2007 Mazda3 Sport GT - Traction Control System

[daenerys]

Hello,

I just purchased a 2007 Mazda3 Sport GT hatchback and it came home with me today (it was great to drive compared to what I am used to) :headbang.

VERY long story short - I told the salesman at Erin Mills Mazda that traction control is very important to me and he told me repeatedly that this car definitely has traction control. I trusted him because he's the professional (I later learned that he is is very new there). Fast forward to tonight - I looked at my manual and it said that there should be a DSC button at the bottom left area near the steering wheel. There are 4 buttons there. 3 of them are blank and 1 of them is to control dimming of dashboard lighting. Also, I don't see the traction control symbol of a car on wet roads (http://cache.pakwheels.com/forums/2010/attachments/Articles---Driver-Education---Safety/149903-ESC--ESP--DSC--TCS-vids--Traction-Control-Little-Car.jpg) in the dashboard panels anywhere, either.

So... Either (a) the salesman completely lied to me, or (b) my concerns are invalid because for some reason Mazda decided to not have any on/off button for traction control and have no symbol for it in the dash...

If he lied to me... That really sucks. That means I'm going to have to exchange this car within 30 days with no room for haggling down the sticker price.

Also, maybe I can feel better if I can be convinced that traction control and dynamic stability control is over-rated? I'm used to driving a 2003 Honda Civic LX sedan with no traction control, but I really wanted it this time... :bang

Thanks for any information/opinions.

[FLIPDADY]

I know for a fact that the MS3 has traction control. Possibly the fully loaded GT MZ3 as well. Does it mention in the owners manual about it being equipped on some vehicles only?

Before committing to the sale you should've asked the salesperson to show you where the switch was.

[PearlM3]

I have a fully loaded 2008 sport gt and it has no traction control, the only first gen Mazda with traction is the ms3

[daenerys]

I know for a fact that the MS3 has traction control. Possibly the fully loaded GT MZ3 as well. Does it mention in the owners manual about it being equipped on some vehicles only?

Before committing to the sale you should've asked the salesperson to show you where the switch was.

You're absolutely right. I should have questioned him and asked him where it was exactly.

The owners manual doesn't say that it's equipped on some vehicles only... I'm going to go back there and ask them to show me where it is. And if they say "it doesn't have traction control", then I guess I'll take it from there :sad

[RTEnthusiast]

Dude, Traction Control/DSC doesn't save you from crashing. I've always found these systems to be a huge nuisance. Every single time I get into one of my parents' cars, the first thing I do is turn off the TCS/DSC.

For what it's worth, my fully loaded '06 GT doesn't have it either. I guess that's 3 things I don't have; power seats, automatic climate control, and traction control.

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Speed3 has it..

2010 GS w/comforts and above has it..

all 2011s have it

your 2007, does not have it.. unless perhaps it is a US car, that was equipped with it there, but if the button isn't there I doubt you have it.

[Kappa]

my fully loaded gt doesnt have it... all im missing is leather package... i think i might put a button there just to be cool ;) i think it would be more helpful in a RWD car than FWD but thats just me haha

[daenerys]

Thanks Jeff,

Looks like another "you screwed me" visit to Erin Mills Mazda for me :(

[RTEnthusiast]

Speed3 has it..

2010 GS w/comforts and above has it..

all 2011s have it

your 2007, does not have it.. unless perhaps it is a US car, that was equipped with it there, but if the button isn't there I doubt you have it.

The 2010 GX I rented had the button for it... ?

[Kappa]

Speed3 has it..

2010 GS w/comforts and above has it..

all 2011s have it

your 2007, does not have it.. unless perhaps it is a US car, that was equipped with it there, but if the button isn't there I doubt you have it.


The 2010 GX I rented had the button for it... ?

.

[RTEnthusiast]

.

I specified that I rented a 2010 GX.

[Kappa]

my mistake i miss understood your point lol i thought you said that your 2010 GX didnt have it and you where asking why.. my bad lol

[RTEnthusiast]

It's cool. :)

Honestly, the 2010 GX wasn't as bad to drive as I thought it'd be. It's what actually drove me to buy a Mazda3 GT instead of the Mini Cooper S or (significantly higher mileage) G35 Coupe. Round trip to Montreal and back, other than the bitchy hard suspension (I was used to a Chrysler 300 suspension), it was plenty of fun to toss around.

[cwp_sedan]

Yep, like mentioned above there is no traction control on any Canadian model from 2004-2009 except the MS3 (07-09). It was only introduced in the 2010+ non-speed models. Traction control is over rated anyway. Get some snow tires and drive like a normal person.

[RTEnthusiast]

Traction control is over rated anyway. Get some snow tires and drive like a normal person.

I completely agree with this guy.

