Family Bus - Mazda 6 MPS
Discussion
Having recently changed jobs I needed to find myself a new car as I would no longer have a company one.
I needed something with 4 doors, isofix for the kiddie seat and that was bigger than my company A3 sportback as there was just not enough leg room for the front passenger with the babyseat was in. Haing been bored to death of 2.0 diesel rep-mobiles I fancied treating myself to something a little more fun, and as my travel was going to be minimal (I am cycling to work now) MPG did not concern me. I also didn't want a crazy insurance bill as i'm 25 with no NCB due to Co Car and my wife being 24 - I initially was going to push for an E39 M5 but I couldn't get insurance for less than £1500 which was more than I was comfortable with.... couple of years maybe
I set the PH search criteria to over 200hp and either 4 or rear wheel drive. There were a couple of thigs that came up, namely Legacy's and e46 330i's when I stumbled upon a 6 MPS. I did a little research and decided to go and see some, and ended up with this:
1 owner from new with full Mazda Service History from the supplying dealer. Bodywork and interior are immaculate and everthing worked as it should, plus it had just had a major service. Ideally I would have liked the Sat-nav (only option on these cars) but I just couldn't get past the condition - I haven't missed it anyway now i'm not travelling with my job.
Had it 2 months now and it's been fantastic. MPG is suitably shocking at an average of 22.9MPG (I use fuelly to keep track) but as we do less than 10,000 miles a year it's no biggie. I get 30 - 31 MPG on a run but as most of our trips are <10 miles the average is dragged down. Insurance was nice and cheap considering - just over £550 / year, nearly £200 less than the 330i. The only major downside's are TAX - its in the £500 bracket whereas early ones snuck into the £270 one - there goes that £200 Insurance I saved! and the rear seats not folding, but luckily I can get my bike straight in the boot with the wheels off.
Loving its understated looks and it's a nice place to sit with climate, leather and bose sound etc, overall very happy with it! Plus our boy loves it which always helps!
Next purchase for it is 4 new tyres
I needed something with 4 doors, isofix for the kiddie seat and that was bigger than my company A3 sportback as there was just not enough leg room for the front passenger with the babyseat was in. Haing been bored to death of 2.0 diesel rep-mobiles I fancied treating myself to something a little more fun, and as my travel was going to be minimal (I am cycling to work now) MPG did not concern me. I also didn't want a crazy insurance bill as i'm 25 with no NCB due to Co Car and my wife being 24 - I initially was going to push for an E39 M5 but I couldn't get insurance for less than £1500 which was more than I was comfortable with.... couple of years maybe
I set the PH search criteria to over 200hp and either 4 or rear wheel drive. There were a couple of thigs that came up, namely Legacy's and e46 330i's when I stumbled upon a 6 MPS. I did a little research and decided to go and see some, and ended up with this:
1 owner from new with full Mazda Service History from the supplying dealer. Bodywork and interior are immaculate and everthing worked as it should, plus it had just had a major service. Ideally I would have liked the Sat-nav (only option on these cars) but I just couldn't get past the condition - I haven't missed it anyway now i'm not travelling with my job.
Had it 2 months now and it's been fantastic. MPG is suitably shocking at an average of 22.9MPG (I use fuelly to keep track) but as we do less than 10,000 miles a year it's no biggie. I get 30 - 31 MPG on a run but as most of our trips are <10 miles the average is dragged down. Insurance was nice and cheap considering - just over £550 / year, nearly £200 less than the 330i. The only major downside's are TAX - its in the £500 bracket whereas early ones snuck into the £270 one - there goes that £200 Insurance I saved! and the rear seats not folding, but luckily I can get my bike straight in the boot with the wheels off.
Loving its understated looks and it's a nice place to sit with climate, leather and bose sound etc, overall very happy with it! Plus our boy loves it which always helps!
Next purchase for it is 4 new tyres
I noticed the same thing - and checked it out when I went to view the car. Can't guarantee its original but there's no sign it's been changed and the colour difference that shows in that photo (the photo above is the original photo from the add) is no where to be seen. Not sure why it shows a colour difference?
