Mazdaspeed 3
September 24, 2009 / Thursday
Caltrans Strikes Again
In January 2008, my GTI hit a really nasty pothole on a 680 onramp. It busted the sidewall, bent my wheel, and cost me about $300 to fix. I filed a damage claim with Caltrans and was denied. They said they had no record of any problems on that stretch of road. Well then who filled the pothole? (It was freshly filled; I checked.) Asphalt fairies?
Last Sunday, my Mazdaspeed 3 sustained similar damage, also on a 680 onramp. Caltrans had been doing some sort of work on the Durham Rd. 680S onramp, and left a low-to-high pavement transition shaped more like a curb than a ramp. The lip stretched across the left half of the lane; there was no avoiding it. The front tire hit it with the most loud and jarring BAM! since, well, the GTI hit that pothole.
When I got home, I looked at the tire. As I'd feared, there was a bubble in the sidewall.
The next day, I set about getting a replacement for that tire. Since the rest of the tires were relatively new, I wanted to replace the damaged one with the same model. Guess what? Stock Mazdaspeed 3 tires retail at well over $300. That's not counting tax and labor.
Fortunately, one of Aaron's friends was able to give me a deal. I got the tire replaced for ~$220.
Unfortunately, we discovered at the shop that the wheel is bent. It's not as distinct as it was on the GTI, but the wheel is bent enough overall that you can see an unfixable wobble on the wheel balancer.
I called Mazda to see how much a new wheel would cost. $573.64, not including tax, shipping, and labor. o_O
So now my less than a year old car has a bent wheel. I want to replace it, but what's to say that Caltrans won't once again deny there was a problem with their road? I don't want to end up paying almost $1000 to fix this.
Argh.
10:28 PM | Mazdaspeed 3| Comments (3)
July 15, 2009 / Wednesday
Mendocino!
My company's forced shutdown Fridays prompted Aaron to schedule us a trip to Mendocino last weekend. It was three days jam-packed with tastiness and fun.
Ubuntu
We headed out Friday morning, stopping for lunch at Ubuntu in Napa.
No, they did not serve penguin. This is a crazy cool creations vegetarian restaurant that serves a lot of their food from their own garden. I saved our receipt so I could remember what we had. Receipt text in caps, description follows.
CHICKPEAS - These weren't anything like the garbanzo beans you add to your salad from a can. They were coconut battered, deep fried, and served with a romesco sauce on the side. A very tasty way to start the meal.
FRITTER - These were made with veggies from the garden. They were served atop a tasty sauce and accompanied by dabs of a flavorful coconut cream, mini sweet onion bulbs, some greens, and some sort of ice plant. The ice plant definitely didn't look like something I'd think to eat, but it turned out to be pretty good!
GRITS - Once again, the receipt abbreviation is comically simple compared to the dish that we got. What arrived was a bowl of sweet creaminess with a super smooth poached salted egg in the middle and mushroom "bacon" that looked like the real thing. The flavors combined wonderfully.
CHEESECAKE - It was actually "cheesecake", served in a jar, with some specially prepared strawberries on top. I have no idea how they made it, but it was really darned tasty.
FEUILLETINE - Finally, a fancy name that suits the food they serve here! As the name suggests, this dessert consisted of mini-flakes (like cereal), served with a dollop lime kefir ice cream and warm coconut milk. Looked like breakfast, tasted like dessert. I think I'll start having this for breakfast. :)
We left the restaurant completely stuffed, but quite happy. Who knew vegetarian fare could be so creative and tasty? Two thumbs way up for Ubuntu!
Dean & DeLuca
We continued toward Mendocino on highway 128, which took us through wine country. We spotted Dean & DeLuca and stopped for a visit. I felt fortunate that we were still stuffed from lunch, as I wanted to buy everything in the store. I also felt fortunate that I didn't live near a D&DL, because I'm sure I'd very quickly find myself quite fat and poor.
Bale Grist Mill State Historical Park
Several miles down the road, we spotted a "MILLING TODAY" sign at the Bale Grist Mill. This mill is powered by a giant water wheel, which in itself is super cool, made super cooler only by the fact that it's hooked up to some really big gears. I love gears. The bigger the better.
