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jharloe
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Note: this is my first post; before I start I want to thank EVERYONE in the community for their expertise and advice. I haven't yet had a topic that I couldn't find at least some information about on this site.
I just purchased a new, fully loaded, '06 MS6 for 25,800 + tax and tag, not bad considering MSRP was up near 33,500. The car handles and performs like a dream and I'm more than happy with my purchase, especially considering the 6 months of research I put into finding/buying a new ride.
I could go on and on about the positives but instead Ill list the things I'm not happy with and you, as the reader, can assume I'm still overjoyed with whatever I don't mention.
Audio
First off, if you haven't noticed by the 10,000 threads, the Bose system is GARBAGE (I think that may be an understatement). No mid range, the speakers rattle the doors b/c there's too much bass going through them (consequently you cant put anything in door slots/map holder), no bass, no RCA jacks (had 2 dealers lie to me about that), etc etc. I've spent hours and hours reading every post on this site and others regarding fixing it, and there aren't many options b/c you pretty much have to keep the stock HU. For those that don't know much about car audio (such as myself) your best bet seems to go for the JL audio cleansweep. I've talked to two MS6 owners, one in the dealership parts dept, the other a professional car audio installer, and both did this. Much of my opinion on this is b/c of the ability to hook up your ipod to the system. Auxmod has garnered a lot of praise, but their backorder makes this option a little tricky. I purchased the adapter from mp3yourcar.com....it works...but the sound is pretty crappy. As far as installing an amp and sub to replace the steamy pile of crap they call a sub in the back, this link helped me the most
http://prism.troy.edu/~koneda/amp_install/...amp_install.htm
(Note: I don't know who to credit with this, but he deserves some praise).
I guess in summary, as far as cost-benefit goes, the cleansweep with speaker replacement seems to be the most direct way to go. It's still expensive but so is having to subject yourself to AWFUL tunes.
Seatbelt chime:
Please don't flame me with posts about wearing my seatbelt, it has nothing to do with what I'm writing. The chime is terribly annoying and won't go away. Here are your options:
1) Take it to the dealership, in the manual it says they will turn it off if you ask, apparently some people had to try different dealerships due to incompetence or whatever.
2) Play your music really, really loud.
3) There's a harness you can unplug that’s attached to your seatbelt. (NOTE: I have yet to find it so if anyone has a picture, I'd really appreciate it.)
Rear pass through (fold down seats):
I'm guessing they 'disabled' this for structural support (who knows), but you can get your rear seats to fold down. Whoever found this first (I'm too lazy to go find the sticky), should get a medal. I haven't done it yet but I've ordered the parts and can't wait to start messing around with it.
Clutch:
There's another stick about fixing this, but the clutch tension changes a lot about halfway through the release. Consequently, first time drivers stall out all the time, its kindofabitch but again, apparently you can fix it. It's not that big of a deal but it is annoying and I am compiling a list of gripes.
mufflers:
At fist glance, they look pretty hot, but then you realize that they're fake and the real exhaust ports are tiny, it’s an eyesore once you realize it. For a few hundred bucks you can fix this and add some horses.
Mpg:
I get about 18mpg in the city, but I do tear ass around a lot so 18mpg, to me, is pretty damn good, especially compared to my old '83 land cruiser. I get 25mpg on the highway, also pretty good.
Note that the gas tank is 15 gallons and the light comes on w/ 2 gallons left (I’m pretty sure about that). Regardless, when that light comes on, don't screw around, go get gas.
ALSO NOTE: ONLY USE PREMIUM, YOUR CAR WILL KNOW IF YOU DONT GIVE IT WHAT IT WANTS AND WILL PUNISH YOU FOR IT.
Heated seats:
One setting: fire
Brake dust:
Be ready to clean your wheels constantly. If anyone knows a good product that would reduce this problem, please speak up, I haven't done a search for this yet so I apologize for such a flagrantly hypocritical question.
Some other notes I've picked up here and there that you might find useful.
1) Get your oil changed at 1000 miles, there are printouts posted somewhere showing what’s in the oil after 1000 miles and it's pretty damn dirty. Apparently if you use the wrong kind of oil at this point it can hurt the engine, or so someone claimed. Consequently, you might as well have the dealer do it at this point.
