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2015 Mazda 2


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9 hours ago, shutterbox said:

Reviving this thread abit.

At current pricing, on the deluxe version, is it a better buy than PI's Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5l petrol?

I really like the Mazda 2 Skyactiv.

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11 hours ago, shutterbox said:

Reviving this thread abit.

At current pricing, on the deluxe version, is it a better buy than PI's Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5l petrol?

The rims on the lowest trim really make me want to peng san.

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I'm still driving Mazda 2 DJ hatchback these days. Just want to talk about all the maintenance works I have done to this 2nd-hand 2015-registered hb (bought in 2019) so far:

a) Aircon intermittently cold / hot: I had this problem when I bought over this car. Usually in the mornings when I started the a/c, the compressor would make loud sounds, to the point I could hear it in my car. I thought it was normal, as the compressor was being driven to compress the refrigerant gas, and throughout all my journeys, it still continues to make this sound on and off, so didn't bother tat much. However, once I end my work (i park my car in the open area), my driver a/c vents would be blowing cold air, but the other a/c vents are feeling not as cold as the driver a/c vent, and it took a very long time to cool my whole car down. Yet I took me 2 years to solve this issue. I went to this workshop who is so-called a SGcarmart star merchant in a/c repairs for diagnosis, but on both occasions, this workshop did not identify potential leaks from my a/c systems, and just mainly topped up gas for me, and told me can't detect any leaks in my tubing blah blah, and suggested me to put the car in their workshop to change the cooling coils. I did not believe them, so finally I went to another reputable a/c workshop for checks, and they managed to find one of the tubing o-rings damaged. Replaced and thereafter, my a/c is running cold again.

b) Tyres: This car's as-built tyre specs is 185/65/15. After researching online, I went for 195/55/16, and swopped to Yokohama Blu-earth AE50 + new rims once I bought the car over. At that time this tyres performed decently, but during rainy seasons, this tyre tend to be unstable whenever I run over any water puddles. The final straw came when one of my tyres tio poked by a screw, but luckily not punctured. Even thought got it patched for free, but I disliked the patched surface tat was being done on the nice tyre groove, so tat signaled me to find a much better tyre. After all, it's about 3 years since I last changed till now. I was hovering between Goodyear Efficienctgrip performance 2 and Yokohama Blu-earth AE51. Both are very much comparable to each other, in terms of wet handling, dry handling and comfort, only AE51 is cheaper, so I went for AE51. So far very satisfied with this tyre performance, and it gives me added confidence to drive more aggressively in the rains, when others are driving like tortoises

c) Brakes: When I bought over this car, the brake pad was already replaced by past owner (NIBK brand). Whenever i start driving in the mornings, the brakes would screech, but the noise dies down after a while. I thought it was the brake pads going botak, but whenever i asked around different workshops, all told me the brake pads have a lot of life left, and they can't tell me the exact reason why I encounter this problem. I got so frustrated, once I even asked a workshop to skim my driver side's brake rotors, because mainly the sounds came from that area, but the same problem came again after a few weeks of peace. Also, i noticed that when I am driving beyond 70 kph, the moment my foot feels the brake pedal, the brake pedal is vibrating. This has been going on for about 1.5 yrs, until the point I cannot stand it, so I asked some of the workshops who does brake maintenance, and they all told me this is abnormal! So it prompted me to go research again to find which brand is most suited for me, and I discovered this Japanese brand called Dixcel, and I find their wide range of products very appealing, unlike those Taiwanese BBK brands which I felt they are just imitators, and I also don't want to do BBK installations, just cheap, reliable and efficient braking systems will do for me. So as of now, I made my choice to get Dixcel M-pads with slotted rotors, which claims to have low pad wear, better brake performance, no cold start screeching and cheap. Will get the new brake setup installed in Mid-Oct 2021. Very excited to try it out!

d) Rotating mirrors: This car is weird, even someting like rotating mirrors mechanism can get damaged, especially once u sprayed ur side mirrors during car washes, sooner or later ur mirror cannot rotate anymore. Not sure the rest of u kena like tat also, but at least tat's for me. Luckily this happened before pre-covid, when my left side mirror can't rotate out of the blue. I quickly went over to JB that Sunday to get it fixed. Over here the cheapest price quoted was S$120, but in JB, I did it for just S$50. So now I ensure I don't get people to spray my car mirrors or foam wash those areas. I even standby WD-40 in my house just in case it were to be stuck again during rotating.

