Current fuel consumption reading

[wickedassskydancer]

Hey people...

Can you guys tell me what a normal current-fuel-consumption reading (L/100km) should be off a start for a 2007 Mazda 3 Sport GT automatic? I'm getting what I believe to be ridiculously high readings. On a slow start I get anywhere between 50 to 60+ L/100km. If I gun it a bit, I get something in and around 80 L/100km. I know the engine uses more gas when you start to go... but are my readings anywhere near normal??!! In addition I'm getting laughable fuel economy. Mind you... I really only do city driving with the car... but right now I've accumulated 140km and I'm halfway through the tank (and that's with having taken the car out on the highway for a bit). This past winter I got less than 275km on a single tank. WTF!!! There was a point recently where I was taking the car on to the highway a fair bit... but even then I was only getting about 430km at best per tank. Can someone enlighten me as to what might be wrong and I should do?

Other tidbits of information that might help:

- tire pressure is optimal
- the car is barely used... only has just over 4000km on it
- car was brought into the dealer for this very problem... no leaks, no engine codes where found, computer was flashed and/or updated, etc.
- I've been using Esso regular gas... but have recently switched to Shell regular
- there was the occasional smell of gas in the cabin of the car during the winter... mainly on startups for a while, but disappeared. It hasn't happened in a while, but the crappy fuel economy persists (I informed the dealer when it was brought in)
- I drive like a granny... I ain't pushn' this car

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. THX!

[mit-gee-mui]

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=8579&highlight=fuel+economy

Take a look here for some numbers.:)

[Fuman]

Hey,
That does seem abnormal. Even if I floor it off the line, I don't get more than 50L/100KM
Normal accel off the line, I get about 23-28L/100KM.
Highway cruising (at 110-120km/h), I get about 8-9L/100KM
Hope this helps.
Something does seem off in your car. When the flashed the ECU, did they flash it with a transmission update as well?

[wickedassskydancer]

Hey Fuman...

I couldn't tell ya what updates were made. I didn't and don't know enough about cars to have asked. I was simply told they flashed it and made sure it had the most recent updates. I would assume they checked and updated everything. Knowing you're getting something in the mid to high 20s, tells me somethings definitely wrong.

[Fuman]

Hey Fuman...

I couldn't tell ya what updates were made. I didn't and don't know enough about cars to have asked. I was simply told they flashed it and made sure it had the most recent updates. I would assume they checked and updated everything. Knowing you're getting something in the mid to high 20s, tells me somethings definitely wrong.
If you live in the Richmond Hill area, PM me.
I can give you a ride in my car to see if you notice a difference during regular driving.
Maybe by fluke we will work out a hypothesis.

Which dealership have you been taking the car to?

[wickedassskydancer]

Thx buddy, but I'm out in Oakville :p

I've taken it in to the Oakville dealership... and will be paying them another visit pretty damn soon. If they can't resolved it... I'll bring it to other. If that doesn't work... I just might push the thing into the lake.

[SonicBoy]

My 07 was like that. After the engine broke in after 10,000 fuel economy got better. You also can't trust the consumption numbers you see.

Have you been zeroing out the average numbers after every fill up?

[wickedassskydancer]

The dealer told me the fuel economy should be more "normal" after I hit 3000km. I can't say that it's all that much better tho'. I haven't been resetting the average actually... I'll start doing that. It started out at around 14.5 L/100km when I got the car, but since I've been hitting the highway a lil' more recently... it's made it's way down to 11 or 12. Still.. even that number is completely inaccurate based on the kilometers I've been getting per tank.

[x_o_k_x]

omg what happend to your fuel consumption, this is insane 250km on full tank wow there is definately something is wrong. Im in my first tank of gas on the brand new car, just drove 450 almost and still have a little less then half a tank.. And you regular service is being done?

[wickedassskydancer]

Yup... took it in for the servicing after 4 months... just like Mazda prescribes. Everything appears to be alright... but my guess is they didn't dig deep enough. I'm throwing out a guess, knowing very little at all about cars, but perhaps it's an oxygen sensor problem?!