First major purchase on Friday for it..... In the form of 4 new tyres. I decided to change size slightly from 215/45/18 to 225/45/18, mainly because the choice and price was far better! Apparently this is fairly tried and tested, I decided to go for the 45 profile over the 40 as it was closer to the original rolling radius and the additional "comfort" they may offer although I expect handling to suffer a little. Plus the 40's don't come in the correct load rating either....
Apparently the only slight downside of the wider tyre over the originals is a smidgen less steering feel :s
Anyway... Four new conti sport contact 5's are rolling their way over to me, so will see how it goes!
Apparently the only slight downside of the wider tyre over the originals is a smidgen less steering feel :s
Anyway... Four new conti sport contact 5's are rolling their way over to me, so will see how it goes!
Quick update - new tyres on and scrubbed in nicely. The slight increase in sidewall has softened the ride a little. Turn in is no different so very happy 
Couple of things - had to top up the oil for the first time, works out about a litre per 5000 miles.
Couple of niggly things have popped up - feels like the front ARB drop links are shot so will get it up on the ramps and have a look. I also have a suspicion the rear N/S drive shaft may be on its last legs.
I also have a decision coming up.... its next service is due in 1000 miles (81,000 total) do I continue with FMSH or go it alone hmmmmm.
Finally; yesterday the wife managed to badly curb one of the wheels
oh well they were probably due a refurb soon anyway as the lacquer is lifting in places. Lepsons in Swindon have quoted £204+ VAT for all 4 to be done so may just bit ethe bullet
Couple of things - had to top up the oil for the first time, works out about a litre per 5000 miles.
Couple of niggly things have popped up - feels like the front ARB drop links are shot so will get it up on the ramps and have a look. I also have a suspicion the rear N/S drive shaft may be on its last legs.
I also have a decision coming up.... its next service is due in 1000 miles (81,000 total) do I continue with FMSH or go it alone hmmmmm.
Finally; yesterday the wife managed to badly curb one of the wheels
oh well they were probably due a refurb soon anyway as the lacquer is lifting in places. Lepsons in Swindon have quoted £204+ VAT for all 4 to be done so may just bit ethe bulletRun of bad luck I think. Those lovely new tyre's...... Nail through the rear! Luckily the emergency spare was ok, so a quick trip to my brother in law later and it all repaired.
Had to lift the handbrake slightly on the way to disengage the central clutch - where the tyres were different sizes the LSD was making some funky noises.
Seem to have cured the "worn suspension" - one of either adjusting the steering wheel or topping up the pressure in the front (they were at 34 as opposed to 39 - ooops) seems to have worked. Thanks for the steering wheel tip cuz3003!
Been thinking of painting the calipers whilst the wheels are away for a refurb - yellow with black MPS decals, black with silver or blue with black. Any opinions? I think I'm erring towards the first
Had to lift the handbrake slightly on the way to disengage the central clutch - where the tyres were different sizes the LSD was making some funky noises.
Seem to have cured the "worn suspension" - one of either adjusting the steering wheel or topping up the pressure in the front (they were at 34 as opposed to 39 - ooops) seems to have worked. Thanks for the steering wheel tip cuz3003!
Been thinking of painting the calipers whilst the wheels are away for a refurb - yellow with black MPS decals, black with silver or blue with black. Any opinions? I think I'm erring towards the first
Edited by a7x88 on Saturday 31st January 18:29
Update time.
So - had the VVT done, new Turbo inlet and intake setup + rear engine mount. Car drives much better and pulls much harder (I think mostly down to the timing being ever so slightly out). It was a good job I had the VVT done as when we removed the rocker cover there were score marks on the top of it from the chain
I then took the car to Le Mans. It was my first time there and I loved it! to anyone considering it, just do it.
I did hit a slight issue on the way down though..... just passed Rouen we noticed that the A/C seemed to no longer be blowing cold. Slightly starnge as it had beenb working perfectly. A quick pitstop revealed what I thought to be a seized compressor - the pulley was stopping and causing the aux belt to slip over it. So we turned off the AC and proceeded onwards (in 30 degree heat
)
Just outside of Le Mans we hit the Peage noticed a hideous noise and smell. It turns out that the bearing had collapsed and the heat generated by the additional friction melted the magnetic clutch wiring and friction material......
