DIO: The good, the bad and the so-so

[bluntman]

The GOOD:

Rear cargo tray
Custom fit for HB, keeps the cargo area\'s carpet clean, 1\" lip still allows for use of cargo net ($75)

Cargo net ($28)
Works well, especially when used with the above item. Four clips hold down the net in the HB, drilling is required in the sedan (makes it more expensive too)

Front aero flares ($$$)
Expensive, but I find it gives the front end a little something more.


The BAD:

Ashtray replacement compartment ($50)
A felt lined ashtray, that\'s it.


The SO-SO:
Rear aero flares ($$$)
Just as much as the front aero flares only smaller! If you\'re buying them now, you\'ve bought them too late. They were half the price they are now back in February/March. Rear end (of HB) already has slight buldge.

Silver and leather parking brake handle ($100+)
It makes the parking brake handle a bit thicker, which is nice. It adds a little more colour to the interior, which is nice as well. The leather portion is on the underside of the handle (silver on top) which feels nice, but definitely not worth the price of admission regardless.

[Xenon]

I was thinking of getting the cargo tray, I don\'t want to get my trunk dirty and stuff.

Question about the cargo net:
In the HB, are the clips there already? or do you need to drill?

[bluntman]

Originally posted by Xenon


I was thinking of getting the cargo tray, I don\'t want to get my trunk dirty and stuff.

Question about the cargo net:
In the HB, are the clips there already? or do you need to drill?

The clips are small loops that you fold down to use, two in the front and two in the back, no drilling required.

[Xenon]

Excellent. Thanks!

[wtom]

Originally posted by Xenon


I was thinking of getting the cargo tray, I don\'t want to get my trunk dirty and stuff.

I don\'t get it... doesn\'t the net clip vertically above the rear seats? Kind of like in a police cruiser (not that I\'ve ever sat in the backseat of one) to prevent things flying from the back and hitting you in the head?

[bluntman]

Originally posted by wtom



Originally posted by Xenon


I was thinking of getting the cargo tray, I don\'t want to get my trunk dirty and stuff.

I don\'t get it... doesn\'t the net clip vertically above the rear seats? Kind of like in a police cruiser (not that I\'ve ever sat in the backseat of one) to prevent things flying from the back and hitting you in the head?

The one you\'re thinking about is the barrier, I\'m not sure if that is available from the dealer (in North America at least). The net that we\'re talking about is an elastic net that traps objects between it and the floor the hatchback.

[wtom]

Originally posted by bluntman

The one you\'re thinking about is the barrier, I\'m not sure if that is available from the dealer (in North America at least). The net that we\'re talking about is an elastic net that traps objects between it and the floor the hatchback.

Ahhh I see... I haven\'t seen \"our\" net before.

(grabbing Mazda 3 brochure)

Okay no idea where I saw the barrier that I\'m thinking about. :(

So it\'s a safety net but upside down... preventing objects from bouncing up and all over the interior (vs. preventing a person or object from splatting into the ground)? :)

[bluntman]

So it\'s a safety net but upside down... preventing objects from bouncing up and all over the interior (vs. preventing a person or object from splatting into the ground)? :)

Right. It pins everything underneath it to the floor of the hatchback. If you are \"unfortunate\" enough to have a sedan and want one of these you will have to do some drilling, the hatchback has hooks already in the cargo area. Oh, and the net for the sedan costs more than twice as much as the net for the hatchback.

[wtom]

Hmm, good thing I won\'t be speeding across bumpy roads or speedbump alley anytime when I get my Sport GT.

[Xenon]

Things I LOVE about the 3:
Rain Sensing Wipers
Auto Headlights
Styling
Winning Blue Colour
Tiptronic is STANDARD if you get an Auto
Great stock audio system
Steering wheel controls for Audio
Excellent brakes
Leaves a Civic Si in the rear view mirror every time.

Things I dislike about the 3:
Fog lights don\'t do $#|+ when it comes to lighting (only there for show)
No dead pedal
brake dust galore
touch up paint doesn\'t quite match.


Other than that, the car is AMAZING. All the things I don\'t like about the car are minor, and are easily outweighed by all the pros of the car.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

I took delivery of my Sport GT 3 weeks ago so have a good feel for the car now. That said....

