since my car already have 35000miles on it, maybe it's time for clean up change brake pads?
any progress with dealers guys?
My dealer sucks too, they don't know sh_t!
all they ask me for was just time and money. bastard!!!
anyway let me know if you guys fixed these problem
Otherwise maybe it's rust ?

 

A little off-topic, I suppose, but....

I have virtually the same mileage as you, Bijou - and I plan to change my pads very soon. I don't have any unusual noises, but I do have a slight vibration when braking at highway speeds. Plus, I'm about to change my wheels - so while they're off, I'm gonna have my rotors re-surfaced and change pads, even if they still have some meat on them. I'd rather do it now than have to deal with it in the dead of winter.

I've heard a WIDE range of how long people's pads have lasted. I'm about average when it comes to being "hard" on my brakes. I'll let you know how worn my pads are when I change them if you're interested - should be within the next two weeks or so.

~HH

 

The shop called me and told me that they found that the noise comes from the rear rotors. They will do something to them today. I'll let you know when I know more. But it is not a 'normal' sound and it's definetly not rust.

 

i've started a thread about this problem before... about a faint squeaking sound every time the wheel makes a rotation or so, sound coming from back rear.....

http://www.protegeclub.com/forum/sho...threadid=13289

I'm not sure if its rust or not cause in LA its pretty dry and mild climate..... ususally happens after the car has been sitting around for a few hours.... does not have to be overnight....

took it to the dealer some time ago and they said they lubricated some blushing or whatever,..... (it seems like everytime I goto the dealer to get something fixed they always say they lub the blushing )

the noise is still here.... haven't really thought about it anymore... its been a year since I've noticed this noise.

anyways keep us posted on what your dealer has to say

 

Well like I said, the dealer told me that the rotors were defective (not sure what that means) and they had to sand them down. They also reprogrammed this ecu (i think) card, which they say causes the famous start up vibration (I did'nt even complain to them about it since I thought it was normal).

Tommorow I'll pick up the car and see if there are any improvements (I've always been skeptical about mechanics and doctors). I'll let you guys know if they were able to fix the problem.

 

Uhhhh...what? Either your dealer is totally bullshitting you, or Mazda came up with a fix for the VTCS rattle.

But - according to everything I've ever read about our cars - including tons of posts here - our ECUs are NOT reprogrammable.

Specifics on this would be GREATLY appreciated - try to get your dealer to explicitly explain exactly what they did - this could be very important to the Protege 2.0L community.

~HH

 

My rear right rotor was a little warped (hence the squeaky noise), the cause was 'manufacturing defect'. So people don't just assume that it's rust.

The dealer told me (remember this is in Toronto, if it makes any diffference) that the 2003 p5 did not have the rattle. So they reprogrammed the "computer". Now I don't know if this is BS or not but I never even complained about that rattle, he did this out of his own initiative.

When I get home I can write down the work order if you want. That is a bit more descriptive.

In any case the car did not rattle today. I can always try it out and if it does indeed seem to be fixed, then I'll let you know.

By the way, does anyone with a 2003 P5 have the rattle?

 

Hi, Bozi.
so you are saying they reprogrammed computerto 2003.
And did they fixed your noise ? please can you give work order, so i could go to my dealer and complain and fix stuff. ^^
Thank you bozi.!!!

 

Well it seems as if (for now anyways) that the annoying strat up ratttle is fixed. Here is what they did:


For the noise comming from the wheels:

- Noise was detected on rear right rotor.
- The rotor was resurfaced to correct the problem.

For cold start up rattle:

- Traced to internal problem in PCM
- Reprogrammed PCM to correct cold start up rattle



This is all that they wrote down I hope it helps.
If you have a problem with the rotor (or at least you tell them that the noise comes from there) they should be able to detect it by simply hoisting your car up and spinning the wheel. This should make a slight noise.
As to what PCM is I can only guess that it stands for Personal (or somthing) Computer Module

 

Thank you bozi, i'm gonna call for service arrangement with dealer.
but just wondering, is rotor in part of warranty?

 

The engine rattle is a known issue, and is related to the VTCS (variable tumble control system), which has plates inside the engine to stir up the air/fuel mixture differently during engine warm-up. This system shuts down (computer controlled) when the engine reaches operating temperature. This feature lowers emissions during warm-up (typically when an engine runs at its least efficient, and has the highest emissions) - this system is one feature that allows the P5 to be rated ULEV (ultra-low emissions vehicle) status.

Can I ask you - did you notice the rattle before the fix, or just not care about it? Is it gone? I certainly have it, but also know that it is simply annoying, and is in no way harmful to the engine. This topic has been covered in-depth here, and Mazda has long acknowledged the issue, and was working on a fix. It seems they may have reached a solution.

I was under the impression that the computers in the Pros were not re-programmable. However, it's possible that I am wrong, or that Mazda has released a computer fix and a way to perform it.

Too bad there isn't more info on the work order - but this IS important information! Bozi, you may want to start a new thread (or maybe a mod will do it) about this - until now, I don't think anyone here knew the fix was available - and I'm sure tons of us will head over to the dealer for re-programming.

I plan on going over at like 49,999 miles (hehe) - I hate the local dealer where I bought the car, they know it, and the only other one is about a 40 minute drive away. I will make a list of possible warranty issues once I hit about 45k miles, and will make a trip to get it all done (whatever it may be (fingers crossed) - so far, just the rattle I suppose) at the same time.

Again - bozi, this is important information you have stumbled upon. And - glad to hear your rotor will be taken care of - but a warped rotor will almost always show symptoms, like braking vibration. Did you have any at all? A rear rotor will vibrate the car less than a similarly warped front rotor, but should still be noticeable.

~HH

 

I'm a little late jumping in on this topic, I know....

If the car always makes the noise, regardless of whether or not you are using the brakes, I would suggest looking at the rear brake backing plates. It's possible that one of them is bent and is contacting the brake rotors.

Another possibility is loose or misaligned brake hardware. Brake pads usually have clips or springs attached to them to prevent squealing; it's possible that one of the pieces has come loose and is rubbing against the rotor.

Good luck!

 

On the rotor subject: the dealer told me that they are under warranty for 20 000 kms , I had 18 000, so I was lucky. They said that I had a really slight warp on the rotor that was rubbing agains that there was some contact with the plates (something like that). Anyways, there were no vibrations or noticeable annomalies with the car.

hihoslva,
I'll start a new thread about the rattle and rewrite the work order...

I noticed the rattle from day 1 (or 2) and I did get used to it, but I still notice it, obviously so did the mechanic if he fixed it without me even mentioning it to him. Now, I took the car this morning to work (I'm there now), and this afternoon I went for a 2 minute drive. All I can say is that I did NOT notice the start up rattle, and believe me it's freaking cold today. I will definetly drive again and try to pay more attention.

 

Cool - you saw that I started a thread already about the rattle issue.

Hopefully we'll get some more feedback, people calling dealers, people getting the service done, etc - and see if the fix is really legit - which we all hope it is of course.

Maybe your warped rotor was blessing in disguise - to the rest of us, anyway

~HH

 

hey bozi about your squeaking... does it only happen during the first 5 minutes of your drive (ie when the brakes aren't up to working temp?) or does it happen not matter how long you have drived?

I have the same sound but only during the first few minutes and only when I'm going real slowly. I don't hear it again after everything has warmed up...

was it like this when you heard the sound before?

I want to make sure mine is the same situation as yours before I bring my rotors to have them fixed.

thanks