Another fun trip to the dealer

[unwrittenLaw]

I went to the dealer to have the CEL checked out. Its been coming on and off for the last week. The only mod I have on my car is the Blitz Dual Turbo Time/Boost Gauge, and removed weatherstripping. These two things wouldn't really cause a CEL wouldn't you think? Well, not with my dealer. First, before the tech even gets to look at it, the service manager asks if I "still have that timer thing"..I said yes. He said that could send false signals to the computer, blah blah blah. I said, "well I have it for over 5 months now and no problems with it. He said he was just speculating. Anyways, the tech checks it out for about 45 min. Meanwhile I tell the service manager that there is a little coolant dried up on the rad piping since I forgot to tell him about that earlier..not sure if thats a big issue yet. But back to the CEL....finally after about an hour, the service manager calls me in and gives me the evil eye and the first thing is says is, "have you modified your car?" I said, "I tried a K&N filter, but it wasnt that great so I put the stock box back on, and the plastic calloway snorkel broke off." Now he thinks I'm the anti-christ....Then he says, "what happened to the stripping near the hood" I told him I took it off because the engine gets extremely hot. He said, "put it back on....leave the car completely stock..." By this point, I feel like I'm on trial for murder or something, honestly. I said, ok, I'll put it back on. Then he said the tech couldnt figure out what the CEL is and that I'll need to drop it off overnight, so they can test it cold....I dont even think he offered to get me a rental....So I'm debating if I should even go back to that dealer after all this crap but since its the only one around, (next one is 2hrs away)..I'm not sure. The CEL is off, but it might come back on...it could just be an O2 sensor, or maybe my fuel was topped off or something..who knows...BUT, the dealer seems to think its always my damn fault. They use my turbo timer for everything, and now removing the weatherstriping is the ultimate sin...

Sorry for the rant, but I'm just sick of this bull shit..I've hardly done anything to my car and I'm always cool with them and try to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I always end up getting the short end of the stick. I'm afraid of leaving with them overnight, because who knows what other crap theories they could come up with..maybe they say that radar detector caused the CEL.....:rolleyes:

[yashooa]

Dealer Techs=Inbreed

[unwrittenLaw]

I'm not an expert but I dont see how they could bitch at me about the weatherstriping, the engine get so damn hot and its gotta help with the temps...I dunno, I'm just frustrated..

[jonnydoe48]

you need to take charge man. tell them "this discussion is not about the weatherstripping. i am here for the check engine light. if your piece of shit thinks a check engine light can be caused by weatherstripping then you need to be fired and working at togo's"

or to that effect.

[unwrittenLaw]

I really have been nice everytime I go and let them give me the shaft, but its hard to take charge when its all them vs you.

[unwrittenLaw]

^
What a shitty 1K post that was....:(

[ZoomingMSP]

dont feel so bad. the service manager where i got my msp told me that replacing my exaust would be in violation of my warranty. I told him that exaust is a replacable item but he said not if i wanted to keep my warranty. I think the dealerships are full of shizzit. If mazda didnt want us tinkering with the car they should not of made it. we are generation x arent we?

[unwrittenLaw]

I used to not feel so bad, but its just getting really old now...

[OrangeAppeal]

Originally posted by unwrittenLaw
the service manager asks if I "still have that timer thing"..I said yes. He said that could send false signals to the computer, blah blah blah.

Utter bullshit. Next time he says that, ask him how the "timer thing" is hooked up...and exactly what wires could be causing the "false signals"? Cause the only wires that are hooked up are:
Power
Ground
Accessory

None of those send a signal, they only supply power. The only thing the timer does is bypass the ignition key sense switch and that lets the car run until the timer shuts off. It does not send signals anywhere. If they are saying that the timer thing could cause the CEL, then they better check out the stereo too, cause the folding face may send false signals to the computer
:eek: and you know what that would mean (blowup)

And the shit about the weatherstripping....ask him how that could adversely affect anything (besides engine cleanliness). Water??? well what do you think happens when it rains and you go through a puddle....there is a magic shield that is under the car that prevents water from splashing in the engine bay?:bs:

Your situation sucks, cause the next nearest dealership is 2 hours away....soo, you may just have to deal with it. One other option is to talk directly to the Dealership Manager...let him know whats going on and be straight with him. Tell him exactly what you have done and make him understand what these things do or don't do.

At any point - good luck.
Peace,
Jesse

[unwrittenLaw]

Thanks for the advice guys...I appreciate it...

[1sty]

Tell them you want the PCM code that was thrown, To throw a lite there has to be a code, tey might not know the casue but they damn sure know why it was on, next time take it to autozone and get it read first.
If you want it off leave the weather stripping off and be firm that there is no reason for them to tell you not to and if they keep it up you can have this discussion infront of the dealers manager on dutie. Sales managers damn near always out rank service managers. I would go as far as getting your salesmen invovled if he's there.You don't have to be a dick but don't be afraid to be firm with them.

