only have done some of the mods i would like to do, but she's a beauty so far 🙈 had this car for less than a year and im really enjoying it!!

edit: mod list as requested
everything is from mikstore:)

Mazda 3 20-26 BP Hood Replacement MPS - Full FRP
Mazda 3 20-26 Sedan YOFER front lip and side skirts
Mazda 3 20-26 Sedan MK Diffuser
Mazda 3 BP Sedan Premium MP Wing Spoiler

also did a front grill chrome delete and a taillight tint which changes the look a lot, custom exhaust pairs very well too😁
there's more i would like to do but this is everything so far i've done

Hello everyone. I need some help deciding all around tint % (nothing on windshield) for this exact car. 20% vs 35% ceramic are the only two options I’m considering. Please share your thoughts on which % would look the best and just be better overall for this car. NOTE: Interior is all black. Thanks

Copied from the Mazda3 forum, as some of you aren't active on that website, and I wanted to increase visibility since some of yall were asking for it on my last post. Format will be weird, as I took my post on the Mazda3Revolution forum and pasted into Reddit, which doesn't allow inline photos.

Original post with replies: https://www.mazda3revolution.com/threads/19-26-knightsports-wing-review-caution-on-purchasing.260608/

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Wanted to give a longer reference point for this wing, as discussions online are fairly lacking.

Originally, I chose this wing as it's the closest I could find to the Mazda Spirit Racing Mazda3 wing / some of the racing wings applied by Mazda to their own highly modified 3's. I really liked that wing, but couldn't find any other besides the knightsports wing.

(Photo #1)

(Photo #2)

Originally, when I received the wing, I installed it with a bit of difficulty. It doesn't come with any instructions (purchased from MikStore) so you have to do some carful measuring. I laid down some painters tape to mark on the original panel where I wanted to drill holes, which is a similar install to the OEM wing outside of the measuring.

It also did not come with any adhesive, or any replacements for the yellow clips that inevitably break when removing the black trunk exterior section that all wings mount to. You will need to order some or pick them up from a local mazda dealer for pennies on the dollar. You should grab 4 of them just in case something is funky during install, part number is KB8A-51-SJ3.

The wing itself isn't bad, it's not a perfect wing by any means however. Orange peel here and there, small dimples, meh paint overall. If I was going for a show car or was particular about detailing my car, I might sand down the whole thing, use some body filler, resand, and repaint the entire thing to be honest.

The real problem came in during the first time I closed the trunk.

(Photo #3)

If you notice, on the wing the original supports are VERY close together, and it functionally acts as a pair of "wings" when you close the trunk. Think of a bird, the inner supports are the chest and everything to the outside of the supports are the wings, and because of this they "flap". Everytime I closed the trunk, the furthest edge of the wing would gain momentum and slam into the upper portion of the rear panel, which was not a good experience since that is hard on the fiberglass wing and on the paint.

I had to make my own supports instead out of some 0.5" ABS. I couldn't cut plastic at the time, so I ordered 4 pieces of my CAD model from Send Cut Send for $30. If you cannot make these supports yourself, or do not want to pay a bodyshop to do it, I would not advise purchasing this wing. The initial wing is not structurally sound enough to handle it's own weight without these supports.

If I had to redo this over again, which I will at some point, I would have instead ordered a single sheet of 1.0" and trial and errored with a bandsaw until I got the curvature of the piece correct.​

I started by gluing my pieces together with some epoxy.

(Photo #4)

Once I had the general shape down, I proceeded to sand each side until I could attain the needed curvature for matching the internal supports shape. I had a belt sander I used for this. Once I had the general shape, I moved onto moving up in the grits until I felt comfortable priming them with some primer/filler, and then finally some black gloss.

(Photo #5)

Overall they came out okay, I don't have a perfect paint match on the gloss of the wing and have some orange peel here and there, but since this is primarily a structural piece that will be hidden by the wing itself, I am content.

I added some double sided adhesive to each side and prepped the wing surface with some rubbing alcohol to ensure the best bond possible.

(Photo #6)

(Photo #7)

(Photo #8)

(Photo #9)

(Photo #10)

What I would do / will do when I redo these supports in the future:

I would likely use the same abs supports, albeit slightly smaller, and commit to using a fiberglass and resin combo to permanently attach the supports to the wing. A couple of years later and the curvature of the original supports isn't perfect, putting a little stress on the overall wing and adhesive in particular which is starting to come up.

Instead, I would use fiberglass, resin, and filler to adhere the supports to a sanded portion of the wing, and then use some threaded inserts preinstalled on the bottom of the ABS supports to screw the wing into the upper portion of the hatchback, with some adhesive tape inbetween for cushioning and further waterproofing. This manner of fabrication would turn the wing into a single solid piece with 4 supports, instead of a single two support wing with additional supports on the side. I plan to eventually paint or vinyl wrap the car, so having a single unit is much preferred.

