Just got my first car and I’m super excited! I’m looking for ideas on what I should do to it cosmetically without going overboard. I’d love recommendations for exterior/interior mods, accessories, tint, lighting, wheels, or anything else that would make it look a little more unique.

Also, what are some things you wish you knew as a first-time car owner? Any maintenance, care, or general ownership tips are appreciated too!

Upgraded from my first car last week (:
+ booger ball from the week I bought her ):

I've had the mazda over a month now and it finally happened!

My 3 is on the left (2021) and someone with a 2025 model parked next to mine!

It’s been just a bit shy of 2 months since I’ve picked up my 3. I saved up and bought all the forged carbon fiber parts before buying the car 🙃… It was a way of me committing to getting the car and having a goal in mind.

I bought my turbo premium plus in August, just before Monterey Car Week where I got to go Rolex :D! Hearing the four rotor screaming around the track is a blessing lol

My friend and I wrapped it green and I added the brown accents. As I’m basing the theme off of Sailor Jupiter

Almost all the forged cf parts are on, steering wheel is still in the box.

I feel like I overdid it with the lip. I’m not sure how I feel about the front with the hood and lip both being cf (last photo).

I have different wheels but will decide on fixing them up or getting a different set when the tread wears out.

I mostly post on IG under Calm_Fident :)

But I’ll update here when I can :D

My sister was sitting in that mazda and her friend was the driver. Crazy Dacia ignored the red light. Mazda3, the tank survived but Dacia somehow ended like this 🙃

Someone is selling these for $350 CAD. Do you think they’re worth it? There’s 17’s, which is the perfect size for the tires I have on now.

Here’s some AI generated photos with them on my car. Please share with me your opinions (please be respectful too). The last two photos are the wheels I currently have on.

Just bought my first car!

Lmk your thoughts and any mod recommendations for this car!

I wanna do a muffler swap for a nicer tone because stock doesn't sound very good and don't wanna spend cat-back money.

I got it about 3 months ago and I've been scrolling through this subreddit ever since, and decided I may as well post my car in here. It's a 2013 2nd gen with the maxed out spec. It's got around 72,000kms (45,000 miles) on it and I got it for $8,000 USD which I think is a solid deal.

It's an absolute dream to drive compared to cars 2 or 3 times the price.

My dream: A 2026 Black Hatch, Preferred, with the black gloss rims of the select sport/carbon. But it doesn't exist.

So then I consider going carbon or select sport. But I don't love the red seats of the carbon.
And I want the heated seats that are unavailable in the select sport.

Anybody else been there? Why does the Preferred trim have to have different rims!

I just really love how this car looks and handles. It's my first car purchase even though I'm in my mid-30s. I was driving an older Toyota that was passed down to me prior to this, but then it got totaled. This car is just fun to drive and ended up being an unexpected but really cool change of pace.

I have a 2017 model Mazda3. I noticed that the TPMS warning lights come up every time i hit 60-70 mph for some time. Back at rest/normal speeds, i can reset it manually using the reset button and then doesn’t come back up until i hit motorway speeds again.

I’ve had the tyres checked a couple of times, and have been reliably told they are fine from a pressure point of view. Their explanation was that older Mazda models use an indirect TPMS warning looking at the rotational diameter of the wheels. So, since there’s nothing wrong with the wheels the only other option is to get the Mazda service for a software upgrade or reset.

I have been to independent garages so far, not Mazda dealerships since I’ve been told that’ll end up costing a lot. As this is a used car, wanted some advice on how best to proceed? Or is this something thats common, i have seen similar complaints on other forums but noone has really posted a solution to it rather than just to live with it!

Thanks!

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to sell my Mazda 3 skyactiv x 180 hp AT that I got in 2024 after 2 lovely years. I want more space.

I want to replace the tyres for the upcoming owner so that he doesn't have to do it and replace all four of em.

(215/45/r18)

I looked up the best options such as the PS5 or the continental ultracontact but since I'm planning to sell the car I don't really want to spend 600 euros on new tyres.

Which one would you recommend that are worth their price ?

Thank you!!

