Mazda3i, 2.0 engine, Oil Level Issues - Page 3

I absolutely agree we need more fuel efficient vehicles across the board, I just disagree with the current methodology used to set the limits as it is punitive against American Industry.  Every other country in the world has protectionary measures in to help protect their own financial/industrial interests, except the US.
 
The current increases in fuel prices have already affected buying habits, I sold my 4wd F-150 Crew cab for this Mazda3.  The main reason I sold it was the cost to drive it.  I bought that truck because I needed a tow vehicle, when my need for a tow vehicle ceased, I was able to go to a cheaper, more fuel efficient vehicle.  Once I have the build-up done on my off-road truck (which BTW gets roughly 6 mpg), I'll be purchasing another truck to use as a tow vehicle.
 
FYI....Gas 10 years ago was $1.50/gallon, at 2.5% inflation (much higher than the 1.5% that has been typical in the last decade), you still don't break $2.00/gallon.  Hell, gas varies $0.50/gallon just between summer and winter.  I believe the National average is up $0.32.gallon in the last month alone.  If YOUR desire is to virtually eliminate SUV/trucks from the road, it would have to approach $5/gallon.  The problem with that is the ripple effect it has on the economy as now all fuel prices have risen, so the cost to transport goods around the country goes up, and so on, and so on.
 
I personally still think we have gas pretty cheap.  I travel internationally quite often and we've got it pretty good here.
 
We are developing new powertrains that do reduce our dependence on ME oil, ever heard of E85?  Ford is a leader in having E85 compatible vehicles across almost it's entire product range.  We also offer the Escape Hybrid for those that like that technology.
 
Trucks burn fuel just as cleanly as any car does, they are held to the same tail-pipe emissions requirements.  Again, E85 vehicles help with this.

quote:

ORIGINAL: sstlaure

I absolutely agree we need more fuel efficient vehicles across the board, I just disagree with the current methodology used to set the limits as it is punitive against American Industry.  Every other country in the world has protectionary measures in to help protect their own financial/industrial interests, except the US.

The current increases in fuel prices have already affected buying habits, I sold my 4wd F-150 Crew cab for this Mazda3.  The main reason I sold it was the cost to drive it.  I bought that truck because I needed a tow vehicle, when my need for a tow vehicle ceased, I was able to go to a cheaper, more fuel efficient vehicle.  Once I have the build-up done on my off-road truck (which BTW gets roughly 6 mpg), I'll be purchasing another truck to use as a tow vehicle.

FYI....Gas 10 years ago was $1.50/gallon, at 2.5% inflation (much higher than the 1.5% that has been typical in the last decade), you still don't break $2.00/gallon.  Hell, gas varies $0.50/gallon just between summer and winter.  I believe the National average is up $0.32.gallon in the last month alone.  If YOUR desire is to virtually eliminate SUV/trucks from the road, it would have to approach $5/gallon.  The problem with that is the ripple effect it has on the economy as now all fuel prices have risen, so the cost to transport goods around the country goes up, and so on, and so on.

I personally still think we have gas pretty cheap.  I travel internationally quite often and we've got it pretty good here.

We are developing new powertrains that do reduce our dependence on ME oil, ever heard of E85?  Ford is a leader in having E85 compatible vehicles across almost it's entire product range.  We also offer the Escape Hybrid for those that like that technology.

Trucks burn fuel just as cleanly as any car does, they are held to the same tail-pipe emissions requirements.  Again, E85 vehicles help with this.

 
Punitive against Amercan industry?  The CAFE fuel efficiency standard for cars has not changed since 1990.  For light trucks, it has gone up a whole 2 MPG  between 1992 and 2007. 
 
I didn't hear Ford complaining about how punitive the CAFE rules were in 1998 when they made a profit of over $22 billion, and a profit of over $7 billion in 1999.  Gasoline was incredibly cheap in the late 90s, and Ford's guzzlers were all the rage.
 
It's only in the last few years, with consumers finally tempering their desire for gas sucking full size trucks and SUVs, that the rules (according to you) are suddenly punitive and unfair.  CAFE has nothing to do with it. 
 
