Mazda 3 MPS

[JBT]

After talking to mechanics through the years, who all said the same thing, I decided that I would NEVER buy a BMW. They're difficult to work on, are hideously expensive to fix, the electrics are dodgy and the plastics do not hold up well in the Australian sun.

Talk to BMW (independent) mechanics.
Parts can bought from other than BMW dealership at half the price and are comparable in price to Japanese/Korean car parts. I prefer to do my own maintenance/repairs and just some of my experience is:
GH Mazda6 requires front suspension sub-frame removal/lowering to access the auto trans oil pan bolts or to replace the front stabiliser bar mounts.
GH Mazda6 shreds engine mounts before 100,000 km and cost $$$ to supply.
GH Mazda6 and NC MX-5 oil filter cost more than BMW N54 filter and take about 5 times longer to replace, including crawling under the car (not required for the BMW) to do it.
NC MX-5 rear suspension ball joints rattling after 110,000 km.

Yep, any car can gave weird electrical issues (like my brother-in-law's 12 month old Kia Cerato) but, I have never had any with the four Bimmers I've owned. Plastics - never had a problem but again, any car can have issues if not cared for.

No issues with anything on the 147,000 km BMW...yet.

[Lokiel]

:
GH Mazda6 shreds engine mounts before 100,000 km and cost $$$ to supply.
GH Mazda6 and NC MX-5 oil filter cost more than BMW N54 filter and take about 5 times longer to replace, including crawling under the car (not required for the BMW) to do it.
:

OEM engine mounts in the Mazda6 and Mazda3 do suck - that and interior cabin noise are the only real major complaints though

Do the GH and NCs come with the horrid cartridge style oil filters?

My 2005 SP23 did and changing those was horrible so I purchased a "Spin-On Oil Filter Conversion Kit: Mazda 3 & 6", http://www.streetunit.com/Spin_On_Oil_Filter_Conversion_Kit_Mazda_3_6_p/sum3soofca.htm to make oil changes easier - worth every cent! (still need to crawl under the car though and jacking up the SP23 is about 10x more hassle than the NB )

[speed]

Talk to BMW (independent) mechanics.
Parts can bought from other than BMW dealership at half the price and are comparable in price to Japanese/Korean car parts. I prefer to do my own maintenance/repairs

Yep, any car can gave weird electrical issues (like my brother-in-law's 12 month old Kia Cerato) but, I have never had any with the four Bimmers I've owned. Plastics - never had a problem but again, any car can have issues if not cared for.

No issues with anything on the 147,000 km BMW...yet.

This.

I've bought VW service parts from the UK and US. Even with shipping they've come in at less than half I was quoted by VW australia.
Sometimes the parts are re-engineered to be better than the original.

On my mx5 I have to pull the engine or drop the subframe to change the sump gasket. On a vw you can just drop the pan and replace it.

All cars will have pros and cons.

Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk

[JBT]

Do the GH and NCs come with the horrid cartridge style oil filters?

GH - yes and you have to remove the engine under cover (10 bolts?) to get at it and the sump plug

NC - spin on but is at the left rear of the engine, starts leaking out oil as soon as the seal breaks and is above a cross member. Requires at least one under engine plate (5 bolts) to be removed to access it and some weird devices to prevent oil from spilling all over the cross member which, in turn, has some sort of material on it that loves to soak up oil and stay wet.

BMW filter is a cartridge type high in the engine bay at cam cover height and you open a door in the engine undercover to get to the sump plug and drain the oil.

[smy0003]

I don't think anyone on this forum is is going to say that a ritzy Euro is more reliable than a Corolla (we're pretty switched on, us lot).
But as been mentioned if you want a particular car and it happens to be European then so be it.
When you're talking about cars around $15-20k (like this thread was originally about) it's not the end of the world if you have to put up with some niggles. If you're spending $100k on a new Euro then yes, I'd have to worry a bit.
Unfortunately the Japanese are only just coming back on form now after quite a dull period, and the current crop of 5-8 year old second hand sports cars from the mainstream players are rather uninspiring.


Sent from my LG-H815

[bootz]

Actually with Morlock on this one. Most car mags are like porn and the writers are frustrated racing car drivers. The car mag comments may be accurate, but only while the car is young and in warranty. Exceptions seem to be Mazda and Toyota where 250,000 miles is not exceptional. Of course if you trade your car every 3 to 5 years why should you care it can last 250,000 miles?