XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

So my car went into the shop about two and a half weeks ago due to boost issues. I had no idea what was wrong with it, didn't know of any shops around, so I gave up and took it into Mazda. That was a mistake, I realize. They said that once they got the parts in, it'd take two days to fix and quoted me a price of 780.02. They got the parts in last monday. Here we are a week later. The car is still having boost issues, they say that there's an exaust leak coming from the actual turbo assembly itself (???) and that it's still not going to be running as strong as it should be. I'm still getting charged full price, even though it's a almost a week past due and the car's not fixed. Should I fight them on this or just bend over and take it?

dubulup

rule #0 of owning an FD - don't trust Mazda with your car.

there is no way you needed $780 in parts to fix boost control.

sonix7

XxMerlinxX, no offense dog, but it sounds like you already did. you should have diagnosed it yourself, I had to learn everything from scratch on this car (not a mechanic at all before), I learned it and saved thousands of dollars, and the reassurance that I understand what the car is doing and what to do. YOU HAVE TO DO IT, otherwise this car will become an absolute nightmare. I don't want to even think about it!! I live up in Co and I don't know of one guy that can work on this car, minus my friend that is an owner and did the same thing as me. LEARN IT, it will be the best thing you ever did. sorry about your troubles.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Most likely, the price they quoted him is including labor...


XxMerlinxX,

You basically have two choices at this point:

1. Keep dealing with Mazda. There is no way you'll get out of paying them so you can keep on them until they fix it or go to option #2:

2. Pay Mazda. Take your car to another shop or work on it yourself.

Basically, there not going to be any way around not paying Mazda for the work they have done. It's just up to you whether you want to try and get your money's worth from Mazda or not.

If I were you, I would make them fix it and fix it right (since you'll be paying them no matter what). I would start by calling Mazda USA and reporting this incident. Then talk to the manager of the service department and make sure he understands what is going on. Also, I would additionally give them the phone number of a shop like Pettit Racing or Rotary Performance in TX and have them call up one of those shops for help to get it done right.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Tell them to stop work now. You will owe them for any work already done. If they get to replacing the turbos, you may as well let them shove the whole car up your rear.

It needs to go to a good shop that can accurately diagnose and solve the problem. It can be done, but the vast majority Mazda techs don't have the information/experience to find the problem in a reasonable amount of time.

Dave

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

I've called the shop back and told them I'll be picking the car up today. It's in running condition, they said it's 85% better (whatever the hell that means), but that the secondary isn't spooling up when it should be. I'm going to bring it home and put some coolant in the intake to see if I can't find a vacuum leak somewhere that they missed. I've already been talking to Bryan from BNR, so I guess those upgrades will be put on sooner than I thought. Thanks for the advice guys, I think i'm gonna go hunting for a service manual.

GUITARJUNKIE28

you don't have to pay for something that didn't get fixed....at least in california.

talk to the BBB

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

What? Are you thinking of spraying carb cleaner on the intake joints? (In which case you should avoid hot stuff)

Dave

Axis8758

Do a search there are online FSM for our cars......

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

Axis, I'll try that, I haven't even begun to look yet. Guess what they want to charge me to switch out the turbo assembly? $6,641.47! I told them to kiss my white ***. Damn it to hell, and I need a paint job. Wonderful.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

It's probably a basic vacuum hose that's loose, or a solenoid that went bad.

The labor is tedious, but do-able. The parts cost for this kind of problem usually is under $100, if you take the time to diagnose it.

Dave

kraked

OMFG 6641 dollars?????? does that come with a life time supply of ******?

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

LOL

i know this wont help but it will prob save you money in the future..

take the car home, and do a search here for non seq conversion..your boost problems will reduce to like 90%..

i know i dont have a boost problem had non seq for like 18 months now..

o and i would never take my car to mazda, i rather travel hundreds and hundreds of miles to a reputable shop than to take it to mazda even if they are like 10 miles away..

AgentSpeed

Non-seq!

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

No, it's nothing as basic as that. They tested the solenoids and had to replace two of them, so I know that they at least checked that. What makes me kinda angry is that he says it's the turbo's, but he didn't take the turbos off to actually see what was wrong with them.

Guess it's time to hit the FAQ. So I can find service manuals online, that's good, and I can also go non-seq. all on my own?

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

Missed this somehow. I'm going to put a few drops of coolant in the intake so that it burns white. It'll be easier to spot leaks that way, or at least i'm hoping it will be.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Nah, at idle an intake leak is sucking air into the system. If you spray carb cleaner or some other highly volatile solvent over the potential leak points, just the small amount that gets sucked in through the leak will raise the idle for a moment. The only risk is to keep it away from hot stuff, so start the car from dead cold, immediately spray the hot side intake joints first, and work your way toward the airbox.

Dave

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

Dude, ask for all of the parts they replaced. It is your RIGHT to have every single part replaced. And there's a HIGH probability that there are no other FD's there now, so they won't have other FD parts laying around.

Inspect the parts. Get them tested (on another FD if necessary). If the parts work, YOU BET YOUR A$$ I'd walk out of there with my car and not paying a RED CENT. I swear. I've dealt w/ those *$&@#'s before. Complete BS. If you replace a part that doesn't fix the problem, that is NOT my problem. Ask for the parts, and verify what they did was necessary. Be calm but VERY stern w/ the service manager that they're doing unecessary work, and you will take it elsewhere, and if the problem is different and cheaper, they WILL be paying the difference. Either that, or you don't pay a DOLLAR for parts replaced unnecessarily.

Now some of you will think what I'm saying only works in an ideal world. No, it only works if you take your car to a dealership in an affluent area, where customer service is VERY high on their priority list. I've done this TWICE, and I'll do it again in a heartbeat if I smell something fishy. Once, I ended up taking it to PFS, where they fixed the prob in 30 min flat, and I sent the bill to the dealership. They paid for it. The other time, they kept the car, logged something like 8.5 hours, and only charged me for four. And I was there watching

Be stern, but be respectful.

~Ramy

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

They said it was an exhaust leak, not intake. And looking over my ticket, is says it took 8 hours of labor. Of course that's with the diagnostic added in, which took 2 hours, but 6 is a little much.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

Taking apart exhaust components is a slow, tedious process if it hasn't been done before. But 8 hours of labor is a lot of time.

PS: sorry I got my brain crossed up with the intake leak suggestion. Obviously, don't spray solvent on a exhaust leak. If anything, shoot a little ATF into the intake side of the system rather than coolant because the smoke will be that much more noticeable.

Dave