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May-June Event Wrap Up

I’ve attended quite a few events over the last two months, everything from a pre-release Mazda 2 measuring session in LA to the All Mazda Meet in Newburgh, NY. Take a look at where else we have been:

May 12th, MazdasNW

There was a really big turnout at the May monthly meet at NorthGate mall in Seattle. There was a huge range of vehicles, RX-7s, B series trucks, Mazda 3s, Mazda 6s, MX-6, etc. This meet was surprising simply in the quantity of people and cars. There were several notable vehicles at the meet. A really nice FD RX-7 showed up at the event, which was all built by the owner. The whole car was well thought out and looked amazing. There was a really nice B Series truck with quite a long list of modifications as well, which I liked.


The whole range of Mazdas


Really nice FD RX-7

May 19th, Mazda 2 Measuring Session.

For the first time ever Mazda put up a vehicle and let companies get a chance to look at a new model before it is released through what they call a SEMA measuring session. This gives companies like CorkSport a chance to get measurements and start getting parts built and ready to sell as soon as the car is available. We flew down to Irvine, CA to spend the day collecting information to make new parts. Mazda provided two cars to look at and get information from.

While we were in Irvine we stopped by Tuttle Click Mazda, a Mazda dealership that offers our CorkSport brand products. If you’re in the greater Irvine, CA area stop by and check them out!


Tuttle Click Mazda

Their parts department showroom was in the middle of a remodel for better product displays while we were visiting so we couldn’t check out their awesome CorkSport display. If you are in So Cal and want to pick up CorkSport products locally give George a call at 949 421 3200. He is the parts manager for Tuttle Click Mazda. They had a good selection of Mazdas on the lot including a Red 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 with powder coated wheels and no front plate.


New and black powder coated wheels and no front plate

June 9th, MazdasNW

The June MazdasNW monthly meet had a smaller turnout than usual due to the Junuary weather the NW was experiencing. Despite the threat of rain we trekked to Federal Way, WA to attend the meet. One lucky customer was able to have their CorkSport Mazdaspeed6 cat-back exhaust delivered, saving him quite a bit in shipping costs.


Ecstatic new owner of a CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Exhaust

We also got a chance to do investigative work into the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 as to why the factory keyless entry system was not working on our Project Mazdaspeed3. More details on that adventure can be seen in my blog post about it.


Troubleshooting the elusive keyless entry problem

June 5th, OCC All Mazda Meet

One June 4th at 9:30pm Chris and I hopped on a plane headed to for Newark, NJ to attend the OCC Mazda Meet. The plane landed at 5:30am local time (Sleep?? What’s that?) and we jumped in our rental and headed north to Newburgh, NY. Heading up the freeway we got passed by a train of Mazdaspeed3s on their way to the meet.


A train of Mazdaspeed 3s

The event didn’t officially start until 10am but people started showing up early. When we arrived at 7:30 people were already getting cars parked in the lot. Due to an unexpected surprise our parts we had shipped to the event via UPS did not arrive so we were limited on the parts we had crammed in our carry-on bags to show at the event. This was one of the bigger all Mazda non-rotary specific events which I have attended. The RSVP list had 532 people signed up and 273 vehicles. Here’s a few pictures from the event, there were lots of cool cars there.


Really nice and rare yellow MP3 Protege


Rotaries including a really clean RX-3


Chris milking a giant NY cow

June 19th, MazdasNW Summer BBQ

MazdasNW hosted their annual summertime BBQ in Carnation, WA at Tolt McDonald Park. MazdasNW provided the food, drink, and cooking (thanks!) for the BBQ. The weather was unusually kind to us and there was no rain all day.

In true MazdasNW style, a parts installation immediately took place. A CorkSport SRI was installed at the event on a Mazdaspeed 6.


Installing the CorkSport SRI


Installation complete

Well, that’s it for events for the last two months. We have plenty more events lined up for the next 3 months, so stay tuned here for all the updates!

– Derrick

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Jake Needs Your Help!

Before starting work here at CorkSport a little over 2 months ago, owning a Mazda had never crossed my mind. Now that I spend the majority of my waking hours working on them, I am starting to spend other hours of my day dreaming about them (You would be surprised how many more Mazdas you see once you start looking for them). Being a CorkSport engineer gives me great enjoyment in designing parts that make cars go faster and handle quicker. However, owning a Jeep Grand Cherokee and being able to use parts I design on my own vehicle limits my options to, well, nothing.

That being said, I have been looking into upgrading from my current ride to something a bit more work friendly, not to mention more fuel efficient (not that I don’t love getting 16mpg in town). Now that I no longer live in the land of eternal snow (Minnesota), my need for an SUV has diminished greatly (however, my love for AWD has not).

I love the look and handling of the MS3 hatchbacks, but would really enjoy the AWD and comfort of an MS6. That leaves me contemplating what my next vehicle and/or next work project should be (an AWD MS3?).

Any suggestions would be more than welcome.

– Jake

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Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting problems in a car can be a daunting task for some people. I got a reminder of how interesting it can be to chase down a problem and find a solution. The situation came up recently where our project 2010 MazdaSpeed 3 had a problem with the keyless entry system. The remotes would not operate the door locks and you could not start the car normally with the push button start. You would have to hold the remote close to the start button or use the key from the remote to activate the system so the start button would work. The outside push button door locks would not work either. The whole car acted like the security system had been activated as the stereo would not work as well.

