2003 MAZDA MODEL 6 maintenance

8-24
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

Battery Maintenance
To get the best service from a battery:
•
Keep it securely mounted.
•
Keep the top clean and dry.
•
Keep terminals and connections clean,
tight, and coated with petroleum jelly
or terminal grease.
•
Rinse off spilled electrolyte
immediately with a solution of water
and baking soda.
•
If the vehicle will not be used for an
extended time, disconnect the battery
cables and charge the battery every six
weeks.
Battery
Battery-Related Lead Materials:Battery posts, terminals and related
accessories contain lead and lead
compounds, chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer
and reproductive harm.
Wash hands after handling.
Spilled Battery Fluid:
Spilled battery fluid is dangerous.
Battery fluid contains SULFURIC
ACID which could cause serious
injuries, if it gets in your eyes or on
your skin. If this happens,
immediately flush your eyes with
water for 15 minutes or wash your
skin thoroughly and get medical
attention. Be careful not to get battery
fluid on yourself.
Battery-Related Explosion:
Flames and sparks near open battery
cells are dangerous. Hydrogen gas,
produced during normal battery
operation, could ignite and cause the
battery to explode. An exploding
battery can cause serious burns and
injuries. Keep all flames, including
cigarettes, and sparks away from
open battery cells.
WARNINGChildren and Batteries:Allowing children to play near
batteries is dangerous. Battery fluid
could cause serious injuries if it gets
in the eyes or on the skin. Always
keep batteries out of the reach of
children.
WARNING
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8-25
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
For reasons of proper performance, safety,
and better fuel economy, always maintain
recommended tire inflation pressures and
stay within the recommended load limits
and weight distribution.

Tire Inflation Pressure
Inspect all tire pressures monthly
(including the spare) when the tires are
cold. Maintain recommended pressures
for the best ride, top handling, and
minimum tire wear.
Refer to the specification charts (page 10-
5).
Tires
Using Different Tire Types:Driving your vehicle with different
types of tires is dangerous. It could
cause poor handling and poor
braking; leading to loss of control.
Except for the limited use of the
temporary spare tire, use only the
same type tires (radial, bias-belted,
bias-type) on all four wheels.
Using Wrong-Sized Tires:
Using any other tire size than what is
specified for your Mazda (page 10-5)
is dangerous. It could seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clearance, tire
clearance, and speedometer
calibration. This could cause you to
have an accident. Use only tires that
are the correct size specified for your
Mazda.
WARNING
Incorrect Tire Inflation:Overinflation or underinflation of
tires is dangerous. Adverse handling
or unexpected tire failure could result
in a serious accident. Always inflate
the tires to the correct pressure (page
10-5).
WARNING
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8-26
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

Tire Rotation
To equalize tread wear, rotate the tires
every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) or sooner
if irregular wear develops. During
rotation, inspect them for correct balance.
Also, inspect them for uneven wear and
damage. Abnormal wear is usually caused
by one or a combination of the following:
•
Incorrect tire pressure
•
Improper wheel alignment
•
Out-of-balance wheel
•
Severe braking
After rotation, inflate all tire pressures to
specification (page 10-5) and inspect the
lug nuts for tightness.NOTE
•
Warm tires normally exceed
recommended pressures. Don’t
release air from warm tires to adjust
the pressure.
•
Underinflation can cause reduced
fuel economy and poor sealing of
the tire bead, which will deform the
wheel and cause separation of tire
from rim.
•
Overinflation can produce a harsh
ride and a greater possibility of
damage from road hazards.
Keep your tire pressure at the
correct levels. If one frequently
needs inflating, have it inspected.
Rotate unidirectional tires and radial
tires that have an asymmetrical tread
pattern or studs only from front to rear,
not from side to side. Tire performance
will be weakened if rotated from side
to side.
Front
Do not include (TEMPORARY USE ONLY)
spare tire in rotation.
CAUTION
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8-27
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

Replacing a Tire
If a tire wears evenly, a wear indicator will
appear as a solid band across the tread.
Replace the tire when this happens.
You should replace it before the band is
across the entire tread.

Temporary Spare Tire
Inspect the temporary spare tire at least
monthly to make sure it’s properly
inflated and stored.
The temporary spare tire is easier to
handle because of its construction. It is
lighter and smaller than a conventional
tire and should be used only for an
emergency and only for a short distance.
Use the temporary only until the
conventional tire is repaired, which should
be as soon as possible.
Maintain its pressure at 420 kPa (4.2 kgf/
cm
2 or bar, 60 psi).
Worn Tires:Driving with worn tires is dangerous.
Reduced braking, steering, and
traction could result in an accident.
Always use tires that are in good
condition.
WARNING
New tread Worn treadTread wear indicator
•
Don’t use your temporary spare tire
rim with a snow tire or a
conventional tire. Neither will
properly fit and could damage both
tire and rim.
•
The temporary spare tire has a tread
life of up to 5,000 km (3,000 miles),
depending on road conditions and
driving habits.
•
The temporary spare tire is for
limited use, however, if the tread
wear solid-band indicator appears,
replace the tire with the same type
of temporary spare (page 8-27).
CAUTION
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8-28
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

Replacing a Wheel
When replacing a wheel, make sure the
new one is the same as the original factory
wheel in diameter, rim width, and offset.
Proper tire balancing provides the best
riding comfort and helps reduce tread
wear. Out-of-balance tires can cause
vibration and uneven wear, such as
cupping and flat spots.
Using a Wrong-Sized Wheel:Using a wrong-sized wheel is
dangerous. Braking and handling
could be affected, leading to loss of
control and an accident. Always use
wheels of the correct size on your
vehicle.
A wrong-sized wheel may adversely
affect
•
Ti r e fit
•
Wheel and bearing life
•
Ground clearance
•
Snow-chain clearance
•
Speedometer calibration
•
Headlight aim
•
Bumper height
WARNING
CAUTION
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8-29
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
Light Bulbs
Overhead light/Map lights
Fog lights
High-mount brake light
Trunk lightBrake lights/Taillights
Rear turn signal lights
Reverse lights Parking lights
Front turn signal lights Headlights(Low beam)
Headlights (High beam)
Courtesy lights
License plate lights
Side-marker lights
Taillights
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8-30
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
Yo u r M a z d a’s headlights have replaceable
halogen bulbs.
Replacing a Headlight Bulb
Due to the complexity and difficulty of
the procedure, the bulbs should be
replaced by an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Handling Halogen Bulbs:When a halogen bulb breaks, it is
dangerous. These bulbs contain
pressurized gas. If one is broken, it
will explode and serious injuries
could be caused by the flying glass.
If the glass portion is touched with
bare hands, body oil could cause the
bulb to overheat and explode when lit.
Never touch the glass portion of the
bulb with your bare hands and always
wear eye protection when handling or
working around halogen bulbs.
Children and Halogen Bulbs:
Playing with a halogen bulb is
dangerous. Serious injuries could be
caused by dropping a halogen bulb or
breaking it some other way.
Always keep halogen bulbs out of the
reach of children.
WARNING
Do not touch the glass surface
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8-31
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

Replacing a Bulb (Front)
To replace the bulbs for the fog lights and parking lights, contact an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
Front turn signal lights
Side-marker lights
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