We got to learn about how mill stones work and even see the mill in action. I was surprised to learn that mill stones don't grind; they have ridges that cut like scissors, over and over, as the grain is pushed from the center of the stones all the way to the outside. It's amazing that they were able to put such large and heavy stones together so precisely that they could make flour without the stones touching. And when they do touch? Sparks! Smells like burning!
Visitors can even take home some of the flour/cornmeal they produce for a "donation". (The health department does not allow them to sell the stuff for consumption because they don't have screens on their windows.) We wanted to, but there was only one guy running the place and he was busy giving a tour.
Glendeven Inn
We arrived at Glendeven Inn a little after 6 PM. After checking in, stashing our bikes away, and eating a couple of their always fresh and available cookies, we decided to go meet the animals. (The chicken feed told us to!)
It just so happened that it was dinner time for the llamas, and John the innkeeper let us help feed them. I even got to kiss a couple of them! That's me greeting Carla on the left, after greeting her mother (Mama Llama, watching in back) moments earlier.
Next, we headed to the chicken coop. When we arrived, we were surprised to find one of the chickens outside the coop, pacing back and forth along the fence trying to get back in. We tried to help it, but it ran away from us. Eventually, John came by and expertly guided it back home.
I fed them out of my hand, and was surprised by how soft the chickens felt as they brushed against my arm. I quickly discovered the pecking order (har har) in the coop; the biggest, strongest, prettiest chickens were also the most aggressive food seekers. I tried to get away from the alpha chicken so the more timid ones could get some feed too.
Below is one in a series of pictures of alpha two. It followed me all the way to the gate as if to say, "I know you have more chicken feed," which was true, but I wanted to save some for later in the weekend. :)
Also, for your viewing enjoyment, a closeup video of Mama Llama chowing on dinner. That's John in the back at the end of the video.
Moosse Cafe
We went to Moosse Cafe for dinner. As we flipped through a copy of the Mendocino Travelers Guide, our server stopped by and said, "My photo is on the cover!" Turns out, she travels the world taking pictures of beautiful sites. She gave me her card. Here's her website: http://ritacranestudio.com/
For dessert, we had, you guessed it, the chocolate mousse. Actually, it's "Callebaut Belgian dark chocolate pudding with whipped cream and bittersweet chocolate shavings." It's definitely heavier than mousse, full of flavor, unique despite being mostly chocolate, and super tasty. If you eat here, you must try this.
Mmm, Breakfast!
John came by with a super tasty three course breakfast on Saturday morning. It came with a menu:
- Fresh squeezed organic orange juice
- Organic Granny Smith apple crisp
- Farm-fresh egg Italian scramble
- Homemade bagels
It was all sooo good. I don't usually like eggs for breakfast or cream cheese with my bagels, but I ate it all with a big huge smile. The apple crisp was good enough that I saw apple crisp on a dessert menu the next day and decided not to order it, because it could not possibly be better than the one that came with breakfast.
A really nice touch: the fresh-cut rose that came on the tray. It smelled as beautiful as it looked.
We had to rush a bit to get to Fort Bragg by 10. I promised myself that I'd eat extra slowly the next morning so I could savor every bite.
Skunk Train
My first real steam engine train ride! The Skunk Train runs an open air car, and we stood outside for the ride out to Northspur. The weather was amazing and the forest we rode through was beautiful. I could see the steam come off the front of the train, hear the horn at road and camp crossings, and, when the conditions were just right, the train itself as it "chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga-ed" its way down the tracks. The conductor told us about the history of the forest and the train as we passed through different areas.
What made the ride extra fun, though, was the Train Singer. He just had the perfect outfit, mustache, face, and personality to add to the whole experience. He made his way up and down the cars with his guitar and his harmonica, playing and singing train songs for everyone. He did it all, from playing a mini harmonica and blowing bubbles for the kids to rocking out with Ozzy's Crazy Train.
He came over to me and Aaron, and I told him I thought he was the best Train Singer ever. "Let me give you my card," he said. He accepted tips, and I thought about how much to tip him. People were tipping a dollar here and there, but I felt that wasn't enough. I eventually decided on five, figuring that five dollars would buy me a snack and a drink, and that having him on the train with us was worth more to me than that.