d) Aftermarket spoilers: This car is also very hard to modify. I asked a few workshops, but none offered a wide variety of modifications/kits/upgrades as compared to other cars like Honda. Even Mazda 3/6/CX got much more customisation options than this car! But I didn't stop looking, and I ventured into Thai websites that are selling such bodykits and other custom stuffs. So I bought a spoiler from 1 Thai website, delivered to me, and get it installed by a local workshop. Looks much better after the spoiler addition. Now I'm targeting to install a rear valance with extra exhaust pipe from the same source, for that more aggressive back look.

e) Front suspension issues: Yes, I believe alot of Mazda owners face this issue, too bad when I bought this car, warranty period was over, and the issue then wasn't as obvious as now. So wat happens is whenever I do u-turns, turn left or right in carparks, or going over tight humps, there is this kruk kruk / tak tak sounds from the front engine area. I have seen Malaysian forums on topics like this, and they all say it's an inherent design that is kinda flawed, read more abt it here: https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f=20&t=3524291&st=0#

So I got myself hyped up again recently to read up / visit a few workshops to consult on this matter, and they all generally said to replace the front strut assembly bearings and mountings. Don't understand what is tat? See this link: https://www.catcar.info/mazda/?lang=en&l=bWFya2V0PT11c2F8fHN0PT01MHx8c3RzPT17IjEwIjoiTWFya2V0IiwiMjAiOiJVU0EiLCIzMCI6IjIwMTQgTUFaREEyIiwiNDAiOiJDSEFTU0lTIEFYTEUgU1VTUEVOU0lPTixCUkFLRSAmIFNURUVSSU5HIiwiNTAiOiIzNDAwQSAgLSBGUk9OVCBTVVNQRU5TSU9OIE1FQ0hBTklTTVMifXx8Y2F0bm89PUFVRE0wMXx8Z3JwPT1XMSB8fHNlYz09MzQwMEE%3D

Basically it's the upper left portions of the assembly tat is worn out, causing this weird noise, but apparently some owners in Malaysia have to replace the whole front suspension setup or even the steering rack, and even after replacing, like 50% of the peeps still get back the noise after a few months. So I'm actually very hesitant on this, I don't know which parts are exactly giving the issue to tackle this problem properly. Just replacing the whole front suspension assembly can cost > S$2k worth in parts, and u got to replace both sides, while mountings and bearings alone cost u at least S$300 liao. This is really a KIV issue for me right now, because generally it doesn't affect u as much, and safety-wise not very crucial.

f) Rear wheel bearings: This is another issue I encountered while some mechanics did test runs on my car while trying to detect the front suspension issues. So I asked them why would u tink my rear wheel bearings got problems, so they jacked up my car, and asked me to stand beside the rear wheel while it was being rotated, and I could hear the rubbing sounds coming constantly at certain rotating intervals. They said compared to my front suspension issues, this is more pressing to rectify ASAP, or else one day if the bearing breaks, my rear tyre can get dislodged from the car.

I don't know wat other issues would creep up on me in the remaining 3 yrs 11mths of COE left, but I definitely want to replace my ATF oil in my next servicing. Never changed before, hopefully can tahan till then. If anyone got comments / feelings / tips, pls share with me, keep this forum alive! Thanks!

