Cut my losses with 2013 Mazda 3?

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jayjr1105

jayjr1105

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The car has kind of been leaning towards a lemon so far. Issues have been...

Loud tapping when accelerating (everyone claims this is normal and has actually cleared up on it's own)
Headlights dim when turning or braking hard (TSB for this and they supposedly updated my software but it didn't do jack)
Peeling paint (I hear Mazda has a bad track record for skimping on low quality/thin clear coat)
Most recent issue has been intermittent sinking brake pedal. Could be Master Cylinder, Booster, or ABS valve sticking, etc.
Mechanic had it for 2 weeks and couldn't reproduce the issue. It goes to Mazda dealer tomorrow because I don't want to die or kill someone so I'll pay the stealership penalty.

Step dad is a senior sales manager at a honda dealership 4 hours away, should I cut my losses and trade in for a CR-V or Accord?

Or would I be better off fixing the issues and selling it outright before or after buying a new car? Temporary funds wouldn't be an issue. No car payment nonsense, we pay our cars off in full.
 
Originally Posted by jayjr1105
The car has kind of been leaning towards a lemon so far. Issues have been...

Loud tapping when accelerating (everyone claims this is normal and has actually cleared up on it's own)
Headlights dim when turning or braking hard (TSB for this and they supposedly updated my software but it didn't do jack)
Peeling paint (I hear Mazda has a bad track record for skimping on low quality/thin clear coat)
Most recent issue has been intermittent sinking brake pedal. Could be Master Cylinder, Booster, or ABS valve sticking, etc.
Mechanic had it for 2 weeks and couldn't reproduce the issue. It goes to Mazda dealer tomorrow because I don't want to die or kill someone so I'll pay the stealership penalty.

Step dad is a senior sales manager at a honda dealership 4 hours away, should I cut my losses and trade in for a CR-V or Accord?

Or would I be better off fixing the issues and selling it outright before or after buying a new car? Temporary funds wouldn't be an issue. No car payment nonsense, we pay our cars off in full.


I'd dump it, but the new CRV's are even worse. I'd steer clear of anything Honda with a DI motor. So bad even China banned them for a while, lol!
 
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by jayjr1105
The car has kind of been leaning towards a lemon so far. Issues have been...

Loud tapping when accelerating (everyone claims this is normal and has actually cleared up on it's own)
Headlights dim when turning or braking hard (TSB for this and they supposedly updated my software but it didn't do jack)
Peeling paint (I hear Mazda has a bad track record for skimping on low quality/thin clear coat)
Most recent issue has been intermittent sinking brake pedal. Could be Master Cylinder, Booster, or ABS valve sticking, etc.
Mechanic had it for 2 weeks and couldn't reproduce the issue. It goes to Mazda dealer tomorrow because I don't want to die or kill someone so I'll pay the stealership penalty.

Step dad is a senior sales manager at a honda dealership 4 hours away, should I cut my losses and trade in for a CR-V or Accord?

Or would I be better off fixing the issues and selling it outright before or after buying a new car? Temporary funds wouldn't be an issue. No car payment nonsense, we pay our cars off in full.


I'd dump it, but the new CRV's are even worse. I'd steer clear of anything Honda with a DI motor. So bad even China banned them for a while, lol!

I'd dump it too.
As far as the Honda comments.
35.gif
I'm interested in seeing how that goes, FTR I am no Honda fan.
 
I'm specifically hunting a 2009 CR-V. It's the best year according to carcomplaints.com.

I'd be more than willing to hear suggestions. Would like something mid size (Camry, Accord) or AWD (CR-V, RAV4, etc.)

I know you really have to be careful around the 2010 and up mark with Asian cars... fuel dilution issues, piston rings issues causing massive oil consumption, etc.
 
RAV4 lost its V6 in 2014, but gained a 6AT at the same time. The V6 had a 5AT and might not have benefited much, but the I4 had the 4AT and probably benefited much. The V6 can have a transmission whine that might not have impacted longevity but it did come up on the forums. As did water pump replacement, which was not a trivial job. 2009 got the 2.5L engine, which was a nice upgrade from the oil burning 2.4 of prior. I don't know much about the 2014 update but I'm not sure you are shopping that new.

I think the V6 in both Camry and RAV4 had a recall on the oil cooler line; should have been done by now. Camry got the 2.5L in 2011 and it's a nice engine, again better than the 2.4 (which I'd avoid), although by no means a powerhouse. I thought the 6AT shifted too much in the Camry. Not sure there is much more there to comment on, other than being boring. I don't have much love for ours, at times it feels kinda cheap and poorly setup.

We find our Camry good enough for most of what we do, and I wonder if a RAV4 would really have that much more space for most things we do. AWD might be nice but it's ultimately a FWD-biased setup, and with decent snows our Camry does ok in winter as-is.

I'm not much of a Honda fan so I can't comment there, sorry.
 
