Mazda peeps really don't know what they are talking about

[VinnieBeachbum]

Sooo I broke my rear drivers side axle AND I sheared a bolt on the DIFF. They said it was due to abuse and that I should turn DSC off.

Well both times my axle broke DSC WAS turned off.

And they saw the CAI and assumed I am a street racer.

AND I didn't clear the codes so they saw an overboost condition. BLAH stupid me. They took pictures of the CAI and the broken s*** on the drivetrain and were dropping thoughts about voided warranty. Like an intake can cause so much more torque that it can break the axle. Any thoughts whatI should do?
They say they are replacing the axle under "good will" but if they can't back the sheared bolt out then they have to ask again. I really hope all works out. <sigh>

 

[MUSOM]

Ah hell! You know the rules. They have to PROVE without reasonable doubt, that the BOV and CAI directly caused the "broken s***". Not sure how much bank it would cost without warranty, but you could always spit law terms out. I would quote the direct statement and force them to prove them you wrong. Sounds like a tough battle. Thought about taking it to another dealership??? I know there has to be other dealerships that wouldn't question the work.

 

[VinnieBeachbum]

Yah i thought about it. But do they keep in contact with each other?

 

[MUSOM]

Yah i thought about it. But do they keep in contact with each other?

The only concern I would have with that, is if the first dealership you took your ride to physically called the MAZDA warranty company. If they did, then the mazda warranty company would surely recognize the problem as more than irony when the second manufacturer places the same call. If I was you....I'd try to best to sweet talk the guys at the first dealership. They did say that they would fix the axle. Find out how much it would be to reaplace the bolt and see if it would even be worth it to haggle or b**** about warranty coverage. Let me know what you find out. I'm kinda interested to know (just in case this ever may happen to me....knock on wood).

 

[Killer]

How did you break it and get the overboost code?

 

[VinnieBeachbum]

overboost code was with the boost controller boostin 16 lbs till 5.8k and taper to 10-12 ish till R/L. I think they are trying to get me to admit like I was street racing or something. Which I don't. I got on it from a red light and THUMP! you hear something right below the back seat hit the chassis and the front tires start spinning.

 

[skylinemonster]

overboost code was with the boost controller boostin 16 lbs till 5.8k and taper to 10-12 ish till R/L. I think they are trying to get me to admit like I was street racing or something. Which I don't. I got on it from a red light and THUMP! you hear something right below the back seat hit the chassis and the front tires start spinning.

are you sure that you did not dump the clutch doing a classic awd launch pegging her at 5-6k and RELEASE. i sure hope not. a rear differential and drive axle are large pieces, and even better they are large pieces made out of metal, so they are not known to be weak components. i drive my speed 6 every day like I stole it and it does nothing but reward me for it. i have almost 25k miles on it and i've know guys who have less than 10k going on their 4th clutches. you have to know how to handle her. shift perfect. fully press in the clutch to the floor on every shift. match the friction point perfectly. don't ride the clutch. and most importantly dont dump the clutch EVER. I read alot of issues on these forums and with my last car, which was an evo8, i read many more. the speed 6 is more difficult to drive than most cars because of the immediate engagement point. but you should never really need to adjust anything, just adapt to it. learn it and perfect it is what i always say. my 2 cents.

 

[VinnieBeachbum]

thanks man. Although I have driven clutch for 10+ years now, this clutch is new to me. But believe me when I say I never EVER dump the clutch. If you look on ********** there is a sticky with these kind of problems. The sheared bolt is one that needs to be beefed up. A mazda corp rep came out and did that for one of those guys.The axle is more or less my fault. the tyres are getting low on tread and maybe all 4 wheels spun. <shrugs> But the point is they don't know what they are talking about. Telling me I broke it cause I launched it with DSC on. Like I would drive alittle more aggressively with DSC on!!! haha they don't know what they are talking about

 

[crashkelly]

Ah hell! You know the rules. They have to PROVE without reasonable doubt, that the BOV and CAI directly caused the "broken s***". Not sure how much bank it would cost without warranty, but you could always spit law terms out. I would quote the direct statement and force them to prove them you wrong. Sounds like a tough battle. Thought about taking it to another dealership??? I know there has to be other dealerships that wouldn't question the work.

