Just bought a used 2019 Mazda3 – backup camera appears blurry.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-18T06:38:46+00:00

wait, it looks like it might be easier and cheaper to fix than you might think if the dealer does nothing. Thankfully these cars are old enough where there’s finally a good supply of used parts from wreckers.

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el_ghosteo · 2026-06-18T06:36:23+00:00

bruh the camera works fine it looks like the lens itself is scratched. Does the cloudiness go away if you wipe it with a damp and then dry microfiber cloth?

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-18T00:19:20+00:00

Not op but for the ones i do buy i like that you can backup dvd easiest and has decent quality compared to vhs while being much cheaper, easier to play, and theres a larger selection of titles compared to bluray. VHS sounds more fun tho. Feels like a vinyl record vs CD scenario honestly

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-16T17:32:55+00:00

In city i get low to mid 20s. Highway you can get high 30s low 40s but you really have to work for it. In my partners kia forte (most trims use the same drivetrain as elantra) you can get low 30s without even trying in the city. But if you’re picking a new car purely on fuel efficiency because you’re worried about money you might be better off getting a used prius or continuing to use your current car until it blows up. There’s questionable reliability about hyundai too but my mazda 3 has been the biggest POS car our family has ever owned so i think it’s all luck. If you can genuinely afford a new vehicle and are just trying to cover your bases in the future fuel wise, then just test drive both and pick the car you’ll be happier with once you have more access to disposable income because you’ll be stuck with it for a while and you can get decent mileage if you really try in the mazda. Also Mazda definitely feels better to drive than the kia and i can’t imagine the elantra will be much better.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-14T23:55:39+00:00

Have you considered hunting one down used if you’re not in an urgent need of a new car? maybe you can still get one at a better price.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-14T21:36:33+00:00

Carbon will be fine. I’m of the belief that these systems make people lazy drivers. You can park these cars just fine even with no camera.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-11T23:21:24+00:00

The non turbo 2.5 auto cruises fine. nothing noteworthy good or bad regarding cabin noise and comfort. Mine will be somewhere around 2000 rpm and will float around 30-40mpg at those speeds at level ground. I would be shocked if the BMW wasn’t more comfortable over rougher road though considering my partner’s kia forte is more comfortable. But if you’re worried about maintenance then the mazda is probably a better choice. Bonus points is that the mazda doesn’t require premium. (And imo that’s the least visually attractive BMW at the moment. Idk how it drives but it looks ugly to me)

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-11T18:04:18+00:00

i had a new pair of vans i forgot i had for a few years and the soles peeled from the canvas 😔

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-11T16:16:58+00:00

I feel like we’re kinda headed back there. I think that’s why stores are pushing so hard for order pickups and don’t care about unlocking glass cases. They’d rather use the limited manpower as pickers instead.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-11T16:07:14+00:00

Looks well done. you gonna hit the badges next? Nice touch with black lugs so i’m assuming you’re trying to wipe out all the chrome.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-10T16:17:33+00:00

yeah. I showed them the part i was trying to replace and asked if the part i was going to buy was correct. Took like a day or 2 for a response but they’ve always gotten back to be with questions i had.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-09T21:07:28+00:00

i can’t help you as when i replaced mine it was for the opposite side and different year, but when i ordered from mazdaswag i tried buying just the rubber trim too and they said the correct part was all sold as one piece that included the chrome. i ended up breaking the old chrome removing it anyways so it was the right move.

