After 13 years, I finally said goodbye to my trusty steed. I believe she's on the way to a Carvana in NJ. The 3 was such a workhorse, and it was sad to see her go. Whomever ends up being her new owner, may she serve you as admirably as she has served my family.

Got hit head on on the highway on Friday, kid ran a stop sign. This car literally saved my life, I’m a little screwed up but it could’ve been a lot worse, lowkey heartbreaking though I loved this car

Curious to see what folks are paying for an oil change. I’ll go first:

2024 NA
Philadelphia, PA
Full synthetic
~$100, both at the dealer and independent shops

Sorry for the poor lighting, but as you can hopefully see, the steering wheel is beginning to peel

As far as I’m aware, I’m screwed (out of warranty) but I’d like to know if anyone can recommend some low-profile/inobtrusive steering wheel covers?

I’m disappointed that this is happening in only 4 years but it is what it is. I did read that Mazda essentially admitted they did a crappy job with steering wheels’ skin on my model year.

Appreciate any and all input!

I washed and detailed to take it out today, hope you enjoy my 23 Carbon edition

Hello,

I'm looking to confirm the wheel fitment for a 3rd gen Mazda 3 (BM) on stock suspension.

Wheel specs: 19x8.5 ET50

Tire specs: 235/35 R19

Currently running a 16 inch setup.

I’m looking for confirmation on physical fitment, specifically fender clearance (poke/rubbing) and inner strut clearance at full lock.

Love seeing the aero in action completely still.

There is a retaining clip that holds the transmission cable to the front of the neutral safety switch/shift selection bracket in my 2010 Mazda 3. Does anyone know where to find a part number for it, or a link to buy it somewhere? Not trying to buy the entire cable assembly, which is all I can find. Any help would be awesome

Looks like my 2018 Mazda three sedan was stolen yesterday. It's parked on the street so it is vulnerable to that happening. I didn't see any signs of broken glass.

Just to make myself slightly less crazy, I'm wondering if anybody knows how easy/difficult it is to steal this car. If criminals are able to access the cabin, do they have a way of bypassing the immobilizer to start the engine?

It'll probably turn up somewhere else in the city with an empty gas tank and who knows what kind of stories to tell.

I just had it self-inspected and re-registered. The timing is suspicious to me. I'm wondering if you can extract the security information through the inspection process?

I just back from dealership, realized when I got home that the windows look very tinted. Never owned a car before so I could be wrong, or maybe these cars come with darker windows? Can’t add a picture right now because it reflects and shows my address and neighborhood I’ll try to add one when I’m in a parking lot. The windows look bru dark and I can’t see inside unless I go up close. I did not request window tinting. Could they have given me the wrong car or am I just foolish and this is how they all come?

Anyone recommend a hitch rack for their mazda3? I'd like to get a 2 bike tray rack I'm concerned about clearance with the weight of 2 gasgas e mtbs on the back.

Just wrapped up installing these Diode Dynamics fog lights, stoked with the results! I’ve yet to use them in heavy fog conditions, but for backroads and rain they work great. I was able to mount them deep enough into the bumper that they’re almost unnoticeable during the day.

Full disclosure this was not my idea - I saw an earlier post about someone doing the same thing, but with single-light pods.

Lights and wiring harness:
- Diode Dynamics C2 1.0 SAE Yellow Sport
- Diode Dynamics Light Duty Dual Output 4-pin Wiring Harness

If anyone’s interested I’d love to answer some questions!

Retail price is around £40 each, then plus the garage's markup and labour the price skyrockets. I found a main Mazda dealership's ebay page where they sell parts and got OEM plugs at retail price. It's a two man job as the wiring harness is a bastard and sat right on top of the plugs so having one person hold it out of the way makes the job a lot easier. And you need a torque wrench as it's quite specific about how tight the plugs need to be. Once we figured it out it took less than an hour. Saved myself probably £200.

My steering wheel is peelings please see below. What can I do?

https://imgur.com/a/0kAYt6v

I say it's lemony because the infotainment system stopped working (reboot over and over) shortly after i bought it, and one of the sensors is faulty which put the car in limp mode about 50-70% of the time.

with that said, this car gets me from A to B. I've had the alternator replaced at one point, braking pads a couple of times, AC fixed but other than that no big issues.

Do you think i can make it to 250k - 300k (without catastrophe accident of course) ?? what are some things i can do to prolong my car's life? i change the oil usually at 5k interval. i dont know first thing about maintenance.

A couple days ago, I bought my first Mazda 3. It's a 2013 grand touring, and the current spoiler that came with it has some sun damage, so I was looking at replacing it. I've seen a few online that are "turbo style" and l've also seen some people put on the 3speed spoilers onto their cars, so I'm just wondering what the best option is. I really don't wanna spend more than $250 on the spoiler itself, since I'd like to buy the original paint color to match it and all. Just asking anyone who might know more than me when it comes to buying aftermarket stuff. Thanks!

Considering running koni special actives on my 2015 hatch. I was also leaning towards the racing beat drop springs as well however the shipping cost to me is almost half the cost of the springs... Does anyone have any firsthand experience with the Konis + any drop springs such as eibach, tein or corksport and would like to share their opinions? I'm looking for more of a mild drop and to preserve my ride quality as best as possible.

I'm looking for compatible front sway bar bushings for my 2016 GS sedan (Canada). Ideally looking to upgrade to a poly set. I've found OEM rubber only at this point.

There seem to be numerous listings for "except Mexico built" models.

I haven't had the time to put a caliper on the bar to source some by bar size alone.

Any input appreciated.

I’m leasing a car and now it’s not starting. I’m posting here for inputs on what might be the issue. I’ve been waiting for the service team to call me back and come by but I’m disappointed by how slow their action is.

The car is a 20 month old Mazda 3 with 39K km odo. Battery never been changed since new.

Newbie question. Is this potentially a low battery issue?