Not sure if I should keep my 2010 Mazda 3 hatchback

[shlomob]

Hi everyone,

I bought a used Mazda 3 (2010) last year, and recently, I have noticed a few problems with it. The issue I have now is that I don't know if these problems are any indication for how well this car will "treat" me in future, and that is why I joined TM3. I would ideally like to keep this car 8-10 years.

Anyways, the problems I have are that firstly, I found two spots where rust is occuring. One spot (half the size of a fingernail) is where the rear spoiler meets the rest of the car body (paint has come off and I can see the rust), and another spot (which I already fixed) on the roof where a bubble was forming. The wiper arms and window guides (or metal bars that hold the windows) are also rusting/bubbling. I also got a few stone chips which I did not spot until they began to develop rust, and a body shop I took the car to said that this amount of chipping is abnormally high (they suspect the car was poorly repainted). By the way, this is all after the fact that I wash the car regularly, and I got it Krown treated weeks after I bought it.

Inside the car, the front dash rattles alot during cold weather, and there is also a gurgling sound from the engine when the car is idling. The last thing that I dont' know if it is normal or not is that there is a thumping sound whenever I turn on the A/C.

My big issue is this; in this economy, I want to save as much as possible, and I don't know whether just repairing the above problems and keeping the car will do this, or if ditching this car and getting another one will save me the headache and burdensome repair costs down the line. This has really got me confused, so if any experienced Mazda3 owner can give me some insight as to whether it is better to repair my car and keep going is best, or if it is just delaying the inevitable, I would really appreciate it.

[Ps3alltheway]

mine is a 2010 with 150 000km, and I Intend to keep it for another 8 years atleast. It will last. As for your rust problem, I'd go and harras Mazda, I have rust comming out of the exact same spot (rear spoiler) and I Intend of talking to Mazda aobut it

[shlomob]

mine is a 2010 with 150 000km, and I Intend to keep it for another 8 years atleast. It will last. As for your rust problem, I'd go and harras Mazda, I have rust comming out of the exact same spot (rear spoiler) and I Intend of talking to Mazda aobut it

I actually went to the dealer about the rust. It turns out the rear window guides on both sides are rusted in multiple spots as well as there being rust forming around the rear wheel wells. The dealer simply said the surface corrosion warranty is expired and so they will not do anything about the issue.

[stock3]

Do yourself a favour and go to a reputable body shop or a mechanic and get the car inspected for damage repair and a repaint job. For a trained eye it should be very easy to spot if the car was in a collision and what parts have been repaired and painted over. There should not be any "maybes" about it. After that it should be much easier for you to decide what to do and can potentially explain other issues you're seeing.

Overall, my 06 Mazda 3 has been an excellent car with few minor issues that I dealt with myself and cheaply at that. But I bought it brand new. When buying used, name brand has very little to do with how reliable the vehicle will be in the future, but instead the service history and the condition of the car play a huge role. You need to have a bit of experience in buying used cars and fixing them in order to spot signs of abuse or damage and how we'll it was repaired. That is why a third and independent party inspection is a good initial investment for those inexperienced, even when buying from a dealer.

[shlomob]

Do yourself a favour and go to a reputable body shop or a mechanic and get the car inspected for damage repair and a repaint job. For a trained eye it should be very easy to spot if the car was in a collision and what parts have been repaired and painted over. There should not be any "maybes" about it. After that it should be much easier for you to decide what to do and can potentially explain other issues you're seeing.

Overall, my 06 Mazda 3 has been an excellent car with few minor issues that I dealt with myself and cheaply at that. But I bought it brand new. When buying used, name brand has very little to do with how reliable the vehicle will be in the future, but instead the service history and the condition of the car play a huge role. You need to have a bit of experience in buying used cars and fixing them in order to spot signs of abuse or damage and how we'll it was repaired. That is why a third and independent party inspection is a good initial investment for those inexperienced, even when buying from a dealer.

Thanks for the tip. I am actually going to be heading to 427 auto collision this weekend to ask them that very question. I am beginning to think there is something fishy about my mazda 3, and the fact that it was shipped in from Quebec just adds to this. But again, I will let the experts decide. The funny thing is, the carproof report does not show any collisions.

If I do end up getting another car, how could I tell if it was maintained properly or not ? I actually went to a VW dealership to look at some of their cars. When I asked the dealer if a particular car had been well maintained, he just laughed at my question and answered that it is impossible to tell. I guess it was just a load of bs then.

[Jackal]

When I asked the dealer if a particular car had been well maintained, he just laughed at my question and answered that it is impossible to tell. I guess it was just a load of bs then.

It's possible to tell if the car was dealer maintained. At least it would tell you if the car went in for its scheduled maintenance. He wasn't a very helpful salesperson. He should have checked this.

[stock3]

... and the fact that it was shipped in from Quebec just adds to this. But again, I will let the experts decide. The funny thing is, the carproof report does not show any collisions.