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47 minutes ago, ashtaichee said:

I'm still driving Mazda 2 DJ hatchback these days. Just want to talk about all the maintenance works I have done to this 2nd-hand 2015-registered hb (bought in 2019) so far:

a) Aircon intermittently cold / hot: I had this problem when I bought over this car. Usually in the mornings when I started the a/c, the compressor would make loud sounds, to the point I could hear it in my car. I thought it was normal, as the compressor was being driven to compress the refrigerant gas, and throughout all my journeys, it still continues to make this sound on and off, so didn't bother tat much. However, once I end my work (i park my car in the open area), my driver a/c vents would be blowing cold air, but the other a/c vents are feeling not as cold as the driver a/c vent, and it took a very long time to cool my whole car down. Yet I took me 2 years to solve this issue. I went to this workshop who is so-called a SGcarmart star merchant in a/c repairs for diagnosis, but on both occasions, this workshop did not identify potential leaks from my a/c systems, and just mainly topped up gas for me, and told me can't detect any leaks in my tubing blah blah, and suggested me to put the car in their workshop to change the cooling coils. I did not believe them, so finally I went to another reputable a/c workshop for checks, and they managed to find one of the tubing o-rings damaged. Replaced and thereafter, my a/c is running cold again.

b) Tyres: This car's as-built tyre specs is 185/65/15. After researching online, I went for 195/55/16, and swopped to Yokohama Blu-earth AE50 + new rims once I bought the car over. At that time this tyres performed decently, but during rainy seasons, this tyre tend to be unstable whenever I run over any water puddles. The final straw came when one of my tyres tio poked by a screw, but luckily not punctured. Even thought got it patched for free, but I disliked the patched surface tat was being done on the nice tyre groove, so tat signaled me to find a much better tyre. After all, it's about 3 years since I last changed till now. I was hovering between Goodyear Efficienctgrip performance 2 and Yokohama Blu-earth AE51. Both are very much comparable to each other, in terms of wet handling, dry handling and comfort, only AE51 is cheaper, so I went for AE51. So far very satisfied with this tyre performance, and it gives me added confidence to drive more aggressively in the rains, when others are driving like tortoises

c) Brakes: When I bought over this car, the brake pad was already replaced by past owner (NIBK brand). Whenever i start driving in the mornings, the brakes would screech, but the noise dies down after a while. I thought it was the brake pads going botak, but whenever i asked around different workshops, all told me the brake pads have a lot of life left, and they can't tell me the exact reason why I encounter this problem. I got so frustrated, once I even asked a workshop to skim my driver side's brake rotors, because mainly the sounds came from that area, but the same problem came again after a few weeks of peace. Also, i noticed that when I am driving beyond 70 kph, the moment my foot feels the brake pedal, the brake pedal is vibrating. This has been going on for about 1.5 yrs, until the point I cannot stand it, so I asked some of the workshops who does brake maintenance, and they all told me this is abnormal! So it prompted me to go research again to find which brand is most suited for me, and I discovered this Japanese brand called Dixcel, and I find their wide range of products very appealing, unlike those Taiwanese BBK brands which I felt they are just imitators, and I also don't want to do BBK installations, just cheap, reliable and efficient braking systems will do for me. So as of now, I made my choice to get Dixcel M-pads with slotted rotors, which claims to have low pad wear, better brake performance, no cold start screeching and cheap. Will get the new brake setup installed in Mid-Oct 2021. Very excited to try it out!

d) Rotating mirrors: This car is weird, even someting like rotating mirrors mechanism can get damaged, especially once u sprayed ur side mirrors during car washes, sooner or later ur mirror cannot rotate anymore. Not sure the rest of u kena like tat also, but at least tat's for me. Luckily this happened before pre-covid, when my left side mirror can't rotate out of the blue. I quickly went over to JB that Sunday to get it fixed. Over here the cheapest price quoted was S$120, but in JB, I did it for just S$50. So now I ensure I don't get people to spray my car mirrors or foam wash those areas. I even standby WD-40 in my house just in case it were to be stuck again during rotating.

d) Aftermarket spoilers: This car is also very hard to modify. I asked a few workshops, but none offered a wide variety of modifications/kits/upgrades as compared to other cars like Honda. Even Mazda 3/6/CX got much more customisation options than this car! But I didn't stop looking, and I ventured into Thai websites that are selling such bodykits and other custom stuffs. So I bought a spoiler from 1 Thai website, delivered to me, and get it installed by a local workshop. Looks much better after the spoiler addition. Now I'm targeting to install a rear valance with extra exhaust pipe from the same source, for that more aggressive back look.