The car was now sounding horrendous but not wanting to deal with the French recovery people we waited until Monday and took a gentle drive back. I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when we got onto the eurotunnel! Eventually home I took to the task of stripping the car apart. Not knowing wether the original compressor had been damaged (plus the fact it was cheaper to buy a whole compressor including clutch than buy just a clutch from Mazda) I decided to replace it.
The compressor could just about be removed from underneath the car. Having worked in industrial refrigeration for a while I couldn't bring myself to stick a new compressor in without changing the drier..... this meant a whole new condenser was also fitted. Luckily this new one has a separate drier than can be replaced independently of the condenser. It did however mean that the whole front end had to be removed as above.
Some pictures of what was left of the clutch and its wiring.
Here is what was left of the bearing - just the race! all the ball bearings had escaped
All back together now though and just waiting for the AC man to come and charge the system up tomorrow
So - had the VVT done, new Turbo inlet and intake setup + rear engine mount. Car drives much better and pulls much harder (I think mostly down to the timing being ever so slightly out). It was a good job I had the VVT done as when we removed the rocker cover there were score marks on the top of it from the chain
I then took the car to Le Mans. It was my first time there and I loved it! to anyone considering it, just do it.
I did hit a slight issue on the way down though..... just passed Rouen we noticed that the A/C seemed to no longer be blowing cold. Slightly starnge as it had beenb working perfectly. A quick pitstop revealed what I thought to be a seized compressor - the pulley was stopping and causing the aux belt to slip over it. So we turned off the AC and proceeded onwards (in 30 degree heat
)Just outside of Le Mans we hit the Peage noticed a hideous noise and smell. It turns out that the bearing had collapsed and the heat generated by the additional friction melted the magnetic clutch wiring and friction material......
The car was now sounding horrendous but not wanting to deal with the French recovery people we waited until Monday and took a gentle drive back. I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when we got onto the eurotunnel! Eventually home I took to the task of stripping the car apart. Not knowing wether the original compressor had been damaged (plus the fact it was cheaper to buy a whole compressor including clutch than buy just a clutch from Mazda) I decided to replace it.
The compressor could just about be removed from underneath the car. Having worked in industrial refrigeration for a while I couldn't bring myself to stick a new compressor in without changing the drier..... this meant a whole new condenser was also fitted. Luckily this new one has a separate drier than can be replaced independently of the condenser. It did however mean that the whole front end had to be removed as above.
Some pictures of what was left of the clutch and its wiring.
Here is what was left of the bearing - just the race! all the ball bearings had escaped
All back together now though and just waiting for the AC man to come and charge the system up tomorrow
Thought it was about time for another update!
Thermostat failed a couple of weeks back and the car was taking ages to get up to temperature. £80 :s later I had purchased a replacement from Mazda and then set about replacing it. What a PITA. Aux belt back off so the power steering pump could be shifted out of the way. A lot of wiggling pipes later and it was finally sorted.
So, what else has happened - it's nearly a year since my original post. I have purchased a couple of bits for it. Namely a set of Thule Aerobars and two pro bike carriers so we could go out on a ride as a family. The bars pretty much live on the roof now as they are silent and I actually think it looks kinda cool
plus that way it only takes 5mins to put the bike carriers on and then we can head out.
Performance wise - the intake and turbo inlet were done a while back, plus a second cat delete. I've now also added a new top mount intercooler (that still sits under the factory shroud even though it's nearly twice as thick), some high pressure fuel pump internals and an off the shelf map on the versatuner software. I'm currently going through the stages of having a custom map made and expect to see around 300 - 320bhp when we're finished.
Also just order a rear anti roll bar to tighten up the back end a little bit plus upgraded rear differential mounts which are a known weak spot.
The cars not been without its issues (ac compressor and thermostat) but on the whole it's been great. I still get a huge grin when I get the opportunity to stretch its legs on a nice B road and it makes for a great family car. Plus - I won a competition with Shell "Fill up and Go" which gives me a years worth of free fuel. Certainly makes the 20mpg more palatable!! Maybe the right time for a V8 though?
Thermostat failed a couple of weeks back and the car was taking ages to get up to temperature. £80 :s later I had purchased a replacement from Mazda and then set about replacing it. What a PITA. Aux belt back off so the power steering pump could be shifted out of the way. A lot of wiggling pipes later and it was finally sorted.
