So I went to the local Mazda dealership (Argus, in Hull) to order two thermostats for Joel's FB and mine. Of course there was the regular drama of attmepting to order parts from the dealership, the bickering, the guy trying to figure out how to use the microfiche machine, etc...

But then I decided to ask the guys at the service counter about getting a real compression test done.

"A regular car takes an hour, but rotaries... That'll take two hours, so that's $130"
"Two hours? how do you figure?"
"Well we have to hook the machine to your car's computer and configure it.."
"But my car doesn't have a computer, it's an '84"
"Well it's the same procedure as the Rx8, we have to put it on the hoist and hook the machine to it"
"The Rx8 has to be hoisted to get to the plugs, you can do mine without raising the car!"
"No, because it's the same block, it will take two hours, just like the Rx8"
"I still don't understand why it will take two hours. You open the hood, pull the trailing plug on rotor one, hook up the machine, crank it, then repeat with rotor two. How does that take two hours?"
"Look kid, it does. If you want your compression test, you'll have to trust us".



Geez... Trust them? ..... I think I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a fork. I'm not paying 130 plus tax for a compression test.

Jon

 

Well then, if you already know the procedure, why are you going to the dealership???

Did you go there to taunt them or something???

Curious.....

Lates,

 

Actually, it's good to bait these dealership personnel from time to time just to see how far they'll go. If they'd lie to you about a compression test...

 

Ha. At that point i would probably have bet money i could do it in the parking lot in under 20min. I doubt he would have accepted, but that is pure BS. Can't remember the last time it took me more then 20 min to change plugs, that was probably when i first got the car and had all the stock stuff in there.

Good stuff! LOL

 

From the dealerships I've asked, the standard charge is about $100. Whether it takes 10 minutes or 2 hours is irrevelant. You might be forgetting that the dealership is likely still recouping the expense of their rotary compression tester (that is, if they actually have one!).

I just don't see the point of arguing. Their fee is their fee. If you don't like it, walk away, but don't expect the service people to know as much about an RX-7 as you do. Frankly, I'm surprised they knew as much as they did! If you've lived with diabetes all your life, who probably knows more about it? You, or your family doctor?

 

I go through the same crap at Bank Street Mazda. Find it easier just to look up the part number and give it them and say "here's the part I want". Plus their microfiche of the parts manual is so lousy you can barely read it.

johnnyg: sorry to contradict you, but to me this shows just how LITTLE the dealership know rather than how much...

Jon: Hey I'll do it for you for.... let's say $90 Although I only have a normal tester so we'll have to watch the needle bounce...lol
Just take a drive out to the country where the roads are empty and the cops are few...

 

I don't think the point was their fee, rather the bullshit the guy was coming up with to excuse the fee. If he had just said it was a standard fee and not because they had to do this or that then i don't think jon would have actually kept askin questions, at least i hope he wouldn't cause if it was me i would have slapt him upside his head

P.S. Jon, come pick up your crap at Part Source

 

I have a regular compression tester, so I have to watch the needle bounce and guesstimate.

THEY have a rotary compression tester. The last time I saw one on ebay it went for 600USD, and it was used. I kinda want an *official* test printout to have my specific numbers for each chamber.

THAT's why I asked them. If he had told me "that's just a set price", or given me a valid reason why he just said "two hours" then I would have been okay with it. The bugger didn't even look it up or consult anyone, he just looked in the air for a sec, pulled out a calculator and multiplied 65 times 2. Still won't pay $130+tx for a compression test, but that's another story.

Edit: Frank, I slept in today and woke up at 5pm (damn night shift). After dinner and a movie with the g/f I didn't have time to get out there. I'll pick it up tomorrow.

 

I had a similar experience when I went looking for a replacement glove box for my FD. I went to the parts department and asked how much it would be. He didn't even consult his database before saying $286. I ended up buying one from a fellow enthusiast for $25US.

My favourite experience with a dealership was when I went to look at a used FD. Unfortunately, the FD had sold, but the salemen (two of them) must've smelled money, because they tried to direct me to another car. They said I should stay away from rotaries, because the rotation of the engine has a gyroscopic effect that makes them hard to turn.

 

uh oh stay away from piston motors b/c the up and down motion of the pistons will wear out your shocks really fast! lol

oh and boxer engines are the worst then. your wont be able to drive straight!

