Just did this on my 2007 Mazdaspeed 3, which is similar to the Mazda 3 but suspension is a bit different / stiffer. I saw some people say you could avoid removing the lower suspension arm bolt and the sway bar end links if you use a spring compressor and disconnect the shocks... well that was half true. I avoided having to touch either of the end links thankfully, but I did need to unbolt the top of both shocks (not sure that helps a ton tbh) and unbolt the lower suspension arm outer bolts on both sides, plus use a spring compressor to get the springs in and out. Order of operations went something like this: detach both shocks (up top, easier), hold one hub with jack, remove lower bolt, lower arm until it bottoms out on the stabilizer travel (I had to tap it with a mallet several times while holding with the jack to actually separate the joint), move to and hold up the other hub with jack, remove lower bolt, lower as far as it will go (more mallet banging). Then used a spring compressor on one spring at a time to take them out and put them back in. Then reverse the order. The hardest part was getting the lower suspension arm bolt to realign with the holes in the hub, took a combination of jacking, banging both the hub and suspension arm with a mallet, and swearing. I didn't touch the inner cam bolt on that lower arm, since that sets alignment. I'm not sure why the factory manual says to loosen that bolt and then realign the wheels afterward, seems unnecessary.
Quite helpful. I was able to do this on my 2015 (gen3) without disconnecting sway bar-end links (though just barely). It required disconnecting the bolt at the knuckle on BOTH sides of the car at the same time. I was doing both spring anyways but this allowed the sway bar to come down enough (and therefore the end links) to have just barely enough space to squeeze the spring out without using a spring compressor. A spring compressor would have been a good tool to have on hand to make this job easier. If you live in a non rust prone area, you might be able to get the sway bar end links off with ease. I wasn't able to which is why I did it this way.
The repair works! The hard part, however, is getting the stabilizer bar out of the way. I had to remove the links to do it and that took 90% of the effort. That is the part MegaSafetyFirst leaves as an exercise to the viewer.
Good video, thanks. The outboard bolt took me almost an hour to remove. Turning it 1/4 rotation at a time with breaker bar. 1/2 Impact gun would not move it. I recommend getting a 3/4 Impact gun ready if you are going to do this job. Also, the swaybar may be rusted to the horizontal swaybar end link threads. I removed only the opposite side Vertical swaybar end link nut, allowing the control arm to drop down with the working side swaybar end link still attached. Stay gold.
Probably could have saved a ton of time by compressing the spring. I've seen it done with just disconnecting the damper and compressing the spring. No need to remove the stabilizer bar, trailing arm or cam bolt connection. About 30 minutes per side that way.
I do this job by disconnecting the sway bar end links so i can drop the springs down low enough so there is no tension on them. I never touch the cam adjuster bolt. I disconnect the shock and trailing arm bolts. No need to mess around with spring compressors.