I tipped him and thanked him, and I have no idea how he managed to look at how much I'd given him in that short moment, but he did. "I want to give you something," he said, "I have a special on CDs for five dollars, and you just bought one!" Wow, all right! I get to enjoy Train Singer tunes at home now too. I'm listening to it as I write this.
"Wooooo-wooooo-woo-wooooo!"
Ocean Kayaking
Thursday night, I asked Aaron, "What do I wear for kayaking?" He replied with, "Something you don't mind getting wet in." I took that to mean warm clothes that repel water.
Friday afternoon, Aaron said, "What? You didn't bring a bathing suit?" Apparently, that's what he meant by something I didn't mind getting wet in. Oh.
Saturday afternoon, I hunted down and bought a bikini in Fort Bragg. It set me back about $95. Ouch. But that's okay, I was now ready to go kayaking!
We were to launch from a beach just a few minutes away from the inn. I wanted to drive, but Aaron wanted to hike there and back. I was skeptical, but after he assured me that he could see the trailhead from our room, I relented. Off we went!
We hiked and hiked. Actually, I flipped and flopped. Eventually, we made it to the water, except that it wasn't the beach. It was a cliff. This resulted in more flipping and flopping in the general direction of the beach, which Aaron deemed not fast enough, as we were now running late for our appointment. There wasn't much I could do about that, and even though I was trying to be laid back about about being late (I HATE being late), Aaron was getting stressed, and in turn that stressed me out too.
We arrived 20 minutes later than we had planned, but caught the group before they left. Unfortunately, all that was left was a tandem kayak. Tandem kayaking to me is like driving a car with two steering wheels, two gas pedals, and two brakes. That, and my backseat kayaker was telling me I wasn't paddling the right way, I wasn't holding my paddle properly, where was I going, what was I doing... Eventually he told me just to paddle and he'd steer. Okay, fine.
Remember that bathing suit I bought earlier in the day? The kayaking guy handed me a half wetsuit and just told me to put it on over what I was wearing, so I didn't actually need to buy a bathing suit after all. Another for my expensively extensive rarely used collection.
Given all that, I pretty much just paddled straight and mentally checked out. I remember seeing lots of cool things, but they just didn't trigger that, "Wow, COOL!" reaction they should have. There were harbor seals, starfish, jellyfish, iridescent seaweed, and even nudibranchs. We paddled into and through ocean caves and ate fresh seaweed. We even had entertainment, as a couple of the girls in our group were total spazzes and kept running themselves into giant rocks. They even managed to glide up onto a rock and get stuck when the tide pulled away.
We'd thought the tour would last about an hour, so I factored in another hour to get there and back and made sure I ate enough before we left. As it turned out, it took 45 minutes to get there and we spent over an hour and half on the water. I got hungry near our turnaround point, and the already wet wetsuit that I had on started to make me cold. When our guide told us we were heading back, I paddled and paddled and paddled. I wanted out of the water, the wet wetsuit off me, and food in my belly.
Except that my clothes under the wetsuit were now wet too, so when I took the wetsuit off, I got really cold. By the time we walked back to the inn, I couldn't feel my feet. They didn't feel quite right even after my hot shower.
I really need to do this ocean kayaking thing over again.
Mendocino Cafe
We got into town pretty late and had some trouble finding a place to eat. Eventually, we made it to the Mendocino Cafe. This place was great. It was nice and laid back, all the servers were happy and friendly, the menu had lots of variety, and the food was totally tasty. I definitely recommend it.
Sunday Breakfast
More tastiness:
- Fresh squeezed organic orange juice
- Fresh fruit medley
- Wild mushroom farm-egg strata
- Orange cranberry scones
I loved the scones. They were nice and light and fluffy. :)
After breakfast, we visited the animals once more, packed up, and headed out.
Jackson Demonstration Forest
This was a bit of an... adventure. There aren't many maps of the trails here, so we relied on asking various people for information about where to go, where to park, where to ride, etc. We went to talk to the good folks at Fort Bragg Cyclery the day before, which got us to a good starting point with at least an idea of where we could ride. Next, there was the mountain biker in the parking lot who gave us not only trail recommendations, but also his maps. And later, out on the trails, we encountered a rider who, when we asked about trails, rode with us a ways to show us the trailhead. (There are no signs at JDF, because, as the bike shop guy explained, people just use them for target practice.)
