Mazda Capella Pricing and Specs

There does seem to be a bit of a trend here where the Mazda software won’t talk to its owners’ phones. It’s not just a Mazda thing, either; plenty of car-makers using proprietary software receive customer complaints when the software and apps won’t play ball.

Some owners have had success by disconnecting the car’s battery overnight and forcing a reset to factory settings, but in other cases, the refusal to operate correctly is intermittent.

However, it’s up to Mazda to make good on a fix for this. Whether that involves replacing the head unit and screen with a new one, downloading new software or a patch for the existing stuff or whatever the solution is, your factory new-car warranty should cover this. Make sure the fault has been logged at the dealership (so Mazda knows it’s a pre-existing condition) and don’t be afraid to tackle Mazda Australia’s customer service division to see what can be done.

That’s not a bad innings for a four-cylinder engine, even a modern one (although I’ve seen similar engines with more kilometres and still going strong). There’s a fair chance the piston rings and valve stem seals have lost some of their mojo and are allowing the oil to be burned in the engine. It’s normal wear and tear, but it needs to be fixed on the basis of the pollution being produced from the tailpipe. Also, eventually, something major will fail spectacularly and leave you stranded.

Your options include rebuilding the current engine or finding a second-hand engine with fewer kilometres on board and simply swapping it into your car. Thanks to the fact that the Mazda 3 was a popular car with younger drivers, they’re somewhat over-represented in wrecking yards, often with engines in very good condition. This would certainly be cheaper than rebuilding your current engine.

Any time a fuel-injected car can’t get fuel from the tank to the engine, the number one suspect is the electric fuel pump. These are often located inside the fuel tank and have a finite lifespan. And when they stop, they just stop. That’s it; no warning and only a new pump will get you going again.

However, it’s also worth checking that you don’t have a blocked fuel filter or a kinked fuel line or something equally random that is stopping the fuel getting to the engine. Nine times out of ten, however, the fuel pump will be the culprit.