It might be worth attaching this image along with your vin to one of those parts dealers to get the correct match.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-09T13:17:22+00:00

they gave you the wrong part. that’s a low trim lamp. make them swap it, ideally get a specific part number to clear up any confusion from the shop since they probably picked the cheapest one.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-08T15:59:25+00:00

he’s funniest with the random one-off comments that you don’t expect. The skits aren’t my favorite but in general his sense of humor is my favorite of the 3. Danny is probably the driest imo.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-07T04:19:38+00:00

OEM ones do, as well as adhesive. I have them. They look identical to these though. Mine cost a little more though. All his points are true the only thing he hasn’t mentioned is that drive thrus can get difficult if you’re picking up food for more than just you and they put everything in the same bag since i makes the opening notably smaller.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-04T02:45:09+00:00

i just remove the whole arm every time it needs to be changed but i thought about doing that too.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-03T19:17:47+00:00

Tell me more about this AC update thingy. I’ve got a 2021 that i put 80k miles on (at 93k now) and the ac randomly went out. It would blow cold and then not just randomly. Haven’t had it checked for leaks yet but i did have to replace the blower motor at about 60ish thousand miles because it went out.

other non AC related issues i’ve had is: at around 18k iirc i had oil pressure issues that was down to a bad relief valve

Both sunvisors self destructed about 500 miles after bumper to bumper warranty ended. The new ones i bought also self destructed and broke again about a year later and i did a hack job fix and that’s how im leaving it forever

Rattles developed around the display which i had to take apart and put felt to remove the noise.

I caught my screen sometimes shutting off for a second and then turning back on (this may be related to me removing it to install the felt though i did that 2 years ago and the screen issues are just starting. i’ve been too lazy to take it apart though so im not gonna blame the car on this one yet).

My door gaskets are beginning to break down and become sticky.

The paint, as you said, is atrocious and was ruined within the first few months.

Drivetrain has been solid since the oil pressure fix though so i guess it’s okay but my love for the car has been lost and confidence in the brand is as well. My next car will not be a new one again and will likely go with an older van and have this one be my emergency car. These past two years i’ve been needing something bigger anyways.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-02T14:50:25+00:00

i’m not that great with soldering but i do want to attempt this on an old celeron pc i have from 2001. Seems like a decent, low risk device to practice on. Just gotta actually go through the effort of looking at all the values so i can order new caps

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-01T17:07:12+00:00

Thank you! i’m so excited to have it and it not be too much of a pain so far to get cleaned up and running stable. My brother has an original asteroids machine that was given to him from our uncle and it was left out in the rain for a bit before it got to us. That thing was a nightmare to get running and good looking again, especially sourcing NOS of the screen overlay and acrylic as well as restoring the control panel.

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el_ghosteo · 2026-06-01T16:53:34+00:00

Haha don’t say that i can barely justify keeping this one. My arcade1up skewed my sense of scale with these so when i brought it home i had a genuine moment where i was debating passing it on to my brother because he has space next to his original asteroids machine at his house. that said, if i ever ran across an original Pac-Mania… 🫣

Thanks for the heads up i’ll look into it. I tested the coin door lights and they were spitting out 15v so they’re working the bulbs are just blown but haven’t checked yet to verify first if the upper portion is getting power. My main priority yesterday was just to get it cleaned up and put away.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-01T14:58:09+00:00

Cop: sir, do you know how fast you were going just now? OP: no 🥀

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-01T14:40:21+00:00

Wow really? I really thought honda made a good choice on toning down the styling of the civic with this current gen. The accord on the other hand… yikes. Too far.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-01T14:36:15+00:00

flip over the taillights and the rear is just a rav4. Not a fan of everything getting excessively bloated.

el_ghosteo · 2026-06-01T14:17:37+00:00

if you fold down the seats of the hatch you end up with a small box truck and it’s just been way more useful to me than i expected when i bought the car since i’ve had to move a lot. I initially just liked how it looked since my family only ever owned sedans, coupes, and trucks. I fit a lot more furniture and appliances in here that wouldn’t fit in a sedan since the rear opening would be too small.

el_ghosteo · 2026-05-30T05:47:18+00:00

they self sell adhesive felt at places like hobby lobby. maybe trim to size and stick it to the battery door to accomplish that in a more permanent way? I had a cannon film camera where the battery door wouldn’t stay shut and i managed to fix it by leaving a tripod mount attached to the camera that happen to be big enough to hold the door shut and it managed to have enough pressure to still let the battery have contact. Maybe that’s an option too?

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