[Fuman]

Thx buddy, but I'm out in Oakville :p

I've taken it in to the Oakville dealership... and will be paying them another visit pretty damn soon. If they can't resolved it... I'll bring it to other. If that doesn't work... I just might push the thing into the lake.
Oakville's DP is on this board, send him a PM.
He can help you out. From what other people have said, he is a friendly guy that gets the work done

do NOT trust the "average"L/100KM on our cars.
I find it not accurate.
Reset the trip computer when you fill up, and do your own L/100KM.

[wickedassskydancer]

Thx! Will do.

[QEWmazdaPrez]

Thanks for letting me know about this issue. I'd be happy to help out personally. Please contact me at the dealership tomorrow and I can go over some of the suggestions that may be causing this.

[Cardinal Fang]

The mileage on your car seems really bad. I can only recall one other member with mileage as bad and that was SABIO.

[wickedassskydancer]

Are they still on this forum under that name? I just checked the members list, but couldn't find them.

[trix241]

Hey,
That does seem abnormal. Even if I floor it off the line, I don't get more than 50L/100KM
Normal accel off the line, I get about 23-28L/100KM.
Highway cruising (at 110-120km/h), I get about 8-9L/100KM
Hope this helps.
Something does seem off in your car. When the flashed the ECU, did they flash it with a transmission update as well?

Yea i would agree... mine is the same.

[mit-gee-mui]

Are they still on this forum under that name? I just checked the members list, but couldn't find them.

Here you go. You can't find him because he was banned. Here are a few of his posts.
:)

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=14751&highlight=mileage

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=117432&postcount=409

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=100153&postcount=374

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=43113&postcount=155

[wickedassskydancer]

Thx!

[mazda lover]

omg what happened to your fuel consumption, this is insane 250km on full tank wow there is definitely something is wrong. I'm in my first tank of gas on the brand new car, just drove 450 almost and still have a little less then half a tank.. And you regular service is being done?

you getting 450KM on a little less than half a tank on a 2.3? how much is a little less
I think your gas gauge is off.
I get 250KM on a half tank. I get an average of 30MPG
I usually fill at 450KM at about 1/4 and put in about 45 liters..
is your a auto or standard...2.0 or 2.3
what is your mileage?
have to agree 250KM on a tank is way out of whack
2005/GT/GFX/2.3/AUTO

[wickedassskydancer]

Hey mazda lover...

Nah... I'm getting WAY less then 450km on a full tank. I'm averaging about 350km per tank... give or take. As my initial post mentions... I was recently at half a tank left with 140km to show for it. Pretty miserable. It's pretty much all city driving, but still. Anyway.. it's all mentioned above.

[x_o_k_x]

you getting 450KM on a little less than half a tank on a 2.3? how much is a little less
I think your gas gauge is off.
I get 250KM on a half tank. I get an average of 30MPG
I usually fill at 450KM at about 1/4 and put in about 45 liters..
is your a auto or standard...2.0 or 2.3
what is your mileage?
have to agree 250KM on a tank is way out of whack
2005/GT/GFX/2.3/AUTO

alright so here it is, its 2.3 AUTO, My total milage as of now is 547km and I STILL have 1/4 of a tank left of gas. When I picked up my car I had 10km on it with full tank of gas. So according to the km left I can still go another 110km. Pretty good I think at 55% break in only. BTW no highway driving and no driving past 90km/h at the break in for me. To be on the "safe" side.

[wickedassskydancer]

Wanna trade?!! :p

[maats]

I purchased an 08 Mazda 3 Sport GT one month ago. My first tank of gas I used 44.5L and drove 487Km which is approx. 9.17L/100Km. My second tank of gas, I used 40L and drove 467Km which is approx 8.6L/100Km. I live in Courtenay,BC and primarily use the vehicle to travel to work and back and travel around town on weekends. There are about 3 stoplights I may encounter on the way to work. I traded my 06 Nissan Frontier in on the MS3 because of the price of fuel. The frontier had an 80L tank and I barely got 450Km per tank. I drove the truck lightly and that was the best it would do. It was a great truck, but when gas is $1.30/L it just was worth it to me anymore. I was seriously considering purchasing an 06 MS3 sport and opted for the truck. Wish I would have purchased the MS3 from the start. Anyway, I found this forum and there is a lot of usefull info. I wish i would have held out until 30 Apr 08 for the purchase because of the huge discount for the 08 Sport GT model. I basically got 0% finacing on $5500 because of my trade. I would rather have gotten the $3900 discount.