[daenerys]

I completely agree with this guy.

Yes, that's what I'm used to doing, and will have to continue doing with this car :)

Just kinda sucks being lied to. Was a bit confusing after reading the manual and not seeing what it said I should be seeing for traction control, y'know?

[PearlM3]

Yes, that's what I'm used to doing, and will have to continue doing with this car :)

Just kinda sucks being lied to. Was a bit confusing after reading the manual and not seeing what it said I should be seeing for traction control, y'know?

When I bought my car the salesguy told me that the car had an intake, when I checked the engine bay he retracted that saying he was confused and that the car was "Chipped" now at the time I was like oh cool, but there is no real way to check that. Now that I know that there is no actual chip for the mazda 3 I know I was lied to....Should have walked after the first lie....oh well life goes on...Traction control is crap on a car with such small amounts of power, save it for the rear wheel drive beasts that you would put in the ditch without it.

[RTEnthusiast]

When I bought my car the salesguy told me that the car had an intake, when I checked the engine bay he retracted that saying he was confused and that the car was "Chipped" now at the time I was like oh cool, but there is no real way to check that. Now that I know that there is no actual chip for the mazda 3 I know I was lied to....Should have walked after the first lie....oh well life goes on...Traction control is crap on a car with such small amounts of power, save it for the rear wheel drive beasts that you would put in the ditch without it.

Yeah; recently I drove a high-performance Italian machine with all assists off... :P it was quite exhilarating. Made my 3 feel so slow :(

[Shawn]

..Traction control is crap on a car with such small amounts of power, save it for the rear wheel drive beasts that you would put in the ditch without it.
Better known as not knowing how to drive within the limits.

[daenerys]

At the end of this all, the dealership ended up giving me 4 new Toyo winter tires on rims for "compensation" for the incompetence of this particular sales person. I'm just going to say his name - GIRESH PAWAR (avoid him).

I accepted this. I think it's a good deal.

I never really got an apology, though, for the record. Nobody ever really owned up to the mistake. Giresh just said "It may have slipped out" that he mentioned it had traction control to me. Whatever.

[cwp_sedan]

At the end of this all, the dealership ended up giving me 4 new Toyo winter tires on rims for "compensation" for the incompetence of this particular sales person. I'm just going to say his name - GIRESH PAWAR (avoid him).

I accepted this. I think it's a good deal.

I never really got an apology, though, for the record. Nobody ever really owned up to the mistake. Giresh just said "It may have slipped out" that he mentioned it had traction control to me. Whatever.

Well at least you got something out of it. :thumbsup

[Jeff-TheBiz]

the winters will do you more good than the tcs anyhow...

[daenerys]

the winters will do you more good than the tcs anyhow...

Yeah after lots of reading I am actually happy what what I ended up with at the end, and really don't mind not having traction control anymore. Honestly, I've never had traction control in a car before so I don't even know what I'm missing out on... It just sounded good to me :)

[Hoodzy]

Most salesmen are scammers.. especially if you don't know anything about the vehicle.. Tip of the day is to research your vehicle.. and it's easy as finding the brochure online for that said vehicle. It will list every single possible option on the vehicle. DRL's and cupholders.. woot
BROCHURE> anything a salesmen says

[Fuyuzora]

Scanned the thread, and it doesn't look like anyone else pointed this out yet so I'm going to chime in with an important detail:

TCS and DSC are different systems which operate quite differently.

* * * * *

Traction Control Systems (TCS) operate by reducing power to a wheel when it detects that the wheel is slipping. While this might be useful in rain, it's worthless in snow when you may very well need to spin the wheels in order to get moving.

Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) helps to keep the car stable when it undergoes sudden changes in motion (for example, swerving on the highway). It accomplishes this by independently applying the four brakes in such a fashion as to keep the vehicle moving along its intended trajectory.

* * * * *

TCS is highly overrated, in my opinion. DSC on the other hand, is standard in all vehicles across North America from 2012 onward as it has been shown to reduce the likelihood of collisions among regular drivers... That said, much like TSC, if you're conscious of the limits of your vehicle and drive within them, DSC can be a nuisance and disconnect you from the vehicle. Of course, in an emergency situation it's hard to predict exactly how you will react.

Since TCS isn't that useful and none of the older model Mazda3s had DSC anyway (to the best of my knowledge), I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Congrats on the free winter tires from the dealer.

EDIT: Holy necro there, Hoodzy! This isn't even close to being contemporary!

[Hoodzy]

Haha.. what do you mean?

My gf's pontiac G5 i believe has tcs I believe. It is beyond useless at getting your car out of snow/ice. It senses that its on ice and will disengage the throttle when applied gently. Once you push your foot down enough it just spins. I would assume this is probably just the technology of Pontiac?