LIKES: everything except...
DISLIKES:
- cheap holder for fuel cap so have to loop it on fuel door to keep it off car
- large structural beam reduces centre seat legroom in the back
- \"bump\" between the 2 rear seats negates use by an adult
- no rear cupholders (how is it we can get a rear ashtray but not cupholders?)
- mudguards unavailable on this model
- no true deadpedal (bought small mat, cut it into the right shape, velcroed in place)
- on crappy Sudbury roads, very noisy (tons of road noise, interior rattles and squeeks)
- poor safety ratings (NHTSA)
- side and curtain airbags not available in Canada
- carpeting seems very thin and cheap, may be likely to wear easily
- trunk in Sport is quite small until you lower the rear seats
- aside from the blue color on the seats and a bit of silver/red highlights on the dash, the inside is very dark, monochromatic black...no match for the outside styling and winning blue color!
- trunk handle on the HB is very low, under a recessed area that gets dirty very easily...I can see this as being a major hassle in the winter time
- major weekly wheel cleaning required with strong cleaner
- door panels get scuffed extremely easily, despite best efforts to keep them clean

[bluntman]

The cupholders in the rear are in the door panels.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Actually, there are bottle holders in all 4 doors but 2 cupholders only in the front. By \"cupholder\" I mean you can put a Tim Horton\'s coffee cup in it. I wouldn\'t attempt to place a cup in the door bottle holders as a major mess would be pretty much guaranteed...

[bluntman]

Shouldn\'t be drinking (or eating) in a new car anyway. :D

The rear \"bottle holders\" are placed rather awkwardly in the door panels, but if you want to make the openings a bit smaller and have them hold onto smaller containers go to your local hardware store and look for some foam weatherstripping tape, the taller the better. Cut off a length and line the inside of the opening with the tape.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Yeah, yeah..whatever. :p Believe me, since this is my first car (never mind being fresh off the boat from Japan) I am a bit fanatical about keeping it clean, for now anyways. I wonder why a rear ashtray (flips down from back of centre console) is offered, but not flip down cupholders? If they can do one, why not the other? Anyhow, just being nitpicky although the rattles and thin carpets are worrying me a bit. I vacuum once per week and the carpets seem extremely cheap. The rest of the car is pretty great, I wonder why Mazda would have put such thin carpeting in with the rest of the high quality materials. Overall, minor annoyances more than anything else, as to be expected in a first generation vehicle. Oh yes, Zoom-Zoom!! (just got and installed my stainless steel Zoom Zoom frames...look great with the winning blue color) :D

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Hey \"bluntman\"...is the ashtray replacement compartment really EXACTLY like the original ashtray, just lined with felt? I thought it would be a rectangular shaped box, lined with felt....I was considering getting this but will change my mind if it is the same as the original.

[bluntman]

What\'s funny is that if you remove the ashtray box entirely, you\'ll get more room to store your stash (407 transponder, radar detector, smokes, etc). The void left by the box is (IIRC) sealed so your stuff won\'t go behind the dash and the there\'s a light inside too!

[ZoomZoom Girl]

:( Well, at least that\'s something I didn\'t know before. I never realized that the compartment was entirely sealed. In that case, a replacement compartment is pretty much useless hey? :sarc

[bluntman]

Anyone want to buy an \"ashtray replacement compartment\"? :D

[Xenon]

I have one too... buy one get one FREE!

[xoom]

After 200 clicks or so, there are only a couple things that are so-so... the first thing is the road noise. I find the engine to be extremely quiet, but you get alot of noise from the road and anything that you might happen to run over. You can tell how rough the road texture is just by the noise from driving over it... maybe this is worse because i\'ve been driving family-type of cars before. Still, its not an outright bad thing. But the one thing that irked me the most so far is my golf clubs don\'t fit in the back! With the seats up, I have to take my driver and 3-wood out of the bag to make it fit, and even then the bag has to go in diagonally... one of the minor reasons why I bought the HB over the sedan is for ease of golfing! Oh well... other than that everything has been totally awesome. Even the little things that I never thought I would appreciate.. like the rain-sensitive wipers!

[bluntman]

Folks, this thread is about the accessories that you can buy for the car, not the car itself hence the DIO (Dealer Installed Option).

[xoom]

Originally posted by bluntman


Folks, this thread is about the accessories that you can buy for the car, not the car itself hence the DIO (Dealer Installed Option).

Ooops.. sorry.. so that\'s what DIO means. Doh!

