Just joined! Been looking at this car for 3 years and finally purchased one.

STICK SHIFT!!! Still trying to wrap my head around manual, so any and all tips are welcome!

Edit: Just reached my first 100 miles in the car! My commute is 25mi there and back, so this car will definitely pick up some miles quick‼️

How bad is it :(

I bought a 2025 Premium Plus Mazda 3 turbo in April of 2025. I traded in my 2016 Golf R toward it, and as much as I love this car, it took some work to get it to perform close to what I had gotten used to. I added wider wheels as well as 245/18 tires (put snows on the OEM wheels), sway bars, and a JB4 tuner. The one change I made (that I love but don't dare use this winter) was a set of Corksport "Not-So-Low" lowering springs - see photo.

I made an appointment for a bunch of routine maintenance stuff, and against what my heart says, I followed my head and had my mechanic swap the old springs back in. The Corksport springs are a definite improvement over the original springs from a handling perspective, but I am nearly certain the OEM lower lip will not make it through a Vermont winter. I had the springs installed last May and loved the car all summer. But I can't keep them. They need to be on a car that doesn't deal with the roads and snow that we get up here. If there is no better suggestion for a used parts forum from anyone here I'll put them on ebay, but figured I'd ask here first. Is there a site where idiots like me realize their mistakes and try to sell nearly new parts they should not have bought in the first place?

With CS Not-So-Low springs

This is my beautiful, green mazda 3 sedan. This model doesn't get enough appreciation. In my opinion it is one of the nicest looking sedans on the market, you just need to give it a little love.

ps - not visually done with my car yet, if requested, I will update about how it looks in the future

#Mazda3SedanAppreciation

Hello all

I have messed up. I have a 2015 mazda 3 sedan mk3, they are cloth seats with no heated seats or power seats. I realised that the 2015 model has the wiring for it in the car. So I decided to buy a set of leather ones.

Here is where I messed up. I picked up a set of nearly perfect leather seats. They are really nice black leather with black stitching, they even came with the higher trim door cards too to match. But little did i know that the 2017 had a facelift. Now I am stuck with these seats, I spoke to one of my mates who is a mechanic and he said he can just wire them in as the cables are all there. He is a mechanic and has done this before with a golf but there was a lot more out there about the pinout for it.

Where I am stuck is the pinout, I have tried to find anything online but no luck. Please if anyone knows which wire is which that would be a god send.

The day started off with my tank showing full as it should. Next time I looked it said I used 1/4. To myself I said "hmmm?". Went about my day. Them on way home just happened to look at it and my gas light was on, needle just above completely empty. Thinking I had leak I pulled into the next gas station and put some gas in and checked for leaks. Nothing. And the needle did not move. Now it does nothing.

Before I start tearing things apart, any ideas? Anyone seen this?

I’m looking for advice on purchasing a used Mazda3. My son is a college student and we’ve been searching for a good first car for him and I discovered the Mazda3 as a great option (now I want one!) I think buying one with less than a 100K miles is a good idea to avoid some maintenance issues. I also think only buying with SkyActiv engine is good for the mpg. I’ve been looking on FB marketplace, CarGurus, Autotrader and Craigslist and anything with less than 100k is listed at $9,500+ or has a salvaged title, even for 2013s or 2014s. I live in the SF Bay Area so is it just the inflated reality of the area? Any helpful advice would be much appreciated!

Took this during replacement of valve cover gasket, trying to solve Misfire in cylinder 3. Overall it doesn’t look bad except that oil leak to the cylinder 3, right? (Or I am too optimistic?)
Mazda 3 (2013), SkyActiv, 2.0L, hatchback, 151k miles.

Not ready (and can’t afford haha) to say “goodbye”.

Changed gasket already, spark plugs, ignition coil #3, cleaned MAF, replaced air filter. Praying for bad wire rather than something worse.

I bought a brand new in 2013. The only issues I ever experienced with it abs module, and overheating issues with the hoses and now I am experiencing some sun damaged paint I only put on it 150,000 km

Someone backed into my 2012 Mazda3; I’m getting a settlement check from his insurance company. While I’m awaiting its arrival, I’m weighing my options for repair.