[unwrittenLaw]

Yeah, I've never gone past the service manager. I'm cool with my sales guy and others and I talk with the tech once in awhile and he seems all right, but as soon as things hit the service managers, thats when things go down hill...

[SuperSpud]

make sure to remind him that its YOUR car, not his..

[ZoomingMSP]

HELL YEA AND IF THAT DONT WORK CHOKE THE SERVICE MANAGER UNTIL HE SEES THING YOUR WAY.. HAHAHAHA

[unwrittenLaw]

I dont ask for much, I just want them to stop playing these games...

[1sty]

Dude your in So cal just bring the rest of the bunch with you. You have 300 other members donw there.

[unwrittenLaw]

Yeah, but theres not that many around where I live (Santa Barbara county)...but that would be cool to have a few people show up to the dealer w/ me and tell them how full of crap they are...

[1sty]

Hit up the regional sections and see if anyone is donw for a ride.

[unwrittenLaw]

Anyone wanna go to the dealer with me?..I'll buy you a 12 pack of whatever you like...:)

[soundbombing]

hey, i'll go to the dealer with you. my friend just moved up to sb with his girl who is going to ucsb. what a loser sd is much better :) but yeah, i'm going to visit him probably soon so if i do head up i'll let you know.

it will also probably be easier like someone posted to go to autozone and get the code checked first. you shouldn't have to do that shit but it's way better to go back to the assholes at the dealer with ammo. if you know what's wrong you can shove it in their face and tell them to turbo timer their ass so they won't have a cow.

i went to the dealer here for an oil change and they didn't say anything to me. they probably took note of all the stuff I had but didn't say a damn thing.

good luck. later

[SpicyMchaggis]

yo just show up..be like look hoss..i'll ruin your life if you dont fix this..stealerships are the worst..i got my protege from an awesome ford dealership..they are great..they seem to know everything..and they let me run around the garages..anyway..just be real firm with them..get the on-site manager on the horn and tell him the deal..worse comes to worse..be like look..im punk as fuck..i'll floorpunch you into tomorrow..check the situation...true -kyle

/members/SpicyMchaggis/watchthemosh.jpg

[unwrittenLaw]

Thanks guys...Soundboming, I'm originally from San Diego and will be moving back down there in 2 months, hopefully there's some cool dealers down there.

Yeah San Diego is better than Santa Barbara :)

SpicyMcHaggis...I guess I should stop being so nice and more "firm"...lol

[OrangeAppeal]

Originally posted by unwrittenLaw
I'm originally from San Diego and will be moving back down there in 2 months

There is your answer - just don't go to the dealership until you move down to Sandy Bagle....er, San Diego...unless of course you have to for a real problem. In the mean time, do your own oil changes, then see what kind of service you get down there.

[unwrittenLaw]

I just got an invoice in the mail from my dealer stating information about the CEL.

This is what it says:

Cause: 1
375 Body Electrical Repair
7008 WM

P2006 UTCS IMRC BANK 1 STUCK CLOSED TESTED VARIABLE TUMBLE CONTROL SYSTEM AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS MAY HAVE BOOST CONCERN NEED VEHICLE COLD, SPOKE W/TECH AND NEED TO INSPECT TURBO AND WASTEGATE OPERATION OPEN, 98.4, 186 DEGREES, 0, -1.5, 2810, 64, 5 DEGREES, 104 DEGREES, 55, 69



Can someone please decipher this for me..I'm not sure what its saying. And they didnt tell me this yesterday, I dont know why they had to mail it out to me the next day. The part about temperatures..could that have to do with my weatherstriping removed.. And what does "BOOST CONCERN" mean, my boost gauge reads normal boost...so I don't know.

Thanks for any input...

[Larone]

Life's so funny. I seem to get on well with the sales ppl at my dealership. When warranty work comes up I hope they don't change their tune. Last time I was there the internet manager and sales manager was asking me when I'm going to start mossing the car. Let's see where this goes!

[Larone]

Hey I have an idea. Go to a dealer where u didn't buy your car, act like you want to buy a MSP but tell them the only way u'll buy is if they can give u their word (on paper) that the warranty will not be voided by things like exhaust, intake, t timer, boost gauge etc.)...once u get the piece of paper (on company stationary), tell them thanks and leave.

[unwrittenLaw]

I disconnected the battery and reset the ecu and the CEL hasn't come back on yet, but I'll have to wait and see. My car runs fine and everything, so maybe I dont have to go back to the dealer. It seems like the dealer is trying to plan a sneak attack on me or something.... they didnt say anything about the T fitting to the wastegate being moved...thats where the guy who installed my Blitz first tapped in for my boost gauge but I put everything back to stock.

They questioned the stock box..I told them the calloway elbow broke off, they questioned the weather stripping...I told them I removed it to help w/ engine temps....And the Blitz they've known about since I got it...

