Hi there, first off, the site doesn’t have my car listed under model. But I just bought a 2016 Mazda CX3 Touring AWD about 20 days ago. It started off fine. I kinda noticed a little bit of drag in the back wheels/tires but thought that was just due to AWD capabilities. Then as these past few days have gone on I’ve noticed that the ride has been bumpy when it shouldn’t be. I had this problem in my old car and turns out it was a wheel balancing issue and I needed an alignment as well. While this new problem is far less pronounced it is annoying, especially since it’s a brand new car. I have put on quite a few miles since buying it because I do a lot of driving for work. However, I don’t think this much damage could’ve happened in the short time that I’ve had it. Could be a missing wheel weight, but it’s bumpy all the time not just when I’m going on the highway. I’m just kinda confused about the whole thing and was hoping to get some different opinions. Thanks in advance.
Take it back to the dealer.
Yeah, the warranty is to fix the problems you find. Make an appointment to have it checked, and get a receipt even if they claim they found nothing. BTW, you can take your CX-3 to any Mazda dealer if the one where you bought it is inconvenient.
That is a left over 2016 model that has been sitting for a least 6 months, maybe longer (normal model year production ends in August).
The tires can develop flat spots in them if left in one position too long, this creates a vibration/ride disturbance that can be felt at as slow as 30 MPH… Flat spots can go away with driving but not always.
If the dealer finds that the tires are flat spotted and need to be replaced they will likely have to absorb the cost, that is considered a storage issue, not covered by the warranty.
+1 to @Nevada_545 Tires can indeed flat spot permanently if the car’s been sitting for a long time.
Another “Lot Rot” problem is the brake pads can and will rust where they’ve been touching the rotor. It creates a high, hard spot on the brake rotor that thumps a bit on each rotation. That can give similar bump-bump-bump symptoms but you can usually, but not always, feel a pulsing in the brake pedal that when you touch the brakes.
Take it back to a dealer. All should be covered. After all, its been 20 days.
The advice to go back to the dealer is good. If they tell you that “they all do that”, ask them to take you on a test drive with another similar car so you can see that for yourself.
Thanks for this info! Very helpful
I had a very similar issue with my 2016 Forester when I bought it. A wheel balance improved it, a second wheel balance and rotation improved it more. I knew it was not the car itself because my snow tires were perfectly smooth. Didn’t go away until just this week when I had the OEM tires re-installed on the rims (wheels) when my snows came off. Let us know how it turns out. We could all use some good news.
Huh? what I would expect is for the rotor to rust, not the pads. Rust occurs only with steel and iron.
Brake pads can, and often do contain steel particles which is used to clean the rust off the rotors. Both brass and stainless steel can be used but they cost more.