"mazda616" (mazda616)
08/23/2019 at 15:25 • Filed to: Mazda6
3
49|
"mazda616" (mazda616)
08/23/2019 at 15:25 • Filed to: Mazda6 | 3
| 49 |
The third generation Mazda6, introduced in 2014, is a great car. It doesn’t sell well at all here in the U.S., but it’s something of a best-kept secret in the (rapidly shrinking) family sedan market.
Peruse the owner clubs and forums, though, and you’ll find something the car doesn’t exactly excel at: brakes. Longevity is non-existent, with many owners replacing their entire setups (rotors and pads) before 40,000 miles.
I was no exception. We bought my 2016 Mazda6 i Touring when it was brand new with 6 miles (ha) in October 2015. By January 2019, it had only covered 35,000 miles. However, the car’s brake pads AND rotors were done for. The rotors had deep grooves in them, and the pads were worn away to the wear indicators (commonly known as “squeakers”).
The rotors “warped” (started shaking/shuddering) at just 16,000 miles. My favorite local tire/brake shop did the best they could with straightening out that situation, but it was already the beginning of the end for the OEM brakes.
So, with Christmastime bonus money, I ordered Centric rotors and pads and my mechanic and I installed them in January of this year.
All seemed well and good. The shaking and groaning/grinding/squeaking sounds were gone. Braking performance was back to being quite impressive, like it was when the car was new. Until my wife, son, and I drove the car six hours to the Smoky Mountains in June 2019. We drove to the highest point in the Smokies as well as the Tennessee/North Carolina border.
The car performed great. Held lower gears on the way up. Used every bit of torque the “SkyActiv” 2.5 had. Averaged 18 MPG. On the way back down the mountain, I used engine braking as best I could. But, the 2008-ish Honda Civic and newer Toyota 4Runner in front of me were brake-happy the entire way down. It was either rear-end the Civic or use my brakes a lot. I chose brakes.
They started squeaking halfway down, and were obviously overheated by the time we re-entered the city of Gatlinburg. I figured they had just glazed and would need that fixed, so I tried not to worry.
However, even with removing the crazy amount of glaze (once I got the car back home), the squealing and squeaking remained. And, some slight shuddering started. Again. The pads were already halfway worn, so I threw in the proverbial towel and ordered ANOTHER set of brakes.
This time, I went with Raybestos “high performance” brakes. Coated rotors and “premium” pads. So far, so good. All quiet on the western front. No shaking, either.
Praying
that this fixes my brake debacle once and for all.
And, before you blame the excess wear on me: As stated earlier, the forums and groups on Facebook with regards to this car are FULL of brake longevity complaints. I have a close friend in Indiana that bought a 2018 Mazda6 Signature (the turbo model), and his rotors were warped at 8,000 miles.
The pads themselves, along with the rotors, just seem a bit too small for the car. I think they get overworked in everyday driving. And, I’m sure the stability control uses the brakes as well - at least to a certain extent.
Either way, I still love my car. It’s quick enough (don’t believe the internet hype that says it’s “slow” and doesn’t have enough power), roomy, efficient (I’ve hit 40 MPG quite a few times), has amazing A/C (important for a fat guy in summertime Kentucky), and it has great safety ratings. Not to mention, she’s quite the looker.
Just don’t ask about the brakes.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 15:51 |
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My Subaru Outback eats through brakes, I think a lot of it is do to the traction control system.
Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 15:58 |
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So the solution is not only aftermarket parts, but also a brake size upgrade?
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mazda616
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
08/23/2019 at 16:00 |
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That was my initial thought. But, it requires more modifications and money than I want to put into a daily driver family sedan. I’m just hoping the upgraded parts I chose fulfill the car’s appetite for brakes.
Klaus Schmoll
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 16:02 |
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So at least they are honoring their history and keeping things traditional. I had two of these 626 GEs and they also warped rotors and would eat through brakes much faster than other makes/models. Apart from that they were fine cars, just that weird brake issue.
Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 16:15 |
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Maybe try going with these next time:
Drilled/slotted rotors will run cooler, which will help curb your overheating/glazing/warping issues.