Everyone up there was so super nice, even the equestrians. (I note this because the majority of the equestrians I've encountered at my home park are the unfriendliest pricks on the planet.) I guess it's just a happy, laid back place to live. :)
The trails weren't super steep or difficult, but they were foresty and beautiful. There's Aaron on the left, riding through a tree stump.
Despite that, I still almost ate it, when I reached an open landing and inattentively rolled off a drop without noticing the perpendicular ruts just after the landing. My front wheel dug and my bike started tipping forward.
Amazingly, I managed to clip out of my pedals, jump over my handlebars, land on my feet, and turn around to watch my bike go boom. I yelled to Aaron, "DID YOU SEE THAT?!" "See what?" he replied. Darn, no witnesses. At least I have a big fat knee bruise to prove it really happened; I knocked it against the handlebar during my escape.
What a nice happy ride. Little did I know what our park exit had in store for us. We'd inadvertently taken a little bumpy side road to the parking area, and since the wide, smooth, main road was now obvious, we took that one back. The problem was, it had these GIANT speed bumps. I drove over the first one as carefully as I could, but my car was simply too low to the ground. SCRAAAAAAAPE. Aurgh! My car's first underbelly scrape, and it was a huge one. :(
There were more speed bumps ahead, but how many? It was a dirt road, so I didn't know if they were the same height, or possibly lower. Do we turn around and scrape again on the one we just went over? We forged ahead.
SCRAAAAAAAPE. Ouuuch. We managed to use the raised side of the road to navigate over a couple of the bumps, but we had no choice but to scrape over the rest. There were six speed bumps in all. By the time we reached the end of the road, I felt sick to my stomach.
Just as well, because when we stopped at Mendocino Creamery for ice cream afterward, we discovered that they serve Dreyer's and left. Don't call yourself a creamery if you don't make your own ice cream. It's technically correct, but fraud in the eyes of ice cream lovers! Super lame.
Pictures Pictures Pictures
We'd spotted some driftwood on Big River Beach just off Highway 1, and since Aaron had brought his big giant camera, we stopped there for some pictures.
On our way home, we found ourselves approaching the Golden Gate Bridge just after sunset. Again because of the big giant camera, I detoured into the Marin Headlands. Aaron jumped out of the car, set up his tripod, and got some nice pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge.
More driving, and then, home!
Here are our pictures from the trip:
- Mendocino 2009 - Viv's little Lumix
- Bale Grist Mill - Aaron's fancypants Canon
- Glendeven Inn - Aaron's fancypants Canon
- Skunk Train - Aaron's fancypants Canon
- Kayaking - Aaron's little Canon
- Jackson Demonstration Forest - Aaron's little Canon
- Big River Beach - Aaron's fancypants Canon
- Golden Gate Bridge - Aaron's fancypants Canon
09:48 PM | Mazdaspeed 3:Mountain:Trips| Comments (3)
March 08, 2009 / Sunday
The MS3 Gets Hitched
One of the things I lost when I traded in the GTI was a bike rack. I could have just bought new clips for the one I had and put it on the MS3, but I didn't want anything touching (and ruining) the new paint. I searched for a rack that attached to the rain gutter, but only Thule makes one, and it's available only in Europe.
Just as well. I don't need the added wind resistance anyhow.
After more research (Thanks, internet!), I settled on a hitch from Curt Manufacturing. The installation instructions were easy enough:
1. Remove two plastic bumper things held on by screws and clips.
2. Enlarge four holes in the bumper frame.
3. Fishwire a couple bolts through a couple of the holes.
4. Attach hitch to those bolts.
5. Fishwire a couple more bolts through the other two holes.
6. Reinstall the two plastic bumper things.
7. Torque the four bolt fasteners to 50 ft-lbs.
Since riding weather finally looks to have returned, I set about installing the hitch yesterday.
After some discussion with Aaron and some additional research online, I picked up a step bit from OSH. That's what you're supposed to use to enlarge holes, right? Right. I got home, put the car up on ramps, and broke out the cordless drill. It spun and spun. Nothing happened.
