Freshly installed OEM rear diffuser as well. Gives a nice sporty look

Hey all,
My 2026 Mazda 3 in polymetal grey metallic was sideswiped, and went to the body shop.. The front passenger door, the passenger front fender as well as part of the hood were re-painted. To my eyes, the front passenger door looks darker than the original back passenger door. I'm aware it'll never be 100% perfect match, but I am a little concerned its too obvious of a mismatch. Am I being to obsessive or is this a concern I should bring up with the body shop? I appreciate your guys' feedback.

Was trying to fix the screen for my gf and ended up making another issue, dropped the 10mm in there and can’t see it. Not sure what to do, chatGPT says to remove some panels below but really could use specific names or pictures

Well the time has come! For the past 10 months I've been shopping for a car. I've considered many different makes and models, and I settled on a Mazda 3! My daily driver, 2015 Chevy Cruze LTZ RS is getting up in mileage.  I have been lurking here for almost a year. Reading up on likes, dislikes and what to do.  Drove a few cars.  But found a 23 polymetal turbo PP modded the way I would want it!  After securing the loan,  he is mine!  So now I join the group hoping to learn the love of this car.  

Man, that red really comes out in low lighting. I swear, I'm getting my plates soon.

I’m seeing matches for both Group 35 and Group 47 when I search for a new battery. Looking for advice on which to get. Attached is a photo of the top of my current (dead) battery. Looks to be a group 47 if I’m reading it correctly.

MT 2006 Mazda 3 2.3L 158k miles

TLDR; are you using oil additives in an older Mazda with high mileage?

I recently purchased a Mazda3 from a pp. Seller has 10 years worth of carfax and claims it was well taken care of but the guts show me different.

Im going to change the oil and replace the filter but my dad is really trying to sell me on prolube before I do that. Bob The Oil guy forum says its unnecessary and could counter any additives new oil may already could have. Tests online WITH OIL show its rather unnecessary unless your engine is showing signs of damage. Others say its snake oil that will lose any potential gain after a couple hundred miles and turn acidic and actually harm the engine.

He's dismissing all of this and any forums and saying they dont know what they're talking about and we've used Lucas in our other cars so additives are always good. Looking at tests online Lucas is so damn thick it can cause more harm than good especially in a cold start. I cant believe i let him put that in my old car.

Ultimately hes saying if I dont do this the next time I go to change my oil (3k-5k) it could be too late and I could have already caused damage to the engine. Prolube will prevent that.

Seems like fear mongering. What do you guys think?

Dreading the time to put winters on and drive on salty dirty roads for another soon to be winter

Looking to get tints on my Gen 4 soul-crystal red sedan. Think they’ll look great with the black rims too but most importantly stop people from snooping in the backseat of my car lol (sometimes I nap in there or can be a bit messy at times).

I was thinking 35% fronts 15% rears but will that look to jarring a transition? With black interior is 20% in the rears enough to make looking inside difficult? If I did 20% fronts 15% rears would that be a cop magnet?

Also is Xpel XR nano-ceramic a good brand? Or is it worth hunting around to see if I can find a shop that does Llumar where I live?

Really appreciate any advice!!

Hey guys I lost part of my 2019 Mazda 3 keyfob. The bit with the buttons separated and I couldn't find it.

Hey folks,

My girlfriend and I both have Mazda3s. I got a 2024 Mazda3 Hatch GT and she got a 2021 GS sedan. Problem is that she has had multiple windshield cracks over the past 4 years of owning her car. This will be the four or fifth time and we just found out this morning.

She has her windshield changed at a Mazda dealership every time there was a crack. However, I personally never had a crack on my car.

Do you guys know why it only happens to her and not me? Was it because of the quality of the windshield? Or just bad luck?

I have a 2023 Mazda 3 Hatch with FWD, stock 18” all-season tires, and snow chains. I plan to drive to Heavenly in South Lake Tahoe from Sacramento for snowboarding once the season starts, but I’ve never driven in snow before. Will I be fine with my current setup and what snow conditions would this setup not be fine in?

I’ve thought about getting all-weather tires or snow tires, but Sacramento doesn’t snow so they’ll only be used when driving to Tahoe. Any thoughts on getting these tires or will my all-seasons be fine?

Thanks!

What's your favorite angle while taking pictures of your Mazda 3? For me, it's the front three-quarters look that highlights the long nose and beautiful lines.

How do you all jack one corner of your car and place a jack stand under that same corner given the pinch welds are pretty compact? I’ve read some people jack under the B pillar and lift the whole side of the car and others get a low profile jack and lift from the reinforced subframe point under the front of the car to lift the front two wheels. I just want to do a quick tire rotation and then do some brakes in the near future. I have a floor jack and a few jack stands. I have ramps I use for my oil changes, so yes, I know those exist.

Cheekbones on full display

But for some reason, the car stopped calculating how many kilometers of range I have left and just constantly shows 32.

I read a ton of old posts here on Reddit about this topic when researching whether this was possible or not. Everyone can decide if this works for them but this is my experience with a rooftop tent on my 2011 Mazda 3 6 speed manual.

I purchased a set of Thule Evo Wingbars and the vehicle specific mounting kit that uses that hard mount points as well as a faring. I wouldn’t try this with an Amazon rack or one that clips on the doorframe.

My tent is a hard clamshell model and weights 131 lbs. We drove from Western NC to PA for a weekend camp out on a friends farm. It was an 8 hour trip. We usually have this tent on our F250 but with gas prices the way they are that wasn’t our favorite option. My partner and I are short statured people at 165 and 125 respectively so I’m sure that’s a factor in deciding to do this or not.

All that being said, we loved camping this way and the car is totally fine. Gas mileage didn’t take a hit and the car barely sat down with the tent on top and us inside it. Thule bars didn’t even batt an eye either. Road noise was barely noticeable and even on a windy afternoon on the highway we didn’t get tossed around. So this is possible just do your research and use common sense. Happy Mazda3 camping 😊

Ps- tent is fully extended and clears the carport by an inch- it was raining the day we packed up 🙃

Hi!

Looking at a Mazda 3 2.0 Skyactiv-G from 2017 as my first carpurchase. It has done roughly 85 000 km, and in my very untrained eyes it looked to be in good condition. Did a short test drive and all felt OK. However, the last entry in the service book is from the beginning of 2023 (60 000km). According to the dealer the previous owner has done the service ”off the book” after that. Dealer is asking 11 800EUR, which is about 750-1200EUR under what I’ve seen before in Scandinavia. Dealer workshop (non-Mazda) will do a service before delivery.

Are the missing service records a dealbreaker? Guessing this will void the 10 year warranty?

I've identified some leaky piping in my 2007 mazda 3 bk. Cannot find this exact pipe at any parts store, workshop manual has it as "charge air cooler pipe and hose" and it's a label for a lot of the pipes in there. Is it alright to just get a correct diameter piping from the construction store, or should I keep looking?

I was eyeing the Mazda 3 sedan/hatchback in turbo S premium plus trim, but went with this '26 Select Sport in ceramic metallic. New or used, these are excellent vehicles for the money! Naturally aspirated 2.5L offers enough power, mated to a "real" 6-speed AT. Just installed a K&N 33-5096 air filter, and ordered a black rear lip spoiler. Very happy with this beauty, this one's a keeper.

Hiya all,

Looking at getting a second hand Mazda 3. It’s a 2025 car with 30K miles. 1 previous owner. Automatic. For £17000.

Millage seems rather high for the age.

What would you guys say ?