I put the Stoptech version on my van over 40k miles ago and have been nothing but satisfied, they’ve held up to hard use/towing/daily driving perfectly, they don’t fade when driving hard or under excessive use, and at 40k they still have over 50% pad left.
Party-vi
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 16:15 |
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I’ve got a ‘17.5 Touring and have the same issue. My front pads are warped AF, and I think the electronic parking brake is chewing through rear pads as well. I had a similar problem on my E46 and solved it with slotted rotors and aftermarket pads , which I’m going to do on my 6 as soon as I’m tired of my vibrate-on-brake steering wheel.
Under_Score
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 16:55 |
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My dad needed three(?) new sets of brakes in 40,000 miles for his xB. It was a reason he traded it in.
wafflesnfalafel
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 18:00 |
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that sucks - wonder what causes the wear/warping consistently for that model . It’s not exactly a heavy vehicle. I replaced front pads and rotors on my 09' Mazda 3 at 60k when I still had it, but the guy that owns it now is still on original rears (even the pads) at 125k.
rockingthe2
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 18:55 |
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I own a 16 6GT, it’s definitely slow, even compared to my roomm ates Hyundai Elantra, brakes for sure suck and since i need new ones badly, please keep us updated on how these ones work.
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mazda616
> rockingthe2
08/23/2019 at 20:16 |
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I just don’t see how it’s slow. 0-60 in 7 seconds and a top speed of 130 MPH isn’t slow by any means.
Ichi Bahls
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 20:25 |
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Is 7.9 seconds still 7 seconds? Ok.
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mazda616
> Ichi Bahls
08/23/2019 at 20:44 |
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Car and Driver got 7 seconds out of their automatic Touring model.
Jcarr
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 20:46 |
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Not to hijack your post, but have you had your Infotainment screen crack/delaminate? Happened on my 2016 Touring a few weeks ago and apparently it’s another common issue.
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mazda616
> Jcarr
08/23/2019 at 20:48 |
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Not yet, but I’m out of warranty, so I’ll be bitching to Mazda when and if it happens.
Bfw123
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 20:50 |
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Ditto on my 2017 GT. Warped rotors at 16,000 miles and replaced. They are almost worn out again at 45,000 miles. Completely inadequate engineering. The rotos and pads are way to small for a 4,400 pound car!
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Jcarr
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 20:51 |
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I’m headed to the local dealer next weekend (the Mazda tech only works one Saturday a month) to see what they’ll do for me. They sounded like the get it a lot when I called, so I’m somewhat hopeful.
das oratel
> mazda616
08/23/2019 at 21:20 |
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I think a big part of it is the transmission. I have a '14 6 touring with the 6 speed MT (love it). I'm coming up on 90k miles and am still running on the original breaks. I typically coast in neutral, so that's a big part of it.. IMO
Coolshark
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
08/23/2019 at 22:55 |
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Ive got a 16 mazda6 at 39k I put drilled slotted rotors by r1 concepts their cheap on amazon now I have 85k miles and their still good in life and brake feel is way better I drive my car hard daily lots of mixed city and highway driving and so far no issues with them
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GreyElf
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 00:43 |
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So...I don’t really feel this is specific to the Mazda6. As a mechanic I’ve seen this on many cars from many manufacturers. It seems the issue is, as a weight saving measure they are using to thin rotors and insufficient pads for a given rotor size. The only cars that I DON’T see this issue on is any VW and most “performance” variants of a given model...for instance the SRT cars and the Accord “ Sports"
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2019MazdaCx9
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 07:12 |
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Was the brake pulsation only when braking or all the time, even when driving ? If it happens only when braking then it is friction variation caused by lateral runout. Ask your tech to use a dial indicator, if he has one, to not only check the runout on the rotor but also on the flange of the hub to see what the runout is and then compare it to the max allowance for the car in a spec guide. Great article about this on Brake and Front Ends website.
Radster51
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 08:43 |
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I will stick with my 2018 Camry SE. No recalls, 42 mpg over 12k miles, nothing breaks. And 134 mph top speed. No I haven’t tried it. Stereo better than advertised if you use voice. Cost ~20k. No turbo, real 8 speed automatic.
