Bah.. I broke my toy...

[khoney]

The dealer said it's definitely internal motor which is covered by the drive train warranty. I'm ******* LIVID because I just bought this car! I just made the first payment and it blows up?!?! I'm REALLY having a tough time wanting to stick with mazda after the RX-8 and now this. The better honor their warranty, else lose a dedicated customer of 10 years. ><

What happened with your RX-8? Did your engine get replaced too? Mine was done at about 42K. Also had the Speed's engine replaced at 30K. It's a damn shame Mazda makes cars that are so fun to drive, or I'd have blown them off long ago.

 

[Saskatchewan17]

Well mazdagirl, sorry to hear about all of this. Welcome to the MZR DISI. It blows up for no good reason.

I think this is the first report of somebody holing a piston I've read on this forum. Does anyone know if the slugs in these cars are forged or not? Seems ridiculous to me ( if they are not forged ) to have hyper pistons in a high comp, high boost motor but maybe Mazda depends on the DI to save them.

I believe the pistons can handle up to 500 WHP.

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

I think this is the first report of somebody holing a piston I've read on this forum. Does anyone know if the slugs in these cars are forged or not? Seems ridiculous to me ( if they are not forged ) to have hyper pistons in a high comp, high boost motor but maybe Mazda depends on the DI to save them.

It would seem at the price these were sold at, the pistons are probably not anything more special than what are in the NA 2.3L. If they are forged, that would be surprising that they could disintegrate with only 265 hp, depending upon the design.

What happened with your RX-8? Did your engine get replaced too? Mine was done at about 42K. Also had the Speed's engine replaced at 30K. It's a damn shame Mazda makes cars that are so fun to drive, or I'd have blown them off long ago.

mine was an early '04 that a bought brand new. 32K down the hole. I worked at a mazda dealer at the time. they compression tested it and found both rotors to be down 25% compression at 19k. it only used .25 qts of oil per fillup (bad juju from someone who's had rotaries in the past). Apex seal failure was imminent. They replaced the motor, started, oil metering pump, plugs, coil packs (arcing to the block) wires, did an ECU flash, rebuilt the tranny twice due to failing syncros and then i had to invoke the lemon law jsut to get a new transmission when the syncros began to fail again (and don't even go there about my being a female and it being a manual transmission.. i've probably been driving manuals for longer than you've been walking ).

Long story short: I warn everyone I know about rx-8s even though i'm a hard core Mazda fan.

At least the dealer put me in a loaner:

^LOL slow

 

[mikebontoft]

^^^ (and honestly) UGLY!

you drive the CX-7 though? I love it lol.

hey they didn't give you a diagnosis before looking at it did they? just curious if they did...... because I know someone whose car wouldn't start after sitting for a few weeks (and it was a new car, like 10k miles on it) and DIDN'T consult outside help and had it sent to the dealer. They didn't even look at it and called them up and said "we haven't looked at it yet, but we think it threw a rod"

Because cars throw rods when they're parked and turned off........

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Wow, talk about being lucky within the warranty period! That's definitely disheartening to have a catastrophic issue like that within recent purchase.

Then again..

I'd never buy an MS3 used, knowing what I know now. And i've been members on other car forums long enough to know what to look for if I decided to venture back to those territories. But, MS3's? I'm just not willing to take the bet. Heck, if I ever got a 2010 MS3, i'd most likely be obligated to keep it stock.

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

you drive the CX-7 though? I love it lol.

My CX-7 is my rice punisher ;D

hey they didn't give you a diagnosis before looking at it did they? just curious if they did...... because I know someone whose car wouldn't start after sitting for a few weeks (and it was a new car, like 10k miles on it) and DIDN'T consult outside help and had it sent to the dealer. They didn't even look at it and called them up and said "we haven't looked at it yet, but we think it threw a rod"

Because cars throw rods when they're parked and turned off........

Ya that's a load of crap...and no I talked to the tech who actually dropped the oil pan.

Wow, talk about being lucky within the warranty period! That's definitely disheartening to have a catastrophic issue like that within recent purchase.

