[spareribmuncher]

Howdy all,

After sitting on the fence for a long time, I finally pulled the trigger on a Mazda 6. I'm very impressed with how it drives, it seems like such an upscale car. I was close to buying an 04 and then an 05 in sedan form with the manual trans last year - ended up getting this 06 with the auto so I can disguise it as my partners car I also heard the facelifted model had some tweaks that make the Duratec more reliable.

I'll be watching the oil leaks closely. It's coming up to 150k kilometers, is there anything I should look at doing at this point? I couldn't find info on waterpump interval. I will source some 17" wheels and tires for the winter ride quality. It's a big choppy on the 18s but boy can you throw it into a corner.

Anyway.. have a look!

 

[jman]

Looks really clean, congrats !

 

[DrFeelGood]

@spareribmuncher congratulations, it looks beautiful.
Those that know/follow me will know what I am going to say.
If it has not been recently done, I would replace:

• all 6 ignition coils and spark plugs
• Replace PCV valve
• Drain and refill transmission fluid
• Check engine and cabin air filters.

The engine leaks are typically from the timing cover and occasionally the rocker covers.
Your "facelift" has a rerouted exhaust that makes it less likely to destroy the engine when the ignition coils fail. There is no service interval for the ignition coils but I replace them every 60,000mi (100,000km). The Mazda computer is very bad at reporting a mis-fire and that is what causes catalyst failure. As the catalyst fails (regular sulfur smell when driving) it breaks apart and gets pulled into the intake through the EGR. The material is super hard and scours the cylinder sleeves, looses oil containment, and can fail in a drive cycle. Realistically, most get a P0421/P0431 code "catalyst below efficiency" and as a result have to replace the catalytic converters (~$2500USD for parts).

The only other thing that comes to mind is the front suspension. If you get a click/clunk when going over bumps/humps it is likely the control arm bushings.
Check your CV axle boots for cracking. It is much easier to replace the original boots with factory parts than trying to get an aftermarket axle that doesn't shake.

This boot failed within 5000mi
Stop Whining! A case study of front-end bearing noise.
Need someone with a good eye

 

[spareribmuncher]

@DrFeelGood Thank you for the detailed advice.

I had read that the coils/cat combination was this car's Achilles heel so am looking into getting them done soon. Any specific brand of coil you would recommend? Or is it more about timely replacement? Also I assumed it would be easy to pick up misfires but after a little more reading maybe not?

Plugs were done last summer, along with trans fluid, both valve covers, all the control arm bushings and air filter.

 

[spareribmuncher]

Actually I just found a thread where you recommened Denso, so I'll go with those

 

[DrFeelGood]

Actually I just found a thread where you recommened Denso, so I'll go with those

I believe that Denso is the OEM supplier. To be honest I think that whatever you put in there is going to be okay. I think there is value in going with cheaper, more often. IDK.
I drive 5-6k miles a year so putting a set in will last a while if I replace every 60,000 miles. On the other hand, it seems like the rear coils, (under the intake) fail more often so maybe it's all about heat cycling as opposed to run time. 🤷‍♂️

I do know that this car is terrible at reporting a misfire. You pretty much have to be at the "oh no my car is broken" phase fot it to report. The place/time I notice it is with mild/moderate throttle, A/C on, third-gear (ATX) and between 1800-2300RPM. It will feel like a little stutter. The thing about that is, with the automatic, the torque converter will lock and unlock feeling like a misfire as well.

This is why I just resort to plugs and coils every 60,000 miles. Some will get far more mileage than this and there are those that have a higher tolerance of risk. This is what works for me. I really dislike getting under there and working with old exhaust on my back, not to mention the cost of 4 catalytic converters these days.

I would not do a preventive change on the cats however. If you smell sulfur during each drive (provided you are not constantly wide open throttle) and/or get the codes, then yes, start budgeting for it.

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

Congrats on the purchase! That thing is clean. Don't see many of the 06+ wagons around here.

Agree on ditching the 18s. My '05 came withe the 5-spoke 17s from the factory but I found a decent set of those 18ers at the junkyard. They do look great, but after sidewall bulge #3 I decided to ditch them and go back to the 17s. Car rides much better and they're lighter to boot.

Doc pretty much covered everything, but I'd reiterate how much replacing the control arm bushings in the front end restored the handling of mine. I used a Mevotech front end kit from Rockauto that came with all 6 control arms, end links, and tie rod ends. Got rid of the clunks and really tightened things up. And for the 06+ it should be way easier as you don't have that goofy exhaust routing blocking the passenger side lower control arm bolt.

Your timing cover is probably leaking, and really isn't worth the trouble to replace the gasket unless it gets really bad. I did mine right after purchasing the car, it was a giant pain in the rear, and started dripping again about 6 months later. 🙄

 

[Byakuya]

Congrats on the purchase! Like others are saying, that's a heck of a clean find.

Here's to many years of enjoying the Zoom Zoom!

 

[my2018mazda6]

Howdy all,

After sitting on the fence for a long time, I finally pulled the trigger on a Mazda 6. I'm very impressed with how it drives, it seems like such an upscale car. I was close to buying an 04 and then an 05 in sedan form with the manual trans last year - ended up getting this 06 with the auto so I can disguise it as my partners car I also heard the facelifted model had some tweaks that make the Duratec more reliable.

I'll be watching the oil leaks closely. It's coming up to 150k kilometers, is there anything I should look at doing at this point? I couldn't find info on waterpump interval. I will source some 17" wheels and tires for the winter ride quality. It's a big choppy on the 18s but boy can you throw it into a corner.

Anyway.. have a look!

View attachment 248201
View attachment 248202 View attachment 248203 View attachment 248204

I used to own the same car except with a 2.3L engine. Really nice and robust car. The only thing is the electronics (climate control) was getting funny as it aged. Also, the air-conditioning system kept breaking down and I ran out of money fixing it. Finally sold it but it was a good car mechanically speaking. The one in front was mine.

 

[spareribmuncher]

Wow, thanks for all the kind words and info. Coils and PVC will done shortly. Hopefully trouble free for a whole after that.

@Ignatius Reilly I think the timing cover is indeed leaking as I do get a faint whiff of oil now and then. Although the engine hasn't been cleaned since the valve covers were done so small chance its the remaining oil drippings from that. I do enjoy a faint smell of oil, reminds me of the 70s and 80s cars I hooned around in while living in a warmer climate.

It's definitely the cleanest 6 wagon I've seen in Canada. They always seem to have the typical Mazda rear arch rust, this one is basically rust free. I even had a chance to get it on a hoist and poke around. Spent enough time patching rust on an AE86 so wanted to avoid that nightmare as much as possible. I'd like to see how many k's my partner and I can clock. 400k would be the dream.

@my2018mazda6 pity the 2.3 didn't come in wagon form in North America. Would be a little nicer on the city fuel economy.