I figured perhaps the drill wasn't strong enough, so I drove the car over to my garage and tried again with the corded drill. More spinning. Again, nothing happened. :(
The car went back to its parking spot and I went back to OSH. I returned with a 1/2" titanium coated twist bit. There's not enough room for me to get my car up on ramps in front of my garage, so I made do without. The bit was long, and I had *barely* enough clearance to get the drill in there, but I managed and finally got the holes drilled. Phew!
Next, fishwiring the bolts. The hitch came with a wire with a spiral end that screwed onto the bolts. Getting the other end of the wire through the bumper frame and out the proper hole wasn't easy, but it was cake compared to getting the fishwire off the bolt. It simply would not come off. In retrospect, I should have looked at how it worked before I put the thing on. Since the fishwire coil that screws onto the the bolt threads is kind of like a spring, screwing it on loosens the spring. Screwing it off, however, tightens the spring, and it just grabs and gets stuck.
I dug up a piece of flappy rubber from my box of bike parts and finally freed the bolt. I took care not to attach the fishwire too deeply on the rest. After a couple rounds of grab-the-wire-through-the-hole-with-needlenose-pliers, it was time to attach the hitch.
Aaron helped me lift and install the hitch with those first two bottom-facing bolts. Next came the two side-facing bolts. More fishwiring, except this time it was nearly impossible to hit the hole. I ended up running a wire through the exit, hooking the end of the fishwire to that, and pulling everything through. Then came an additional complication: Since the hitch was now attached, there was a gap about 2 inches wide to work through. Tightening the fasteners was such a pain. Since I couldn't turn a ratchet or wrench in the 2 inch gap, I had to sneak a smaller ratchet into the cavity, get my arm in there, and slowly tighten the fastener by moving the ratchet back and forth, back and forth, one. click. at. a. time.
Those fasteners, they are 3/8" ratchet turned by weak Viv hands at a funny angle tight. They need to be 50 ft-lbs tight. Not sure how to get them there. Any ideas? Here's a picture.
At least the bottom-facing fasteners are properly tightened.
I assembled the bike rack and threw my road bike on it. Not bad:
I'd say that I look forward to not having to hoist my mountain bike over my head before and after every ride, but that bike rack is HEAVY. It weighs more than two of my mountain bikes put together, and I'm going to have to hoist this thing to and from my garage when I want to use it. I may just get lazy during riding season and keep it attached.
It also freaks me out that I have that much weight attached through a bunch of bolts. How do we not see trailers and bikes falling off cars and trucks all the time?
I'm sure I'll get used to it. At the very least, I'll enjoy not having to clean mountain bike dirt from the inside of my car. :)
- - -
Update: 2009-03-16 @ 11:06 PM
Tightened up the hard-to-reach upper fasteners with an air ratchet on Sunday. Thanks deebeecee for the suggestion, and thanks Aaron for the tools and the help!
02:26 PM | Mazdaspeed 3| Comments (8)
February 16, 2009 / Monday
Random Radio Rant
I've been meaning to write about my annoyance with the way the MS3 radio works when playing CDs on random. I can't figure out how to get it to skip to the next random song. I put the CD in, I set it to random, and if a song I don't like comes on, I push the next button. The player thinks this means "play the next song on the disc" rather than "play another random song". If I remember correctly (and this may not be the case, since annoyance has a negative impact on my memory), this also kicks the player out of random mode.
Speaking of kicking out of random mode, it doesn't remember random mode between trips. If I listen to a CD on random, turn off the car, and come back to it, no more random. I don't know if it remembers random mode between radio on/offs; annoyance has a diminishing effect on my desire to continue interacting with its source.
The upside of this is that I've started to listen to my artist-specific MP3 CDs in order, and I'm rediscovering albums that I didn't appreciate enough when they first came out. Hello, neglected music collection. Nice to meet you again.
11:49 PM | Mazdaspeed 3| Comments (1)
January 29, 2009 / Thursday
Meep Meep
I used my car horn today. It was pathetic. What a meager little beep! (Meager beep = meep? LOL.) I was embarrassed, until I realized the other drivers probably didn't even hear me.
