Not Really A Build, Build Thread

[Enthusiast]

So on the CTS V forum I follow I have a build thread much like this one to track my progress with my V. This will be sort of the same but I don't have anything MAJOR planned for my MS6 seeing as it's going to be my daily driver. I bought my MS6 for 1500 dollars and there were a few things I needed to button up on her to get her up to par including rust on the hood and quarter panels.



I have some of this info in my introduction page but i like to note exactly where i started and what I started with so down the road i can see how rough it was and the progress I've made. I'm pretty picture happy so I'll be posting pics as much as I can.

When I bought the car it had Down pipe, intake, and a blown turbo. It came with a Cobb V2 and a PDT custom tune for the mods. *Not sure of HPFP Internal upgrade yet will be checking that when I get home from leave*

So the tires were EXTREMELY bald, like rusted wires bald so those obviously needed replacement. I replaced them with Bridgestone Potenzas.

I have no idea how the previous owner did it but the right rear brake assembly needed to be replaced. The piston was pulled out, it was completely missing the rotor, and the brake line had been cut and plugged. I luckily found a complete set of OEM MS6 calipers for 100 dollars so i snagged those and ordered a new brake line from my local Mazda dealer. I also ordered Hawk pads and R1 rotors.







After brakes were installed, broken in, and bled, the smoking turbo was starting to bug me. It wasn't horrible, but enough to annoy me and draw unwanted attention. I ordered a replacement turbo and started the swap. While swapping the turbo I changed the oil and flushed the coolant.







The in cabin air filter was GROSS so I replaced that for good measure.



I had to head out of town but the car feels WAY better with the new brakes, turbo, and routine maintenance. I still plan on hitting up PD Tuning to have the tune check out after I pull the HPFP to check and swap the internals if needed. She's slowly but surely getting back up to par. I'll be updating this post as I continue working on her. I'd like to hit 300whp reliably for a fun little daily but as long as the car and tune is reliable I'll be happy with anything!

Oh also, plugs look good but I'll be swapping them out for new ones when i get back.

[Thor Hammer]

Welcome. Cool deal but can you please go back and resize your pics smaller? Really hard to read when you have to scroll right and left.

Is that an Ebay turbo or OEM?

[Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Thor Hammer Welcome. Cool deal but can you please go back and resize your pics smaller? Really hard to read when you have to scroll right and left. Is that an Ebay turbo or OEM?

Pics resized, thanks for the heads up! It definitely helps with readability. It some OEM replacement turbo I bought online and I don't even remember the website so it's probably an eBay turbo. It boosts fine and doesn't smoke so I'm happy with it for now!

[Thor Hammer]

Originally Posted by Enthusiast Pics resized, thanks for the heads up! It definitely helps with readability. It some OEM replacement turbo I bought online and I don't even remember the website so it's probably an eBay turbo. It boosts fine and doesn't smoke so I'm happy with it for now!

Yeah, definitely did not look like an OEM turbo. It may work for now, but keep an eye on it. Would suck for it to fail when you are hard in the throttle.

Only other person I know that bought a non OEM or reputable brand turbo was on Facebook. Dude bought the one they sell at Walmart. Totally not kidding!

[Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Thor Hammer Yeah, definitely did not look like an OEM turbo. It may work for now, but keep an eye on it. Would suck for it to fail when you are hard in the throttle. Only other person I know that bought a non OEM or reputable brand turbo was on Facebook. Dude bought the one they sell at Walmart. Totally not kidding!

Haha! When did Walmart get into the turbo business?! What don't they sell?? I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. The previous owner beat the piss out of the car so I'm trying to get everything back to how it should be. I'll be upgrading to a CS sometime down the road but for now it boosts and isn't smoking like a chimney anymore.

So what ever came of your buddy with the Walmart turbo? Did it go kaput?

[Thor Hammer]

Originally Posted by Enthusiast Haha! When did Walmart get into the turbo business?! What don't they sell?? I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. The previous owner beat the piss out of the car so I'm trying to get everything back to how it should be. I'll be upgrading to a CS sometime down the road but for now it boosts and isn't smoking like a chimney anymore. So what ever came of your buddy with the Walmart turbo? Did it go kaput?

Not my friend. Just some idiot on one of my Mazdaspeed 6 FB groups I follow once in a while. So much fail in those groups. I get highly irritated at the ignorance. On the flip side there are those there that know their shit.

Yeah, Walmart sells cheap Chinese made turbos. China copies EVERYTHING! Sad, so sad.

[Fstrnyou]

Walmart online works a lot like Amazon. There are "companies" that sell through the Walmart interface.