The switch to synthetic transmission fluid was my choice. So it's not a warranty item. It did'nt nee fluid, and they stated that the transmission was fine, in many more words. My only hope is that this will help my cause. I did'nt know it was going to be that much cash though, for a fluid, but i guess it must be flushed, i dunno what all happens.

 

The snow here in the northeast was a challenge for my speed3. I traveled close to 40 miles on valentine's day when we're hit with snow and sleet. I couldnt go more than 30 mph. What I do is turn off dsc first, get the car moving with 1st gear and quickly shift to 2nd then 3rd to minimize wheelspin. This car really needs snow tires in the winter, I' ratherput upwith 3 mo. of winter (and not everyday will have snow) than to have a caw with all wheels on all the time even when u dont need em.

 

of course I turn on the dsc when after I shift to 2nd gear. It makes the car drive straight with not much correction on my part. The ebd on this car is wonderful too. I slid when I applied the brakes to hard and the car slid straight. Didnt even turn it's tail.

 

So, what happens if you don't turn off the DSC when starting off on snow or ice?

 

My baby S3 will NEVER see snow or ice.

 

All I gotta say is you're an idiot....you'll be eating these when youslide through an intersection and get t-boned by some unsuspecting passer by. I almost did it the first day I had my speed3...bought my snow tires from tire rack the same day and had them on the car the next. HUGE DIFFERENCE...

It's truly dangerous to be driving on these tireson any amount of snow/ice. For you to think thatyou can "put upwith 3 mo. of winter" is pretty stupid.You'll figure that out for yourself though I guess...

 

Oh and one more thing...about DSC...it'll keep you out of trouble more times than not, but it relies on your tires' capability...in the snow youretires' capability is pretty poor...DSC can only help so much, and if you go beyond that I guarantee physics will win...

 

If things go well, I will be picking up my Mazda 3 (5-door) GT tomorrow. I was very tempted to purchase the MS3 at the dealer, but couldn't justify it. I do, however, have a couple of questionsfor you guys:

(1) What kind of gas mileage are you actually getting?

(2) How many miles do you expect to get out of your MS3? I know in general engines with turbo's don't last as long as engines without. I talked to my dad's mechanic today and he said that his unscientific "rule of thumb" for turbos, superchargers and NOS was about 1/2 the engine life and 1/2 the reliability. He attributedsome of it to just being driven harder which is the whole purpose to pay for the power.

(3) Are you using it as your daily driver or is it a 2nd car mostly for fun?

I have put 47,000 miles on my 2004 Tundra that will get traded in so I need something I could rely on for the long haul. Before the Tundra I had a 2000 SS Camaro so when I test drove a Civic SI I wasn't impressed. I didn't get a chance to drive an MS3, but I'm sure they are impressive. Another reason I opted not to purchase was that the nearest SPEED dealer is an hour away and the local dealer isn't authorized to do warranty work.

Sweet Cars!

 

^^^^FYI...The question or statement for #2...I had a 1985 Volvo 240 turbo 285kmi turbo still ran...Turbos usually get around 100k before they die...But it also depends how you drive it...Oh I am averaging 25mpg...On my MS3...

 

I have'nt the energy or time to give a full update on my Speed3's condition, so shortly, it's doing fine, no lights and my MPG is raising up steadily, the issues were really hurting my mileage. I'm happy again.