[firstmazda]

Originally posted by bluntman


What\'s funny is that if you remove the ashtray box entirely, you\'ll get more room to store your stash (407 transponder, radar detector, smokes, etc). The void left by the box is (IIRC) sealed so your stuff won\'t go behind the dash and the there\'s a light inside too!

That\'s funny, I lost a loonie in there the first week i had the car!!!
now i use the ashtry as my coin holder!


Ray
Ti GT GFX in Etobicoke

[wtom]

I removed the ashtray holder the first day I brought the car home. Now my garage door opener sits perfectly inside and when I don\'t need to open/close the garage, I close the ashtray compartment door... hehehe... nifty little hiding spot to keep the car looking clean (also the remote clip was subtly leaving \"squeeze\" marks on the visor).

[civiclad]

After 10,000 kms:

1. The rearview mirror is quite small
2. I can\'t seem to get the rattling from the right front door to stop (took my car to the dealer and the bloody door would not rattle when the mechanic was testing)

3. I love my M3 :)

[majic]

hmm..
avatar: Mazda RX-8
you love: BMW M3
this board: Mazda3

something doesn\'t add up :p

[civiclad]

Originally posted by majic


hmm..
avatar: Mazda RX-8
you love: BMW M3
this board: Mazda3

something doesn\'t add up :p

haha
Well I refer to my Mazda 3 as M3 and I do like the RX8, just can\'t afford it but it is okay to dream.

[FLIPDADY]

Mazda should have come out a full front lip instead of the aero flares. Dual exhaust for the 2.3 engine like the 6. Mazdaspeed parts should be available for the sedan as well. A sport exhaust like the P5\'s have should be available too. The last thing Mazda should have is 2 different rim options for the GFX package. One for the sedan and one for the hatch.

[MazdaTree]

does anybody got pix of the front areo flairs on the 3? preferably a hb pic

[wtom]

Originally posted by MazdaTree


does anybody got pix of the front areo flairs on the 3? preferably a hb pic

*COUGH* SEARCHMAN *COUGH*

http://www.torontomazda3.com/forum/read.php?TID=331

:D

[FLIPDADY]

Bring over the alluminum step plate insted of the black plastic one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/FLIPSPEED/alustep.jpg

[bluntman]

Originally posted by MazdaTree


does anybody got pix of the front areo flairs on the 3? preferably a hb pic

As our resident \"Searchman\" stated, I have them on mine. I also have the rear flares and the rear diffuser. I don\'t have pix of those though, sorry.

[MazdaTree]

what does the rear diffuser do?
or is it jus there for style?

[FLIPDADY]

Originally posted by MazdaTree


what does the rear diffuser do?
or is it jus there for style?
It has no function just to add some style to the rear bumper.

[Xenon]

Originally posted by FLIPSPEED


Bring over the alluminum step plate insted of the black plastic one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/FLIPSPEED/alustep.jpg

I like... Any chance of getting those to Canada through a dealership?

[///M]

Originally posted by Xenon



Originally posted by FLIPSPEED


Bring over the alluminum step plate insted of the black plastic one.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/FLIPSPEED/alustep.jpg

I like... Any chance of getting those to Canada through a dealership?

may I point you to www.japanparts.com

[-RJ3-]

speaking about touch up paint...I finally got it from my dealer....Can someone touchup my bumper at the meet today?

[bluntman]

Automatic Pedal Cover Set

Yes folks, I\'m pretty certain the silver/grey portion you see is in fact aluminum! It\'s a thin sheet of aluminum, but aluminum nonetheless. The remainder of the pedal is plastic, but they\'ve used a thick, rigid plastic. The lugs and tabs that hold pedal covers in place are just as stout as the rest of the body. So much so that clipping the tabs over the stock pedals (after removing the rubber pad on the brake pedal) was only accomplished by slamming on the brake pedal with my feet. It\'s safe to say that these covers are not going anywhere anytime soon regardless of how much your feet move while driving. Surprisingly, the accelerator pedal does not have a rubber pad like the brake pedal so attaching the cover to it was a bit easier, but I still had to use my foot to press down on the cover until I heard the \"click, click\" to know it was firmly attached.

http://ca.geocities.com/alegardo@rogers.com/pedals.jpg

[Dr Butcher]

Originally posted by FLIPSPEED


Good to hear man. Nice tight fit with no need to worry about rubber wearing out or \"slipage\".:D

FLIPSPEED, I just sent you a PM about the pedals.

