2013 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK maintenance

5. Carefully insert the new blade rubber.
Then install the blade assembly in the
reverse order of removal.
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance

Battery
WARNING
Wash hands after handling the battery and related accessories:
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm.
Read the following precautions carefully before using the battery or inspecting
to ensure safe and correct handling:
Always wear eye protection when working near the battery:
Working without eye protection is dangerous. Battery fluid contains SULFURIC ACID
which could cause blindness if splashed into your eyes. Also, hydrogen gas produced
during normal battery operation, could ignite and cause the battery to explode.
Wear eye protection and protective gloves to prevent contact with battery
fluid:
Spilled battery fluid is dangerous.
Battery fluid contains SULFURIC ACID which could cause serious injuries if it gets in
eyes, or on the skin or clothing. If this happens, immediately flush your eyes with
water for 15 minutes or wash your skin thoroughly and get medical attention.
Always keep batteries out of the reach of children:
Allowing children to play near batteries is dangerous. Battery fluid could cause
serious injuries if it gets in the eyes or on the skin.
Keep flames and sparks away from open battery cells and do not allow metal
tools to contact the positive (
) or negative () terminal of the battery when
working near a battery. Do not allow the positive (
) terminal to contact the vehicle
body:
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.
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
8-35

Keep all flames, including cigarettes, and sparks away from open battery cells:
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.
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance

NOTE
Remove the battery cover before performing
battery maintenance.
Battery cover
CAUTION
ØDo not use a tool which applies
excessive force such as a
screwdriver or pliers.
If excessive force is applied to the
clips, they could be damaged.
To prevent damaging the battery
cover, remove/install the battery
cover using the following
procedure.
Removing battery cover
1 Detach the clip facing the side of
the vehicle first and pull it outward
with your finger approx. 4 mm (0.2
in). Then, lift the cover slightly to
clear the lock.
Clip
2 Detach the clip facing the vehicle
interior first and pull it outward
with your finger approx. 4 mm (0.2
in). Then, lift the cover slightly to
clear the lock.
Clip
3 Pull out the battery cover being
careful not to allow it to contact
the cowl grille.
Battery cover
Cowl grille
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
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Installing battery cover
1 Being careful not to contact the
cowl grille, insert the tabs on the
one end of the battery cover into
the holes of the battery tray and
engage the tabs.
Cowl grilleTab
Hole
SKYACTIV-G 2.0
Cowl grilleTabs
Holes
MZR 2.0, MZR 2.3 DISI Turbo
and MZR 2.5
2 Attach the clips on both sides of
the battery cover.
Clips
qBattery Maintenance
To get the best service from a battery:lKeep it securely mounted.lKeep the top clean and dry.lKeep terminals and connections clean,
tight, and coated with petroleum jelly
or terminal grease.
lRinse off spilled electrolyte
immediately with a solution of water
and baking soda.
lIf the vehicle will not be used for an
extended time, disconnect the battery
cables.
When replacing the battery, refer to the
specification charts (page 10-4).
qInspecting Electrolyte Level
A low level of electrolyte fluid will cause
the battery to discharge quickly.
Upper level
Lower level
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Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance

Inspect the electrolyte level at least once a
week. If it's low, remove the caps and add
enough distilled water to bring the level
between the upper and lower level
(illustration).
Don't overfill.
Examine the specific gravity of the
electrolyte with a hydrometer, especially
during cold weather. If it's low, recharge
the battery.Tires
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.
WARNING
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 10-12)
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.
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
8-39

qTire Inflation Pressure
WARNING
Always inflate the tires to the correct
pressure:
Overinflation or underinflation of
tires is dangerous. Adverse handling
or unexpected tire failure could result
in a serious accident.
Refer to Tires on page 10-12.
Use only a Mazda-genuine tire valve
cap:
Use of a non-genuine part is
dangerous as the correct tire air
pressure cannot be maintained if the
tire valve becomes damaged. If the
vehicle is driven under this condition,
the tire air pressure will decrease
which could result in a serious
accident. Do not use any part for the
tire valve cap that is not a Mazda-
genuine part.The Tire Pressure Monitoring System
í
does not alleviate the need to check the
tire condition every day, including
whether the tires all look inflated properly.
Inspect all tire pressure monthly
(including the spare) when the tires are
cold. Maintain recommended pressures
for the best ride, handling, and minimum
tire wear.
When checking the tire pressures, use of a
digital tire pressure gauge is
recommended.
Refer to the specification charts (page
10-12).
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Maintenance and Care
íSome models.
Owner Maintenance

NOTElAlways check tire pressure when tires are
cold.
lWarm tires normally exceed recommended
pressures. Don't release air from warm tires
to adjust the pressure.
lUnderinflation can cause reduced fuel
economy, uneven and accelerated tire wear,
and poor sealing of the tire bead, which
will deform the wheel and cause separation
of tire from rim.
lOverinflation can produce a harsh ride,
uneven and accelerated tire wear, 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.
qTire Rotation
WARNING
Rotate tires periodically:
Irregular tire wear is dangerous. To
equalize tread wear for maintaining
good performance in handling and
braking, rotate the tires according to
the scheduled maintenance charts.
Refer to Scheduled Maintenance on
page 8-4.During rotation, inspect them for correct
balance.
Do not include (TEMPORARY USE ONLY)
spare tire in rotation.Forward
Also, inspect them for uneven wear and
damage. Abnormal wear is usually caused
by one or a combination of the following:
lIncorrect tire pressurelImproper wheel alignmentlOut-of-balance wheellSevere braking
After rotation, inflate all tire pressures to
specification (page 10-12) and inspect the
lug nuts for tightness.
CAUTION
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 reduced if
rotated from side to side.
Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
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