ronarndt

Nearly every problem on my FD was in some way caused or aggravated by the dealer "mechanic" at Roberts Mazda in Hickory, NC- where I no longer do business, having to threaten to sue them over breaking the spoiler on my car. I have been looking for a problem vacuum line for four months since my secondary turbo was slow coming on. This past weekend I finally resolved to find the culprit. I found it and guess what- the dealer mechanic had apparently broken the line from the turbo Y- pipe to the vacuum chamber and put a piece of plastic in the ends of the broken pieces to make it look like it was OK. I replaced the hose and voila! perfect boost pattern 14-14-14 (PFS PMC). I have been driving the car with a 14-10-7 pattern all this time and it has been driving me crazy. Death to dealer mechanics!

paw140

I've never even been able to find a competent dealer mechanic to work on the domestic cars I've owned. I can't even imagine having them work on my FD.

Blitz0309

Never let a dealer touch your car....

silver93

you're not losing any boost at all in the transition? (14-14-14)

(oh, congrats on finding the problem

P'cola FD

Just bring it to me. I may not work for Mazda, but I won't f#ck your car up.

weblair24

iTrader: (1)

I'll vouch(sp?) for him. He'll help you out and won't screw you over in the process.

ninetyfourfd3s

I've actually talked to a former Mazda mechanic who went into parts because of the FD. I think they like working on our cars less than we do

wstrohm

I was told by a service writer at Irvine Mazda that the techs flip a coin to see who gets to work on an FD, and it ain't the winner.

---- Bill

ronarndt

silver93- Nope. Pattern with the old turbos lost a pound or two at transition, but the Pettit turbos seem to spool up faster.

trigeek37

I called my favorite Mazda dealship about getting some stuff done on my fd. I was going to have them install the temp gauge sensor and flush all the coolent out & replace it. I talked to two service people (one of which I was told was the best rotary mechanic in the state) and the head of the service department. not one of them had ever installed a teap gauge, or even flushed the fluids on an fd. I spoke with the three of them for about 20 min total, just long enough to detemine I am much better of bumbling through any problem I might encounter myself. I too am under the opinion that they really didn't want my business.... I still really like the dealership in question, but there is no way I would let them service my fd.

GoRacer

iTrader: (2)

I didn't think it would be a big deal to have the dealer do minor stuff.

I had Laguna Hills Mazda change my radiator hoses to my Silicone Ones. They didn't reuse the rubber sleeves because the mechanic wanted to keep my used parts since they had very little miles on them. The hose rubs my SMIC pipe and is messed up.

The next occurance I found was when I took out my plugs myself (dealer installed) and found the leading and trailing plugs mixed up.

Hehee these Smilies are therapy "lol".

ronarndt

There ought to be a thread for "worst incidence of dealer mechanic screw-ups". I'm sure we could all tell some stories. In fact, here's a start.
1. Initial visit to dealer for pre-purchase inspection of car. Mechanic missed: bad coolant o-rings, leaking low coolant sensor, bad oil pressure sensor, ruptured AST
2. Leave car to have low oil pressure problem fixed. Oil sending unit needed replacing, they performed an oil change and pronunced the problem fixed.
3. Install factory re-built engine and clutch. Used old version of clutch disc, which had durability problems and was noted in a TSB
4. Install second clutch (I bought heavy duty stuff). Left off the inspection plate on the bell housing- tough to get at to fix now.
5. left car for air conditioner service. They broke off the rear spoiler and tried to claim it just fell off. Had to get lawyer involved to get it fixed.
6. Decided that even though they are the only place even remotely prepared to work on the car, that it is better to drive several hours to a specialty shop to get work done. Now give finger to dealer as I drive by. Order parts online. Give dealer finger as I order parts.

rx7will

iTrader: (6)

If you guys have any problems with any service shops you guys should find another one. Its best to go to a shop that others are happy with. Its not a guarante that nothing will go wrong but it helps. Mazda techs are as good as they personally are, so are stupid because they are just stupid and some are good mechanics because they just are. My friend is a Mazda tech and hes a great tech, but not all of them are. Sometimes a read post and i wonder why someone would dump thousands of dollars at a shop that constantly ***** up and not willing to fix the problem. Any ways just my thoughts. I'm glad i'm a mechanic and dont have to depend on anyone to touch my fd.

silver93

there was a post a few months ago about dealer stories from hell - it was in the 3rd gen sec. or the lounge.

ronarndt

rx7will- depending on your location, you may not have many options. In a city like SF, where you live, it is probable that there are a couple of shops to go to. In rural areas throughout the country, often you are stuck with bad service. I like working on the car myself, too, but as I have gotten older, the desire to do the miserable under-the -car repairs has declined, if I can pay someone else to get dirty. Guess I'm getting lazy.

paw140

LOL! This one cracks me up! The spoiler just fell off? WTF?