One of my basic bits of advice for buyers of new Mazdas who (like me) live where it gets cold: take out your OEM battery and replace it with something good. Mazda OEM batteries are typically shit. On my 2014 3, I replaced my original battery twice under warranty in the first two years. Both times it just failed in cold weather. I was not running it down. They just quit. The second time, even though Mazda offered me a third warranty replacement battery, I said stuff it and bought a Bosch AGM battery for $150 that – I kid you not – was absolutely trouble free for the next 7 winters, and I live in rural New England where it gets very cold. Plenty of winter mornings close to zero farenheit.
I tested that Bosch just a month ago as I was winterizing the car and it showed one weak cell. It was still working absolutely fine and starting the car on the first go in 40 degree weather. I’d never once had to jump it or charge it. I could leave the radio on for two hours and it wouldn’t matter.
But I decided nearly 8 years was long enough to have gotten my money’s worth. So I just put a new battery in, although the Bosch I bought 7.5 years ago was no longer available. So we will see how it does as winter proceeds but it’s done just fine on a few 20 degree mornings so far.
We see SO MANY dead batteries on this sub, often on 2-4 year old vehicles. My conclusion is that Mazda batteries (which I think are actually Panasonic) may be fine in Georgia or California, but they don’t cut it in Minnesota or Vermont.
That damn Bosch lasted longer and was more trouble free than any other car battery I’ve owned in 40 years of driving. I’ll bet I would have been fine for an 8th winter.
I love the car. 152k and runs like a top, only a few minor repairs in almost a decade (wheel bearing, brake caliper, tensioner pulley), burns not a single drop of oil between changes, still gets 40mpg highway, still scoots when you step on it, does great in snow on Blizzaks, and pretty minimal surface underside rust for a New England car that’s lived outdoors on gravel its whole life. She’s become old faithful now and more than earned her keep, but she has years to go. Easy to work on too. But for some reason ($$$) Mazda cheaps out on OEM batteries and tires too. Cheap first mods I recommend to anyone who asks: get a good quality battery and non-LRR tires (I like Pirelli P7s) and the car is significantly better than when brand new.
You can easily pay $10k to replace a gasoline engine too, though, these days.