The As Yet Un-named Mazda 3

So I've heard, instruction manual for mine has instructions as to how to change a Xenon fusion bulb on the MPS, "Take to a dealer and bend over".

Although I have exactly the same instructions for if I lose a brakelight or tail light bulb with it having LED clusters.

JimbbobW1977 said:

Hoping I won't have to ever replace a headlight bulb on mine, xenons are costly!!

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Go to Halfords - HIDs are £50 each normally and come with a 3yr warranty

Could be worse and have LED like me, thats a whole new headlight unit job

Most Easterly Pandas said:

Go to Halfords - HIDs are £50 each normally and come with a 3yr warranty

Could be worse and have LED like me, thats a whole new headlight unit job

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Hopefully they will still be working by the time I get rid of the car

Had a run to Chillingham castle on my birthday an hour each way on the A1, a lot longer than the normal trips it gets to do (about 15-20 miles a day round trip commute). Without hypermiling or doing anything especially different, just setting the cruise to the prevailing limit I got the trip computer up to 44.2 mpg. When I filled back up brim to brim had it at an actual 45.5mpg, not bad for a very old school petrol engine with a cast iron block. If you set the cruise to 60 I'm pretty sure it would do 50mpg but I like to get to places the same day I set off.

Well 4th year service and MOT yesterday, lost a number plate bulb so essential parts costs so far 96p. Surprised it passed with LED sides and none e-marked headlamp bulbs but it did.

Also got to the bottom of the rattle I was chasing earlier on the thread, they sent a tech out in it, he heard it, went out in another one they had around, it also did it. When I went to pick it up I was shown a service bulletin they had found detailing the noise, it's cause and the fact it is entirely normal.

Service cost was 227 with it being a major one including the MOT. It shall need a set of discs over the next year but it's done 45k so to be expected.

Also had one of these for a courtesy car:


Rather impressive, did 50mpg on the 1.5 petrol (the same as the Citroen diesel manages and the same Bhp as well) when I had it, felt a little tinny after the 3 but overall very nice.

I like the new 2 it's a nice looking car. Good to hear the 3 is holding up well!

JimbbobW1977 said:

I like the new 2 it's a nice looking car. Good to hear the 3 is holding up well!

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I like the current range of Mazdas. (CX5 and CX7 aside,) I'd say they're 1 of the manufacturers that make the most effort to make a good looking car.

puntofan01 said:

I like the current range of Mazdas. (CX5 and CX7 aside,) I'd say they're 1 of the manufacturers that make the most effort to make a good looking car.

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JimbbobW1977 said:

I like the new 2 it's a nice looking car. Good to hear the 3 is holding up well!

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The 2 was a very good little car, if I was downsizing I'd definitely be interested. My only gripes with it would be the ride was a little firm, and the skyactiv design philosophy business (building cars as light as possible to save fuel if you don't speak marketing) leaves a bit to be desired in terms of perceived quality. Last time I had doors as light as the ones on the 2 that closed with a clang I had a mk1 punto. Not that it is badly built all the shut lines, interior trim fit e.t.c. is faultless. It certainly works as well it was amazingly economical, but I can't see it wooing the average Vaghag unfortunately. Yet to try the latest 3 perhaps the bigger car will feel a bit more solid.

StevenRB45 said:

The 2 was a very good little car, if I was downsizing I'd definitely be interested. My only gripes with it would be the ride was a little firm, and the skyactiv design philosophy business (building cars as light as possible to save fuel if you don't speak marketing) leaves a bit to be desired in terms of perceived quality. Last time I had doors as light as the ones on the 2 that closed with a clang I had a mk1 punto. Not that it is badly built all the shut lines, interior trim fit e.t.c. is faultless. It certainly works as well it was amazingly economical, but I can't see it wooing the average Vaghag unfortunately. Yet to try the latest 3 perhaps the bigger car will feel a bit more solid.

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Vaghags: I like that, lol! Another name for them is boring old farts, lol!

All I'm gonna say is don't look it up on a work computer....it has other connotations.

I know, lol! It's a very unfortunate set of initials!

Bizarrely I took it for its' first razz around some back roads. It's been so long as the prospect didn't really appeal, not that it's bad but I think of it as biggish sensible cruiser rather than a back road blaster so I tend to take the Mrs or my Dad if I'm off onto the moors.

I got a few good surprises first of all the ride at fast road speeds over post-apocalyptic roads is brilliant, better if anything than the slightly firm low speed ride. I've driven this particular road for years, and stuff that would have had the punto and swift shuddering was shrugged off with utter disdain. Second the Toyos which I have been looking forward to getting rid of due to having some bum clenching understeer in cold/wet conditions, are very sticky once warm at which point it may as well be on rails.

Bad things would mainly be not the cars fault, it was entirely brilliant other than I'd like a little more initial bite on the brakes. But like all modern cars there's no fear factor at normal or even fast road speeds its just capable and under closed road conditions it would happily keep up with hot hatches from 20 years ago. You'd have to be seriously antisocial to get the DSC to activate, and the lack of body roll and sports seats removes any feeling of drama. The engine spins sweetly to 6.5k, but never sounds anymore than vaguely miffed.

