Sorry Mazda...

"Tom McParland" (tommcparland)
10/17/2014 at 09:04 • Filed to: None

So I'm fairly certain my Mazda3 knows that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! This morning I stopped to top off the air in the tires because it was a cold morning. I fill up three tires and get to the fourth...as I pull the pump off the fourth tire I can see the threads in the valve stem start to separate. "That's gonna suck." The stem breaks and air comes rushing out. As if the car said, "I treated you well for 5 years and now you are just going to toss me aside for some fancy German? I'll show you."

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Nothing I can do but throw the spare on and get to work. I'll stop by the tire shop later and get a new stem. Now I am quite proud of the fact that I was able to change the tire in less than 5 minutes with the crappy jack and change kit that came with the car.

DISCUSSION (26)

505Turbeaux > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:05

good job Tom. That is weird though. Was the stem just aged or did it get banged up on something?

Tom McParland > 505Turbeaux
10/17/2014 at 09:07

the metal looked kinda corroded...so I think it was only a matter of time before it broke.

erikgrad > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:09

Very common problem with the Mazda 3 - my brother had two of them break at the exact same time, they often fail simultaneously. He took it in and had 4 new (non-OEM) valve stems installed.

Do not let them touch the other stems at all when you take it in. Nothing good can come from it!

PS9 > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:09

Kinja'd!!!

But...

48 Spoons > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:10

Cars totally know when they getting replaced. A bunch of years ago my mom decided to get a new, I was being given the old one. I didn't drive it until the summer since I was in college and didn't need the car. Long story short, the cars electrical system decided to crap out and was fairly expensive to repair. Was the first problem we ever really had with the car.

Tom McParland > PS9
10/17/2014 at 09:12

Definitely had it under consideration...post coming soon as to why I decided not to.

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:12

I'm jealous... Your factory jack is still intact, while mine bent like a pretzel, the first time I tried to use it. To add insult to injury, mine is also too low for my floor jack to go under.

#loweredmazdaproblems

Dusty Ventures > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:13

If I could briefly threadjack, would you happen to know if a Sienna can fit a sheet of plywood in the back?

Tom McParland > Dusty Ventures
10/17/2014 at 09:16

I have put ply-wood in my Sienna...but keep in mind because ours in converted the second seats are gone and the floor is dropped. So I can get the ply-wood through the back and angle it down onto the floor.

Tom McParland > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully
10/17/2014 at 09:17

This is only the second time I used it

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:24

I only used mine once... However, with the Corksport chassis braces and the lowering springs, the car is stiff enough that both front and rear lift off the ground, when I raise one corner up.

Dusty Ventures > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:32

Hmmmmm... So probably then. Das is potentially good. Thanks!

spanfucker retire bitch > 48 Spoons
10/17/2014 at 09:32

Hah. You know, now that I think about it, back when my Mom was getting a new car and giving me her Toyota Matrix, about a month before the transfer took place, the only major issue to have ever happened to that car occurred. The AC compressor blew and needed to be replaced.

GTI Sprinks > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:35

Look, you get to go from a crappy mazda jack to a renowned crappy jack by VW, the widowmaker.

jariten1781 > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:39

Heh heh, my last two Mazdas also spited me as I was getting ready to unload them (granted they were ~10 years old not 5). On the 04 Mazda6 the plastic air induction hose dry rot cracked and the drivers window motor stripped its teeth the week of the sale and on the 02 Protege 5 the thermostat jammed open and the drivers window motor stripped its teeth the week of the sale.

Watch out for that window motor, it's the most spiteful piece.

Bastards.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 09:57

I hate the opposite experience with my Jeep. Little things would always happen (like the sun visor popping off or something like that) but the minute I decided I was going to try to sell it, everything stopped. It's almost as if it was saying "no! Don't sell me. I can be good, see? Look how good I am!!!"

TurtleFace > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 10:16

Traded in mine a few months ago for one of these:

Kinja'd!!!

Never looking back! (Though the Mazdarati was a great car)

Vicente Esteve > Tom McParland
10/17/2014 at 10:35

Its a great upgrade, oddly, when I received my Golf I found in the spare tire kit this:

Kinja'd!!!

I dont know if they had to take it, or if it came with the car.

ataraxia > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully
10/17/2014 at 10:39

I have a 2008 Speed3 and only need to jack up the rear to lift the whole side of the car. No suspension mods.

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > ataraxia
10/17/2014 at 11:21

You're also a GenWon owner, rather than a GenPu. Mine needed a little more bracing and to be lowered a little, to lift the whole side.

ataraxia > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully
10/17/2014 at 13:56

You're saying that the later generation cars are less stiff?

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > ataraxia
10/17/2014 at 14:21

I think it's a combination of being slightly less stiff, and a little bit more suspension travel in stock form. Also, keep in mind that mine is a non-Speed, so I automatically get an extra inch of travel over the Speeds, in stock form.

ataraxia > DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully
10/17/2014 at 16:37

Yep-that makes sense.

The one upside for you is that you won't have to replace struts and shocks at 40k miles like nearly every Speed3 owner. Bushings wear out super fast as well...damned bean counters.

Kate's Dirty Sister > Tom McParland
10/18/2014 at 11:13

How surprising

Travis > Tom McParland
10/19/2014 at 14:09

If you had gotten the speed 3 instead of the base 3 you wouldn't be casting it aside so easily. Not gonna hate on the GTI though, it's a legend for a reason, and I absolutely love their interior. Been trying to find a decent MKIII to DD but can't find a decent example for a fair price.

Tom McParland > Travis
10/19/2014 at 14:30

You may be right...though I when I first got my 3 I drove the Speed and found it to be a little harsh and it torque-steered like a mofo...fun car but didn't think I wanted to live with it as a DD. I kinda regret not getting the extra power. I thought about upgrading to a Speed this time, but like you said the interior on the GTI is so much better and it is a bit more spacious. I also really wanted a German car