Hi I’m planning to get a Mazda 3 bm generation from one of the dealers which I found on the sgcarmart website . It’s already past the 10 year mark. I’m wondering are there any major issues for getting such cars because I know for continentals like bmw and Mercedes, a lot of local colleagues are asking me to avoid , but Japanese cars are generally reliable .
Im also considering the Honda jazz Gk generation since both are around the same price .
Which would be better in terms of fuel consumption , maintenance for Singapore driving ? I don’t need performance , just island wide site visits daily
Maz3 BM known issues:
- Side Mirrors unable to fold (super duper common Mazda trademark)
- i-Stop Capacitor requiring replacement between 5-7 years, cost $1200-1800 depending where you fix it.
- Low RPM idling, at traffic light when you stop, the RPM is at about 600rpm, which causes the car to vibrate violently. TEK has a ECU patch for that to bring it up to 800rpm or so
- Speedometer digital speed display no longer working - replacement of the speedo or damaged onboard small capacitor (requires soldering knowledge)
Jazz is a hatchback, Maz3 BM has sedan and hatchback, FC wise, both are about the same, with very light footed driving, max can go 14km/l in SG, but regular usually 12-13km/l.
Hatchback, door opens upwards, good for loading items if you carry things often, with seats folded, you can place long items inside with ease. Sedan, however, is not ideal but for wheelchairs, both are effective.
Maintenance, as shared prior, JDMs are super easy to maintain and repair, so nothing really to worry about down the road. Driving it in to any generic workshop, with the parts, usually can get it fixed easily. The few regular Mazda workshops are like Bluwell and JDM Autocare, which does a lot of Mazda cars, personally, I only know this two. There are some others in this thread as well.
The downside of the Maz3 BM is the i-Stop capacitor, which holds the regen power to power your car when i-Stop kicks in, aircon/lights, etc. The capacitor was a good but flawed idea since it has a limited lifespan. In Maz3 BN, they removed the capacitor because of the hefty replacement(s) needed down the road.
Around the 5-7th year, a lot of Mazda BM users faced stock level issues with the capacitor availability. As well as cost. I sold my car to a friend, and unfortunately, the capacitor issue kicked in about a year later for him. For a neighbor, his was around the 7th year mark. You can still drive, but i-Stop will keep blinking and not work, plus circuitry might be damaged.
My Mazda service advisor bought a used Maz3 BM herself, and she faced the same issue, but she works in Mazda, her capacitor is discounted. I remember a lot of Maz3 BM owners were running around workshops finding stocks. I have a friend who bought like 10 pieces and installed for people at his MSCP charging a modest fee. Prices soared to $1800 due to low stock back then (2021-2023).
If you're looking at a 10th year, probably the capacitor was already replaced, but it won't last forever.
Subsequently, Mazda stopped using capacitor for i-Stop. My regular workshop had one corner full of depleted/damaged capacitors for a while.
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How to tell Capacitor is dying/dead:
Switch on your cabin lights or headlights, if you see it 'breathing', bright... brighter..... brighter..... less bright.... lesser.... lesser.... *repeat*
The capacitor is due.
Another method is when you accelerate above 3K RPM, i-Stop on the speedo will start blinking.
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Granted, the Maz3 BM, BN and BP are great drives with the SkyActiv technology, I would suggest you look for a late 2016 (Jul onwards) BN model at least, the earlier BN models also have capacitor.
BP (Astina model) is by far the best design and feature packed.