Ford was moronic to not address their competitive issues in the compact car market - which have existed for 10+ years - and now it is paying the price.  
 
Go to Edmunds.  The Mazda3 is rated a 9.3 by consumers, and an Editor's Most Wanted.  Honda Civic is rated 9.4 by consumers, and an Editor's Most Wanted.  Toyota Corolla is rated 9.0 by consumers.  The Hyundai Elantra is rated 9.4 by consumers.  The Ford Focus is rated 8.7 by consumers.  CAFE caused this to happen?   

As I stated above, CAFE is but one part of the problem, but it is part of the problem.  We have been complaining above CAFE regulations since it's inception.  It's intent was to reduce American dependence on foreign oil, and it has failed miserably in that regard.

Feel free to base your arguement on but one point.  The issues of health care costs, American assembly labor and retirees on the books still exist and contribute a huge portion of the discrepancy in the profit per vehicle.

Feel free to pick and choose the good and the bad vehicles...In Consumer Reports the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr all got recommended buys while the Yaris (designed and manufactured in Japan by Toyota) got a Most Disappointing of 2007 rating....See....I can do it too. 
 
"The Yaris offers excellent fuel economy and reliability. But the good news ends there. Emergency handling is sloppy, there’s a lot of noise, the driving position is uncomfortable, and stops are very long without the optional (but hard to find) antilock brakes."
 
In other words, reliable, but still feels like a piece of crap.
 
Bottom line is that there USED TO BE a large discrepancy between the quality of American and Japanese vehicles, the vehicles are much more competitive on a quality basis with each other, but the basic cost structures that each company has to deal with sets the profit level.

Do you realize that Toyota could very easily cut $3,000 from each vehicle they sell and still make a healthy profit because:

1) They manufacture a large % of their products in low cost countries thus reducing manufacturing costs
2) They don't have to provide health benefits to their workers
3) They don't have a retirement population to deal with? 

Wouldn't that be nice for the American consumer?  They don't pass this savings on to the customer to bolster their profits, a big reason why they can post a $12 Billion dollar profit.  I like how in this country we think that only the American companies are out to make a profit.  Every company from every country must make profit to be successful.

Let me ask you this?  Do you have any problems with the current trade deficit?  Do you think it's right that Japan can export as many of their vehicles that they want into this country without any kind of levies/penalties, when that is exactly what happens to American products shipped to Japan?  Did you know that the Japanese companies typically do not do very well financially in Japan because they don't have the competitive advantages in that market that they do in the US and elsewhere?

Feel free to make this a simple arguement (Japan good company, American bad company) in your mind, but realize that the reasoning behind the problems are complex and not so easily eliminated. 

For example:

Typical of the Big3, there are approximately 3 retirees for every single person working, For the Japanese, it's roughly 1:1.  Should those people die or should we drop those people from the Pension roles?  That's the only way to get rid of that expense.

Big3 have wide ranging Health Care benefits, while employees overseas are covered by government provided health care.  We don't have this kind of health care in the US, should the Big3 just drop the health care coverage for all of it's employees?  That's the only way to get out from under those costs.  This whole drug crazed culture of ours has caused health care costs to skyrocket, with the direct result being America companies (not just automotive) struggling to keep up with the rising costs.  (and reducing benefits in order try to stay cost competitive.)  If our competitors don't have to carry the costs of these programs, how do we make up the approximately $1500/vehicle penalty that these programs cost us?

quote:

ORIGINAL: UrbanmanUSA

I drove the Ford Focus, which is built on the same frame as the Mazda 3, and has the same engine.  Despite the "major guts" being the same, the Focus doesn't hold a candle to the Mazda 3.  The handling of the M3 is vastly superior, with the same engine somehow the M3 has much better punch, and the interior and style of the M3 is 10 years ahead of the Focus.  I'm all about saving $, I could have acquired a Focus for several $K less than the M3, but I didn't want to accept a lesser vehicle.

