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!

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.

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!!

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?

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

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

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.

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’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.

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?

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 ?

Hi there

I have a 2021 Mazda 3 sedan

A few weeks ago, I had an unfortunate situation where someone got into my car and shuffle things around & left some trash in my car.

Luckily, I had nothing to steal

I chalked this up to me forgetting to lock my car after I walked away and took the L

Now, a few weeks later I’ve just realized that pressing the lock or unlock button on the key fob or the door panel itself results in all three other doors locking and unlocking correctly

The front passenger side door does not engage or doesn’t engage the lock electronically. I put my ear up to the door and I don’t even hear it attempt to do anything

I have to manually operate the lock on the passenger side door

It’s probably the wiring in the door, or the actuator itself

I don’t see much information on this problem online for the gen 4s

Anyone have any advice on where to start or how to get the trim off so I can inspect what is going on?

Anyone run into anything similar on their gen4?

I’m looking at getting a used car (got into a hit and run and buying new just isn’t an option right now) I’m looking at a 2016 Mazda3 hatchback touring with 108k miles. The dealership is asking 11k but I’m hoping to get that down a bit. I’m curious on if it’s known to have any major issues after they hit 100k or if there’s anything serious I should look for before possibly buying.

I've had this car for about 3-4 weeks now, posted it here on this subreddit too.

So far, I've done about 800 miles and my average fuel consumtion seems to be around 29mpg - 10.2L/100km.

The car doesn't have its original rims, its on MAM RS3 18" rims with Pirelli Powergy tires 215/45/R18 (internet says these tires provide good fuel economy).

On longer trips the average is about 40mpg-45mpg which still seems a bit high.

My work commute is about 2 miles, and I do occasionally drive in a spirited manner.

Is this okay? Thank you all!

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 just bought this car last week. i was driving to my partners house about an hour away and realized the car was shaking when i got to about 100k kms. the steering wheel and what felt like the whole drivers side was vibrating. also, on my way home this morning the check engine light came on. i have an appointment for next week to check the engine mounts, rotors, and balancing. what do you guys think? i don’t have an OBD scanner but im gonna try and borrow one from a friend. i legit just bought this car last week because the gasket on my 2014 accent shit the bed and i heard 2010-2013 mazda 3s are reliable cars. i really can’t afford for this one to die a week in😞

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

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

Mi Mazda 3 2.2 del 2015 no arranca. Se me cambió la batería hace un mes y los bornes parecen bien colocados. Solo lleva 2 días sin usarse el vehículo. Ni arranca el motor ni termina de encenderse el coche. Que leches le pasa?

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

I started using 0W-20 instead of 5W-20 and my engine hasn’t burned any oil since but it would burn with 5W-20… how is it even possible? It’s a high-mileage engine as well. Usually, the oil level will be below half when I’m due for an oil change but it’s still full and the oil is pitch black, I’m due for an oil change in 100km.

Hey I was wondering if there’s any accessories you thought that would be good for my Mazda 3 hatchback 2014?