontario mazda.

My problems to date:

- very bad door rattle (took mazda 4 times to figure out it was the weather stripping)
- buring smell comming out of air conditioner/ heater/ fan when engine is running
- rattle comming out of sun roof (this ones new i think its also the weather stripping)
- kind of a flapping noise comming out of the drivers side air vent (i think something is in ther)
- sulfur smell after it has been running for alittle while
- turning signals now have a weird pinging noise to them on top of the normal clicking

Also to date the service department at Ontario Mazda has:

- put glue on my seat (everwhere, but i got it off at home)
- scratched my drivers side plastic pannel (in the interrior of the car under the window contols, pretty bad cant fix it either)
- put oil all over my seats
- told me the rattle in my passenger door was fixed (4 times)
- chipped the interior of my passenger side door

So overall i like the car. It looks great. I bought it because i thought it would have that japaniese quality im always hearing about. guess ford fixed that one. the service department at ONTARIO MAZDA does more damage then good. Although i dont think i would buy another mazda again. At least it looks good even though it can be a headache sometimes.

My car is a 2002 Mazda Protege5:
-Sunroof
-ABS brakes
-Automatic Transmition
-Sunlight Silver Metalic

Basically its the loaded Canadian version (we cant get the chrome rims and side airbags)

I hope it will get better before it gets worse

On this board and the other Protege forums I read all about how 1) Canadian Mazda dealers have lousy service and 2) Canadian auto insurance sucks.

I am fairly impressed with the car. I have not had any rattles or fit/finish issues like door rattles or odd noises. My door ajar sensor went bad twice, so Mazda replaced the entire alarm system and all four door sensors. The paint is not the greatest. Small rocks eat it up. I think I am going to buy some kind of "bra", as much as I hate the damn things, to keep my car's finish in good shape.

ABSOFREAKINGLOOTLY!!!

the only complaint about the quality of my car is the friggin paint...i got scratches gallor all over my car and its only a year old!!!!!

HELL YEAH!

i have over 26k miles on my car, had it over a year, and have not had to have it in the shop for anything but oil changes. be this time in our civic, we had to have it in the shop four to five times. (can't remember what for, it's been a while)

If Mazda wants to rid itself of cars like P5 and protege for 2003, then they should also go all out and fix the PAINT issue as it is a problem with everybody I know who owns a Mazda. :) I had a Saturn SC2 and it had 275000kms 1994 coupe and I have more nicks and paint chips then any other car I owned. I love my protege and my only complaint is the paint! :( Even my voyager 1998 has less chips then my 2001 protege with 34000kms! :(

P.S. Other then that, protege's RULE! (Reliable as hell, yet starting when cold is getting harder. Well, not really but when temp goes down below zero, then???

Grzenda, I have to say, you got the short end of the stick when it comes to dealerships... Keep in mind, I've only had my P5 for about 3 months, but no complaints here. In fact, my dealership has gone out of their way to please me!!

I have been very happy with the car (26000kms so far). The service at Northhill Mazda in Calgary has been very good so far. The only complaint about the car itself is, like the others, the paint :( However, given the price point of the car and the other good things about it, I am willing to live with it.

No problems on my car yet... well none that have been fixed.. something in the dash rattles once in a while.. but I can't figure out where it is or how to reproduce it.. so I'll let it be..

As for the paint.. I knew about this before I bought the car.. and basically..I decided for an "economy" class vehicle.. somethings got to give.. something(s) is going to be of not so great quality.. would I rather it was the paint.. or something like the tranny, or the brakes.. I think you see what I'm saying.. I decided the paint was probably the least important thing on the car... so I bought the car anyways..and got 3M coating put on the front to comfort my superficial paint thoughts :)

My P5 is better than the 2001 Civic I had before in terms of quality. The 2001-on Civics are poorly designed and built. So I agree Mazda is better than Honda in this market segment.

I don't know about you guys but paint quality is on par with other Japanese cars I've owned. Most Japanese cars have thin paint...with the exception of Toyota/Lexus. I had a 94 Altima and 01 Civic before my P5 and they're just as easy to chip as the P5.

American and European cars have much thicker paint so chips are not as noticeable.

I think a lot of the paint problems are due to newer "environmentally friendly" paints. I've had no problems except on the soft parts like the F&R bumper fascias, seems to chip off there pretty easily. Other than the window rattles I'm pretty impressed with the car, very fun to own and drive.

I just think the Mazda kinda skimps on the shell of the vehicle. The chassis is tight all and all, but the body shell just doesn't feel all that secure, like the doors rattle when I close with normal force. My gf's 2003 Corolla has much more sturdy doors, and my friends Jetta 1.8T is like a bank vault. Makes you feel more safe.

the paint is weak and the windshield glass is weak. common problems among a lot of new cars.

and i wish the american options (namely leather) carried over to canada at the time i bought my car).

the car itself is excellent. i love it. i'm keeping it for a good long time barring any major problems popping up.

I have had a couple problems.....

IAC valve went screwy - had to get replaced
cold start rattle - living with it :mad:
sunroof deflector - sawing into paint - going to talk to dealer soon
paint chips - see above ten posts
right front speaker - sometimes (two or three times before) cuts in and out - not sure what to do
too many vandals love my car - wrote a letter complaining to Mazda, hopefully they will make it as ugly as a Civic SiR to deter would be assailants

Unfortunately, No
 

I've spoke of this before: I'm scathingly angry at Mazda for their lack of interior integrity quality. My 2001 ES is flat out a rattle trap. Multiple rattles on both sides of the car-- The instrument cluster rattles... blah, blah, blah. After only a single year of ownership I'll sell this car as soon as practically possible if not for that reason alone. It's totally unacceptable and it completely pisses me off. :mad:

That said, mechanical components have been fine. With 13k miles on the car I haven't noted any failures except for the cigarette lighter that won't stay "clicked" in the warm up position-- You know, how you push the lighter, it stays pushed in for a few moments, then pops back out. It won't stay in. That'll be a warranty fix when I have time to deal with it.

Anyway, sorry to say it's an easy decision: I'm selling this thing at my first practical opportunity; hopefully for a Mazda6 if it proves of good quality, reliability, and affordability. Otherwise I'll have to get a Toyota or something. Either way I'll have to wait for another year before I can get something else...