e) Front suspension issues: Yes, I believe alot of Mazda owners face this issue, too bad when I bought this car, warranty period was over, and the issue then wasn't as obvious as now. So wat happens is whenever I do u-turns, turn left or right in carparks, or going over tight humps, there is this kruk kruk / tak tak sounds from the front engine area. I have seen Malaysian forums on topics like this, and they all say it's an inherent design that is kinda flawed, read more abt it here: https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f=20&t=3524291&st=0#

So I got myself hyped up again recently to read up / visit a few workshops to consult on this matter, and they all generally said to replace the front strut assembly bearings and mountings. Don't understand what is tat? See this link: https://www.catcar.info/mazda/?lang=en&l=bWFya2V0PT11c2F8fHN0PT01MHx8c3RzPT17IjEwIjoiTWFya2V0IiwiMjAiOiJVU0EiLCIzMCI6IjIwMTQgTUFaREEyIiwiNDAiOiJDSEFTU0lTIEFYTEUgU1VTUEVOU0lPTixCUkFLRSAmIFNURUVSSU5HIiwiNTAiOiIzNDAwQSAgLSBGUk9OVCBTVVNQRU5TSU9OIE1FQ0hBTklTTVMifXx8Y2F0bm89PUFVRE0wMXx8Z3JwPT1XMSB8fHNlYz09MzQwMEE%3D

Basically it's the upper left portions of the assembly tat is worn out, causing this weird noise, but apparently some owners in Malaysia have to replace the whole front suspension setup or even the steering rack, and even after replacing, like 50% of the peeps still get back the noise after a few months. So I'm actually very hesitant on this, I don't know which parts are exactly giving the issue to tackle this problem properly. Just replacing the whole front suspension assembly can cost > S$2k worth in parts, and u got to replace both sides, while mountings and bearings alone cost u at least S$300 liao. This is really a KIV issue for me right now, because generally it doesn't affect u as much, and safety-wise not very crucial.

f) Rear wheel bearings: This is another issue I encountered while some mechanics did test runs on my car while trying to detect the front suspension issues. So I asked them why would u tink my rear wheel bearings got problems, so they jacked up my car, and asked me to stand beside the rear wheel while it was being rotated, and I could hear the rubbing sounds coming constantly at certain rotating intervals. They said compared to my front suspension issues, this is more pressing to rectify ASAP, or else one day if the bearing breaks, my rear tyre can get dislodged from the car.

I don't know wat other issues would creep up on me in the remaining 3 yrs 11mths of COE left, but I definitely want to replace my ATF oil in my next servicing. Never changed before, hopefully can tahan till then. If anyone got comments / feelings / tips, pls share with me, keep this forum alive! Thanks!

don't know how to consult, but my best wishes and luck to you on getting the issue resolved.

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19 hours ago, ashtaichee said:

I'm still driving Mazda 2 DJ hatchback these days. Just want to talk about all the maintenance works I have done to this 2nd-hand 2015-registered hb (bought in 2019) so far:

a) Aircon intermittently cold / hot: I had this problem when I bought over this car. Usually in the mornings when I started the a/c, the compressor would make loud sounds, to the point I could hear it in my car. I thought it was normal, as the compressor was being driven to compress the refrigerant gas, and throughout all my journeys, it still continues to make this sound on and off, so didn't bother tat much. However, once I end my work (i park my car in the open area), my driver a/c vents would be blowing cold air, but the other a/c vents are feeling not as cold as the driver a/c vent, and it took a very long time to cool my whole car down. Yet I took me 2 years to solve this issue. I went to this workshop who is so-called a SGcarmart star merchant in a/c repairs for diagnosis, but on both occasions, this workshop did not identify potential leaks from my a/c systems, and just mainly topped up gas for me, and told me can't detect any leaks in my tubing blah blah, and suggested me to put the car in their workshop to change the cooling coils. I did not believe them, so finally I went to another reputable a/c workshop for checks, and they managed to find one of the tubing o-rings damaged. Replaced and thereafter, my a/c is running cold again.