Tell me about it.. They keep sending me letters about how our experience was and I am half-damned-tempted to go directly up there and talk to the sales manager about the POS they sold me!! (flame)

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Tell me about it.. They keep sending me letters about how our experience was and I am half-damned-tempted to go directly up there and talk to the sales manager about the POS they sold me!! (flame)

When I traded in my 03 Grand Am for an 05 GTO, my dealer told me that 1 month later, the Grand Am was sold. The following month later, the engine blew up. I never raced that thing a day in my life too. (rlaugh)

 

[BlackCherry06]

I'm probably way off, but it sounds like something that happened to me and my best friend in his Chevy pickup. The symptoms and behavior remind me a lot of a timing chain that jumped time, or maybe a broken timing chain. In our case, it broke and we were totally stranded...wouldn't even try to fire up. That's the only thing I can think of that would cause it to quit like that. Cam sensors pick up a discrepancy, CEL starts flashing...then dead engine. Just a thought.

 

[Fenrir]

The dealer said it's definitely internal motor which is covered by the drive train warranty. I'm ******* LIVID because I just bought this car! I just made the first payment and it blows up?!?! I'm REALLY having a tough time wanting to stick with mazda after the RX-8 and now this. The better honor their warranty, else lose a dedicated customer of 10 years. ><

In my experience, cars that blow up are almost 90% fault of the owner. Whether it's poor modding (not tuning, installing stupid mods, etc.), or poor driving, more often than not it's the fault of the driver, not the car.

That said, not saying it was your fault Like eg6motion said, it's possible the previous owner had it heavily modded, then returned it to stock when they decided to sell. Best of luck, post pics if you get any of the damamge!

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

I'm probably way off, but it sounds like something that happened to me and my best friend in his Chevy pickup. The symptoms and behavior remind me a lot of a timing chain that jumped time, or maybe a broken timing chain. In our case, it broke and we were totally stranded...wouldn't even try to fire up. That's the only thing I can think of that would cause it to quit like that. Cam sensors pick up a discrepancy, CEL starts flashing...then dead engine. Just a thought.

Perhaps, but there's still a hole in the piston and metal all in the internals.

In my experience, cars that blow up are almost 90% fault of the owner. Whether it's poor modding (not tuning, installing stupid mods, etc.), or poor driving, more often than not it's the fault of the driver, not the car.

Of course. There's no way to know if they car was modded before, but I'd say if the warranty was voided before, they'd have known by now since they already researched the VIN.

Best of luck, post pics if you get any of the damamge!

I am going to try!

 

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Perhaps, but there's still a hole in the piston and metal all in the internals.

If a cam jumped timing and the valve was open when the piston came up...

Of course. There's no way to know if they car was modded before, but I'd say if the warranty was voided before, they'd have known by now since they already researched the VIN.

It looks like the moral of this story is to only buy these things used if they are dealer certified (smart girl!). Hard to void a warranty one month after a purchase like that, eh?

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

If a cam jumped timing and the valve was open when the piston came up...



It looks like the moral of this story is to only buy these things used if they are dealer certified (smart girl!). Hard to void a warranty one month after a purchase like that, eh?

Yep and if they even TRY to rebut with denying the warranty claim I WILL report it to the news. This dealer has already had one report against it regarding the amount of time it took for a motor replacement, and the guy had a stock 3 for a while, it was under warranty, the claim was approved no problem, and his car got hit while in the shop. Imagine the BAD press it would be for a customer who purchased a car 45 days prior, the motor blows, and they won't warranty it when it's still under warranty?? Yeah...

 

[BillTheCat]

Wow, horrible to see this happen, but I guess the timing of the event is a bit of a silver lining. And if you get a completely new motor, as you should, then hell- you're better off than when you bought the car. You'll not only have a brand spanking new motor, but you'll have the peace of mind of knowing it hasn't been modded.

Everybody sing along... "Always look on the bright side of life..."

 

[Wurf]

Monty Python rules!