But they didnt mention anything about the vacum lines on the T. Seems strange to me...And I know the tech was looking at it because he moved the rubber sleaves to check them out. I put wire tires around the hoses to make sure they stayed on tight, because they are just held on there by some crap adhesive, and the stock hose down to the wastegate has a slight crack, but I dont think its leaking.

I should turn the tables on them and tell them to replace all the crappy hoses..but I doubt they would. I just dont know if I wanna go back to them because they might try to pin something on me and thats not fair. Maybe I'm overeacting, and the CEL was just a random thing, and my car seems fine. But I dont want to this to become a big hassle where the dealer is pointing fingers at me for stupid little things.

Its not like I brought the car in w/ a hole in the block...

[jonnydoe48]

take charge man.

[yashooa]

Originally posted by unwrittenLaw


they questioned the weather stripping...I told them I removed it to help w/ engine temps
But they didnt mention anything about the vacum lines on the T. Seems strange to me...And I know the tech was looking at it because he moved the rubber sleaves to check them out. I put wire tires around the hoses to make sure they stayed on tight, because they are just held on there by some crap adhesive, and the stock hose down to the wastegate has a slight crack, but I dont think its leaking.

I should turn the tables on them and tell them to replace all the crappy hoses..but I doubt they would. I just dont know if I wanna go back to them because they might try to pin something on me and thats not fair. Maybe I'm overeacting, and the CEL was just a random thing, and my car seems fine. But I dont want to this to become a big hassle where the dealer is pointing fingers at me for stupid little things.

Its not like I brought the car in w/ a hole in the block...

Well those techs are morons because my car only RUNS better with all that damn heat out of the engine bay and those stock hoses are brittle worthless shit!
I will be replacing my own. I can't believe they nickel and dimed the fucking hoses like that.

[Wiggles6983]

Sounds like your dearlership, well atleast the service department sucks. I had to take my MSP in for some minor front bumper work, they were about to take it to the boddy shop when then tech got it to pop back in place. They even gave a list of mods they thought would be cool, and told me if i did anything, just to make it stock if I had to bring it in to keep the warrenty good.

[low_psi]

Originally posted by unwrittenLaw
Cause: 1
375 Body Electrical Repair
7008 WM

P2006 UTCS IMRC BANK 1 STUCK CLOSED TESTED VARIABLE TUMBLE CONTROL SYSTEM AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS MAY HAVE BOOST CONCERN NEED VEHICLE COLD, SPOKE W/TECH AND NEED TO INSPECT TURBO AND WASTEGATE OPERATION OPEN, 98.4, 186 DEGREES, 0, -1.5, 2810, 64, 5 DEGREES, 104 DEGREES, 55, 69

first they looked at the VTCS, which helps keep emissions low on cold start ups. it looks at though they want your car overnight so that they can test it in the morning and diagnos whether cold starts are throwing the CEL. your VTCS may be malfunctioning randomly, throwing a CEL, until it returns to normal.

it looks like they were concerned with you upping the boost, too. so they made sure the turbo looked OK and then examined the wastegate to make sure that you hadn't tried adjusting it.

confront them and ask them if this is what they were loooking at. asure them that you have no interest in adjusting your boost

[unwrittenLaw]

Thanks for the info..Ever since I disconnected the battery, the CEL hasn't come back..so maybe it was just a fluke CEL...not sure. But if it is something wrong with the car, I'd like it to get repaired under warranty, I dont know much about VTCS, but I dont think it would be crapping out after only 8K miles. My car is stock except my Turbo Timer..and I haven't even touched the wastegate..so they need to get their shit straight before I go back to them...

[orng1]

Sorry to bring this from the dead, but I just got a cell code p2006 intake runner closed or something. is there a fix to this or do I have to take it to the dealer. I searched and read all 3 posts about 3 pages each. the guy had the intake replaced at the vtcs right. can I fix it? I think that it's the runners getting stuck closed. the car is not making full boost of about 8-9psi, it will only boost about 4-5psi. It would be cool if I could just run some sea foam through the intake or something. The car feels slow, I hate it. I tried to clear the light but it feels the same and I know that it will come back on, it felt like this right before the cel came on earlier. Now I have to wait until the code comes back on.
Thanks in advance

Bob/orng1

[Drumfreak]

You can thank all the douches who boosted too much and blew up their motor for Mazda being so sensitive. To them their is no distinction between a boost controller and an exhaust system. In their eyes the mods caused the problem. In our heads they don't cuz technically they shouldn't. But it's the guy who tried to get his car fixed for free when it was his fault for fucking it up that makes the warranty situation so complex. You can't win with the dealerships. I don't blame the service techs for some situations. Are they supposed to have certain levels of mods that are okay or something? Like an exhaust and intake are ok but not a bov and turbo timer. If they tried to institute a system of operation like that it would just become way too complicated. There is nothing we can do about it: you mod and warranty gone it's as simple as that, unless you have some hook-ups.