So, what else has happened - it's nearly a year since my original post. I have purchased a couple of bits for it. Namely a set of Thule Aerobars and two pro bike carriers so we could go out on a ride as a family. The bars pretty much live on the roof now as they are silent and I actually think it looks kinda cool
plus that way it only takes 5mins to put the bike carriers on and then we can head out.Performance wise - the intake and turbo inlet were done a while back, plus a second cat delete. I've now also added a new top mount intercooler (that still sits under the factory shroud even though it's nearly twice as thick), some high pressure fuel pump internals and an off the shelf map on the versatuner software. I'm currently going through the stages of having a custom map made and expect to see around 300 - 320bhp when we're finished.
Also just order a rear anti roll bar to tighten up the back end a little bit plus upgraded rear differential mounts which are a known weak spot.
The cars not been without its issues (ac compressor and thermostat) but on the whole it's been great. I still get a huge grin when I get the opportunity to stretch its legs on a nice B road and it makes for a great family car. Plus - I won a competition with Shell "Fill up and Go" which gives me a years worth of free fuel. Certainly makes the 20mpg more palatable!! Maybe the right time for a V8 though?
So about time for an update....
Car has been plodding along nicely - the completed e-tune made a massive difference to the car and really helped the top end where on the stock tune it runs out of puff.
Conti's were on their wear strips so a new set of tyres were ordered - Michelin Pilot Super Sports. The best tyre i've currently had fitted to a car, they are very hard to fault + I got a fantastic deal due to a garage f up.
Brake pads were also in need of a change and the discs had seen better days so a full set of grooved and dimpled MTec disc and mintex pads were put on for around £200 iirc
No idea what the dimples do but I liked the look of them and they are not supposed to crack like some drilled discs.
Job didnt go quite as planned. Turned out that the master cylinder seals were letting by so that had to be swapped. Luckily a low mileage car was being broken so I picked one up for £40 as opposed to the £300 Mazda want
Next on the list is the biggy
the K04 has started smoking on extended idle - this is a sure fire indicator that the seals are failing. Very common on the MZR engine and with the car having done 90k not unexpected at all. I also think the extra stress from the map helped it along the way. Choices were to replace with the same again (with improved seal design) or for a bit more go down the rather well established BNR route.
BNR custom make turbo's for mainly Mazda's - RX7's,8's and the Mazdaspeeds. They are very popular in the US and are well proven. They currently make 2 for the Mazdaspeeds - the stage 3 (based on Garret GT2X CHRA) or the Stage 4 which has just been released (Garret GT30). The lag between the two apparently is unnoticable with the only difference being the stage 4's boost threshold is 1-200rpm later.
Common consensus is that the S3 isnt worth bothering with now that the S4 is out. The S4 is much more efficient; being capable of flowing enough 500 Wheel Horsepower which is beyond what the stock engine and fueling can realistically cope with. An order is in with some US suppliers for the following;
BNRS4 turbo
3.5" Intake
3" downpipe with high flow cat
Electronic Boost Control Solenoid
3bar MAP sensor
Also ordering a 3" Jetex exhaust which shouldn't be too much louder than stock (I don't like stupid droney/noisy exhausts on a daily driver). Waiting to be fitted at the same time are a rear anti roll bar, and both diff mounts for the rear lsd (they tend to shear with higher power outputs)
Plan is to get it all fitted and get a conservative map to what is considered the safe limits on a stock block for a daily driver ~ 400hp and 400tq.
What kills these cars are the relatively weak conrods - they hate too much torque below 3-3.5krpm. Even the stock turbo/map is well known for venting the block when booting it too much in the low rpm range. Plan for the map is to keep the targeted load down in the lower ranges and wind it out up the top where it is much safer.
Should all be fitted within the next couple of months (depending on customs etc) so I will be reporting back soon with impressions.....and hopefully not pictures of a hole in my block
Car has been plodding along nicely - the completed e-tune made a massive difference to the car and really helped the top end where on the stock tune it runs out of puff.
Conti's were on their wear strips so a new set of tyres were ordered - Michelin Pilot Super Sports. The best tyre i've currently had fitted to a car, they are very hard to fault + I got a fantastic deal due to a garage f up.
