Mazda 3 - 1st gen review after ~3yrs

[someonesomewhere]

Yep, I remember looking into the spin-on conversion, but I began to appreciate being able to inspect the filter going in and coming out after an oil change. I actually prefer the cartridge style now. Thankfully, VW has placed the cartridge filter on top of the engine and completing an oil change is even easier on my car!
I had to replace the thermostat on mine around 70K miles because it was sticking open and the engine wasn't reaching operating temp, it isn't too bad of a job on the car. I replaced it with an OEM unit and it always warmed up quickly after that.
Had to replace the alternator as well as it died from my negligence because I drove around with a dead battery(couldn't take a charge) for too long, lesson learned!

I, too, have been debating the conversion for well over a year. Like you, I definitely think I'm leaning towards keeping the cart style, for the same reasons. Plus, I put well less than 5000 miles/year on the car, so I change the oil 1x annually. The cart style filter isn't that big of a hassle for something I only spend an hour or so doing every year. Now, if the filter cap ever breaks, then I'll most likely convert it just for the giggles. Might install an external oil cooler at that time, as well.

I forgot to mention in my original post that the driver's side CV boot is split, and the driver's side rear coil spring has a 1/2 coil broken off at the bottom. Still, car has been dead-nuts rock steady as far as reliablity goes. Other than a flat tire that Mom couldn't get the lugs off to change, it's never left anyone stranded on the side of the road, and has never been on a tow truck. And I bought it from them at the beginning of March 2020, right before the planet went to hell. KBB was $2500ish, got it for $2400. 6 months later, KBB value was over $6k. Quite a return on investment!

 

[linuxology]

- Engine oil dipsticks are difficult to read.

Dremel three notches with a dremel on the back side of the stick. I did this to my 09 and greatly improves the readout

 

[thastinger]

We have the 2.3 in a 2009 5 and it doesn't use any oil at all.

 

[someonesomewhere]

Dremel three notches with a dremel on the back side of the stick. I did this to my 09 and greatly improves the readout

This is a fantastic idea! Not sure why this never occurred to me. Thanks, I'll be doing this soon.

 

[linuxology]

We have the 2.3 in a 2009 5 and it doesn't use any oil at all.

Same. My 2.3 in the 5 has 140k+ and no oil usage. Solid engine and car. This and a 2005 ford focus (believe it or not) are the most reliable vehicle I have owned. I think the engine in the focus may be a Mazda engine though (duratec)

 

[someonesomewhere]

Same. My 2.3 in the 5 has 140k+ and no oil usage. Solid engine and car. This and a 2005 ford focus (believe it or not) are the most reliable vehicle I have owned. I think the engine in the focus may be a Mazda engine though (duratec)

I missed this part of the original post. My 07 2.3 also uses absolutely 0 oil between changes. Had nothing but Motorcraft 5w-20 syn blend until about 100,000 miles, then Dad switched to Mobil 5w-20 full syn. Changes done religiously every 3k or so (Dad has trouble letting oil go much past that, even if the book does say 7.5k...which it does!)

The transmission fluid (manual)? I changed that for the first time ever after I got it with appx 143k on the clock (Redline MT-90 was my oil of choice, per community recommendations). Like wth, Dad? Lol. Also got it's first ever new cabin air filter done by me. Eh, no harm, no foul I guess! Definitely made the transmission shift more happily, which had an overall effect of making the car even more fun to drive. Not as much as the tires improved it, though. Continental DWS06+ in 225/45r17, highly recommend and worth every penny! Have a post in the 'latest wheel/tire purchase' thread in the wheel/tire sub with pics, if you're interested.

 

[MCompact]

On my MS3 I changed the M1 5W-30 every 7.5k and the transaxle oil every 30k; brake fluid annually and coolant every 2 years.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

The 2nd generation ended in 2013 and the 3 went SkyActiv from that point forward. The assembly locations changed quite a bit as well.

