Okay, since no one read the last thread I’ll just pretend I have millions of fans waiting on the edge of their seat for the conclusion of this epic chapter.
I bought a Mazda 3 GS Sport, 2009. Black! I thought I wouldn’t like it, but it performs WAY better then the other cars I was looking at. Gas Mileage is average and the trunk space is just enough for me. A good balance of fun and practicality (also 1.9% financing didn’t hurt!) I hear the resale value on Mazdas are average as well. I’m excited!
So since I treated my last car like shit, I hope to be better to my new girl. Some questions I have:
The dealership is offering me a corrosion care package. This includes additional rust protection, fabric protection, a sound shield coat (what the hell is that?) paint protection, and a weird electronic gadget that is supposed to prevent rust. 900$ Worth it? What I’ve heard and read says otherwise…
So this brings me to…how can I prevent rust on my car? I want to treat it well. With my old car I would take it to the car wash once a month, and do regular oil changes, and tire rotation. Thats about it though! What other maintenence should i factor in to keep it in tip top shape? Should I wax it? How often?
Where do you live? Your listed location is hell. Do cars rust in hell? I have been led to believe that it does not snow there. If this is true, I would probably skip the rust proofing.
Modern cars come with a pretty good corrosion package from the car maker.
Congrats and welcome to the family of black Mazda3 owners. I’m a member, too. Mine’s a 2005 5 door, bought lightly used in late 2006.
Cars just don’t rust like they used to. The most important thing to do is wash her after exposure to road salt, especially the undercarriage.
You won’t need to worry about this yet, but tire replacement for our car is tricky and can be expensive. I got Dunlop Sport Signature SPs which are excellent on wet pavement. Some tire shops may try and sell you $200 tires, but most of those are not as good as the Dunlops.
Okay so if this package is bust, what can I do to keep my new car without rust? I ask because my old car was rusting away when it got totaled. And what the hell is this sound coat thing?
I live in Cleveland and have a 2004 Escape and do not wash it as much as I should and there’s not a speck of rust on it. My previous car, a 1998 Escort, did not have rust either and I did not wash it too much.
Earlier cars, like the '87 Taurus, were rust buckets. I’m pretty sure there have been massive improvements in the way of rust over the past 10 years and rust coating is a total waste of money.
Manufacturers provide a rust through warranty already. Mazda’s is 5 yr/unlimited mileage. See edmunds.com for details on other vehicles.
The $900 bill breaks down to $100 expense in labor for the dealer and $800 profit for him. The factory corrosion resistance is in the base coat of primer, metal prep solution. Generally applied by full body dipping and electrostatic attraction. Aftermarket rust-proofing can actually cause more problems by blocking drains in doors, sills, box sections of sub-frames and other confined areas.
Wash your car regularly during the winter getting the underside as best you can. Give it a thorough cleaning in the spring. You should have no problems.
Congratulations on your new car, it’s a favorite of many car magazine testers for its sporty performance, handling, and value.
Another problem that can be caused by aftermarket rustproofing is that the gunk could get into the window mechanisms, harden in cold temperatures, and render the windows unopenable.
The problem is that they don’t remove inside door panels and carefully coat the metal by means of a small brush or roller. They drill “inconspicuous” holes in your door frames through which they insert wands that blindly spray the stuff all over everything.
For $900 you should expect careful hand-painting of the insides of your external door panels. In reality–ain’t gonna happen!
After I sold my 12-year old Mazda MX-6, I bought the very first Mazda6 that came out, on paper. That’s how much I loved my experience with Mazda. I did not bother with extra protection, and my baby (Mazda6 2004-- released Jan 29 2003 in Canada, mine received March 4) looks like a brand new car. She’s about to turn 6, and does not have one single spot of rust anywhere. Everything that is metallic is still shiny. In winter, once salt is on the streets, I have the car washed once a week in a hand car wash. The automatic wash places often recycle water so your car gets washed with a sort of brine.
Everyone I know who has a Mazda 3 (my neighbour’s daughter, for instance) loves it. I wish you a long, happy experience with yours.
Re gas mileage, if the car is new, it’ll take a while for it to reach its “real” gas mileage. I don’t know why, and maybe it’s just a superstition, but I feel that’s been my experience.
Congrats, I have a Mazdaspeed3, Mazda3s are great cars.
I’d recommend against the rust proofing too. Huge profit for the dealers. With fender liners and stuff like that, rust in cars isn’t that big of a problem these days unless something wasn’t done right in the factory.
Invest in some splash guards since you’re driving a black car in snow and ice. It’ll stay cleaner. Black is a bitch to keep clean.
I’ve been in auto sales for the last 8 years, so I guess I’ll chime in. My experience is primarily with Audi who offers a 12 year anti-corrosion warranty as standard, so admittedly I know little about rust proofing treatments. If Mazda’s is a 5yr “no rust” guarantee, as long as you keep your car reasonably clean IMO you wouldn’t need the rust proofing.
One thing I do recommend is the fabric and paint protection. Our dealership uses 3M products and 3M guarantees the protection for life. If your paint is damaged by acid rain or animal waste or sun damage they repaint your vehicle. Same with the interior against spills, vomit, animal waste, they’ll replace your leather or cloth. There is a fair amount of markup in the suggested retail prices of these treatments, but it’s also another place to negotiate.
I was thinking I could go out to Canadian Tire and buy some cheap scotch guard or something and spray the fabric myself. As for paint protection, perhaps I can get a better deal after market? And does it really work? What does it do? Doesn’t the clearcoat protect the paint?
As far as the paint and fabric protection, if you really want it, I would act really reluctant about it when they tell you the price. I’d try to get one for free if you buy the other. Cars aren’t selling well right now, the buyer has more power than they normally would. Otherwise I’d be prepared to turn down the gauntlet of special offers and extended warranties they’ll throw at you, it’s mostly just profit for the dealer and adds up really fast.
It’s helpful to talk about “out the door” pricing. Because after you agree on a price for the car, then they start tacking on taxes, processing fees, and DMV costs and before you know it you’ve spent another $1,500! Say “I only have XX,XXX” and stick to it, at least within a few hundred dollars anyway.
I paint for the fabric protection. The only time there was a spill in the car (a bit of coffee dripped out from my son’s thermos), the stain was permanent. I think that’s a major waste of money.
You can most likely get a better price aftermarket. As I said, my experience is with the 3M corporation and I see some value in their warranty on their products, however, I was mistaken. The protection is guranteed for only 5 years not life. :smack: I am sure this varies by product and company. If your curious about the 3M propaganda on this here is a link to their site:
