2000 Mazda Millenia S from North America - Comments

I usually keep my vehicles a long time. We have a Honda Odyssey with almost 200K miles. However, this Mazda at 60000 has cost a lot more in repair bills than the Honda has.

The check engine light started coming on a few seconds after starting and would flash some while the engine ran rough. I found that often if I park in the sun or on a hill it makes the problem worse. The car runs fine when starting up first thing in the morning. The problem usually goes away during warm-up or after a few minutes driving.

Update March 08: Now, after finding a local mechanic that knew what he was doing (since the dealership did not), the car has been trouble free for a year and a pleasure to drive every day and on long trips!

I took it to the dealer 8 times in 2 months. They replaced the EGR valve, the catalytic converters (one at a time), the spark plugs ($85 @) and wires, and then said I needed a new coil. The last time I took it in they told me I needed another coil (it has 6) at $350+ labor and that all the coils would need replaced. I finally decided they were just throwing money at a problem they didn't know how to fix. I hope to sell the car soon and not EVER buy another Mazda!

Update March 08: I'm adding a comment to my previous comment after one year. The problem turned out to be THE DEALER NOT THE CAR. After one $200. trip to a local mechanic, the problem was gone. I think the Mazda dealer just thought they could get their new building paid for by keeping me coming back.

We have 2 99 2.3's. A black one we bought new, and a white one we bought used with 68k on it. Soon after the warranty ran out, the black one threw a ce lite. Not knowing much about millenias, I took it to the dealer. $564 later, the car was fine. The repair order was very cryptic. Being a pretty good auto mechanic myself, I noticed a lot of stuff had been removed. After reading a lot of posts, and talking to a few Mazda techs, I found out it is a common problem, cause by plastic vacuum tees breaking. The cost of the part is only a couple bucks, but the labor is a killer. I have since done several of these myself, and eventually replaced all of them with brass. End of story. soon after the tees, both CV axles went. We took the car to sears, and they had problems finding the correct axle. They finally had them rebuilt, and they lasted about 6 months. I then changed them out myself, with locally reman axles, again, end of problem. Not wanting to break my wallet, I have since done several things myself, and learned a lot in the process. Plugs, coils, a/c amplifier, 1 fuel injector, p/s pump (THAT one was a killer. 3 days!!!), timing belt/water pump/etc, struts, brakes, radiator, motor mounts, seat heaters, to name a few. The one thing about this car that everyone should know is that VERY FEW mechanics/techs out there have experience on this car. Even the dealer. So, most of the time, you will be paying someone to learn about your car. In the process, the shop/dealer will make mistakes, and YOU will pay. The resale on this car is in the toilet, so you have to drive it till the wheels fall off. On the plus side, the car is made in Japan, and the quality shows. The fit and finish is excellent.

I also now get all of my new parts online, and the savings are easily 50% compared to local dealers. Local dealers will bump Mazda suggested list prices, while online dealers will discount off of straight Mazda suggested list. I find that the vast majority of complaints on the price of parts is because someone paid a local dealer greatly inflated prices for parts. If you cannot or will not do most of your own labor on this car, it will eat your lunch.