Overview and Common Failures
The body and interior. The body is the weak point of the car and without treatment, it rusts until holes appear. The wings, sills, all edges, and the frame around the windshield rust the fastest. The interior is budget-friendly in terms of materials and soundproofing, and the build quality is not very good. Some complain about the heater motor failure and fuel level sensor glitches.
Engine. The 1.6-liter S6D engine is a clone of the reliable Mazda B6-DE engine. However, its assembly quality and some components are not up to par. Especially, the belt does not last long. At 150,000 km, it often consumes oil, but there are two repair sizes for the piston. Hydraulic compensators and the reduction valve of the oil pump do not tolerate poor-quality oil.
Transmission. The 5-speed manual F25M transmission from the Mazda 323 is very reliable, except for being a bit noisy. The gearbox makes noise on the first gears and leaks through the front shaft seal. After 200,000 km, an overhaul is required with replacement of bearings and synchronizers. The 4-speed automatic 4EAT-F, also from Mazda, serves without problems up to 250,000 km. However, if the ATF is rarely replaced, jerks and jolts will appear by 120,000 km. The weak point of the gearbox is the support of the rear cover, which quickly wears out.
Suspension. The suspension here is quite durable, and the main advantage is that spare parts are inexpensive and widely available. Up to 100,000 km, only ball joints and some bushings are often replaced. The steering rack and power steering rarely last more than 150,000 km, but their cost is not high. There are no special complaints about the braking system, but sometimes people complain about ABS block failures.