b) Tyres: This car's as-built tyre specs is 185/65/15. After researching online, I went for 195/55/16, and swopped to Yokohama Blu-earth AE50 + new rims once I bought the car over. At that time this tyres performed decently, but during rainy seasons, this tyre tend to be unstable whenever I run over any water puddles. The final straw came when one of my tyres tio poked by a screw, but luckily not punctured. Even thought got it patched for free, but I disliked the patched surface tat was being done on the nice tyre groove, so tat signaled me to find a much better tyre. After all, it's about 3 years since I last changed till now. I was hovering between Goodyear Efficienctgrip performance 2 and Yokohama Blu-earth AE51. Both are very much comparable to each other, in terms of wet handling, dry handling and comfort, only AE51 is cheaper, so I went for AE51. So far very satisfied with this tyre performance, and it gives me added confidence to drive more aggressively in the rains, when others are driving like tortoises

c) Brakes: When I bought over this car, the brake pad was already replaced by past owner (NIBK brand). Whenever i start driving in the mornings, the brakes would screech, but the noise dies down after a while. I thought it was the brake pads going botak, but whenever i asked around different workshops, all told me the brake pads have a lot of life left, and they can't tell me the exact reason why I encounter this problem. I got so frustrated, once I even asked a workshop to skim my driver side's brake rotors, because mainly the sounds came from that area, but the same problem came again after a few weeks of peace. Also, i noticed that when I am driving beyond 70 kph, the moment my foot feels the brake pedal, the brake pedal is vibrating. This has been going on for about 1.5 yrs, until the point I cannot stand it, so I asked some of the workshops who does brake maintenance, and they all told me this is abnormal! So it prompted me to go research again to find which brand is most suited for me, and I discovered this Japanese brand called Dixcel, and I find their wide range of products very appealing, unlike those Taiwanese BBK brands which I felt they are just imitators, and I also don't want to do BBK installations, just cheap, reliable and efficient braking systems will do for me. So as of now, I made my choice to get Dixcel M-pads with slotted rotors, which claims to have low pad wear, better brake performance, no cold start screeching and cheap. Will get the new brake setup installed in Mid-Oct 2021. Very excited to try it out!

d) Rotating mirrors: This car is weird, even someting like rotating mirrors mechanism can get damaged, especially once u sprayed ur side mirrors during car washes, sooner or later ur mirror cannot rotate anymore. Not sure the rest of u kena like tat also, but at least tat's for me. Luckily this happened before pre-covid, when my left side mirror can't rotate out of the blue. I quickly went over to JB that Sunday to get it fixed. Over here the cheapest price quoted was S$120, but in JB, I did it for just S$50. So now I ensure I don't get people to spray my car mirrors or foam wash those areas. I even standby WD-40 in my house just in case it were to be stuck again during rotating.

d) Aftermarket spoilers: This car is also very hard to modify. I asked a few workshops, but none offered a wide variety of modifications/kits/upgrades as compared to other cars like Honda. Even Mazda 3/6/CX got much more customisation options than this car! But I didn't stop looking, and I ventured into Thai websites that are selling such bodykits and other custom stuffs. So I bought a spoiler from 1 Thai website, delivered to me, and get it installed by a local workshop. Looks much better after the spoiler addition. Now I'm targeting to install a rear valance with extra exhaust pipe from the same source, for that more aggressive back look.

e) Front suspension issues: Yes, I believe alot of Mazda owners face this issue, too bad when I bought this car, warranty period was over, and the issue then wasn't as obvious as now. So wat happens is whenever I do u-turns, turn left or right in carparks, or going over tight humps, there is this kruk kruk / tak tak sounds from the front engine area. I have seen Malaysian forums on topics like this, and they all say it's an inherent design that is kinda flawed, read more abt it here: https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f=20&t=3524291&st=0#

So I got myself hyped up again recently to read up / visit a few workshops to consult on this matter, and they all generally said to replace the front strut assembly bearings and mountings. Don't understand what is tat? See this link: https://www.catcar.info/mazda/?lang=en&l=bWFya2V0PT11c2F8fHN0PT01MHx8c3RzPT17IjEwIjoiTWFya2V0IiwiMjAiOiJVU0EiLCIzMCI6IjIwMTQgTUFaREEyIiwiNDAiOiJDSEFTU0lTIEFYTEUgU1VTUEVOU0lPTixCUkFLRSAmIFNURUVSSU5HIiwiNTAiOiIzNDAwQSAgLSBGUk9OVCBTVVNQRU5TSU9OIE1FQ0hBTklTTVMifXx8Y2F0bm89PUFVRE0wMXx8Z3JwPT1XMSB8fHNlYz09MzQwMEE%3D