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

Update: The dealer is coming through. I did email the sales manager and the service manager about our car-buying experience:

Sir,

This car was purchased by me for our family with my husband Gregory as a co-signer.

That being said I would like to tell you about our experience thus so far. I am very upset with the car that we bought and the service we've received.

I just made the first payment on the 2007 Mazdaspeed3. I was going home from work on March 15th and the motor seized. We just had changed the oil per the recommended schedule, but other than that, we have not had the car long enough to have other services performed.

I called Mazda Roadside Service and they informed me that my car was still covered and they sent a tow truck immediately. I had the car towed to North Park. I called the service department the next day to see if they had gotten a chance to look at the car. They didn't. That's ok because, having worked in a dealer service department before, I know it can get busy.

My disappointment began when I called several times over the next few days trying to get a status update and my calls were not taken by my service adviser. I finally had to drive to the dealership before work on the 19th just to be able to speak to someone. I was told that I would be put in a loaner car over the weekend, that the regional Mazda rep had to come out to inspect the car before the authorization for a motor would be given.

I have been calling daily for an update and have received no return call. I even went to the dealership a second time on the 24th to no avail again. I had the service receptionist leave my service adviser, Marshall, a note to call me back asap. No return call to date.

I was assured that after the situation with another North Park customer (who owns a Mazda 3 and had to have the motor replaced) that the service department was upping their service level. I would think that after the bad publicity received after that incident, customer relations would be handled more diligently, but apparently not in my case.

I realize that I am dealing with two entities here, North Park and MNAO. I am telling you this regarding the service I have received and the poor quality of the pre-certified car I bought. I take care of my children at home through the day and work until midnight. I do not have the time to go to the dealership and seek out my service adviser.

I was told this car had the remainder of a 60,000 Mile drivetrain warranty when I bought it. This should cover an internal engine catastrophic failure. Please assist in resolving this situation. It would not be good for dealership to get a black mark in the public eye about a newly purchased car with only 58,000 miles that had the motor seize and was NOT covered under warranty as due.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Diana Stevens
United States Air Force

I did put my contact info but took it out here.

Here's the story on the guy I referenced that had to have his motor replaced:

http://www.kens5.com/news/consumer/...responding-to-mans-car-troubles-83581177.html

The poor guy was given the run around for 3 mos then contacted the new. I like the positive spin they put on it. The things you don't hear about is the fact that the guy was given the run around about his motor install and his car was hit while in the shop!! heads fkin ROLLED over this because the dealer owner does NOT want bad press.

So the service manager called me within an hour, apologized profusely for the service adviser's lack of communication and said he will personally be handling my case from that point forward. He also said that regardless of if Mazda denies warranty on my car, that the dealer will pay for it (better had, it's certified pre-owned). He also said as soon as we got off the phone he ordered the motor. I asked that for the inconvenience, that they fix the radio media input.

We'll see how things go...

Wow, horrible to see this happen, but I guess the timing of the event is a bit of a silver lining. And if you get a completely new motor, as you should, then hell- you're better off than when you bought the car. You'll not only have a brand spanking new motor, but you'll have the peace of mind of knowing it hasn't been modded.

Everybody sing along... "Always look on the bright side of life..."

trOOf and LOL @ Life of Brian vid!!!!

 

[bazooka joe]

wishing you the best diana!

 

[Mazdaspeedgirl]

wishing you the best diana!

Thanks maing! long time no talk

 

[khoney]

...(and don't even go there about my being a female and it being a manual transmission.. i've probably been driving manuals for longer than you've been walking ).

I had no intention of going there - you obviously know your rotary stuff

And, I've been walking for 47 years, and driving a stick for 32. If you've been doing it longer, you should be MazdaspeedOldLady

 

[R-X-R]

another unhappy owner. this sucks.,.,

 

[khoney]

Sorry to hear of your woes, Diana. I had both of my motors replaced at North Park, and they were great - but that was over a year ago. My more recent dealings have not been so great, and my favorite service advisor, Patrick Walsh, left for another dealership. He was always very customer-oriented and took great care of me. Maybe he saw some changes going on that he didn't like.