I'm thinking I should replace the stock meeper with some Hella Supertones. Or maybe a set of dual tone air horns. Or maybe a full on truck horn, complete with dangly handle.
In the meantime, I will not be honking at anyone. It's hard to shake your fist and look angry when the other driver is laughing at the wimpy little sound your car just made.
*shakes fist* >:(
01:12 PM | Mazdaspeed 3| Comments (11)
January 17, 2009 / Saturday
I Bought Myself More Work
Finally found time do to an oil change on the MS3.
When I first started thinking about replacing the GTI, I figured it'd be easy to find a car that required less work for oil changes. What I really wanted was an oil filter I could access from the top ('cause then I could get a MityVac and not even have to go under the car), but I would have been happy with any sort of time savings.
I somehow managed to buy a car whose oil changes require even more work.
The steps for the two cars are actually quite similar, except that the MS3 is lower, and I had to make low ramps to get on my regular ramps. I discovered while making said low ramps that I suck at cutting wood. Maybe I just need more practice. Oh, and I now own a table saw. I love excuses to buy power tools. Anyhow, I have to spend more time now on ramp setup for each oil change. What a bother.
Also, the cover on the underside of the car is considerably harder to remove on the MS3. On the GTI, all I needed to do was remove 4 TORX screws and slide the cover off. On the MS3, I need to remove 7 bolts, 2 two-piece clips, 2 little hook clips, and then shimmy and wiggle the cover until it comes off. Because it attaches to several other plastic pieces, reattaching is it not easy either. It goes over some pieces and under other adjacent pieces. I like puzzles, but not when I'm doing routine maintenance under my car.
In any case, oil changes are still a pain in the ass, but at least the first one is done, and I can stop worrying about assembly gunk and metal bits floating around in the engine. I doubt it would have made a big difference if I hadn't, but still, better to have done it so I don't wonder.
I have to say, though, the oil cap's pretty rad:
11:22 PM | Mazdaspeed 3| Comments (0)
January 14, 2009 / Wednesday
T T T
T1 - Torquesteer. The MS3 has it. I barely felt it with the GTI, but when this thing goes on a tear in 2nd gear, watch out. Floor it, hang on, and pull to the left so you don't go veering off the road.
T2 - Turbo lag. I was a little spoiled on this front by the GTI's NA 200 HP engine. I still miss that instant kick off the line. That, and my brain still thinks I can get instant power at relatively low RPMs. This has lead to several instances of "Go, darnit, go!" When I do get it right, though, whee! Also, when I do get it right, see T1 above.
You know what I need? A boost gauge. Oh yes, definitely need.
T3 - Title. My title arrived today. I was waiting for either this or the plates so I could see what what the license plate number would be. I've been keeping an eye out, mostly because I thought I had a chance at 6FSM---. How cool would that be? But alas, it was not to be. I got 6GDM---. Gliding Doritos Monster? I'll start my own church!
11:15 PM | Mazdaspeed 3| Comments (2)
January 13, 2009 / Tuesday
Please Don't Break Please Don't Break Please Don't...
When I first got the GTI, I was totally neurotic about parking it next to other cars, getting it dirty, etc. How neurotic? This neurotic. Neurotic enough to have a blog category about it.
Thankfully, the MS3 incarnation of this neurosis is noticeably diminished. That's not to say I don't care about the MS3, but I've already parked it next to other cars willingly (with reasonable clearance on all sides), and at the moment, it could use a wash.
Sorry, MS3. I'm busier now than I was six years ago. You'll live.
Yesterday, however, I discovered a new neurosis. After a year of inconvenient and costly GTI clunks and leaks, I am now hypersensitive to every sound, smell, or nearby drop of fluid that seems even slightly out of the ordinary.
After work last night, I went on an errand run. As I approached my car after leaving a store, I saw a trail of fluid in the path my car took to pull in, just a little to the right of center. When I pulled out, I saw a puddle of fluid where my car had been parked, below where the engine compartment was.
I drove slowly and checked to see that my car wasn't leaking. No fluid. Still, I felt uneasy.
My next stop was the gym. I pulled into my space and looked behind my car. I saw a little puddle of fluid just behind my car, a little to the right of center. I put my finger in it. It felt oily.