The first step I took was to check out the owner’s manual. If there is a manual or users guide to the part you have installed, or a service book for your car this can be very helpful for finding the place to start your investigation. The MazdaSpeed 3 was flashing the red light above where the key goes when the clutch was engaged. When depressing the clutch pedal in the MazdaSpeed 3 the system checks to see if a remote is in close proximity and allows the car to turn on which prompted the red light. After going through the alarm section and keyless entry areas the solution for the problem I had the only solution was to take it to the dealer according to the owner’s manual.

Not being a big fan of hauling the car to the dealer. I did a quick check through the fuses related to the keyless entry system to see if something had blown out causing the problem. I could not find a blown fuse in the system for the security system, stereo, or Bose equipment. The MazdaSpeed 3 had been jump started a week prior so my next thought was maybe the logic units for the alarm got knocked out of whack. So I disconnected the negative battery cable from the car and hit the brake likes to drain the power from the system. After a minute I got everything connected back up and gave it another try. Still nothing responded the way it should.

It was getting later into the evening at this point so I was going to give the owners manual one more shot to see if there was something I had missed. I reached up and hit the map light which I found was not working. I hit the interior manual light switch and nothing there either. When the lights did turn on it set off a memory of an experience I had in the past in my 2001 MP3. Sometimes the interior circuits like the lights are connected into other interior systems since the lights are always live. This was the case with the MP3 where the factory stereo was not working but the fuse was good. The power feed for the memory was tied into the interior lights which had blown a fuse causing the stereo to not power up. I found the section with the fuses in the MazdaSpeed 3 owner’s manual which pointed me to the fuse box in the engine bay. Sure enough the 15 amp fuse for the interior lights was blown. I popped in a new fuse and hopped back in the car. I hit the start switch and car fired up like it should with the stereo working.

One person’s theory:

“The actual cause of the fuse being blown was one of our product engineers was checking out the visor light bulbs to see if there was a part we could supply which would work in that location. The fuse for the lights was tripped during the work which was not noticed since the car was not running and it was daytime. It wasn’t until the next day when a different person tried to move the vehicle that we noticed the problem.”

Another person’s (a person implicated in the above theory) theory:

“It was related to the dead battery and jumping the car.”

No matter what caused it, in the end the problem was pretty small and it took about 30 minutes to figure out. Remember if something electrical isn’t working, check those fuses.

–Derrick

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Goodbye RX-8

Reports from Mazda are pointing to the fact that the RX-8 will no longer be sold after the 2011 model year. Mazda has stopped sales of the car in Europe, mostly because it is unable to pass their strict emission standards.

Since the last refresh of the RX-8 in 2009 sales have slowed down considerably. This could be due in part to offerings from other Japanese and domestic automakers in the same market segment but it comes as no surprise Mazda is discontinuing the RX-8 when only 128 of them were sold in April.

We should remain hopeful though, because rumor has it that the RX-7 is likely to be revived in some way. If the rumors are true then the new RX will be using Mazda’s latest rotary engine, the 16X, which is rumored to produce 250hp. The price point for the new one is in the mid to upper 20’s.

All I know is that we can’t wait to get our hands on whatever Mazda’s next rotary rocket is.

– Chris

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OMG A GIRL WORKING ON A CAR!

Today we have a blog written by guest blogger, and resident shop-mother to all us man-children here at CorkSport, Kelly:

For years I have taken grief for being in the “industry” and having almost zero time under the hood. I have never needed to get dirty; there has always been a willing boy to do the work for me. All I have ever had to do is purchase the part, bat my eyelashes, and bring some beer, or occasionally hand my keys over for a test fitment of prototype parts. That’s all about to change; I have decided its time take charge and install a part. I mean, really how hard can it be? I’ve watched from the sidelines for years, I know how an engine works and it major components. I have a better than basic understanding of cars and how performance parts work. This should be a piece of cake… right?

My first undertaking is the installation of the CorkSport Front Strut Bar for my Mazda 3. Per our website it should take me 15 minutes and will tighten up the front end a bit. I choose this part for obvious reasons, one it’s quick to install and two it looks easy enough, which should boost my confidence for future projects.

Cross your fingers…

Day of the project:

After putting the project off for several months, I was secretly hoping that someone would take pity on me and just take care of it while they were in there doing other stuff; or just get so annoyed while I searched for tools that they would take over and do it for me. No such luck, I’m on my own with limited supervision.

I had assembled all my needed parts including my helper/supervisor, Chris, read the instructions, and I’m ready to install. Step one: Open the hood and figure out where the damn thing goes. Step two: Attempt to bust lose top bolts and realize that this is a little harder than I had anticipated. Those suckers are on there tight. Step three: Earn the mechanic’s badge of honor; I cut my hand and found out everyone else in the building has the same injury, plus a few more. Step four: Put the bar in, easy enough, it just dropped right into place. Step five: Put top bolts back in, FYI 14-20 ft. lb. of torque still really has no meaning to me beyond tighten the bolts down super tight. Step six: Test drive! Easy part, just don’t forget to close the hood first! Step seven: Check work and done. Then take grief from the boys for taking 30 minutes to install the part that should have only taken 15 minutes. Whatever, I was being careful.

One more important thing, ladies, that is not mentioned in the install instructions. Men put their tools away, believe it or not. They may not be able to hit the toilet or the laundry bin, but they get a little saucy if their tools do not return to the toolbox clean and in the exact same spot that you took them from. They can leave their tools all over the shop, but you can’t, apparently.

Overall it wasn’t the hardest thing I have ever done, I did get my hands dirty, and wounded, but I’ll live. Next time I’ll wear gloves. I have no doubt in my mind that I will be able to install the CorkSport Motor Mounts.

How hard can it be to pull five bolts and put a urethane bushing in?

– Kelly