They do seem to be a good car. I see them all the time.

There were three engines available in 2012 if memory serves: 2.3, 2.0, and 2.0 SkyActiv. The latter had just a 'wee bit less of a compression ratio versus current North American SkyActiv-G's... which are 13:1... 'cuz the 2012 used second generation sheet metal, and the firewall could not accommodate the full-on Skyactive 4:2:1 exhaust header/pre-cat design/length/shape... which, fully implemented, staves-off the ills associated with high C.R. / heat / pre-ignition.

 

[ZeeOSix]

The 2nd generation ended in 2013 and the 3 went SkyActiv from that point forward.

The 2012 Mazda3 was the first year with the 2.0L SkyActive engine. The 2.5L normally aspirated engine in the Sport models was also ended in the 2012+ models, 2011 was the last year it was used. The 2.3 was dropped in 2010 for the 2.5 in the 2010 and 2011 Sport models.

 

[PimTac]

There were three engines available in 2012 if memory serves: 2.3, 2.0, and 2.0 SkyActiv. The latter had just a 'wee bit less of a compression ratio versus current North American SkyActiv-G's... which are 13:1... 'cuz the 2012 used second generation sheet metal, and the firewall could not accommodate the full-on Skyactive 4:2:1 exhaust header/pre-cat design/length/shape... which, fully implemented, staves-off the ills associated with high C.R. / heat / pre-ignition.

Mazda rolled out their SkyActiv Initiative over a number of years. The header design was indeed a hurdle that required the newer chassis and body.

 

[cb474]

The first video I used as reference added some unnecessary steps (dash and glovebox related?), so the 2nd time was a bit easier. Still a PITA.

We have 3 remaining in the family: 2x 2.3L and one 2.0L

I was feeling proud of myself that I did it the first time in about an hour. But I later realized I somehow injured my ribs while twisting around under the dashboard and lying across the hard plastic threshold of the passenger door. They still hurt two weeks later, so now I'm feeling like less of a genius.

 

[cb474]

It's interesting to read the comments about using oil. My 2006 Mazda 3 2.3L 5-Speed Manual never uses oil at all. 180k miles. And, like others, I always heard that it was supposed to be a workhorse of an engine. I drive it pretty gently though. The handling is fun, but it's not some monster of power or torque, so there's no real point stomping the gas pedal and getting into high revs.

Unfortunately, as I say near the beginning of the thread, I've had a lot of other repairs. So the car has not exactly been reliable for me. Although I'm starting to do more of my own repairs again, at least when I can successfully diagnose a problem, to save money. I haven't had issues with suspension parts though (other than rear struts). I've still got all my original control arms, tie rod ends, etc. Everything seems tight, but the gaskets/bushings are looking worse for the wear, so I think I should replace them.

I've never had anyone crack the plastic oil filter housing cap. Although when I recently changed the oil myself for the first time in a decade, it definitely was overtorqued. And I couldn't get the drain plug out of the cap at at all, to drain the filter housing, before removing it. So that was way overtorqued. But nothing was leaking. I happened to have a new Mazda filter cap that I had bought a long time ago, so I just put that on to start with something fresh that had not been abused. I have also come to appreciate the cartridge filter style. I put in a Fram Titanium filter, which is a 20k filter. I do oil changes every 5k, so I figure I'll replace the filter every other time at 10k, saving myself some of the hassle of dealing with the cartridge filter style.

All in all, I'm happy with the car. I like the first generation the best, because it has a lot of glass and is easy to see out the back, unlike all contemporary cars, and is overall more practical. And I just like the design better. I also like the design of the most recent generation, but I know people feel like it's not the sporty fun car it once was (hello torsion beam). I also think it's ridiculous Mazda never brough the SkyActiv X engine to the U.S. Secretly I'm hoping that by the time the engine on my 2006 gives up, electric conversions will have gotten reasonably priced and I can keep it going that way (I guess I like to hold onto things).