My car has a leak?!?!?! I bought a new car so I wouldn't have to deal stuff like this anymore! What?! No! No, no, no, no, NO!!
You know how your mind gets all woozy when you find out some really bad news? That's how I felt. But, given that it was 9 PM, there was nothing I could do about it immediately. I told myself that and went inside for my workout.
I blasted through all my UB sets much faster than usual. Then, I got back to the car to check for more oil on the ground. Nothing.
Still not satisfied, I pulled into a couple empty parking lots on my way home, drove around slowly, back and forth, 'round and 'round, to try to see if more oil would come out. More nothing.
I got home, looked under the car again, and checked the driveway thoroughly. Not a drop of oil anywhere. I felt a little better. Good enough to go to sleep, at least.
This morning, I woke up and checked for oil on the ground. Guess what? Nothing!
I should have sold the GTI after the first round of repairs last year. How long is it going to take to repair my brain? New neurosis, be gone!
11:53 PM | Mazdaspeed 3| Comments (2)
January 12, 2009 / Monday
First Impressions Of The MS3
I've had the MS3 for two and a half weeks now. I've been e-mailing myself notes each time I drive the car. The last note I made was four days ago. Looks like it's time to write the big giant post.
Naturally, I made a lot of comparisons between this car and the GTI.
MS3 pluses:
- Power. This thing will outzoom (outvroom?) the GTI any day.
- Handling. It corners better than the GTI, even though that car had Bilstein Sport shocks and springs.
- Road comfort. Despite having tighter suspension, it handles bumps better. Much less harsh.
- Braking. It brakes faster, and feels smoother.
- Sound. I love that rumble. I think that sold the car even before I test drove it.
- Climate control by temperature. I like the ease of just setting a number and being done with it.
- Red stitching on the interior. Totally hot.
- MP3 CD player and aux in. No need to install an aftermarket unit.
- Better cupholders. The GTI ones were awkward and blocked the radio display when in use.
The important items (power, handling, braking) are all there. Now, here are all the little things I miss about the GTI:
- Low-end torque. The GTI was definitely zippier off the line, although no match in the 0-60.
- Trip computer with MPG, minutes and miles elapsed, miles to empty, etc.
- Auto-up and down window controls on both sides. The MS3 has only driver side auto-down.
- Auto door lock when I start driving.
- Auto door unlocking when I pull the handle to open the door.
- Leather seats, even if they didn't have red stitching.
- Seat heaters, which I don't need now without leather seats.
- Sunroof. I don't need one, but it was definitely nice to have.
- Wiper controls, which seem more intuitive to me on the GTI.
- That European feel. The GTI sounded and felt solid when I closed the door. The MS3 feels light.
I found it really appropriate (for me) that the MS3 was developed using the GTI as a benchmark. Performance-wise, they definitely exceeded that benchmark.
When I was sitting in the dealership doing the paperwork, people kept telling me to be careful with this car. I understand what they mean every time I go on the freeway. The difference in power and ease of acceleration between the MS3 and the GTI is like the the one between the GTI and the Civic. (Before the GTI I had a 1999 Honda Civic LX sedan with automatic transmission, in white. Borlings.)
The sound system isn't awesome, but I was surprised and pleased to hear previously unheard parts of songs I thought I knew well. Oh, and it adjusts volume based on speed. I like that.
It took me a little while to get used to the gauges on the car. The GTI speedometer was such that 0 MPH pointed at about 7:30 and 80 MPH pointed straight up. The MS3 speedometer, however, puts 0 MPH at 6:00 and 80 MPH at 10:00. Until my brain rewired itself, I spent a goodly amount of time going way faster than I thought I was going.
It also took me a little while to learn the new size and lines of the car. For the first week, I could not park straight. I'd always be angled toward the driver side. I also thought the front of the car extended a good two feet farther than it really does. I made a habit of guessing exactly where my car was in relation to nearby lines and objects every time I parked, and then checking when I got out of the car. I'm still working on it, but I can park a heck of a lot better now than I could two weeks ago.
Here's a quirk: The fuel light comes on with 3.5 gallons left in the tank. That's about a quarter tank. I guess they really don't want me to run out of fuel.