Brake pads were also in need of a change and the discs had seen better days so a full set of grooved and dimpled MTec disc and mintex pads were put on for around £200 iirc
No idea what the dimples do but I liked the look of them and they are not supposed to crack like some drilled discs.
Job didnt go quite as planned. Turned out that the master cylinder seals were letting by so that had to be swapped. Luckily a low mileage car was being broken so I picked one up for £40 as opposed to the £300 Mazda want
Next on the list is the biggy
the K04 has started smoking on extended idle - this is a sure fire indicator that the seals are failing. Very common on the MZR engine and with the car having done 90k not unexpected at all. I also think the extra stress from the map helped it along the way. Choices were to replace with the same again (with improved seal design) or for a bit more go down the rather well established BNR route.BNR custom make turbo's for mainly Mazda's - RX7's,8's and the Mazdaspeeds. They are very popular in the US and are well proven. They currently make 2 for the Mazdaspeeds - the stage 3 (based on Garret GT2X CHRA) or the Stage 4 which has just been released (Garret GT30). The lag between the two apparently is unnoticable with the only difference being the stage 4's boost threshold is 1-200rpm later.
Common consensus is that the S3 isnt worth bothering with now that the S4 is out. The S4 is much more efficient; being capable of flowing enough 500 Wheel Horsepower which is beyond what the stock engine and fueling can realistically cope with. An order is in with some US suppliers for the following;
BNRS4 turbo
3.5" Intake
3" downpipe with high flow cat
Electronic Boost Control Solenoid
3bar MAP sensor
Also ordering a 3" Jetex exhaust which shouldn't be too much louder than stock (I don't like stupid droney/noisy exhausts on a daily driver). Waiting to be fitted at the same time are a rear anti roll bar, and both diff mounts for the rear lsd (they tend to shear with higher power outputs)
Plan is to get it all fitted and get a conservative map to what is considered the safe limits on a stock block for a daily driver ~ 400hp and 400tq.
What kills these cars are the relatively weak conrods - they hate too much torque below 3-3.5krpm. Even the stock turbo/map is well known for venting the block when booting it too much in the low rpm range. Plan for the map is to keep the targeted load down in the lower ranges and wind it out up the top where it is much safer.
Should all be fitted within the next couple of months (depending on customs etc) so I will be reporting back soon with impressions.....and hopefully not pictures of a hole in my block
Small update - ordered all the parts from the US.
Due to niggling worries about engine longevity I have bitten the bullet - ordered everything for the engine to be "forged"
Spoken with a guy oop north who handles these engines day in day out and as soon as the parts arrive it will be booked in
Ordered list
BNRS4 Turbo (Garrett 3076 internals)
3 Bar Map sensor
Manley H Beam Rods
Wiseco Forged Pistons
ARP Head and main studs
Downpipe with High flow cat
Full 3.5" intake
Uprated Recirc valve
Electronic Boost Control Solenoid
New OEM bearings, seals, friction washers, timing chain etc etc
Balance Shaft removal kit and Oil pan baffle
EGR deletion kit
Oil Catch Can kit with new PCV valve
Upgraded injector seals
Should net somewhere in the region of 400/400 - the advantage of going forged is that although peak power will be no higher, we can target high load levels earlier in the rev range without having to worry about bending any rods. This should make for a much more driveable "street" car what with the performance being more accessible. I also then have options to add 5th/6th port injection as well as water mathanol injection. This should finish the engine work in one big hit and mean I dont have to worry.
All this leave's one item left that I want to change - suspension. I like the stock set up, my main complaint is that it sits a little high, also the dampers are getting a little old so due for a change anyway. I'm looking at going for the Bilstein B12 Pro kit which gives it a modest drop (either 25 or 30 mm from memory) and comes with matched Bilstein dampers. They get good reviews but ideally I plan on getting a ride/go in another MPS with them fitted so I can make sure its not going to make it to crashy and horrible.