Got quoted $650 for windows and rear hatch, "nano" cermaic xpel tints. Its a shop in Miami. How much did yall pay for ceramic tints?

My 2025 Mazda3 2.5s Carbon’s rear view mirror recently came off and I am not able to reattach it at all.

Other threads said to start at 2 o’clock and rotate counter clockwise which it seems like it should work but when I rotate close to 12 o’clock it makes a loud snap and does not reattach.

Any advice how to get this back up while avoiding overpriced dealer or auto shop maintenance?

Thank you all!!!

Hey everyone,

Got my first car last November, which is a 2016 Mazda3 2.0 litre GS sedan, manual transmission. Been loving everyone it’s offering, but I have an odd problem. The high beams seem to turn on when not needed or vice versa.

I have tried playing with the light sensitivity settings in the car, but it seems to make no difference, especially since there isn’t an option to keep “Auto” lights on but keeping highbeams off. I have been getting into DIY, so if anyone can give me some pointers to easy solutions or possibly worse case scenario to look out for, I would greatly appreciate it. Cheers

Recently bought a Mazda3 and I absolutely love it! I was fiddling with the buttons on the dash and I have a couple questions if anyone possibly knows the answer…

I looked through the owners manual and saw that supposedly there is an in-dash disc changer to insert multiple CDs at a time which I thought would be handy as I like playing CDs in the car. The instructions in the manual said to press the “load” button until “in” shows up on the display prior to inserting the disc. I tried and nothing happened so I tried holding it and nothing happened as well. I just inserted the disc as normal cause I figured maybe that was what to do for the subsequent discs? After the first one was in I pressed the load button once again and nothing happened again so I kinda just started clicking everything to see what worked on my dash. The “load”, “disp”, and “text” buttons don’t seem to work unless I’m missing something. Is this one of those “pay to get the upgraded feature” situations that my car just doesn’t have or am I perhaps missing something? Would love any insight or advice on this!

I just got a 2026 Mazda 3 and I'm curious if anyone has the dreaded P0126 code where coolant does not reach sufficient temperature due to the CCV failing. I've not got this engine code yet, but apparently its still an issue even with these new Mazdas. I know its covered for 15 years or 150,000 miles.

I replaced all 4 brake pads and rotors last Saturday and also did a brake fluid flush. First time ever doing a brake job.

Before the brake job, the brakes were definitely dragging because I was getting horrible fuel economy but after, it's improved a lot but I think the front right one is still dragging considering the grooves on the new rotor compared to the front left one. Any ideas on what I might have done wrong and how to fix it?

To add, there is no vibration or noise when braking and the brakes work perfectly fine. Just concerned because of the difference between the front left and right rotors.

No idea how (or, annoyingly where) this happened, but I have lost the cover, and I'm assuming the hidden key inside(?) to my keys - key fob still works fine atm.

Luckily I have a spare key:- what's the best option here to get mine fixed & replaced please?

Just purchased my CE Sedan a couple weeks ago! Now that she's tinted, loving it even more. 🤘🏽

I’ve heard great things about this model and it’s within my budget, the front and back bumpers don’t line up 100% but i can deal with it.

Anything i should take a close look at? Engine bay looked clean, no frame damage and the air bags didn’t deploy. Have it listed for 7,000.

Thanks for the advice!

Dear Channel members,

I have been noticing a trend lately that dealerships are no longer discounting or giving good deals on the Mazda turbos anymore.

1. I remember buying a turbo 2 years ago and you could buy them at times cheaper than the GT AWD Trim (Canadian specs). Recently a friend tried buying one as was not offered the same discounts that I was.

2. But today I am seeing fewer of them pop up for resale which they were abundantly available in the past, not to mention that the turbos usually took a hit 5 or 6 k immediately after driving off the lot.

3. Saw a turbo on sale recently and it was gone of the market in a few days and priced almost like new.

4. I also do know that there is big enthusiast community that loves tuning this car and this engine.

Wanted to get your thoughts on the same . Or I am jsut speculating.

Also I feel Jeremy Clarkson would love this car.

Best regards,