Can someone help me through the tyre problem minefield?
 

I have trawled through quite a lot of the stickied threads, but I confess not quite all :o

I am seriously considering buying a Mazda 5, and had decided on a 56/07 Furano, or a 58 Sport Nav.

However, tonight I have come across The Tyre Problem, and I must admit Im now feeling a bit apprehensive. I love the look of the Furanos and Sports, but don't like the idea of frequent tyre changes. I am in the UK.

Please can someone help me with the following questions?

1. Is the problem just with the diesels, or the petrols as well? I would prefer a diesel, but would consider petrol if it's less of a problem on those.

2. Do the 58 reg sports suffer from the problem? As badly as the pre-facelefted models?

3. Are the TS2s problem-free?

I really had my heart set on a Furano or Sport, but I'm worrying about what I've read tonight....

Any help would be much appreciated. :)

My personal experience is this.

I have a 2008 (08) 2.0D Sport Nav., bought new in April 2008. The standard tyres lasted about 22000 miles and were still legal when I changed them but they were getting close to their wear limits on the inner edges. I had swapped the wheels around at 9000 miles and again at 18000. The second set of tyres lasted about 25000 miles and were replaced with about 3mm left as one was trashed after a puncture. They were wearing on the inside edges but not as badly as the original Dunlops. These were Bridgestone Potenza RE050A XL. Third set of tyres are wearing evenly after a further 5000 miles. I run the tyres at 36psi.

Other things which have been done are:
Turbo replaced under warranty (very strange fault as the stability control light came on twice at the same time as a momentary lack of power. The dealer diagnosed a turbo fault. I was skeptical, but have been proved wrong as the fault never reoccurred).
Rear shock absorber replaced under warranty at around 14000 miles.
Both rear shock absorbers and rear anti roll bar drop links replaced by me just out of warranty. The parts cost me about £120 trade and took an hour to replace.

Overall I'm pleased with the car. It does around 43mpg and is reasonably fun to drive. You do need to watch the oil level, as it creeps up the dipstick over time due to the regeneration of the DPF. This isn't a problem but it's something you do need to do once in a while. If you only do short town driving then I would suggest you get a petrol as the DPF will not regenerate. If you do the odd faster run (20mins over 2000rpm) then a diesel will be fine.

As far as I'm aware the tyre wear problem effects cars with 17" wheels. I'd suggest avoiding a car with 4 brand new tyres on it as that could suggest a problem. If it has a set of half worn tyres that are wearing evenly then all should be well. The problem can be fixed by fitting adjustable suspension arms and having the alignment done but of course that will be expensive.

Thank you Nick. I am coming to the conclusion that the Mazda 5 is not for me. I love the sports styling, and I like how it drives. But I am coming this from a very smooth and reliable Audi A3, and I don't think I'm up for the level of vigilance that seems to be needed to keep these cars safe. I have trawled a bit more through the mighty sticky thread above, and it seems to be a real problem... I think I might have to look around for something else. I really wanted a furano, and I don't think I TS2 will quite do it for me, having been set on the sports version.... :(

I wouldn't give up on the 5. It's really a very good car and could be well worth having a look round for a good one. I suspect the tyre wear problem is less common than you think, especially on the later facelift cars. The problem with forums is that generally people tend to post about problems they've had. Check out VW/Audi forums and you'll find similar horror stories. I repair cars for a living and Mazda are towards the top for reliability, certainly above all the European makes. Good luck.