2012 Mazda 3

Joined
Jul 18, 2024
Messages
6
I have recently been told that the rear right subframe on my car needs to be replaced. Attached are some pictures. Is it worth the repair or is the car better off scrapped?
scrapped?
Subframe3.webp
Subframe2.webp
 
depends on the overall condition of the car mileage etc. How much is it going to cost? Need more details & pics of the car.
 
Welcome to BITOG 🥳

That looks really bad. Mazda has problems with rust :sneaky:

If you do replace the car, get rustproofing done.
 
That looks awful. IMO should be in the junkyard. But I think that of most vehicles I see on South Main Auto's YouTube channel. Super sad what rust does to vehicles, even fairly new ones. Except for that rust a 2012 Mazda should have a good, long life ahead of it.
 
I'm in the same boat with our 2010 Mazda 3... The rust is unreal!

Planning to replace in Spring... Until then, its mostly just a to/from the dog park, work once or twice a week (less than 10 miles away) and small errand type vehicle, leaving our Camry for any 'normal' driving.

I personally am not even bothering trying to fix/repair subframe or other components. I figure the car is on it's last few months here... That being said, I don't think mine looks as bad as yours... But it is still quite the rust bucket.
 
I have a 2012 Mazda 5 and it has zero rust problems. They do put slurry on the roads here but I have a membership at the local car wash. They have a bottom blaster that sprays the bottom to remove salt. Maybe that is the issue. We have 153K on ours now.
 
I have a 2012 Mazda 5 and it has zero rust problems. They do put slurry on the roads here but I have a membership at the local car wash. They have a bottom blaster that sprays the bottom to remove salt. Maybe that is the issue. We have 153K on ours now.
Have an 09 Mazda 5 that doesn't have a spec of underside rust either. Like you, we get the brine solution a few times a year, and some actual salt on the overpasses but we switch to the 4x4 vehicles if that kind of weather happens.
 
Even earlier Mazda3's('04-'09) had very bad rust issues in the salt belt areas(northern states & Canada). I believe since about 2014, Mazda started doing a better job with metal protection. I think that the 2019 & newer are the best yet.
 
Better question what does the rest of the car look like underneath? I can only imagine the front sub frame is shortly going to suffer the same fate. 12 years old in a state that obviously uses tons of salt, it's done, stick a fork in it! Fixing that would be insane!
 
Have an 09 Mazda 5 that doesn't have a spec of underside rust either. Like you, we get the brine solution a few times a year, and some actual salt on the overpasses but we switch to the 4x4 vehicles if that kind of weather happens.
0 rust on my 07 Mazda 3. It has a New Jersey dealer sticker on it, but judging from how the car looks it must have made it down south early in life.

Unfortunately the OP's car is likely ready for scrap IMO.
 
I replaced the charcoal canister on a pal's 2003 or 05 Chevy S-10. Its rust was way worse than the OP's Mazda.
I firmly believe the industry plays around with materials quality.

Look up your car's approximate worth.
Drive it with a FOR SALE sign in the window and see if you get nibbles.
 
How much is the repair and how many miles on the car? I'd would just sell it while it's still driveable and let the buyer decide if it's worth fixing.
Repair is $1507 CAD ( 1100USD) and the milage is 128600.
 
Back
Top Bottom