Wiped Out

taminga16 · Postby **taminga16** » Thu May 12, 2016 10:42 pm

Plus 1 for JBT's advice and why bother asking an electrician about an air conditioner?
Greg.

Rocky · Postby **Rocky** » Thu May 12, 2016 11:14 pm

Thanks, I'll check them out.
The A/C? The Auto Electrician does A/C as well - I was curious as to what sort of money I am looking at.
I will be shopping around on that one. It has been run occasionally over my ownership and could be just a re-gas.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Fri May 13, 2016 11:43 am

A re-gas is usually around the $150 to $200 mark from what I've seen.

It would be worth getting them to check for leaks before gassing it, no point spending $200 of gas if it's just going to vent out a week later.

Rocky · Postby **Rocky** » Fri May 13, 2016 6:16 pm

Good point Kansei. I will do that. I will take it to a specialist A/C outfit.
Automotive Plus were very good to deal with. Have a second-hand motor on the way for $60. shipped. Said they would take it back if it didn't work.
I will look around for another Auto Electrician to fit it as the fact that my mechanic (who is usually fine) had a major problem with the original one suggests that an expert might be needed.
It was described by the last one as a 'half-hour' job so shouldn't be another $170.

Rocky · Postby **Rocky** » Sun May 15, 2016 5:36 pm

Jeez, there is a bit of a variety of wiper blades these days. I have 3 Mazdas here - '01, '05, & '06 - and they all have different types of wiper frames and different blades fitted.
The MX5 has 6mm blades fixed by a 'U' shaped circlip, the Mazda 3 also has 6mm but has fixed metal caps on the end that are a part of the frames, and the Mazda 6 has 8mm metal reinforced with one slightly wedge shaped end on the blade that stops the blade sliding out. You'd think it was economical to use the same sort of fitment all the time.
I notice the prices of blades vary from about $5. to $20.

bruce · Postby **bruce** » Sun May 15, 2016 5:53 pm

Yup, far too many varieties of blades. Prices are ludicrous.

Rocky · Postby **Rocky** » Sun May 15, 2016 6:32 pm

Glad to hear someone else thinks so.
I just rocked in to my local Autobarn the other day thinking I would just pick up a handful of $5. blades and do all the cars in one go.
It must be a while since I last did the blades because I was caught off-guard by the different width blades and then by the ones with metal reinforcement strips in them.
(and that's without getting into multi-blade ones)
You also wonder if there is a major advantage in a $20. set as opposed to a $5. set. Once upon a time it was pretty simple - there was only one type.

taminga16 · Postby **taminga16** » Sun May 15, 2016 7:46 pm

Rocky,
"Once upon a time" was a very long time ago. Think of all of the money that you have saved.
Greg.
P.S. Single blade silicon in plastic frames are OK, I change mine every 12 months. Multi 'fins' look good but increase drag and load on the wiper motor.

Rocky · Postby **Rocky** » Sun May 15, 2016 8:18 pm

Thanks for that 'reminder' Greg.
Yes, longer than I care to admit.
I can't complain about spending too much on wiper blades. None of the cars are ever parked in the sun so the blades last a long time. (and it doesn't rain much up here)

taminga16 · Postby **taminga16** » Sun May 15, 2016 8:31 pm

Rocky,
It brought to mind this wonderful quote from the novel, "The Go-Between".

“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.”
L.P. Hartley

Rocky · Postby **Rocky** » Mon May 16, 2016 8:42 pm

Ha! That is a great quote!

I went back to Autobarn today and after looking at the various blades for about 20 mins, I asked one of the staff to explain why some sets were 8mm on the drivers side and 6mm on the passengers.
He said this was something that happened several years ago when a "Europeanisation" of wiper blades occurred (?) Have you ever heard anything so stupid?
So it turns out that the 2001 NB8B was too early for that nonsense and consequently uses 6mm blades, whilst my 2006 Mazda 6 has the 8mm/6mm deal.
I am incredulous.
Anyhow $40. later I have a set for each car and will put them on tomorrow. The guy at Autobarn said "Come back if you have any trouble and I will fit them for you".
I said "Am I going to have trouble fitting new wiper blades?" He said "You might be surprised".
So it looks like the car makers have just about got us where they want us, totally dependent upon a mechanic to fit wiper blades.

Black_Penguin · Postby **Black_Penguin** » Tue May 17, 2016 12:03 am

I'd blame it more on people having zero mechanical skill and no desire to learn. Just throw money at it to avoid having to deal with the dirty bits.

project.r.racing · Postby **project.r.racing** » Tue May 17, 2016 8:27 am

Are the wiper arms on you Mazda 6 not original? I own two Mazdas younger than your 6, and one older. And they have the same size width blades left to right. The only difference is the length of the drivers is a little longer in the newer models.

Rocky · Postby **Rocky** » Tue May 17, 2016 5:44 pm

PRR - you would think there had to be some rational explanation, wouldn't you. No seemingly not. The guy at Autobarn was right across it and pointed out to me in the "Fitting Guide" for all the different makes where it specifies the different width blades for driver/passenger. Have a look next time you are in a store that sells them.
There are packs of blades made specifically for this set up. I only measured the drivers side but when we went out to the car I could easily see that they were two different width blades.
This is the pack - there were lots of others. Crazy, just crazy.