[ppx11]

I've had my 3 iTouring for about 2 weeks now and while I love it, I've noticed a few issues.

First off, I think my hood is uneven on the sides. By this I mean the actual mold(?) or shape of the hood. The right side is flush and seems perfectly aligned whereas the left has an area that isn't. I checked under the hood and everything seems fine. This leads me to believe it isn't an alignment issue but an issue with the actual shape of the hood.

right

left (notice the area in the middle of the circle)

Second, is the steering wheel/column NOT supposed to be centered with the driver's dash/console? In the promo pictures and whatnot it seems like it's perfectly centered with the middle speedometer but mine is a little off to the right. Telescoping only moves up/down and back/forth and not side to side.

Just checking to see whether these are legit issues or not. Thanks!

 

[smalljumboshrimp]

my steering wheel is a little off to the right also... but I also noticed that, in this car, I seem to lean slightly to the left lol. Sounds silly but make sure your head is centered on the headrest. My wheel is still slightly off... but much better since I force myself to sit straight.

...my hood is perfectly aligned, though.


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[parkinskin]

I can't speak for the hood, but I have an explanation (that may or may not be correct) for the steering wheel:

Since we have two eyes, and one of them is dominant, that one eye pretty much takes over as far as positioning goes, and the other eye adds depth. I am left-eye dominant -- very dominant, and the steering wheel looks like it's to the right. When I close my left eye, the steering wheel looks like it's to the left. If you have a dominant right eye, the results will be opposite.

Because promo pics are taken perfectly-centered with a camera that has a single lens, and they are printed on 2D media, there is no parallax. Since both the steering wheel and the instrument cluster are printed on a flat surface, they are essentially on the same plane, so by looking at it, your eyes cannot add parallax like they can in person where the steering wheel is considerably in front of the instrument cluster.

Or it could just be to the right.

I have no clue. But with a really submissive right eye, and two astigmatisms, I have learned to understand that my environment is nowhere near the way I perceive it.

 

[ppx11]

I can't speak for the hood, but I have an explanation (that may or may not be correct) for the steering wheel:

Since we have two eyes, and one of them is dominant, that one eye pretty much takes over as far as positioning goes, and the other eye adds depth. I am left-eye dominant -- very dominant, and the steering wheel looks like it's to the right. When I close my left eye, the steering wheel looks like it's to the left. If you have a dominant right eye, the results will be opposite.

Because promo pics are taken perfectly-centered with a camera that has a single lens, and they are printed on 2D media, there is no parallax. Since both the steering wheel and the instrument cluster are printed on a flat surface, they are essentially on the same plane, so by looking at it, your eyes cannot add parallax like they can in person where the steering wheel is considerably in front of the instrument cluster.

Or it could just be to the right.

I have no clue. But with a really submissive right eye, and two astigmatisms, I have learned to understand that my environment is nowhere near the way I perceive it.

Yeah I realized this could be the case so I spent ages making sure lol. It's definitely off-center and even the spacing on the sides where the column attaches to the instrument cluster/dash is uneven (more space on the left).

 

[gregersonke]

Wouldn't worry about the instrument cluster. But take the hood back to the dealer, and ask about hood alignment. Compare to new cars as well as it may be a slight design enhancement.

 

[bmw_jeff]

"Hetcho de Mexico" build quality...the 2.0L i cars are assembled in Mexico. 2.5L S's in Japan. That's not acceptable though, definitely take it to the dealer and ask them to have it aligned properly by their body shop.

 

[natesi]

It's not quite that simple. My understanding is that the west coast gets a lot of cars from Japan.

I just bought a 2015 Mazda3 iTouring and my car was built in Japan as well (purchased in Portland OR). The consistency of the spacing between the hood and the fender is utterly horrific. We're talking 1990s GM build quality here. Mazda should be ashamed of themselves.

In one spot the gap between the fender and the hood is enormous, but when you move up the hood and get closer to the A-pillar, the fender and the hood almost touch. I've had horrible luck with dealerships doing body and paint adjustments, so I'm just living with it.

 

[greg42]

It's not quite that simple. My understanding is that the west coast gets a lot of cars from Japan.

I just bought a 2015 Mazda3 iTouring and my car was built in Japan as well (purchased in Portland OR). The consistency of the spacing between the hood and the fender is utterly horrific. We're talking 1990s GM build quality here. Mazda should be ashamed of themselves.

In one spot the gap between the fender and the hood is enormous, but when you move up the hood and get closer to the A-pillar, the fender and the hood almost touch. I've had horrible luck with dealerships doing body and paint adjustments, so I'm just living with it.

Interesting. My 2015 i Touring hatch is from Mexico, and that type of body panel finish seems to be fine. At very least, there is nothing glaring that I have noticed. I can't say I spent a ton of time studying it, and I haven't compared it to other examples of same car on the lot recently, but it seemed to be okay. My only fit and finish curiosity that bugs me on a regular basis is the glove compartment. I am wondering (and have not yet confirmed) if the door for it should really be even with the dash part to the left of it. Mine is recessed notably from that, about half an inch.

One of my original thoughts on the Mazda 3 was thinking it would still be a full on Japanese import, like my Integra still was 15 years before, and thinking that would be a positive thing. But it sounds like I did okay letting go of the Made in Japan label for it, at least in initial stuff. Long-term is impossible to tell.

 

[Mellow]

Misaligned Hood and Tow Cover that fell off in transit

I've had my 3 iTouring for about 2 weeks now and while I love it, I've noticed a few issues.

First off, I think my hood is uneven on the sides. By this I mean the actual mold(?) or shape of the hood. The right side is flush and seems perfectly aligned whereas the left has an area that isn't. I checked under the hood and everything seems fine. This leads me to believe it isn't an alignment issue but an issue with the actual shape of the hood.

right

left (notice the area in the middle of the circle)

Second, is the steering wheel/column NOT supposed to be centered with the driver's dash/console? In the promo pictures and whatnot it seems like it's perfectly centered with the middle speedometer but mine is a little off to the right. Telescoping only moves up/down and back/forth and not side to side.

Just checking to see whether these are legit issues or not. Thanks!

Was the hood of your vehicle ever aligned by the dealer? I have the same issue on my Mazda 3 2015 Sport, making the line above the grill look crooked. I'd directly ask the dealer if they would cover this but they've been giving me a headache ever since I claimed warranty should take care of my tow cover that fell off in transit. Had to argue with sales, parts and service to get one. This is also Mexico built FYI.