 
Did you know that the European Focus share the same chassis with the U.S. Mazda 3?  The U.S. Focus wouldn't sell in Europe because of its cheaper lower performance design.
 
From what I have read, the Mazda 3 chassis was actually designed by Volvo and is either the same or nearly the same as the Volvo S40 and is the same as the European Focus.
 
I don't know about the engine situation, but this would explain the difference that you noted.

Japan MUST limit the amount of U.S. cars imported in Japan for two reasons:
 
(1) They will run out of space due to all of the large U.S. gas guzzling autos.
 
(2) They don't have the auto repair infrastructure in place to keep them running and don't have the space for wreck yards that would be required.
 

quote:

ORIGINAL: sstlaure

Hey blackdiamond, seeing as how you're willing to sling some mud, do you have any comments about the reasons above for the very different business situations between US/Japanese mfg?  It's been widely reported in every form of press about the $3-4,000 advantage the Japanese have over the US auto industry due to the above reasons.

It's real easy to strictly look at the very different profits between the companies and to state that it's simply because the company is being run wrong....It's another thing altogether to look at the business realities of the industry and to make recommendations as to how the players within the industry can be treated fairly.

If things don't change in this country with regards to how people view their purchases, the American auto industry will go the way of the American electronics industry.  Just look at the record trade deficits to see how skewed things are with regards to products being manufactured outside of this country simply because it is cheaper.  Our products are heavily tariffed anywhere we export products to prevent us from getting a foothold in those markets, yet we don't impose any kind of tariffs on imports.  The currently policies with regards to trade are essentially anti-US manufacturing in their result.

 
I hadn't read this until now...
 
I would agree that the Big Three are not on a level playing field with Toyota, but I am personally dealing with how we Americans are trying to adopt Toyota business principles and going down in flames because we do it all backwards.  The only reason that I purchase Toyota products is because I can count on them to be reliable.  If and when I get that feeling with a domestic car I will happily purchase one of those.  To be honest, I would pay $3-4,000 for a Japan manufactured and assembled Toyota that I would for a Big Three "equivalent."  When I purchase my Mazdaspeed 3 I looked at Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mazda.  It never even crossed my mind to look anywhere else except maybe...Suzuki, Kia or Hyundi (did I spell that right?).  Toyota is playing on a more level playing field with it's U.S. plants and considering many of the domestic cars are from Canada and Mexico it might not be quite as unlevel as it appears.
 
I'm not going to "fight" about this anymore, we all have to make our own choices and live with the results. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: blackdiamond

Japan MUST limit the amount of U.S. cars imported in Japan for two reasons:

(1) They will run out of space due to all of the large U.S. gas guzzling autos.

(2) They don't have the auto repair infrastructure in place to keep them running and don't have the space for wreck yards that would be required.

 
Japan exports all of their older cars into other markets (SE Asia, South America, etc.)  They enforce this with very strict exhaust emissions requirements that basically force people to get new vehicles every 4/5 years as their cars can no longer be made to pass. 
 
What they don't export, they crush and recycle, just like here.
 
US Focus is not the same chassis as the 3, you are correct, the European Focus shares that chassis.  It has been looked at to being the Euro Focus to the US, but the vehicle wouldn't be cost competitive in it's market segment.

i think this is a rediculously long thread over bulls--t. why are we talking about dipsticks for such a long time. there could have been so much more done in the time that all of us hacked away at our keyboards and strained our eyes against a harmful, back-lit monitor. i am just as guilty and i will leave knowing that there went 20 minutes that i will never get back.

Started as dipsticks....morphed into something else.
 
Did you learn anything?

the whole engine and car is ford.  doing an oil and filter change usually requires about 4.2L of oil

Yeah, I finally decided to dump my age old technique of just checking the oil before I drive it and switch to the "pull/wipe/re-dip" technique they use at service stations. 
 
Still have no idea where the extra oil comes from on the second pull, but by now, all I give a rat's ass about is getting a good reading so the engine doesn't get trashed by over filling or oil starvation in a turn.