Tight fit? Rubber wearing? Slipage? Must.get.mind.out.of.the.gutter.Must.get.mind.out. of.the.gutter. :)

[RedRaptor]

Was checking out Mazda.ca and doing a Build & Price for a 2005 model.

There is a new option:

Roof Rack $715.60

Just wondering if anyone idea what the roof rack looks like and if its specifically designed for our Mazda3s? Depending how now it looks and how useful it is, I would get one for all my camping trips each summer.

[chaser]

$715! wow, that\'s too much for a roof rack. If it looks something like this (http://www.mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=7374), i don\'t think it should cost more than $200-300.

[bluntman]

That is a lot. The roof rack on my RAV4 was identical to the photo you linked to and it was only $135, that was for two rails! But I\'ve seen a factory roof rack on a Protege5 and it seemed a little more elaborate (with side rails).

[RedRaptor]

Bluntman,

Thanks for showing me your set of Mazda pedals. They are actually better quality than what the pictures show. I thought they were a cheap plastic but the plastic is pretty rigid and hard. I\'ll pick one up from Joe at my first oil change in a few weeks.

[wtom]

Originally posted by RedRaptor


Bluntman,

Thanks for showing me your set of Mazda pedals. They are actually better quality than what the pictures show. I thought they were a cheap plastic but the plastic is pretty rigid and hard. I\'ll pick one up from Joe at my first oil change in a few weeks.

Dunno if it is my shoes that I wore that day (New Balance) but a few times my foot slipped on my clutch pedal... luckily the clutch never slammed back up... I \"tested\" Bluntman\'s OEM pedals at the meet and they still had slippage as well... :(

Guess I shouldn\'t drive with that pair of shoes...

EDIT: Sss-belling

[dioxviad]

lol, i thought this thread was about me

[malam]

I got my Mazda3 last night . So far so good - I love the car. This morning I pulled into the local \" Tim Hortons\" for coffee - my cup holder swallowed the whole medium size cup! Had to dig out the cup ! Are these bottle holders or are they cup holders? My old Nissan had an insert into the holder that allows you to use small to medium coffee cups. Is there an insert that I am missing ?
Thanks.

[bluntman]

Originally posted by malam


I got my Mazda3 last night . So far so good - I love the car. This morning I pulled into the local \" Tim Hortons\" for coffee - my cup holder swallowed the whole medium size cup! Had to dig out the cup ! Are these bottle holders or are they cup holders? My old Nissan had an insert into the holder that allows you to use small to medium coffee cups. Is there an insert that I am missing ?
Thanks.

No, you aren\'t missing anything, they\'re deep.

[malam]

Thanks. I will try and fit a hockey puck to bring the height up a bit. I hope its large enough to accept a hockey puck Eh ?

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Originally posted by wtom



Okay no idea where I saw the barrier that I\'m thinking about. :(


Thinking of using your 3 as a taxi anytime soon?

OMG.. didnt even notice the dat on that post.. must missed this thread before.. yikes.

[bubba1983]

talk abpout back from the dead!

[Perthguy]

The Good, the Bad and the So-So?

Here\'s an experiment for all those who have cloth seats: pretend you have kids, because kids often have clothes with little velcro fasteners and shoes with velcro tabs. Now take a piece of velcro and lightly touch your seat a few times. Is the cloth starting to fray?

[majic]

Originally posted by Perthguy


The Good, the Bad and the So-So?

Here\'s an experiment for all those who have cloth seats: pretend you have kids, because kids often have clothes with little velcro fasteners and shoes with velcro tabs. Now take a piece of velcro and lightly touch your seat a few times. Is the cloth starting to fray?

i know you\'re unhappy with your car, but please keep posts on topic and relevant to each section. this thread is about DEALER INSTALLED OPTIONS (DIO).. cheers

[Perthguy]

Oh, so that\'s what DIO means. I thought it was Canadian for \"D\'Oh!\"

Still, try the experiment.

[akherad]

Originally posted by Perthguy


Oh, so that\'s what DIO means. I thought it was Canadian for \"D\'Oh!\"

Still, try the experiment.

Can you tell me what is this? Canadian for \"D\'Oh!\"??????

[Perthguy]

http://images.allposters.com/images/ATA/24819BP.jpg

:)

[akherad]

Originally posted by Perthguy


http://images.allposters.com/images/ATA/24819BP.jpg

:)

:sarc Damn....I knew it should be that simple.