I have a 2006 Mazda 5. It has louder and louder road noise after 20,000 miles. After 2 dealer visits, 2 front tires replacement and a 4-wheel alignment, at the 3rd visit, the dealer still found the rear camber was out of specification. They replaced rear upper control arm because they found it was deformed. But the rear right camber was still at 2.5 degree after all. They told me it was at upper bound of the spec. I found the spec from library for the rear camber which is 2.19 and told the dealer, he was pretty mad. On the invoice it was written that Mazda techline told them there is no fix on this issue because the camber angle cannot be adjusted. The camber angle is a common problem for Mazda 5. some people online call Mazda 5 the tire eater. Does anyone know how to bring the camber angle into the spec? How could any company tell tell customer simply no fix and that’s it.
Typically, if a camber angle is out of spec by 0.31?, it’s not a big deal and shouldn’t cause excessive noise, especially on the rear wheel(s).
Maybe you need to find another Mazda dealer to take a look at it.
So is the noise coming from the front or rear tires?
How are tire treads wearing?
If you have too much of what I assume positive camber on the rear wheels this means the outer edges of the tires should be wearing too fast.
The rear control arm may be deformed but this is not likely due to a factory defect. This is usually caused by a pothole, curb, or rough railroad track.
The difference in camber (2.5 compared to 2.19) is actually irrelevant as to any problems unless the outer edges of the rires are being scrubbed off quickly.
Unfortunately, sometimes car makers have suspension design flaws and Mazda would not be alone.
Any suspension can be altered by a knowledgeable tech, but it’s unlikely the dealer will do this. It’s a liability issue since the odds are that if someone promptly goes out and loses control of a car, the car owner, and their attorney, will be filing a lawsuit agsinst them even if the alteration was not the cause.
Many sitting juries are made up of total idiots so why would the dealer, and Mazda, Inc. risk it.
Assuming front wheel drive, ask if your Mazda 5 has rear stub axles that can simply be unbolted after tire and brake drum or disk removal and then shimmed to adjust camber and also toe.
A little out of spec with either front or rear camber should not normally be significant. Possibly with your car it is but with mine, GM and Dodge that I had to adjust, it was not.
Are your tires becoming noisy possibly due to lack of regular 4 wheel rotation per the owner’s manual? Rear tires on all front drive cars that we have owned and were a little late with rotation, became noisy. The noise remains even after rotation.
They can deform the new control arm to reduce the camber. Not authorized though.