This will be a long list. The car is my wife's, but I maintain and repair it. The car was given to her by her parent's and it came with her. I would love to get rid of it, but we can't afford new, nor is our credit great. Although personally I am a passionate American car owner, and dislike foreign cars from any country, especially asian imports.
Working on the thing, and repairing the things I have repaired, I don't understand why people say Japanese cars are better than American. Nor do I understand why they say Japanese cars are designed better than American. I work on the thing, and every time I do I say things like, "I could do a better job designing this thing". As I compare it to Chevy's (what I have always drove and worked on), Chevy's are built better.
All though I will say the car has going on 190,000, which is surprising me, and that in its older age, a lot of the small little things aren't going wrong on it like they did when it was younger. Go figure. Probably that has a lot to do with that I had bought a scanner for it to read the trouble codes from the computer, because I got sick and tired of paying a mechanic to plug a little device in to the diagnostic port, and tell me what's wrong with it. Now that I bought the scanner, I have not needed nor used it.
From day one I was told, ever since about 50,000 miles, the "Check Engine" light spent more time illuminated, than not. And all stupid stuff. One time at 51,000 telling me it needed a tune up. Come on, 50 ish thousand is recommended time for tune up, yes it was 1,000 miles over, but come on, you don't trigger the "Check Engine" light for 1,000 miles over a tune up. I have put on 140,000 total, between two different Chevy's and never have seen that light.
It needed the right axle replaced at 70,000. Cost $200.05.
An axle boot was replaced at 81,000.
An alternator at 103,000 costed $180.00. It's on its third timing belt. There's another Japanese dump design; use a chain instead of a belt. My chain on my Chevy has lasted 167,000.
A valve cover gasket needed to be replaced at 103,000, and this one is starting to seep now.
The rear main seal has been leaking since 120,000.
EGR valve at 63,000.
Headlight switch was causing the dash lights not to illuminate, had to be replaced at 98,000.
Check Engine light came on at 83,000; it turned out the TPS Sensor (Throttle position sensor) needed to be adjusted, cost me $150.00.
Left axle seal went out and needed replacing at 81,000. And the A/C condensor went out at 130,000, costing over $800.00. and now every time I re-charge the cooling system, it holds refrigerant for maybe 2 weeks, but only blows 60 degrees just after a refill.
The headlights on it don't illuminate the road well, like they are too low. Even maxed out on the high adjustment. I've had to re-wire the harness because it melted on both sides. The way Mazda designed it, you need Japanese hands to change the bulbs, or be prepared to use every swear word in the book 5 times over. They don't give you much room to work, you end up breaking things because you can't maneuver your arms and hands in tight areas. You can't read the parts on it because it's written in Japanese.
When you decelerate the thing shakes like a paint mixer, and when you're coasting to a stop like it wants to stall out, but it never does. Surprisingly. Been doing that since 130,000.
It burns through brakes every 30,000; you will have a hard time trying to figure out how they designed their little stupid clips on the linings/calipers for it to work right. I never did totally figure it out.
Now under a hot stop, the lining coasts and the metal part on the lining scrapes on the hub of the rotor. I never have these problems on my Chevy.
The transmission when cold outside doesn't want to shift into third gear from second until it almost red lines, and until the trans gets hot, then it's fine. You have to jam it in park in order for it to go into park, otherwise you won't get the ignition switch to turn next time you want to start it.
Water pump was replaced at 160,000; not bad for a water pump, but with everything else, the car nickel and dimes.
The thing needs a new exhaust once a year, no kidding. On my Chevy the exhaust system is 9 years old. The car doesn't get hot enough to burn the condensation from the exhaust. And it just sits there and rots it away. The exhaust manifold is going bad, has a crack in it, I refuse to go through the abuse of replacing it, nor will I pay a mechanic to do it.
As far as room in the engine compartment to work on it, forget it. With my Chevy I can sit in the engine compartment while I change the plugs. This thing I can barely get a hand in there.
