I bought my 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv sedan new with 80 miles on it. Right from the start, it has had a “bounce” that is noticeable between 50-55 mph. I took it back to the dealer when it had a few hundred miles on it, and they told me my tires were out of round because the car sat on the lot for a while before I bought it. They told me to drive it a few hundred more miles to get the tires back in shape. It was still doing it at around 1,000 miles, so I took it back and got basically the same story. The problem never stopped and I had them check it out again when I had the first oil change done. The responses have always alternated between “We couldn’t find anything” and “the tires are out of round but they’ll work out.”
The dealer has been horribly unresponsive, and they basically ignore the problem altogether. The last time I spoke with them, they were supposed to get me an appointment to roadforce balance the wheels/tires, but they never contacted me. I called them and they tried to say they thought someone else had contacted me about it, and they’d get right back with me. I never heard from them again. The Mazda dealer here in Lexington is the only one I have to choose from, so I’m just out of luck there.
After dealing with the dealership, I thought I’d fix the problem and improve the looks of the car by just getting some new wheels and tires. I had been thinking about it anyway, so I figured I might as well make the jump. At around 8000 miles, I ordered some 17” Enkei M52s from Tire Rack and had them sent to a local tire shop, where I bought some Michelin Primacy MXM4s in size 215/50R-17. With the new tires, there was a horrible droning/roar, so they swapped them out for some Primacy MXV4s in the same size. There was still a faint drone at most speeds, and guess what? The vibration was still there at 50-55 mph… same bouncing sensation, only with more tire noise now. The tire shop has been great at working with me, and they re-balanced the tires for me, but the problem was still there. They thought it may be the plastic hubcentric rings, so Tire Rack sent a new set. Still no improvement. I was embarrassed about having it in so often, so I backed off for a while and just tried to live with it. Finally, I ordered some aluminum rings for the wheels and had them install them today just in case the plastic ones were too flimsy or had broken. I got the car back today and there’s still no improvement.
They said they didn’t see anything obviously wrong with the suspension, tire, or rim, so what could it be? I’m at my wits’ end with this vibration. I know there are worse problems to have than a vibration – much worse – but this one problem has been with me for 11,500 miles and it’s really starting to get to me. I love (loved?) everything else about my car, but this is really turning me against it. I don’t know what else to do. If I try to take it to the Mazda dealer again, they’ll just deny my warranty claim because of the aftermarket wheels and tires. I’m basically feeling like I wasted $1,400. Any suggestions about what might be causing the problem? Sorry for writing a book, but thanks for your input!
The dealer has been horribly unresponsive, and they basically ignore the problem altogether. The last time I spoke with them, they were supposed to get me an appointment to roadforce balance the wheels/tires, but they never contacted me. I called them and they tried to say they thought someone else had contacted me about it, and they’d get right back with me. I never heard from them again. The Mazda dealer here in Lexington is the only one I have to choose from, so I’m just out of luck there.
After dealing with the dealership, I thought I’d fix the problem and improve the looks of the car by just getting some new wheels and tires. I had been thinking about it anyway, so I figured I might as well make the jump. At around 8000 miles, I ordered some 17” Enkei M52s from Tire Rack and had them sent to a local tire shop, where I bought some Michelin Primacy MXM4s in size 215/50R-17. With the new tires, there was a horrible droning/roar, so they swapped them out for some Primacy MXV4s in the same size. There was still a faint drone at most speeds, and guess what? The vibration was still there at 50-55 mph… same bouncing sensation, only with more tire noise now. The tire shop has been great at working with me, and they re-balanced the tires for me, but the problem was still there. They thought it may be the plastic hubcentric rings, so Tire Rack sent a new set. Still no improvement. I was embarrassed about having it in so often, so I backed off for a while and just tried to live with it. Finally, I ordered some aluminum rings for the wheels and had them install them today just in case the plastic ones were too flimsy or had broken. I got the car back today and there’s still no improvement.
They said they didn’t see anything obviously wrong with the suspension, tire, or rim, so what could it be? I’m at my wits’ end with this vibration. I know there are worse problems to have than a vibration – much worse – but this one problem has been with me for 11,500 miles and it’s really starting to get to me. I love (loved?) everything else about my car, but this is really turning me against it. I don’t know what else to do. If I try to take it to the Mazda dealer again, they’ll just deny my warranty claim because of the aftermarket wheels and tires. I’m basically feeling like I wasted $1,400. Any suggestions about what might be causing the problem? Sorry for writing a book, but thanks for your input!