I do agree the doors sound tinny if you close them with the window open.
Hygelac-Smash
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 08:45 |
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I have a 2012 6 S GT, so previous gen, but man do I love the car! I replaced the rear rotors and pads at 16k, fronts at 26k, I went with EBC Ultimax rotors and thei r OEM replacement pads. The brakes have been problem free ever since.
The brakes on my 2014 CX-9 were similarly janky. Initial performance was great, but durability was pretty bad.
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rockingthe2
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 08:55 |
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Roommates Hyundai Elantra will pull away from it in almost any gear, and the pedal feel on the Elantra is better. Other roommate has an Altima that will still smoke it off the line easily. besides that we have an ecoboost mustang thats around 400whp, and two 1000cc sportbikes. The mazda is the slowest vehicle in the house.
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mazda616
> Radster51
08/24/2019 at 09:33 |
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If the current Camry was out in 2016, I would’ve probably gotten one. But the 2016 Camry was a snooze-fest.
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mazda616
> rockingthe2
08/24/2019 at 09:34 |
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I guess it’s just a matter of perspective. My wife has a 2013 CX-5 with the 2.0 S kyActiv, and my spare car is a 1990 Pontiac Sunbird with a 2.0 and 96 horsepower. So, my 6 is way quicker than either of those.
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mazda616
> 2019MazdaCx9
08/24/2019 at 09:35 |
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Only when braking.
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Race to the cheese
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 10:30 |
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J had a 2011 MS3, totally different animal, but I had to do something for track time. I used Centric cryo rotors, and those are awesome. For daily street driving, I used Hawk ceramic.
Interesting....
DoomsdayMelody
> Klaus Schmoll
08/24/2019 at 10:57 |
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I think that was a 90’s ford thing. My taurus did it also... rotors were $40 though so 3-4 annual replacements weren’t that terrible.
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DoomsdayMelody
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 10:59 |
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Had a 2016 Fusion before I got into my ST, that thing are brakes also. Check a Fusion forum, the r ears go faster than the fronts and my first 4 corner replacement was at 35k, shuddering began around 28k with mostly highway driving.
Firstnameredacted Broadnax
> Jcarr
08/24/2019 at 13:07 |
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They do get it a lot, there’s a TSB about it... but they WILL NOT replace it if it’s even slightly out of warranty, ask me know I know . It’s definitely recall worthy , but granted it's an $800 non-safety issue, Mazdas refusing to categorize it as such.
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Firstnameredacted Broadnax
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 13:20 |
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Wild. I have a 2016 Touring as well and my opinion p retty much mirrors yours, my wife also has the 2.0 2013 CX-5. I came from an 03 Galant V6 (same weight ) however, and while I wouldn’t call my Touring slow, the lack of speed was literally my only box in the cons list.
I think what fools you is just how much of a bigger car it is than the lines imply. I have to squeeze it in the garage. And although Mazda does a bang up job on their suspensions, it's clearly geared towards cruising over cornering.
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rockingthe2
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 14:35 |
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That’s fair, one of my bikes will go faster in second gear than the Mazda will flat out, downhill, with a tailwind.
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Ichi Bahls
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 14:37 |
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Yes. Six years ago.
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mazda616
> Ichi Bahls
08/24/2019 at 14:37 |
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Okay...how does that matter when it’s the same car, motor, transmission, and everything else as my 2016?
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Ichi Bahls
> rockingthe2
08/24/2019 at 15:08 |
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Yes, the 400 hp Mustang and the 1000 cc sport bikes prove the mazda6 is slow.
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Ichi Bahls
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 15:10 |
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I went to buy a 2016 Mazda6 when they came out. It felt slower than my 1998 626. I'm still driving the 626.
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ihm96
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 16:50 |
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0-60 is only one measure. Id consider 5-60 and 60-100 more important because I rarely bust ass off the line but I do accelerate hard after a slow rolling start often, and then the 60-100 gives you a good measure of how well the car can get out of its way on the highway when you need it.
