Recent content by sir slack-a-lot

Thanks for the replies. You're absolutely right in saying that I let the dealership off the hook too much and I didn't pursue it enough. The biggest problem is was replicating the noise. I did bring it in twice while having a few routine things done, and they simply stated that they could not...

I have a 2004 Mazda 3 with the 5 speed. It is still covered under warranty and a problem has gotten much worse lately. Foolishly, I have heard this sound for a while, but I really had no idea what it is, and the dealership basically told me to go away when I brought it in before with this...

Ugh, I meant a 2004 Mazda 3!

I have a 2004 Mazda with the 2.0L. I've been more than happy with it. I decided to go with the 2.0L because I felt it was more than adequate for what I needed, and besides, during the test drive of both the 2.0L and 2.3L models, I did not notice an appreciable difference (not worth the hit in...

Seriously? We're sweating 2% here? Over 300k this only amounts to 6k! Say a typical powertrain coverage period of 60k, it is only a 1.2k difference. IMHO, those people mentioned in the news article are looking more to extract money from the auto companies than anything! I honestly have better...

I have a Mazda3 with the 2.0L engine - I manage pretty consistently 38 on the highway, between 24-28 in the city depending on the time of year (cold temperatures really screw the city #'s in the winter!). This is compared to the EPA old numbers (28/35) and the new numbers (24/32).

I have the 2.0L w/5spd. On the whole not a bad engine. It will easily get 40 mpg on the highway without much effort. However, could be better around town (I average about 23-24 mpg even though I don't drive it hard) Could be geared better in my opinion (tall 2nd gear as CBD mentioned). Don't...

hmmm, I'm guessing it probably can...

There was a Great Canadian Oil Change place in Victoria BC that sold it - this was about 5 years ago or so, not sure if they still do. There is one from the same chain where I live now in Saskatchewan, but I change my own oil, so I don't know if they carry Amsoil as well. May have just been an...

Hey, I'll be heading down to Oshkosh for the week as well! Looking forward to the flight down - will be in a 172RG - looking at a 8 hour flight! Mike

What does Ford stock prices and 5W20 have to do with each other?

Don't do it. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish, but it certainly isn't going to work out well for you at all. As Jim alluded to, you're going to end up having seriously cooling problems in a short time - If you get any cooling benefits at all, they will probably be soon negated by...

Ouch! Jeez, I had no idea that the stuff was so thick - It's coming out before winter for sure then!

I'm running RP Maxgear in my 5sp 2004 Mazda 3 right now. I went with this because it was the only thing that I could find locally that wasn't junk. Overall, I'd say that I'm not all that impressed by its performance. The biggest problem is its poor performance in the cold (even at just below...

Ah, found this somewhere else - not in my particular manual, but apparently this is in some shop manuals for the Mazda 6 "DO NOT USE or MIX coolants containing Alcohol, Methanol, Borate or Silicate. This could damage the cooling system." I wonder if this somewhat confirms that it is the...