[mazda lover]

try this gas calculator ...converts to U.S. gallons etc

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/tools/fuel-trip-calculator/fuel-calculator-input.cfm?attr=24

[x_o_k_x]

Wanna trade?!! :p

haha lol sure Got speed3??:chuckle

[wickedassskydancer]

Okay people... here's the latest on my situation.

OakvilleMazdaDP suggested I take the car out for a little fuel economy test. So I did. Basically I drove the car out on the highway for 100km on full tank. I was going at about 100km/h most of the time... with cruise control activated. I filled up again after 100km and surprisingly i only put in 4.271 liters of gas. Ya... I know... that's just f'n A awesome... what am I complaining about?!? Well... here's the thing. I don't really do much highway driving. I use this car in the city and commute to work on the train. When I filled up my car the first time tonight... I put in 38.341 liters. I had 250 kms on the trip odometer from my last fill up. That gives me about 15.2 L/100km. In my opinion... that's garbage. I've gotten worse... and I've gotten better. Still... I keep coming back to the current-consumption-readings that I'm getting when i leave from a stop position. Other 3 owners have mentioned that they're getting readings in the 20s while I keep getting 40s and 50s. Today I hit 90, and I was consciously trying to keep the numbers down by going slow off a start. I know it's not necessarily accurate, but still... they're twice as high as other 3 owners.

Any other thoughts people?

... dunno if it's worth mentioning... but i didn't force feed the gas into tank. I pretty much assumed the first cut-off from the pump would be an accurate enough gauge to the fullness of the tank...

[Flagrum_3]

STOP READING THE COMPUTER! First thing; Disconnect your battery then with the ignition switch in the ON position, press your brake pedal for a moment, just once will work...After 1/2 hour re-connect the battery then drive around as easy as you can; easy take-offs, very steady speeds; being steady on the gas peddle is essential! Go to the nearest Shell gas station, put in some Redline gas treatment, fill the tank till first click, round off to tenths, no more or you might get spillage, zero your trip, drive till 1/4 tank left, refill the tank same has above, record the mileage reading from the trip on your receipt and then re-zero it.Then tell us your numbers and we'll start from there...


_3


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[bunchi]

x ok x... how the hell do you do it?? :chuckle i have a 2.3 too also auto and I don't think the sedan is that much lighter than a hatch. the most I got for a full tank if gas is 500kms. your mileage is just insane! I know sometimes a step on it a bit but i'm totally conscious of how hard my foot is on the gas. Anything you know that I don't? and no more than 90km/h and no highway.. dude how fast are you driving on local roads?? :chuckle maybe you were still in JK when I first started driving but any way you can show this old dog some new tricks?

wickedassskydancer yeah sure test it on the highway with the cruise control on... for sure you'll see a very good mileage on it. maybe it's your driving habits when driving in the city? no offense :) are you the type that steps on the gas and then brakes all the time? Just like you I'm just trying to figure out why you're having that kind of consumption on your car. when taking off from a full stop yes I do notice my L/100km reading's out of whack but I don't get the kind of consumption your getting. That's why I don't look at that computer. Believe _3 when he said it.. it's just going to drive you nuts.

[wickedassskydancer]

Alright... I'll try your suggestion _3. Is that whole business with disconnecting the battery like rebooting a computer?!?

Bunchi... trust me... my driving habits are fine. Better than fine even. I drive like a lil' old granny. I can't help but think something is wrong with this car.

[wickedassskydancer]

Oh... and _3... when you mentioned refilling the tank the second time... did you also imply I should use the gas treatment a second time as well?

[bunchi]

Alright... I'll try your suggestion _3. Is that whole business with disconnecting the battery like rebooting a computer?!?

