Hello-
I was told by by dealer repairman that my clutch needs to be replaced soon--showed up as a code on the computerized system. I have not noticed any problems or differences at all in my clutch. I was told by a "car" friend to test my clutch 2 ways:
-Depress the clutch & watch the tach to see if it drops & stays dropped the whole time the clutch is in. It did.
-Start the car in 2nd gear from a dead stop. I did--no problem.
Are these tests fairly accurate? Suggestions/thoughts?

As for the tires, I am in bad need of new ones, & I want to buy them w/in the next week or so. I love my 3, but it is HORRIBLE in the snow! I live in the midwest where it is hilly & we get our share of snow. I often cannot even get up a slushy or snowy incline. I currently have Yokohama AS430 --better than the crummy original tires but still not so good. Any advice on new tires? --Preferably ones that are not outrageously expensive...

Thanks for your help.
~PK

 

The advice you got from both your dealership and your friend is suspect.

Regarding the dealer, ask him to show you written proof that there is a clutch thickness sensor built in to the OBD-II system (I don't believe there is), and then ask him to show you the computer output that recommends a clutch replacement. My sense is that he is fishing for some extra business at the expense of your wallet.

The advice of your friend is equally sketchy but for different reasons. Long story short, a well treated clutch on a Mazda3 should last an easy 200,000 miles without need of replacement. Said another way, drive it until it fails and worry about it then.

Regarding the tires, I'm probably a poor person to opine on this subject as I am a firm believer in buying good (and usually expensive) rubber for my cars.

 

Thank you very much for that input. I should have mentioned that although my car is 5 1/2 yrs old, I only have 45,000 miles on it. The vast majority of my driving is city driving, so I do use the clutch a lot, but still... I appreciate your thoughts. I know very little about cars, and as a woman, I sometimes feel that repairman take advantage of that. So I can use all the help I can get!
As for the tires, go ahead & tell me what you'd get. Keep in mind that I cannot buy separate tires for winter. I need all 4 tires replaced, and I'm planning on keeping this car for as long as it will keep running, so I'm looking for tires that will last. Those 17" tires are expensive!
Thanks again!
~PK

 

Well..., here goes.

The tires that I put on my (then) brand new Mazda3 after only 714 mile was a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. That was in November of 2008, and that winter our town missed gettin 100" of snow for the fourth time in eight years by only a few inches. Said another way, I had plenty of opportunity to drive them through and over plenty of snow, slush and ice; they did admirably well given that they're a "Performance All Season" tire. If I had to do it all over again (and I probably will sometime during the fall of 2011), I would buy the same tires.

As a side note, not only do these tires do well in the snow, and not only do they handle many-many times better than the crap Goodyears that came on my car, but they already have nearly 30,000 miles on them and still look pretty fresh. I'm thinking they'll be good for an easy 45,000 to 50,000 miles.

The bad news? They ain't cheap. TireRack.com is selling a set of four for $628 plus taxes and shipping.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

 

As with you being a woman, and me a man. If your "car" friend was a male, most of us will act like we know what were talking about to women who fail to know much about the situation, so be carefull.

 

If you don't educate yourself, you will be fodder for the automotive sharks out there. I even tell them that I have been around cars most of my life by choice and they still try to take advantage of ME!! 'Must be the challenge as well as the greed.

Don't blame them though. They are under tremendous pressure by the BOD, and CEO of these publically traded, BIG Business franchises to produce... and by that I mean a bottom line, not necessarily a happy customer. Big business is so short-sighted these days. Maybe it's the consumer's fault for being increasingly more fickle?

Alex (apbbnbanb_07) is correct, especially in a personal, face-to-face situation.

Tires: I urge you to look into Continental DWS series tires and plan to wait about a month to get them. They are cheaper than the Michelin's and rate at least as well, but are currently on perpetual back-order. Keep in mind though that no All Season tire will take the place of a true winter tire in extreme conditions. AS tires are a compromise, and should be considered as such.
We waited nearly a month to get a set for my wife's Vibe, but are so happy we did.
I will do the same to get a set for my Mazda3.
Also be sure to get the Mazda aligned as soon as the new tires are installed. You may spend an additional $100 to do it, but it will pay for itself in tire wear and sure-footedness. (<<< Is that a word? I don't think so. )

And BTW: My wife and I may be living in Texas, but we both grew up in North-Eastern Pa, so we know something about driving in the snow and ice.

 

Thank you all so much for that helpful info! I would rather pay extra & have the tires perform well & last longer.

So NTB is having a weekend special here, & this is what they have/will order for my 3:
***Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 but that appears to be a summer tire, so we're thinking "NO" on that one.
***Yokahama AS530 That one has a 60,000 mile warranty
***Sumitoma HTRZ3 We know nothing about this one

The special is buy 2/get 2 free. Of course we'd have all the added fees w/alignment, etc., but it's still a good deal. ---Only a good deal if the tires are good, though, so what do you think?
They will not order the Micheline Pilot Sport or the Continental tires, but I wanted to get some feedback on the ones they do carry.
Thanks in advance...
~PK

 

As for the Sumitomo's, they are also a summer only performance tire. I was misslead about these also when I bought mine. They are wonderful in the summer, but are worthless in the snow.

 

ive had nothing but bad exp with sumicrapo's summer or winter, id look for other brands such as continental or bf kindagoodrich, better yet look into some dunlops or toyo's

 

Personally, I'd stay away from NTB, "Firestone," and "Bad Year" places. I've had nothing but bad experiences w/places like these. They are only there to take you money and sell you only what they have to sell. They often don't know what they're talking about either, but will be glad to try and convince you that they do.

OK PK, did some research on your tire selection. I wasn't sure what size tires you have on your 3, so I assumed you have the 17's (205/50-17) for the research:
***Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2
An Ultra High Performance Summer tire.
Wear rating 240. Expect about 20,000 miles out of this tire. (<<< Not great, but fairly normal for a UHP Summer tire.)
Fairly pricey @ $162 ea. Normal for Michelin.
Customer rating: 8.5!! Quite good!!

***Yokahama AS530
Seems to only be offered by only a few select dealers(?), probably made specifically for them, NTB being among the biggest (red flag!!!)
The only solid info I could find on this tire stated an "S" Speed rating (<112mph, the lowest available) which will not work on the Mazda3. This tire is NOT for your Mazda3, whatever model/body style or trim level it is. These are designed to be an excellent tire for Grandma and Grampa's Buick.
However, they do rate pretty well.
Wear rating: 500. Quite good.
Traction: AA. VERY good
Temperature: A. Also very good.
I only found ONE customer review and he said they had just put them on. I stay away from any review where there is no history involved.

***Sumitoma HTRZIII
Another Summer only tire. Are you starting to see what I am saying about being educated and these places not knowing what they are talking about?
Wear: 300... 25-30k miles, perhaps if you're lucky?
Traction: AA, again, VERY good.
Temp: A, quite good.
Customer reviews: 8.2, pretty good but again, it's a summer tire not an all-season as you had asked for.

I would like to highly suggest that you not be in such a hurry and shop around a bit more.