So I recently bought a 6s Hatch V6 5 speed with about 44K on it. Just wanted to get peoples thoughts about the car, and maybe about some issues or problems I might need to be prepared for in the future. So far I love the car but just want to be realistic. Thanks guys.

 

Main thing I can say, is to stay on top of the PCV valve changes. The 03-04 V6 engines have been known to go South due to faulty PCV valves. Besides that, great cars. I love mine.

 

Yea I think thats something I needed to work on in my old 626. Not too bad from what I remember.

 

Is that just something you get checked regularly? to see if its dirty or whatnot?

 

How many miles for change PCV value? Is it due on first 30,000 miles or 60,000 miles?

 

Im also new to the mazda 6 and mine is also and 04 V6 5 speed(Drk grey). I love the way it drives but have discovered four big things to watch out for/be aware of:

1. There are recalled Throttle bodies,# VP3M4U that can be defective and seriously effect the engine. Mine has this TB, but so far, no issues with it (crossed fingered)

2. The manual transmissions has terrible syncronicity, especially in 1st and 2nd gears. Changing the factoy oil in the tranny to Neo 75/90 HD seems to be a great fix for this.(Im about ready to do this mod)

3. The manual clutch system on these cars is DEFECTIVE and a BAD design from theget go. There are untold pages of owners with clutch failures and terrible performance. My car shudders a little in the lower gears and you have to baby the clutch/pad it, to get smooth shifts in the 1-3 gears. This works, but will lead to premature pad failure for sure. read up on "clutch issues with Mazda 6" on Google and see what pops up!

4. Tires. The factory suspension settings for camber/toe,etc must be extreme becouse it eats the front tires off, escpecially the otter edges. Ive just had mine rotated and the outer edges of the fronts are shot and the tires look great in the center tread. Not sure what to do about this


After reading up on these faluts, I can see that Mazda wont stand behind thier products unless held at the point of a lawsuit. Only a few owners posts mentioned 'great service' and that these problems were ever really fixed. So, you have to hope that your 6 will be the excetion and not the rule on this stuff.
Im hoping my car will eek through with no major prblems with the throttle body and clutch, but I think the clutch will have to be replaced soon as I cant keep ridign it. The cost os a new clutch from Mazda is outrageous.
Im looking now at repacing the EOM gear oil with NEO 75/90 HD to help with shifting quality and looking at aftermarket clutch systems, like Greddy, for this car. Hopfully, I can fix the clutch one time with that and be good to go for a long time
I love the look, drivability and mileage of this car (20/30)and it has tons of room without looking like a big clunky sedan. It handle as good as any car its size Ive driven. The sound system is good and it turns heads. Now, if I can just decide if I want to hassle with these issues or get rid of the car. Tough choice as Ive only had it 2 months. My previous car was a 02 VW Jetta VR6 and I has ZERO issues with it. Im wondering now if I made a mistake buying american again after so many years of German cars..sheesh. Godd luck with yours...hope yours is also an exception to the rule.......

 

Yea so far so good, I might end up getting the warranty for it but I dont know. Its only had one owner who seemed to baby it so hopefully he already took care of any recalls that applied to this specific one. My old 626 had its issues too, but nothing too major, so im hoping this car will atleast be better than that one. I do love the car, the interior is great, I love how it looks and feels, and the transmission feels solid so far. So we will see.