(Photo #11)

Overall aesthetic is one I really like. It's not as angular as the mazda spirit racing wing, which I think fits with the curvature of this gen of the 3 the best.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeexC1lm9hX/?srtk=dWo1ZTdxNGI0Yndy

Someone rear ended me, dented and scratched a bit of the rear panel and scratched the bumper. Tore up my rim too.

Looks like it’s mostly the topcoat except for a tiny nick that got to the metal

Meeting with an adjuster tomorrow, wondering if anyone could give me a ballpark for what I should expect this to cost.

Much appreciated!

EDIT:
I’m meeting with the adjuster for the offending party and wanted to know a rough estimate. I’d like to avoid involving my insurance if possible

Love the new look and we no longer have to hold down to remote start the car, thank you!

Was a good run 🫤

Mazda USA how’s your day been so far? I know you are creepin 👀

The stock shift knob in my 2012 Mazda 3 Sport 6MT is falling apart and I’m looking to replace it. It isn’t a light-your-hair on-fire driving experience or anything, but it’s still a lot of fun to row thru the gears. Looking for reccs for shift knobs that lean to more of a “could be stock” look. Open to metal, leather, as long as it feels great and is relatively subtle (no crazy colours or big flashy logos). This has been my first manual car, so I’d also be down to try something with a bit more weight as well. Or maybe it doesn’t make enough difference and I should just find another oem shifter at a wreckers. Enlighten me!

I'm on here right now looking to see if my Mazda 3 - 2.5 s PREMIUM manual transmission has any interest on here. I am a manual stick shift enthusiast - but have been commuting in heavy traffic here in south Florida for work and I am t.i.r.e.d. She has a super easy stick - super smooth and flows beautifully but I am 51 and not like I was at 22 when I first fell in love with my Mazda 626 manual. 

I am at 44,000 miles and it's all turnpike (hwy) miles. I have gotten her oil changes regularly and filters changed.  Haven't had one issue at all - except . . . south Florida rush hour traffic.

The sweet spot is Mazda got me peanut butter leather seats (Katzkin) before I drove her off the lot. She is a beaut - polymetal gray metallic (bluish gray) with gloss black alloy wheels. 

I'm in South Florida and am wondering if there are interested people ready to buy her? If so, I can post some pics of outside and inside. 👍

My wife's mazda has had some low tarting issues about two days ago. Today she went out to go to work and it wouldn't start at all. The error she got was push button malfunction please see dealer. I jumped it but it took a while and after jumping was completely dead right away. I think maybe the alternator because it still has power but I'm not very mechanical. I took the video below for reference as when I opened the hood something in the engine sounds like it's ticking it's a hole off. Any info or prior experience would be amazing.

Hello. I noticed while I’m in reverse and I have my brakes pressed the car starts vibrating too much but as soon as i let the brake pedal, the car stops vibrating like that. It only happens in reverse. Anyone knows what could possibly be?

It's likely to be declared a total loss. Car had 163k miles on it so it was nearly time to replace it anyway. The thing is, I only need a car for ~1 year, as I plan to relocate out of the country.

What would be a good replacement in the 15k range? I don't want to spend too much because it just throws away money in taxes and registration. Google estimates that I might get ~10k from the insurance company.

If it matters, I kind of prefer sedans, but I'm flexible.

im not exactly a car guy myself so i don't know how true this is. i went there to get an alignment because my steering wheel was leaning slightly towards the right (after i replaced my stock 16s with aftermarket 18s, then felt humming sounds and slight vibration after the switch). then they called back and told me that it was because the tires were all "egg shaped" for having sat too long somewhere. i bought the 18s from marketplace and they came with those tires. they just did a visual inspection, no test or anything written. so i called another shop to do a wheel balancing to check and see if that was really the case and i was wondering if you guys can tell me if that's the correct type of test to do and also if i should trust what the original mechanic said even though they only told me that based on what they saw with their eyes.

Exterior is finally done!

I recently burned a disc and went to hear it in my car. The disc went in and can be ejected, but the option for CD is greyed out and stays that way, even if I put a different factory pressed CD in.

Any tips on what this could be and how to fix it?

Edit: Fixed

Looking at a 2017 2.0 with around 46k miles it seems pretty loaded as far as features go. They want 15,700. The used car market is so high I’m a little turned around about pricing at this point. What would you offer?

I’m negotiating for a 2026 Mazda 3 Premium Hatch and trying to get 5% off MSRP with special financing(~$31.5k USD @ 2.9%)

The dealer won’t budge past 3.2% off (offer stands at $32.2k USD @ 2.9%) and I’m about to walk away from this offer. Are they giving me a good deal? They’re telling me how their margins don’t allow it etc., but this model will probably be outdated in a few months and I know the manufacturer gives them additional discounts to offset their costs anyway.

Please tell me if I’m missing something. Hoping to join the club :)

Thanks!

I woke up to a nice surprise today. Mazda Canada shared my photo on their page.