Here's an annoyance: Dash rattles. A search of the Mazda 3 forums reveals that I am getting the full Mazda 3 experience, that the rattle is likely from the bottom of the windshield, and that I can fix it with either a used bicycle tire tube or hockey tape. I happen have plenty of both. :)
I don't plan to spend too much modding this car, but here's what I've done, in order:
- Direct wired the V1. Thank you, unused sunroof wiring, for the switched power source.
- Cold cathodes in the trunk. Same setup as I had in the GTI, with upgraded tape.
- Tint. 50% front, 28% rear. I wanted a better blend than on the GTI, but no fix-it tickets for the front.
- Blue-tinted, wide-angle, heated mirrors. Thank you, in-car heated mirror wiring, for making this easy. I had to mod only the mirror housings to hook things up.
The pedals came pre-pimped on this car. Sweet.
What I need to do next is to give the body a good detailing. It gets water stains way too easily. Wash, cleaner wax, clay bar, good wax. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to do this yet.
So, the verdict? I like this car quite a bit, but I'm still getting used to it. I loved the GTI, and I still miss it. The MS3 is growing on me, though, and with each little mod it feels a little more like my car.
I am pleased. :)
10:09 PM | Mazdaspeed 3| Comments (0)
December 28, 2008 / Sunday
Vroom Is Out / Zoom Is In
After I finished unmodding and washing the GTI on Friday, I went to the dealership. I've been making a list of potential vehicles for months, and in the last few weeks I narrowed it down to a handful. In the last few days, I narrowed it down to one: the Mazdaspeed 3.
Why the Mazdaspeed 3? Because it was the only car that satisfied all my top requirements:
- Fun: no Xterra
- Not ugly: no STI
- Can schlep a lot of stuff: no Mini
- Relatively cheap: no STI, no Mini (at the trim level I want), no IS 350
We pulled up, and were immediately greeted by a sales guy. I told him what I was looking for, he took me to the cars, and pulled up a Mazdaspeed 3 for a test drive.
I could hear the car's exhaust even before I saw it. It sounded good.
From the inside, it sounded even better. It made me grin.
The test drive also made me grin. The car was smooth, powerful, and handled well. I wanted one.
Aside from the overall evaluation, I had three decisions to make:
1. 2008 or 2009
2. Black or Gray
3. Sport or Grand Touring
As I had suspected, I liked the black more than the grey. (Red and white were out because I've already had cars in those colors.) I was pleased to find that the late 2008 model was identical to the 2009 model. As for trim level, I was leaning toward the GT (nicer upholstery, lights, and more trip computer info) until I compared the sound systems. Surprisingly, I preferred the Sport's 6 speaker system; the GT's 7 speaker Bose system sounded like mud.
After some more back and forth in the lots, I identified a black 2008 Sport that I wanted. Next came the part I hate the most: negotiations. Ugh!
While I was picking a car, the sales manager evaluated my GTI for trade-in. The sales guy (who I actually thought was pretty cool) opened with his boss's trade-in offer: $2,000-$2,700. I told him I found that insulting and asked for my key back. The sales guy looked up the Edmunds fair market trade-in value ($6,600) and went back to his boss to talk about it.
We actually had relatively few back and forths. It wrapped up pretty quickly compared to my previous dealership negotiation experiences. I think the turning point was when I got sick of the dealer negotiation tactics, broke down for them all the numbers I thought I should and shouldn't pay, added in some profit over holdback, factored in a goodly number for the GTI, and told them what I would be (really) happy writing a check for. They came back with a slightly higher number, which I was still happy writing a check for. Done.
Next, paperwork. Then, delivery. Because they'd had the car for so long, the battery had gone very dead. It probably would have run fine after a few miles of driving, but we talked them into swapping in a new battery. The service department was closed already, so I took the car home that night along with their portable jumper, went back the next morning, and got a new battery installed.
I also got a final shot the next morning of the GTI, alongside the Mazdaspeed 3.
I was sad about the GTI as I drove away. Goodbye, GTI. It's been fun.
Hello, Mazdaspeed 3. I hear you're fun too.
Zoom-zoom. :)