Especially with how much manufacturers train cars to the 0-60 test nowadays its not really a true indicator of a cars quickness
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mazda616
> ihm96
08/24/2019 at 18:23 |
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Bottom line is that I drive the car every day and I don’t have any complaints about its power (or lack thereof).
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Phred
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 21:11 |
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Huh. 2015 Touring, manual tranny (gutted they’ve abandoned the MTX ‘6 in the US) , 60k miles in Colorado , original brakes. I’m probably getting a pre-emptive brake job in the next 5k miles, but no complaints from me.
There’s wide variation in how people use brakes, but the fact that your replacement brake
hardware wore so fast suggests you’re hard on yours...
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mazda616
> Phred
08/24/2019 at 22:11 |
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Mazda6 drivers must just be harder on brakes than any other drivers, then. Since so many others have reported this problem. And I have suddenly become hard on brakes since buying this car, as I wasn’t hard on brakes on any of my former three cars.
I understand the brakes overheating on the way down the mountain, to a certain extent - even though it was a public highway that’s usually traversed by tour buses and soccer mom SUVs.
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mazda616
> ihm96
08/24/2019 at 22:14 |
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The obsession on the internet about this car’s power or lack thereof is funny. I post about its brakes and the comments turn into how slow it is.
66P1800inpieces
> mazda616
08/24/2019 at 23:12 |
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I had the same on my 2008 TSX with the fronts warping. They are also shared with the similar generation accord. I put on the EBC BSD rotors which are high carbon high silicon and they worked great for about 80k miles (2 sets of pads).
You may need to check the runout of your hub, if not reasonably perfect your hub will cause the rotors to feel like they are warped even if they are perfect. I think the solution, other than fixing the hub is to have the rotors shaved while on the car. So even if the there is a hub imperfection, the on car shaving makes the rotor spin true.
Phatfree
> mazda616
08/25/2019 at 11:45 |
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I had to do pads and rotors on my Fiesta ST at 25,000 miles.. with the stock “E LSD” they eat through front brakes like no ones business... that and I was a mountain driving addict.
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Billy Manilli
> mazda616
08/25/2019 at 14:24 |
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Holy smokes... 20k on brakes? Not actually THAT unreasonable, depending on many factors... I was a BMW dealership tech for 8 years when I was younger, and tbh, MANY of those needed front brakes by 20 thousand... BUT they work AWESOME when you need to stop fast..
This is mainly due to the material that they are made of.... basically long story in a nutshell- good performance brakes wear faster. The cheap pads that “ last longer” never work as good, wreck your rotors before the pads are even worn down and tend to become noisy/grindy feeling after a short while ...
I'd rather have my brakes work as OEM intended, imho...
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Billy Manilli
> Bfw123
08/25/2019 at 14:26 |
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4, 400 lbs?! What kinda car?
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Billy Manilli
> GreyElf
08/25/2019 at 14:31 |
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Not really so much for weight savings, but mainly b ecause thinner cools down faster which in turn makes the brakes perform better.
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Fisheriesguy925
> mazda616
08/25/2019 at 17:45 |
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I just got a notice for my mazda3 that they were extending the warranty on the screen to 7 yrs from date of purchase.
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mazda616
> Fisheriesguy925
08/27/2019 at 09:36 |
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I’m wondering if sunlight and heat have anything to do with it. It does sit directly in the sunlight when the car is parked. I usually keep my windows cracked and a sunshade up, though. So, maybe that has helped mine?
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Billy Manilli
> 66P1800inpieces
09/05/2019 at 09:50 |
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When I worked as a tech at a Chevy dealer, the way that GM wanted us to true up new rotors, was to first measure the runout with a dial indicator. You’d just stick the rotor on, and zip 2 or 3 lugnuts onto it, and stick a magnetic-based dial indicator on the caliper bridge, strut or control arm...
Then, you would use shims from the parts dept. (basically washers of various thicknesses, like .0005" , .001", .003", etc...) that would go over a wheel stud, between the rotor and hub...
Just a nother way to do it, I figured I’d share, if anyone is interested. Lol