Ostensibly, this entails replacement of the front bumper cover. The first body shop quoted $1,600; second, $1,800; third, just under $1,000 (none of the others’ b/s additions and parts markups included).

According to videos on YouTube, if I were to order the part myself, the replacement routine would be simple enough for me to complete in about a half hour.
I’ve found replacement parts (primed AND painted) online for between $300-$400. Would anyone be able to recommend the best/chespest online source, from experience? (Yes, I know about scrapyards, too.)

Alternately: could this damage be passably patched and painted, and with what supplies?

I’m not into my car’s cosmetics as much as its mechanics, but I’d like to deal with his blemish somehow.

Hey guys my grill on my car looks super faded almost gray. What do you guys recommend? Painting it or swapping it out?

Is it easy to replace for those who have done it?

Just looking to see what size I need. 2.5 NA 2021

I am looking to pull the trigger on a lighty used 25 M3 hatch 6 speed manual. However i am worried about getting crap fuel economy as my afternoon commute right now is freeway but stop n go traffic, i am also considering a civic hybrid but really love driving this little hatch.

I bought a brand new in 2013. The only issues I ever experienced with it radius, module, and overheating issues with the hoses and now I am experiencing some damaged paint I only put on it 150,000 km

Any time the topic of start/stop came up irl it was always how bad it is and how it feels. Even people with newer cars. But I have to say on my 2026 Mazda 3 I'm quite happy with it, despite it being the 1st car with the feature I drove.

I don't feel it lagging on stop lights and I've picked up on exactly when the engine will turn back on. Which I gathered is the most common one, with battery health being a second but with the hybrid battery powering it I feel like it's probably fine for the actual battery(?).

Is start/stop really that bad nowadays as it was before? And if so, why?

So I have been having a reoccurring issues with my Mazda 3 from end of 2019 (early gen 4). It lights up b1b40 and b1b42 (front two left parking sensors). The sensors work fine and error shows up after starting in both ACC and when cranking. The mechanic has measures and updates the parking module (twice..) and recently the battery was showing very high current so he changed the battery. This did not help,it threw the code again after half an hour after a short stop at a shop and restarting it (code does not appear while driving). When I came home I noticed a bit of soot residue all around the slot in the hood. I'm worried the alternator might overcharge the system? The dealer (who is supposed to pay this under warranty) suggest it is the side mirror which took a hot a couple of months before the error occurred, in which case the tep would be on me. I'm just checking if someone experienced these issues with the parking sensors fault reoccurring. Previously it had the TCU changed, which I suspect could also have been fried by the alternator system.

Am I crazy here? Is it the side mirror? All functions work on the mirror (adjust and heat). Could it be the alternator overcharging the system?

Im a newly qualified driver in London (UK) and my Mazda3 is getting delivered on Friday (2020 GT Sport Skyactiv-G 2L).

Traffic is quite heavy here. When I test-drove it it was mainly on 40-60mph roads due to the location. I remember loving how stable it felt on roundabouts and bends (way better than the Yaris I learned in). I didnt really get to experience London-style stop-and-go traffic in it though.

Does the fake hybrid thing actually make it take off and creep forward more seamlessly than a regular pure petrol engine?

I just got hit by a car on the rear side of my mazda 3 and the towing truck loaded the vehicle without depressing the brake pedal so one of the back wheels was stocked, i had to change the Break Actuator that costed me like $260, just had to replace that and the brake pedal button worked normal again.

my sticker car with new shoes

I’ve been trying to find a used bumper cover replacement for my Metallic Grey /46G 2017 Mazda 3 and am tired of searching.

I bought it used, and the bumper’s always been popping out at the sides and all the tabs at the sides are broken so a shop won’t repair it.

Since:
1. I can’t afford a new one that’s painted to match, especially because of the color being relatively complex.
2. I’ve had absolutely no luck online or looking at junkyards within an hour and a half of Austin and Dallas or eBay / Facebook, even though I’m using multiple parts finder websites.
… I’ve sort of given up, but I figured I’d ask if there’s a chance of alternative sources to keep an eye out for.