2) If you make any changes under the hood, DO NOT show them to the dealer if you're under warranty. Put the car back the way it was and then take it in. This seems pretty self-evident but apparently some people have gotten in some trouble here.
The nice thing is that Mazda apparently encourages making performance changes to your ride. Conversely, my buddy voided his Subaru warranty right out the gate like a fool by changing the suspension. Just be happy they give you SOME leeway.
3) 3M makes a clear-coat bra for the front of your car that runs, I think, 500-800 and will keep rocks from eating up your paint on the highway. If money grew on trees, I'd have it right now. Anyway, its a lot less tacky than those pleather POS's you see on the road all the time protecting VW bugs and other girly cars.
4) Engine light: one of the joys of owning a new car has to be freaking the **** out when something goes wrong. The whole reason I bought a new car was for a warranty after spending 5K on my Lexus. My engine light came on at 1100 miles and it took me a few hours to realize that the gas cap had come loose. To fix it, screw the cap back on and disconnect the negative terminal on the battery, pump the brakes, put the battery back together, problem solved. This leads me to:
5) Power windows: not working? Just like the manual says, roll the window all the way down, roll it all the way up and keep holding the button until you hear a click, problem solved.
6) Navigation: long trip? Don’t forget to change the area of the nation your headed to or you won't be able to find the correct city.
So that’s about all I have right now, I know I'm forgetting a lot of stuff, more importantly I hope I didn't give any incorrect advice. I’m assuming I'll get a lot of 'my way's better' with regards to the audio so please note that this is just my opinion, if people want to see the hundreds of different ways to install a new audio system, they can do a search.
Am I happy with the car? Absolutely, I paid 1k more than my roommate who just bought a new WRX and all he has on my car is a slightly faster 0-60. The MS6 is bigger, looks better, has bigger rims (if you care about that), better 60-0 time, navigation, leather seats, seat warmers, moon roof, more space, better warranty 'flexibility' etc. I think I can sum it up by saying that when I'm in his car, I feel like I’m in a toy, when I'm in the MS6, I feel like I’m in a true-to-life-ass-kicking man-car (for lack of better terms). It is worth the mention that his UGLY, stock stereo (think government/school vehicle HU) sounds worlds better than the Bose system, it blows my mind that Bose would put their name on such an awful product.
Bottom line? for the money, good luck finding a better car.
I just purchased a new, fully loaded, '06 MS6 for 25,800 + tax and tag, not bad considering MSRP was up near 33,500. The car handles and performs like a dream and I'm more than happy with my purchase, especially considering the 6 months of research I put into finding/buying a new ride.
I could go on and on about the positives but instead Ill list the things I'm not happy with and you, as the reader, can assume I'm still overjoyed with whatever I don't mention.
Audio
First off, if you haven't noticed by the 10,000 threads, the Bose system is GARBAGE (I think that may be an understatement). No mid range, the speakers rattle the doors b/c there's too much bass going through them (consequently you cant put anything in door slots/map holder), no bass, no RCA jacks (had 2 dealers lie to me about that), etc etc. I've spent hours and hours reading every post on this site and others regarding fixing it, and there aren't many options b/c you pretty much have to keep the stock HU. For those that don't know much about car audio (such as myself) your best bet seems to go for the JL audio cleansweep. I've talked to two MS6 owners, one in the dealership parts dept, the other a professional car audio installer, and both did this. Much of my opinion on this is b/c of the ability to hook up your ipod to the system. Auxmod has garnered a lot of praise, but their backorder makes this option a little tricky. I purchased the adapter from mp3yourcar.com....it works...but the sound is pretty crappy. As far as installing an amp and sub to replace the steamy pile of crap they call a sub in the back, this link helped me the most
http://prism.troy.edu/~koneda/amp_install/...amp_install.htm
(Note: I don't know who to credit with this, but he deserves some praise).
I guess in summary, as far as cost-benefit goes, the cleansweep with speaker replacement seems to be the most direct way to go. It's still expensive but so is having to subject yourself to AWFUL tunes.
Seatbelt chime:
Please don't flame me with posts about wearing my seatbelt, it has nothing to do with what I'm writing. The chime is terribly annoying and won't go away. Here are your options:
1) Take it to the dealership, in the manual it says they will turn it off if you ask, apparently some people had to try different dealerships due to incompetence or whatever.
2) Play your music really, really loud.
