Hello; I looked up Audacity this morning. I also found a couple of tutorials which I plan to check out before I try to download. Thanks for the tip about 320 kbps. I do not recall the settings I have been using.

A truth is I did not give USB specs much thought at all until this USB -C showed up. I do not understand the "why" behind the new C. What came to mind is the battle between VHS & Beta some decades ago. Knew a fellow who invested in the losing tape type.

Thanks for the information. I get that I am an anomaly. I pulled out my two thumb drives last week to test if my music would play. When it did not the salesman got out his phone and linked it to the car. He asked me to name some songs which played thru his phone. I could tell it was an everyday thing to him. I just do not want a smart phone. Back some years ago I had a decent phone, but it was 3G. The carrier told me to get a 5 G phone so I picked up the cheapest TracFone I could find. A basic flip type.

 

There is no more effort than if it were factory mounted in the dash. It is by comparison safer than using your cell phone when you are driving.
Unless you personally did this setup installing a simple one cable CD player and install in a glove box. The whole installation and conversion take a big 30 minutes or less. Requires NO experience. PLUG-n-Play .
Not everyone wants to do things your way of music downloading top play it in their vehicle and while it has been suggested the OP did state what he is asking would like to ultimately do?

 

I went with VHS back in that time period but I also went with RCA Video Select vison as well. For the sound reproduction and picture quality nothing was close at the time.

 

Hello; I do follow your comments. I guess the situation as you describe it is one of the issues which lurks in the back of my mind when i sit in a new vehicle. I was talking to a shop owner a couple of years ago. He told me how much he spends each year to get data upgrades for his shop scan tools.
Your post helped clear away some of the fog as to why all the tech in new cars appears as a negative to me. I suppose to some these new features seem a good thing. No so for me i have an instinctive dislike.

Not on topic but I wonder about folks with a seven-year car loan for a car with a three-year warranty.

 

here is the thing we chatted about in a Plane forum. A Cessna 150 is easier to learn to fly and understand all the onboard electronic then any average vehicles offered today. In fact if there were a test given before you could drive a Mazda from about 2019 to present most people would fail the test. mostly because they don't even spend the time to read the complete owners manual.
If you stick around this or other Mazda forums your will see every week someone asking how something works on their Mazda that is in their owners manual. LOL
I guess my point is if people were honest most vehicles are to complicated for them and in such that makes them or many a hazard on the road to themselves and others.

One example of many things I update each year I spend about 800 each year just for the updates on my Snap-on Solus updates and ad on accessories

 

Hello; When i get a new vehicle I sit down and read the entire owners manual soonest. In fact I did ask for the owners manual last Saturday and was skimming thru it when the salesman came over and told me my offer was rejected. I then stopped reading preparing to leave.
I asked if the black wheels could be switched with a set of silver as he had told me they were the same wheel just painted black. There was a Mazda 3 in white with the silver wheels that looked very much better. I was told no.

On my way home the basic cell phone rang but i do not answer when driving. When i stopped it was the salesman saying they would take my offer. by then I was no longer skyed up and was still disappointed about the music and wheels. I was already across town and just did not want to play anymore. Him saying it was a one-time offer only which aggravated me. I get such is a tactic but just went home. I am still not happy about the WMA glitch but now see a less onerous way to solve that issue. I have a job to get to a stopping point at my house and may check back in a day or so if they still have the car.

Thanks again. I like this place so far.

 

Hello; I have come to accept that the Mazda will not play WMA and now understand my options. I have another question not directly related to Mazda.

I use windows media player to rip & burn CDs with my laptop. It is an older computer with Windows 10. I am informed the computer is not suitable to use Windows 11. I no longer get updates.
The new issue is Media Player no longer finds the information when I put a CD in the DVD drive. The CD plays as before and can be ripped as before. I now have to type in the name of the album, the name of the artist and the name of each song. Would appear I will be needing to get a new computer with Windows 11 to get the automatic information finder portion back.

Anyone have thoughts and merry Christmas.

 

Hello; Did some searches. Seems not finding CD & song information is become a somewhat common problem. Was suggested those of us with the issue report it and maybe Microsoft will do a patch. I suspect my 10 computer is out of luck. A support package can be purchased for 10. Likely I will get a new computer andtry 11.

 

Hello; Did some more research. Turns out windows 11 will not solve the media player problem. using some sort of logic media player also will not find and supply names of songs, names of CD's nor album pictures as was common in the recent past. They decided not enough folks use CD's anymore. The article did say Apple computers still do so. I have never owned and seldom have used an Apple.

Other news. May have found a dealer willing to sell me a 2026 Mazda 3 with a manual at my desired price and color, white. I will have to drive about 114 miles. Plan is to go Wednesday.

A question. At the previous dealer the salesman out of the blue made a point of saying I could use 5-w-30 oil if i want. Any idea why such was said?

 

Because you can…….

this oil subject is really getting old.

first I tried to have members look at how to select a viscosity…..and those that really don’t understand the concept run to the internet for debate material..
then some suggest that Mazda has stated , and again it all goes back to where the end vehicles are sold and the basic viscosity charts.

So here is some info nerds, owners, DIY and members don’t really want to learn about. The engine parts on a Skyactiv engine that oil has an effluence are nothing special. The oil control rings nothing really new or special material or some new concept, the valve guides , nope , the valve seals again nope , the oil pump nope nope nope. Having taken several apart to pull back the curtain and mystery I only found just another average engine . In as far as oil effect on it . . The magic is in the ECU programing and the cams and yup u guessed it the viscosity has little to nothing to give except for the estimated mpg if you use the 0w20. But for overall best engine protection in most all operating climates 5w30 is universally a better choice. Who cares if you loose up to an about 1/3rd drop in mpg over all and you emission may ever so slightly be higher but still well within the values that EPA required and your engine will run better overall.

Now if there is another member that has torn down a Skyactiv engine and found something to the contrary please I like to rear about it. Or did some ECU Data logging and compared PID operation using different oil viscosity please tell me what they were and the operational perimeters the ECU adjust engine operations? Cuzzzz I can’t see them when I specifically looked.