Bunchi... trust me... my driving habits are fine. Better than fine even. I drive like a lil' old granny. I can't help but think something is wrong with this car.


maybe try not driving like a lil' old granny? :chuckle maybe your tranny is not shifting at the right time causing the engine to use more fuel... just a thought... i noticed on mine if I put my foot on the gas really light, it shifts later in a higher rpm range. you might want to try easing off on the gas too when you think the tranny is about to shift, just like a stick you let go of the gas when you step on the clutch. again, not questioning your driving skills.. just offering suggestions... at the price of gas right now, everybody could use some tips on how to save gas! also the fact that when you test drove the car on the highway and got excellent gas mileage tells you your car is fine.:)

[Flagrum_3]

Oh... and _3... when you mentioned refilling the tank the second time... did you also imply I should use the gas treatment a second time as well?

No! ...just the first time and use the whole bottle that'll clean the snot out of it :chuckle ~That stuff should be used maybe every/or everyother oil change. It's just part of the process of illimination.Also check tire pressures and your tranny fluid level...to eliminate them also.

The disconnection of the battery will basically wipe out any "learned" programming by the car's computer, allowing you to start with a fresh slate and eliminate any erroneous programming.

Try it out and give us the numbers when done...But honestly I suspect it won't do much because your mileage seems way way on the low side.But lets see.


_3


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[x_o_k_x]

x ok x... how the hell do you do it?? :chuckle i have a 2.3 too also auto and I don't think the sedan is that much lighter than a hatch. the most I got for a full tank if gas is 500kms. your mileage is just insane! I know sometimes a step on it a bit but i'm totally conscious of how hard my foot is on the gas. Anything you know that I don't? and no more than 90km/h and no highway.. dude how fast are you driving on local roads?? :chuckle maybe you were still in JK when I first started driving but any way you can show this old dog some new tricks?

wickedassskydancer yeah sure test it on the highway with the cruise control on... for sure you'll see a very good mileage on it. maybe it's your driving habits when driving in the city? no offense :) are you the type that steps on the gas and then brakes all the time? Just like you I'm just trying to figure out why you're having that kind of consumption on your car. when taking off from a full stop yes I do notice my L/100km reading's out of whack but I don't get the kind of consumption your getting. That's why I don't look at that computer. Believe _3 when he said it.. it's just going to drive you nuts.

Just filled up my car, since I live a little bit outside of ottawa with no gas stations around for the next 30 km, so I have to think ahead. So I drove 602km on the tank, the light just started to go on. I filled up my car 44 litres. Which is saying that I have 11 litres left and I could have STILL driven another 100km with no problem..since our gas tanks are 55litres. I just drive normally with a speed limit, sometimes a little bit over speed limit. I have 5 speed so even if you dont push hard on the pedal, car would still accelerate as fast as others do. And I dont go above 2500rpm when accelarating or barely over 2000rpm when driving at 5th gear.

[bunchi]

ok my guess is you're doing city driving, but there's really no traffic in your area? if yes then that's going to make more sense now... but still, that mileage for 1 tank, it's really good

[ravin13]

depending on what I'm doing, I get 400-650 a tank

[x_o_k_x]

ok my guess is you're doing city driving, but there's really no traffic in your area? if yes then that's going to make more sense now... but still, that mileage for 1 tank, it's really good

yeah thats all city driving with 45% of 80km/h zones. No traffic were you are going less then the speed limit.

[igzy]

I get 7.8 L/100km on 100% hwy and 8.7 L/100km on 100% city short drives with GT 2.3L....

[Flagrum_3]

I get 7.8 L/100km on 100% hwy and 8.7 L/100km on 100% city short drives with GT 2.3L....

Them's good numbers bro!! :)


_3


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[tweak_s]

Just filled up my car, since I live a little bit outside of ottawa with no gas stations around for the next 30 km, so I have to think ahead. So I drove 602km on the tank, the light just started to go on. I filled up my car 44 litres. Which is saying that I have 11 litres left and I could have STILL driven another 100km with no problem..since our gas tanks are 55litres. I just drive normally with a speed limit, sometimes a little bit over speed limit. I have 5 speed so even if you dont push hard on the pedal, car would still accelerate as fast as others do. And I dont go above 2500rpm when accelarating or barely over 2000rpm when driving at 5th gear.

barely over 2000rpm in 5th gear?

Even highway?

My car @ 100KM in 5th gear is a hair above 3000RPM (3250?). unless I'm mistaken....

[mazda lover]

barely over 2000rpm in 5th gear?

Even highway?

My car @ 100KM in 5th gear is a hair above 3000RPM (3250?). unless I'm mistaken....