3) There's a harness you can unplug that’s attached to your seatbelt. (NOTE: I have yet to find it so if anyone has a picture, I'd really appreciate it.)
Rear pass through (fold down seats):
I'm guessing they 'disabled' this for structural support (who knows), but you can get your rear seats to fold down. Whoever found this first (I'm too lazy to go find the sticky), should get a medal. I haven't done it yet but I've ordered the parts and can't wait to start messing around with it.
Clutch:
There's another stick about fixing this, but the clutch tension changes a lot about halfway through the release. Consequently, first time drivers stall out all the time, its kindofabitch but again, apparently you can fix it. It's not that big of a deal but it is annoying and I am compiling a list of gripes.
mufflers:
At fist glance, they look pretty hot, but then you realize that they're fake and the real exhaust ports are tiny, it’s an eyesore once you realize it. For a few hundred bucks you can fix this and add some horses.
Mpg:
I get about 18mpg in the city, but I do tear ass around a lot so 18mpg, to me, is pretty damn good, especially compared to my old '83 land cruiser. I get 25mpg on the highway, also pretty good.
Note that the gas tank is 15 gallons and the light comes on w/ 2 gallons left (I’m pretty sure about that). Regardless, when that light comes on, don't screw around, go get gas.
ALSO NOTE: ONLY USE PREMIUM, YOUR CAR WILL KNOW IF YOU DONT GIVE IT WHAT IT WANTS AND WILL PUNISH YOU FOR IT.
Heated seats:
One setting: fire
Brake dust:
Be ready to clean your wheels constantly. If anyone knows a good product that would reduce this problem, please speak up, I haven't done a search for this yet so I apologize for such a flagrantly hypocritical question.
Some other notes I've picked up here and there that you might find useful.
1) Get your oil changed at 1000 miles, there are printouts posted somewhere showing what’s in the oil after 1000 miles and it's pretty damn dirty. Apparently if you use the wrong kind of oil at this point it can hurt the engine, or so someone claimed. Consequently, you might as well have the dealer do it at this point.
2) If you make any changes under the hood, DO NOT show them to the dealer if you're under warranty. Put the car back the way it was and then take it in. This seems pretty self-evident but apparently some people have gotten in some trouble here.
The nice thing is that Mazda apparently encourages making performance changes to your ride. Conversely, my buddy voided his Subaru warranty right out the gate like a fool by changing the suspension. Just be happy they give you SOME leeway.
3) 3M makes a clear-coat bra for the front of your car that runs, I think, 500-800 and will keep rocks from eating up your paint on the highway. If money grew on trees, I'd have it right now. Anyway, its a lot less tacky than those pleather POS's you see on the road all the time protecting VW bugs and other girly cars.
4) Engine light: one of the joys of owning a new car has to be freaking the **** out when something goes wrong. The whole reason I bought a new car was for a warranty after spending 5K on my Lexus. My engine light came on at 1100 miles and it took me a few hours to realize that the gas cap had come loose. To fix it, screw the cap back on and disconnect the negative terminal on the battery, pump the brakes, put the battery back together, problem solved. This leads me to:
5) Power windows: not working? Just like the manual says, roll the window all the way down, roll it all the way up and keep holding the button until you hear a click, problem solved.
6) Navigation: long trip? Don’t forget to change the area of the nation your headed to or you won't be able to find the correct city.
So that’s about all I have right now, I know I'm forgetting a lot of stuff, more importantly I hope I didn't give any incorrect advice. I’m assuming I'll get a lot of 'my way's better' with regards to the audio so please note that this is just my opinion, if people want to see the hundreds of different ways to install a new audio system, they can do a search.
Am I happy with the car? Absolutely, I paid 1k more than my roommate who just bought a new WRX and all he has on my car is a slightly faster 0-60. The MS6 is bigger, looks better, has bigger rims (if you care about that), better 60-0 time, navigation, leather seats, seat warmers, moon roof, more space, better warranty 'flexibility' etc. I think I can sum it up by saying that when I'm in his car, I feel like I’m in a toy, when I'm in the MS6, I feel like I’m in a true-to-life-ass-kicking man-car (for lack of better terms). It is worth the mention that his UGLY, stock stereo (think government/school vehicle HU) sounds worlds better than the Bose system, it blows my mind that Bose would put their name on such an awful product.
Bottom line? for the money, good luck finding a better car.