If I do end up getting another car, how could I tell if it was maintained properly or not ? I actually went to a VW dealership to look at some of their cars. When I asked the dealer if a particular car had been well maintained, he just laughed at my question and answered that it is impossible to tell. I guess it was just a load of bs then.


Car being from another province is an automatic red flag, as Ontario used vehicle package only shows owner history in Ontario and car proof is nothing but a scam unless you buy the account and pull the info yourself. And even then not everything will show up. Dealers are known to photoshop the car proof reports. Chances are this car was in an accident and was possibly salvaged in Quebec, that is why these cars end up in Ontario and vice versa.

You can literally write a book about used car buying and even then there is no guarantee that the buyer will stick to the script. Dealers and good car salesmen know that the initial "fall in love" instinct and that nice and shiny car makes the buyer extremely impulse prone. That is why it is a good idea to bring a third part, preferably mechanically knowledgable to keep that level headed outlook.

[staax]

Car being from another province is an automatic red flag, as Ontario used vehicle package only shows owner history in Ontario and car proof is nothing but a scam unless you buy the account and pull the info yourself. And even then not everything will show up. Dealers are known to photoshop the car proof reports. Chances are this car was in an accident and was possibly salvaged in Quebec, that is why these cars end up in Ontario and vice versa.

You can literally write a book about used car buying and even then there is no guarantee that the buyer will stick to the script. Dealers and good car salesmen know that the initial "fall in love" instinct and that nice and shiny car makes the buyer extremely impulse prone. That is why it is a good idea to bring a third part, preferably mechanically knowledgable to keep that level headed outlook.

My car is a Quebec car. Came from a dealer off a 2 year lease.

The lot I bought mine off has deals with certain dealerships in Quebec that get the cars for a good price since they snatch them up off their lot so fast.

I know car proof won't tell u every thing but I wouldn't have a problem with buying another car that was originally from Quebec.

[shlomob]

Car being from another province is an automatic red flag, as Ontario used vehicle package only shows owner history in Ontario and car proof is nothing but a scam unless you buy the account and pull the info yourself. And even then not everything will show up. Dealers are known to photoshop the car proof reports. Chances are this car was in an accident and was possibly salvaged in Quebec, that is why these cars end up in Ontario and vice versa.

You can literally write a book about used car buying and even then there is no guarantee that the buyer will stick to the script. Dealers and good car salesmen know that the initial "fall in love" instinct and that nice and shiny car makes the buyer extremely impulse prone. That is why it is a good idea to bring a third part, preferably mechanically knowledgable to keep that level headed outlook.

Well, I guess you were right. It turns out that while the car was not in a major accident or anything, the back end of the car was dinged somehow. When I bought the car, I did go through the car thoroughly, but I somehow missed the area where the damage had been repaired. Can I go back to the dealer and confront them about this ? I specifically asked them at least 5 or 6 times whether the car had been in an accident. They said it had not been, but this repair job that the body shop people pointed out to me indicates otherwise.

[Jackal]

mine is a 2010 with 150 000km, and I Intend to keep it for another 8 years atleast. It will last. As for your rust problem, I'd go and harras Mazda, I have rust comming out of the exact same spot (rear spoiler) and I Intend of talking to Mazda aobut it

So that 150,000 km in four years and you want to keep it for another 8 so based on your past mileage another 300,000 km. If your car goes to 450,000 km that would be great to see.

[stock3]

Well, I guess you were right. It turns out that while the car was not in a major accident or anything, the back end of the car was dinged somehow. When I bought the car, I did go through the car thoroughly, but I somehow missed the area where the damage had been repaired. Can I go back to the dealer and confront them about this ? I specifically asked them at least 5 or 6 times whether the car had been in an accident. They said it had not been, but this repair job that the body shop people pointed out to me indicates otherwise.

The only thing I can say is learn from this, that's about all you can do. Unless you have something in writing from the selling dealer that the car is accident free and you can prove that it's not, you have a lost case.

Remember that dealers and salesmen will say literally anything to close the deal and if it's not in writing its useless to you after the fact.
Another thing that people have a hard time doing is walking away from the deal. If something is fishy and even if you have a bad gut feeling about the deal, simply walk away. Don't listen to the salesman trying to make it all look OK because that car is not unique and there are literally thousands more for sale.

[stock3]

My car is a Quebec car. Came from a dealer off a 2 year lease.

The lot I bought mine off has deals with certain dealerships in Quebec that get the cars for a good price since they snatch them up off their lot so fast.

I know car proof won't tell u every thing but I wouldn't have a problem with buying another car that was originally from Quebec.

I glad it worked out for you, but if you understood why these cars are brought in from other provinces, not just Quebec, you would avoid them like a plague. The odds ate definitely stacked against you, unless you know what you're doing.