Due to niggling worries about engine longevity I have bitten the bullet - ordered everything for the engine to be "forged"
Spoken with a guy oop north who handles these engines day in day out and as soon as the parts arrive it will be booked in
Ordered list
BNRS4 Turbo (Garrett 3076 internals)
3 Bar Map sensor
Manley H Beam Rods
Wiseco Forged Pistons
ARP Head and main studs
Downpipe with High flow cat
Full 3.5" intake
Uprated Recirc valve
Electronic Boost Control Solenoid
New OEM bearings, seals, friction washers, timing chain etc etc
Balance Shaft removal kit and Oil pan baffle
EGR deletion kit
Oil Catch Can kit with new PCV valve
Upgraded injector seals
Should net somewhere in the region of 400/400 - the advantage of going forged is that although peak power will be no higher, we can target high load levels earlier in the rev range without having to worry about bending any rods. This should make for a much more driveable "street" car what with the performance being more accessible. I also then have options to add 5th/6th port injection as well as water mathanol injection. This should finish the engine work in one big hit and mean I dont have to worry.
All this leave's one item left that I want to change - suspension. I like the stock set up, my main complaint is that it sits a little high, also the dampers are getting a little old so due for a change anyway. I'm looking at going for the Bilstein B12 Pro kit which gives it a modest drop (either 25 or 30 mm from memory) and comes with matched Bilstein dampers. They get good reviews but ideally I plan on getting a ride/go in another MPS with them fitted so I can make sure its not going to make it to crashy and horrible.
Update Time
So today I went on a marathon trek up to the Lake District with the barge. Leaving at 5AM meant a clear run up to Manchester with little traffic. It was actually a fantastic run up with me being able to average some decent speeds.
Anyway - the reason for the trip......
Car has gone to have open heart surgery. The engine is being removed, stripped, honed and then fitted with forged internals. It's also having a big turbo fitted along with host of other goodies;
Wiseco Pistons
Manley Rods
ARP bolts
New OEM bearings/casings etc.
BNRS4 Turbo
Downpipe
Jetex Exhaust
3.5" intake
Forge Bypass Valve
Twin Oil catch cans
Bilstein B12 sports suspension
Uprated rear diff mounts
Uprated transfer box bearing caps
Fidanza flywheel
LUK clutch
EGR delete
Balance shaft removal and sump baffaling
Water/Methanol injection
+some bits I've probably forgotten!
Net result should be a pretty sorted car with roughly 400bhp/400ftlb without meth. Running meth as an additional fuel source should mean it will see 500ish, however I'm not keen on this option due to the potential for catastrophic damage should it fail! Instead I will be using it to mainly reduce BAT's and help clean the intake which is notorious for coming up due to direct injection.
Can't wait to get it back now!
So today I went on a marathon trek up to the Lake District with the barge. Leaving at 5AM meant a clear run up to Manchester with little traffic. It was actually a fantastic run up with me being able to average some decent speeds.
Anyway - the reason for the trip......
Car has gone to have open heart surgery. The engine is being removed, stripped, honed and then fitted with forged internals. It's also having a big turbo fitted along with host of other goodies;
Wiseco Pistons
Manley Rods
ARP bolts
New OEM bearings/casings etc.
BNRS4 Turbo
Downpipe
Jetex Exhaust
3.5" intake
Forge Bypass Valve
Twin Oil catch cans
Bilstein B12 sports suspension
Uprated rear diff mounts
Uprated transfer box bearing caps
Fidanza flywheel
LUK clutch
EGR delete
Balance shaft removal and sump baffaling
Water/Methanol injection
+some bits I've probably forgotten!
Net result should be a pretty sorted car with roughly 400bhp/400ftlb without meth. Running meth as an additional fuel source should mean it will see 500ish, however I'm not keen on this option due to the potential for catastrophic damage should it fail! Instead I will be using it to mainly reduce BAT's and help clean the intake which is notorious for coming up due to direct injection.
Can't wait to get it back now!
Yea it has - between me getting some scope creep and the garage being extremely busy doing MPS rebuilds (lol) it's taken a while.
The one positive is it means I am getting everything I want doing done at once.
Will post a pic of the parts etc and any pics I get of the build in progress but nothing should look mega different from the outside. Main one will be a slight lowering (20mm ish) from the bilstein kit
The one positive is it means I am getting everything I want doing done at once.
Will post a pic of the parts etc and any pics I get of the build in progress but nothing should look mega different from the outside. Main one will be a slight lowering (20mm ish) from the bilstein kit
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