Need some advice

[ONRAILS]

I have a 2006 Mazdaspeed 6.

Hey guys, I was wondering if I could get some advice.
A few days ago I noticed a knocking sound from the rear so I took it in to the dealership to get it fixed. I have 47k miles on the car, so I still have 3k left before the warranty is up. In addition to the knock, I noticed some grease spots on the inside of the wheel so I asked him to also take a look at the CV boot for leaks (they've replaced it twice already). So all in all I was told that they will replace the front axle (for the grease spots) under warranty, and the knock is from the diff brace that had both the bolts sheered off, not covered under warranty (because I modified the car, with aftermarket springs according to Mazda). Of course, the latter is the expensive fix $1000 to drill and tap to bolts off and replace with new bolts.
I asked him if the car could be driven for a bit with the bolts the way they are, and he told me that I would risk the whole rear end falling off. Is that accurate? He quoted 8.8hrs @ $96hr for labor. Does that seem excessive? I want to go ahead and get the SU Upgraded diff brace, thats a given. Should I take the car to a non-mazda shop to see if they could do it cheaper?
Thanks!

 

[Wagonbacker9]

$96 seems high for a shop rate...

 

[Evolved]

Wait a second.....they're saying that since the car was lowered that the bolts holding the diff brace on sheered???

 

[Wagonbacker9]

Wait a second.....they're saying that since the car was lowered that the bolts holding the diff brace on sheered???

technically, you can't say they're unrelated... extra drivetrain stress... its a stretch, but you won't get a court ruling in your favor.

 

[CorkSport]

Mazdaspeed sells accessory lowering springs for the Mazda 6. You should be able to use that in your defense.

-Derrick

 

[tunersteve]

bulls***, you need to go in and talk with the service manager. They have to prove that your springs caused that diff. brace to fail.

In all honesty, if they won't replace it with the OEM one, pick up the SU or CP-e brace, then find a reputable shop to throw that in. If you're considering the rear sway bar, pick up one of those and do it at the same time. I'm sure a mechanic won't charge you more than $200-250 to do both.

 

[NCZ13]

96$ is the standard dealer shop rate.

since its not warranty, mazda isnt determining it takes 8.8 hours to do that job, they are probably using a system like Alldata.

 

[ONRAILS]

Well, I have two options now. One, I called my local speed shop and he told me he could take care of it for a fraction of the cost Mazda will charge, and I would have him put in the stiffer brace. Or... I can put the stock springs back on, and try a different dealership. What do you think?

 

[coyfish]

Pop the stockers in and take it to a different dealership if you haven't been flagged would be my route. Your aftermarket springs shouldn't have caused that damage but it is . . . "sort of related" so arguing may be more difficult.

 

[ONRAILS]

Well, I had a local speed shop fix it. They charged me $650 (Better than the $1000 that Mazda was charging). It addition, they used higher grade bolts.

 

[Blendercloud]

Well, I had a local speed shop fix it. They charged me $650 (Better than the $1000 that Mazda was charging). It addition, they used higher grade bolts.

I'm glad you got it fixed, but you still overpaid unfortunately. There's no reason for a shop to charge $650 to drill out and re-tap (and eventually replace) those bolts and bolt holes. I'm talking $300 max.

 

[desertmike680]

ONRAILS,
glad to see you have the new Maryland License plates. I'm from Towson and now living in Vegas for the past 3 years. Random I know.