I've had 2 Toyotas ('81 I4 4MT Celica, '00 V6 5MT Solara) and a Honda ('07 V6 6MT Accord) and have been satisfied with them all.

My current Accord had the 6 speed manual changed in the first month because it jumped out of 1st and 2nd gears. The dealer said "they never do that" but mine did. The back corner of the rear door on new body work is showing a trace of rust - darned deer ran into the side of the car. I had to replace a rear brake caliper (probably due to lack of maintenance). And I had to change 2 bulbs recently (instrument lights on the seat warmer switches went dark) but other than that it's been flawless. Other than the transmission (which was replaced under warranty) and those 2 bulbs I can't blame anything on the car - in 12 years and 170,000 Km.

And I would buy the Accord V6 6MT sedan combination again. I've enjoyed driving it. And the Toyotas were fine cars too.
 
If you aren't happy with it, definitely get rid of it. Life is too short not to enjoy your cars 100%. Myself, i am a bit leery about the new turbo honda stuff, but our old 9th gen 2014 accord was excellent quality. There are tons of great choices in lightly used sedans thanks to the SUV craze.
 
Dump it.

Considered a Mazda 3 years ago.
The cheap feeling, low rent interior didn't seem much of an upgrade over the Focus/Escort we were wanting to replace.
 
Originally Posted by jayjr1105
Peeling paint (I hear Mazda has a bad track record for skimping on low quality/thin clear coat)
Most recent issue has been intermittent sinking brake pedal. Could be Master Cylinder, Booster, or ABS valve sticking, etc.
Mechanic had it for 2 weeks and couldn't reproduce the issue. It goes to Mazda dealer tomorrow because I don't want to die or kill someone so I'll pay the stealership penalty.


No mention of the extent of peeling issue. Refinishing a hood shouldn't be more than $300-$400 for example. If you're the original owner, maybe Mazda could help if you ask for a goodwill repair. Brakes could be mileage dependent which you don't mention. Total brake failure these days is nearly unheard of so I wouldn't worry about dying or killing someone. If after 2 weeks you mechanic couldn't find the issue, perhaps it's normal?
 
See my username? My wife had a 2012 Mazda3 until she moved up the career ladder. It handled good and got great gas mileage and that was about it.
I think the CR-V is ugly and would much rather have a Rav4 LE Hybrid which has AWD and is under 29K. Don't assume just because you have a connection
that means you'll get a deal that cant be found somewhere else. What I'm saying is don't simply look only at Honda's because you have a connection.
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
Don't assume just because you have a connection that means you'll get a deal that cant be found somewhere else.
I wouldn't want to explain why I bought a Honda somewhere else when my stepdad is a senior sales manager at a Honda dealership.
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
See my username? My wife had a 2012 Mazda3 until she moved up the career ladder. It handled good and got great gas mileage and that was about it.
I think the CR-V is ugly and would much rather have a Rav4 LE Hybrid which has AWD and is under 29K. Don't assume just because you have a connection
that means you'll get a deal that cant be found somewhere else. What I'm saying is don't simply look only at Honda's because you have a connection.


The Mazda does get great gas mileage and it's a manual tranny so shouldn't have to worry about transmission issues or CVT nonsense.

The paint thing is pretty noticable around the rear marker lights, it peels outward from some of them.

Not only do I have a Honda connection with my step dad, but I have a friend who is a long time Honda mechanic who does side work for our Odyssey dirt cheap, so there's that too.

Sorry guys, mileage is a measly 66K miles.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Dump it.

Considered a Mazda 3 years ago.
The cheap feeling, low rent interior didn't seem much of an upgrade over the Focus/Escort we were wanting to replace.


I can't believe how cheap the interior feels compared to several other cars I've owned. Like the skyactiv engine is nice but man did they cut corners everywhere else.
 
My daughter has a 2007 Mazda 3 with similar issues. Things like the brake pedal going to the floor, lights not working or her current issue is that it sometimes doesn't start. It has been in the past week and they cannot replicate the problem. She has had it towed twice in the past month. I won't get into the flaking clearcoat the past two years. She will be looking at a Toyota Corolla hatchback or a Kia Forte 5 in the fall or spring.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by skyactiv
See my username? My wife had a 2012 Mazda3 until she moved up the career ladder. It handled good and got great gas mileage and that was about it.
I think the CR-V is ugly and would much rather have a Rav4 LE Hybrid which has AWD and is under 29K. Don't assume just because you have a connection
that means you'll get a deal that cant be found somewhere else. What I'm saying is don't simply look only at Honda's because you have a connection.


The only cars Honda makes that I would recommend to anyone is the Passport, Pilot, and Civic R (purely because it's a legit driving machine). If you want to dredge up history, the V6 Coupe 6-speed Accord was epic.
Toyota has a V6 XLE Camry that is pretty hot by the numbers. The new RAV seems like a swing and a miss, although I like the looks of the black/white hybrid.
Mazda's turbo CX5 is pretty awesome inside and out, hence why I bought one.
 
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