 

I guess I'm lucky. When I was putting a new engine in my car this summer, I emailed a list of parts I needed to my local dealership, the guy emailed back with pricing (including a 20% discount) and I ordered them...all without ever actually talking or meeting the guy.

 

[QUOTE=vipernicus42]

I have a regular compression tester, so I have to watch the needle bounce and guesstimate.


I'm surprised nobody has mentioned removing the shrader valve from the business end of the tester. This way it will hold the highest reading. Of course, you'll still need to first test it with the valve still in to confirm relatively even pulses between rotor faces Irregular pulses would mean partial loss of compression on that rotor.

 

an idiot like you is always worth a good laugh

umm if you check your 84 still does have a ECU just doesnt control fuel like FI models.

just because a dealership has an idiot working behind the counter doesnt mean the dealership doesnt know what they are doing. how much do you expect the guy behind the counter to know, when he is only getting paid like $9-10/hr.

i agree the idiot behind the counter should of replied "thats the cost of a compression test regardless of how long it takes"

come on dealerships cost more for everything and they dont know more than other shops, they just may have ran into a simialr problem more.
dont all franchise dealer charge around $80 when there are many better mechanics out there that charge like $50.

just my $0.02

 

johnny which dealership did you order parts from? Everytime I go they try to give me the wrong rad hose. =(

 

Brampton Mazda. Talk to Al Davis (al.davis@mazdaofbrampton.ca) who's the parts manager. Tell him you're part of the RX-7 Club and that you want the 20% discount. He made no mistakes with all my stuff, but then I supplied him with all the part numbers.

 

Whereas I enjoy laughing at people like you who can't make a point without some form of juvenile name calling.

 

The "ECU" in my car is indeed located under the carpet on the passenger's side under the dash.

To call that the car's "computer" or suggest that they could possibly "connect" anything to it is rediculous considering
a) it doesn't have an external connector that they could concievably connect to,
b) it doesn't control anything having to do with fuel, ignition or anything else that would be related to a compression test and
c) the "Emissions Control Unit" 's main function is to control all the emissions equipment that my car no longer has.

It's more like a relay box than a "computer".

Just to add a little something that I've since discovered... When I went back to pick up the thermostats today I found out that the "idiot" behind the counter with whom I was speaking is the service manager.


The shrader valve *has* been removed from my tester. That's why I "watch the needle bounce". The valve came out really easy with a valve stem removal tool I picked up with an air pressure gauge I got at Advance Autoparts in Ogdensburg for five bucks.

Taking the valve out makes it not hold the highest reading, which gives you the bounce effect. The default action of the compression tester (with the valve in) is to hold the highest result. Both the needle bouncing and the highest result are useful if put together, as you mentioned.

My bounces are even (thank goodness), I just want *actual* numbers for each specific chamber. I dunno, call me crazy, but it would give me piece of mind to have the specific metric Mazda-tester readouts of each face of each of my rotors.

And as for which dealership I'm going to, it's Argus Mazda on St. Joseph in Hull. Met a really awesome guy in the parts department today. The t-stats weren't in, but he was really friendly and gave me a straightforward, honest answer. I missed the 2pm cutoff for orders from Toronto yesterday so it will be there tomorrow. He said it could arrive anywhere between 7:30 and noon depending on which company they use to ship (it changes almost daily based on availability of drivers, size of order, etc...). That's customer service!

Jon

 

Your Crazy

 

yup, the Mazda tester, especially the digital one, will give you a more accurate indication on engine health than any conventional tester will give you.

here is what a print out looks like from a Mazda Tester:


you can see from this that a Mazda tester can tell you things like a single faulty side seal

 

I found a cool thread on nopistons (yeah I know... but it's cool) that shows how to make your own tester. It's awesome, I think I might just be tempted to give it a try.

http://www.nopistons.com/forums/inde...howtopic=54075

Jon

 

You're correct. Somehow I managed to get that backwards. (probably from last night with all those ultra-lefties at our table--- some of their stupidity musta rubbed off on me). But yeah, valve out = won't hold reading/ valve in = holds highest reading. There, got it.

 

mazda charged me 70$ for my compression test....

Max

 

That's 1hr of labour, or what they aparently charge for a piston engine compression test.

Jon