2005 with 4 speed auto @100KPH my RPMs are just under 3000

[wickedassskydancer]

Almost forgot I started this thing! Well... it took a while... but I finally emptied the tank. Remarkably... after putting in some fuel treatment, I set a new fuel economy record for my car. I got 475 km off 47 liters of gas... so just under 10L/100km. I did do a fair bit more highway driving on this tank, but otherwise I guess I did about average this time around. I'm anxious to see what the next tank gives me.

Despite what everyone say about ignoring the current consumption reading on the car though... I still think it's odd how my readings are twice that of other people. Is anyone out there getting readings anywhere between 40 and 90L/100km?!?

[austinl]

Almost forgot I started this thing! Well... it took a while... but I finally emptied the tank. Remarkably... after putting in some fuel treatment, I set a new fuel economy record for my car. I got 475 km off 47 liters of gas... so just under 10L/100km. I did do a fair bit more highway driving on this tank, but otherwise I guess I did about average this time around. I'm anxious to see what the next tank gives me.

Despite what everyone say about ignoring the current consumption reading on the car though... I still think it's odd how my readings are twice that of other people. Is anyone out there getting readings anywhere between 40 and 90L/100km?!?

I get high reading sometimes in the 50+ range for current consumptions from a dead stop....but I am getting over 600km to a tank ( tank meaning empty light on or 300km at half way then rinse repeat)

For the most part I ignore the comp and do my own calc with trip distance and litres filled.

[laksman91]

this isnt on the '05s?

[wickedassskydancer]

No... mine is an '07

[loganm3]

I've goten reading of between 40L to 90L per100km....but thats on the on ramp in 3rd doing 6000rpm.....only when I need a little zoom to unwind on a stressful day.

I'm gonna chime in on this topic as well. I do a good mix of highway and city driving. All highway, at 100-120km I get between 550-600km a tank ( have done this many times where I drive a 580km round trip and I make it on one tank pulling into the house with the gas light on) City is different, a LOT different. Lowest I have gotten is 350km to the tank. I recentally got that number higher to about 450km to a tank as I drive as fluid as possible. You'd be surpised how much gas you suck back making sure you are the first away from the pack at a green light. Drive like you're an old grandma and the only thing you have to do today is go to the Country Kitchen Buffet for the 4:30pm early bird. Yes it takes you 5 mins more to get anywhere but you'll save about 20% in gas consumption.

Also more tips to get that little extra. Don't drive with your sunroof open on the highway, it creates more drag. Empty your trunk, try not to use the A/C, be selective of the people you drive, I have a very large brother and my fuel consumption goes up 10% when he is in the car!

[super_vixen]

I just recently drove an entire tank granny-style of highway km's (going no more than 110, but mostly around 105-107 range). Used cruise 97% of the time, and had no stop and go, no a/c, no open windows, etc. Nothing that would have contributed to bad mileage.

What did I get from that?
490km off the tank (9L/100km)

I have not broken 500km/tank (when the light goes on) in about 2.5 years now.


I've been having fuel problems for almost 2 years now and Mazda has replaced parts under warranty and since warranty ran out I have spend a small fortune trying to get this fixed (since I love my car). I'm now truly convinced that I have a lemon of a Mazda and they don't seem too concerned to help me out. For the first year I owned the car I had fantastic mileage...650 on a trip to Ottawa, and nothing below 520-550 for city driving. It's been downhill ever since.

You'll find lots more readings at this old thread which is still active.

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=8579

[Flagrum_3]

Vixen, With all the stuff that was done did you ever have the Fuel injectors flushed/cleaned or used some kind of injector cleaner in your tank? If you've not tried this as of yet, I would suggest some Redline Gas treatment (use the whole bottle for your next tank full)...Another thing what oil are you using? Have you tried switching to Full synthetic? ....just a couple of possibilities.


_3


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[super_vixen]

I've had it cleaned once last year when the problems were fixed under warranty and I tried one in the tank once too, but no noticeable change. I don't think I used Redline, but I don't really remember what brand it was.

I'm not using full synthetic oil either. I would assume thats more costly? I just get a normal oil change and don't ask for anything fancy. I'm at the point where sinking more money into an already dead horse might be silly.