The car has gone through three mufflers, one resonator, and one front pipe. All parts from Midas.
The CV boots were replaced at 190,000 km.
New front brakes rotors were installed at 190,000 km.
The rear right spring seat broke and was replaced at 190,000 km.
I recently spent $300 Can trying to troubleshoot an intermittent horn. Both the horn and the horn pad were replaced, but the horn only worked for about a month after the repair.
The performance of the power windows has rapidly deteriorated over the previous six months, with constant jamming and/or the windows falling off the tracks. Last month, the up-switch for the driver's side window stopped working, and I am currently trying to find a used master control switch. I've removed both rear door panels on several occasions to reset the glass onto the tracks, and have now stopped using them altogether. So I now have only one functional window.
Despite my window woes, I love this car and have loved it right from the first test drive. Its combination of acceleration, tight gearbox, road handling and gas mileage have been consistent for the 85,000 kilometers I've owned the vehicle.
If I could find another specimen from the same early vintage with moderate mileage, I would seriously consider putting some $$$ into performance improvements and trying my hand at amateur racing. It really is a sports car at heart.
Mechanically speaking, the car has never let me down, even during our cold Canadian winters. And it's very good in snow, too.
I am browsing around to find more info on the "horn going off" problem. There is another page on the protege model that gives more clues about it. It may be as simple as replacing the padding in the steering wheel.
I have a 1991 Mazda Protege and have had the exact same problem with the horn. It must be a problem with the model.
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