More than enough cornering speed but I always enjoyed the drama/fear factor rather than outright pace so even though I'm travelling round bends a clear 10mph faster than the punto would dream of it wasn't exactly a rush.

Got a nice photo though...which you can just see the car in.

The Ford C1 platform has always been a great platform and as you know the same one that underpins my Focus..

I have just done a 100 mile trip in a 2013 Corsa 1.3cdti, as we know the same chassis as the Punto. This trip included country roads at national speed limit. I found the Corsa pitching, rolling and feeling a little loose in the handling department. I have no where near the confidence of hustling it along as I would in the Focus.

The suspension seemed somewhat crude with bounce. This I would imagine is partly to do with the torsion beam set up.

JimbbobW1977 said:

The Ford C1 platform has always been a great platform and as you know the same one that underpins my Focus..

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C1 was the focus mk2, mk3 is Global C which my car is partially based on so I get the trick rear suspension but miss out on the electric steering (which from what I read isn't much of a miss).

I wouldn't expect much from a corsa in fairness, the OHs DS3 is apparently a very good small car but the Mazda feels and is a car from the class above (despite having a lower new list price)

Now me and this car nearly had a large falling out on Friday. The entire point of it is that anything that isn't a service job is easy and well thought out, and it just works beautifully, like their is a department of reducing day to day annoyance at Mazda. Usually everything is easy,my cheap led side went so time to change and I've done this before in 10 mins. But trying to rush and already being stressed about other stuff got the better of me and did it wrong (if you have a 3 and a google search has landed you here DO NOT TAKE THE ARCH LINERS OUT I DON'T CARE WHAT THE HAND BOOK SAYS!, disconnect the large grey multi block inboard of the light to allow access and when you take the bulb hold out make a note of where the wire is so you are putting the holder in the correct way up when you refit, this will save a lot of frustation and your knuckle skin. Also take care to withdraw the holder in a straight line, otherwise the bulb won't come with it!).

I got a different type to see if they lasted longer, and they may be a bit overkill in a reflector in that they actually throw light forward! Before and after, they are white although they don't look it in the photo






Due to my level of frustation I launched my other purchases a bottle of shampoo and screenwash concentrate into the boot and drove home...you may see where this is going. Picked it out today, and it was suspiciously light....I was having a good day on friday obviously. At once i'm pissed off i'm gonna have to take all the back out to dry down to the spare wheel well, the boot carpet will go floppy (gotta love carpet backed only with sound proofing) e.t.c.e.t.c. However the Mazda department of reduction of annoyance had foreseen that at some point someone may spill something in the boot.



Paper towels over the top, tiny amount of liquid under it carpet hasn't even changed colour, will let it dry out and that's it.

Not a good few days then!!!

LED's as good as they are should last for years, or so I thought.

One thing that always puzzled me when I got the Focus was that it has Xenons, LED day running lights, LED day running lights and number plate lights, even the interior lights are LED.

However I never understood why the puddle lights I the door mirrors where standard bulbs it didn't look right. They were soon changed, one year down the line one of the bulbs just broke and stopped working soon to be replaced with even brighter ones.

I'm was trying to look at the make of the Xenons the other day - not a chance headlight unit out job - thankfully I shouldn't need to ever replace them for how long I have the car!

JimbbobW1977 said:

Not a good few days then!!!

LED's as good as they are should last for years, or so I thought.

One thing that always puzzled me when I got the Focus was that it has Xenons, LED day running lights, LED day running lights and number plate lights, even the interior lights are LED.

However I never understood why the puddle lights I the door mirrors where standard bulbs it didn't look right. They were soon changed, one year down the line one of the bulbs just broke and stopped working soon to be replaced with even brighter ones.

I'm was trying to look at the make of the Xenons the other day - not a chance headlight unit out job - thankfully I shouldn't need to ever replace them for how long I have the car!

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The ones I had were pretty cheaply made, the contacts were bent wire and the whole thing was plastic. Fairly sure the LED itself was fine but a connection inside had come loose as they were on and off. Bought to match the main beams really so everything was blue white not for quality reasons. A little brighter but definitely a sidelight.

New ones are a whole different story, 200 lumens light output means your looking at DRL strength light, and as they emit light in all directions not just mainly forward like the old ones the reflectors come into play. Also they are metal with nicely made components. Hope they will last longer but the visible brightness is pretty close to the H11 dipped beams (if not the beam obviously ).

I was going to do all my interior and exterior bulbs at one point but as none oem leds seem hit and miss and I've got 7 different lamps not including number plate bulbs I felt it'd end up with me replacing a different bulb as one or another failed every week and not seeing much actual benefit.

Tried ford ones? Past time I was in a Mazda 3 I think the interior lights looked like they were from the Focus, they were standard fit on mine.

JimbbobW1977 said:

Tried ford ones? Past time I was in a Mazda 3 I think the interior lights looked like they were from the Focus, they were standard fit on mine.

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No idea, they aren't the same as my dads focus 2. Do they look familiar? Bit in the middle is a sun glasses holder, little square is emitter for the ambient lighting. I have a feeling of you were to disassemble yours the Leds would be soldered in.

Sunglasses holder completely different!! Don't know why I thought it.



That's the light at the front same for rear