Basically it's the upper left portions of the assembly tat is worn out, causing this weird noise, but apparently some owners in Malaysia have to replace the whole front suspension setup or even the steering rack, and even after replacing, like 50% of the peeps still get back the noise after a few months. So I'm actually very hesitant on this, I don't know which parts are exactly giving the issue to tackle this problem properly. Just replacing the whole front suspension assembly can cost > S$2k worth in parts, and u got to replace both sides, while mountings and bearings alone cost u at least S$300 liao. This is really a KIV issue for me right now, because generally it doesn't affect u as much, and safety-wise not very crucial.

f) Rear wheel bearings: This is another issue I encountered while some mechanics did test runs on my car while trying to detect the front suspension issues. So I asked them why would u tink my rear wheel bearings got problems, so they jacked up my car, and asked me to stand beside the rear wheel while it was being rotated, and I could hear the rubbing sounds coming constantly at certain rotating intervals. They said compared to my front suspension issues, this is more pressing to rectify ASAP, or else one day if the bearing breaks, my rear tyre can get dislodged from the car.

I don't know wat other issues would creep up on me in the remaining 3 yrs 11mths of COE left, but I definitely want to replace my ATF oil in my next servicing. Never changed before, hopefully can tahan till then. If anyone got comments / feelings / tips, pls share with me, keep this forum alive! Thanks!

Thanks for reviving this thread! I'm still on my 2015 Mazda 2 HB from new. 

a) I see it as a wear and tear thing, especially when AC is so heavily utilised in our climate. Plus car parts aren't made to last nowadays. Just need to find a reputable WS to diagnose issues properly. It took me a while and some WS hopping to resolve all my AC issues too - changed condenser, serviced at 4 year mark, replaced the climate control sensor. 

b) I'm on Yokohama AE50 too, for about 2 years now. 185/55/16. It is terrible for wet roads, quite disappointed. I drive slower when it is wet, planning to wear it down a bit more before changing within the next few months. No more Yokohama for me. Many owners complain about the odd size, have to pre-order at most tyre shops. Since you planned to change rims that time, I would have gone for one that can fit 205/16 because this is more common (not so stressful if you have a puncture and need to change the whole tyre especially pre-COVID days for Malaysia trips). 

c) I'm still on my original brakes. I find the brakes on this car to be good, it stops very well as compared to my older hatchback. 

d) This is a known issue across the Mazda range. Will happen if you park in the open and it pours down with rain, let the water inside dry out and all will be back to normal. WD40 does the trick. I'll live with it until the motor finally dies and does not want to rotate anymore before replacing. 

e) I had the sounds initially for carparks and u-turns. Replaced steering rack under warranty. 

Did suspension change front + back a few months back. One of it spoilt. It's a 6 year old car, part of wear and tear. 

f) Didn't encounter this. 

 

Good to get the major wear and tear parts and fluids changed since you got it 2nd hand and might not be 100% aware of what has already been done and what hasn't. I did ATF fluid change at 40k km too. Read online of Mazda gearboxes (pre-skyactiv) dying at the 8 year mark. Rather spend $180 to be safe since I want to keep the car till the 10th year mark. Such an enjoyable small car to drive.

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27 minutes ago, ashtaichee said:

@Lovemyride wow, wat suspension u changed to?

Nothing fanciful. Remained stock. 

I'm a bit fussy with comfort since it is also a family car. I felt stock is the safer option. Rather than try new mods and having to spend more money if I don't like. 

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30 minutes ago, yellowshaun said:

Interesting leh rstyle only offer me shipping to Malaysia :X I was going for body lip kit...

They do deliver to SG. Chat with them.

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My frd just called Mazda to make some enquiries on the M2..

All currently sold out 😱

Really panic buying 🙇‍♀🙏🏻🙇‍♀

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