As far as nice things to say bout that thing, I really don't have anything nice to say. Just that it had 190,000 on it and I'm surprised that if they can't make the small things on the car to work right or at all, I am surprised they can make the larger things work for that long. But I won't say anything about working right. I don't feel shaking like a paint mixer classifies as working right. But I will say that the paint and lack of rust has been minimal for a 12 year old car in Chicago winters. But what do you expect, it's Japanese, they don't use much metal.
Most of those repairs sound fairly minor. if you didn't have to replace the motor or tranny and it has almost 200k on it I'd call that reliable. Especially compared to the chevy I owned that had 2 trannies and 1 motor go out by 165k.
Yea well you prolly diddnt maintain it well, and you abused it on top of it. Or both. Mazda is a piece of junk, just work on it.
Another thing I forgot to add to my initial entry is that every time you turn the steering wheel, the power seering belt squeels. forget pulling into the driveway at 2 in the morning without waking up the whole neighborhood.
Honestly, If you had a motor and two transmissions go out in 156,000 miles, I would question your driving habits, not blame a auto manufacture. Plus if you have to spend a penny on a car other the schedules maintenance, something isn't right. Its just a matter of what goes out on a vehicle. I've spent less on two Chevys than what was spent on one Mazda.
Or I should say as I forgot to add in my last entry. If you have to spend a penny on a vehicle, other than scheduled maintenance with in the first 100,000 theres something not right. Things should atleast 100,000. Plus people say imports are better than American. Well I disagree. Imports are just as crappy if not more. Atleast American, you can work on them.
I will agree with you that working on a '95 Mazda Protege using ramps or jack stands can be mental and physical agony. The engine compartment is very cramped, just like with many modern American and Japanese cars. Care to check out the engine bay on our 2001 GM minivan (Olds/Chevy/Pontiac-all made in the same manufacturing plant)? It is much worse than the Protege.
As far as reliability, the Protege gets it mostly right. The engine, manual transmission, cooling system, paint, and most switch gear (power windows, turn stalks, etc.) works well and is durable. I have 205K miles and the engine is still strong and I am on the original clutch! This is even after frequent towing of a 400 lb. ATV on a 4x8 utility trailer since 60K miles. Mobile One in the gearbox helps.
I have had many of the part failures you mention like A/C compressor at 7 years, muffler around 100K (replaced with better after-market version), cracked exhaust manifold at around 100K, EGR valve at 150K, O2 sensor at around 80K, and rubber air intake snorkel around 150K. Except for the A/C and preventative timing belt/water pump changes, I have performed all of the repairs myself.
I get about 120K miles out of my brake pads, so it's all how you drive.
Timing belts, spark plug wires, distributor cap/rotor are all just normal maintenance items on the majority of overhead cam/inline 4 cylinder engines.
I won't bore you with all the major component failures our 2001 GM minivan has had since we purchased it new. Let's just say it makes the Protege look superb in comparison.
I have a 95 Protege with 130K miles on it. The thing runs very well, and still manages to get close to 40mpg! It's decently comfortable, handles pretty well, and is a great bang for the buck. Sure, routine things had to be replaced, but the car never left me stranded, and still purrs like a kitten.
American cars are getting much better nowadays. But in the mid 90's they were still crappy. I had a '96 Ford Taurus that was constantly in the shop for mysterious diseases that the dealer couldn't seem to figure out. I also had a '95 Pontiac Grand Prix whose tranny went out at 50K. And all those squeaks and rattles! My Protege remains quiet to this day.
I have a Mazda Protege and I have 340,000 kms on it... and not a hitch...
HINT #1 Change the timing belt after 200,000 kms and clean the mass air flow.
Well, my 95 Protege goes without any problems whatsoever. I do work on it myself, and just completed a tune up. Very straight forward. The thing still gets close to 40mpg, on regular (far cry from my Audi, as well as reliability, but we won't go there).
American cars have come a long way, but around '95 they were mostly junky. I've had a brand new '94 Ford Explorer, which had numerous problems, as well as a '96 Taurus with similar number of issues. Maybe GM's better, I don't know. But I will never buy Ford products again!
L O L Domestic better than Japanese. Don't be a tard. and the shaking of the car on decel and constant pads... IT MEANS YOUR ROTOORS ARE WARPED fix it prob over.
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