Dude i wish i was where you are because anytime i had a car that was modded with a prob the warranty has been voided whether it had anything to do with the problem or not...They can always easily say that you messed with the stock engineering and that is the cause for whatever you broke. They dont have to prove s*** really...fact is you changed the specs on the car and the warranty is based on factory specs.

 

[VinnieBeachbum]

Some people get good results from different opinions

 

[Hate]

Dude i wish i was where you are because anytime i had a car that was modded with a prob the warranty has been voided whether it had anything to do with the problem or not...They can always easily say that you messed with the stock engineering and that is the cause for whatever you broke. They dont have to prove s*** really...fact is you changed the specs on the car and the warranty is based on factory specs.

Factory warranty can't get away with that. Well, they can if you let them. If your stereo breaks, they can't blame it on your intake. I remember seeing in my IS300 manual a section addressing this. They said that if the modification directly caused xxx part to fail, then xxx part wasn't covered under factory warranty. Also if a factory part causes xxx mod to fail, they also weren't liable. (I honestly didn't read the manual for the speed6, other than looking for ways to turn off the damn seatbeat chime.) They can't just give a visual and say opps intake, warranty voided! I don't think that's just Toyota. Or at least I hope not, because if so, I bought the wrong car.

 

[Afroman]

It sounds like you have more than just a CAI. You even mentioned you are manually controlling your boost pressure. If the dealer saw a manual boost controller I am sure they would flip. Once they see something like that, its now your word against theirs. You have to prove you didnt overboost it on purpose... and thats a hard sell.

Did you have it towed directly to the dealer, after you broke down?

If you had it at home before you went to the dealer then you really shot yourself in the foot. By now everyone knows that before you try to make any warrenty claims, you have to put it back to stock before you go to the dealer. Otherwise you'll end up in a pissing match with the dealer over your mods.

 

[Hate]

It sounds like you have more than just a CAI. You even mentioned you are manually controlling your boost pressure. If the dealer saw a manual boost controller I am sure they would flip. Once they see something like that, its now your word against theirs. You have to prove you didnt overboost it on purpose... and thats a hard sell.

Did you have it towed directly to the dealer, after you broke down?

If you had it at home before you went to the dealer then you really shot yourself in the foot. By now everyone knows that before you try to make any warrenty claims, you have to put it back to stock before you go to the dealer. Otherwise you'll end up in a pissing match with the dealer over your mods.

Good catch, didn't see the boost controller. That would be a bad thing in this situation.

 

[BOOSTR]

Warranty companies just like any other type of insurer have a 3 step approach to dealing with situations like this. Delay, Deny, Defend. They hope that the claimant will roll over and go away. You just have to have the will to stick it out and fight tactfully when pushed to that point. If necessary take it to the court system. Sometimes that is the only thing that they understand.

 

[dread]

that sucks man, I hope you can work this out, I have heard of way too many people with voided warranties, which was never a problem in the mazda 3 community. i am going to be very carefull with my selection of mods for my ms3 and always clear the ecu before going to the dealer.

 

[Hambino]

I know how you feel. I've blown engines, transmissions, and more and tried to pass them off on warranty. At some point you'll have to really own up to your driving style and the abuse you may or may not of inflicted on your vehicle. Aftermarket parts void warranties, says so on the contract you signed when you bought the car. Good luck on sorting it all out.

 

[Afroman]

Warranty companies just like any other type of insurer have a 3 step approach to dealing with situations like this. Delay, Deny, Defend. They hope that the claimant will roll over and go away. You just have to have the will to stick it out and fight tactfully when pushed to that point. If necessary take it to the court system. Sometimes that is the only thing that they understand.

Thats why you have to come prepared. You cant just roll up to the Dealership with mods on your car and expect them to treat you like everyone else.

Remeber warrenty work = money out of their pocket. Re-embursed or not any additional free labor/parts on a car they sold comes out of the companies pocket. Which reduces the already pitiful profits they make on car sales.

If someone came up to you and gave you a lame excuse for wanting money, I bet that you wouldnt just fork it over without any questions. Thats what the dealership is doing. Covering their bases before they hand over some free parts and service.

Its just like buying a car or a house .... you HAVE to play the game correctly if you want the best results.