Anyone else replacing their clutch?
10-30-2004, 10:51 AM
#26
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just wanted to say something
i have 26,000 miles and my clutch is about gone. it slips all the time ect. i have had problems with my clutch at 10,000 miles and tehy said its normal but now since i have 26,000 miles they want to charge me 800 for a new clutch. not including labor.
10-30-2004, 05:39 PM
#27
Originally Posted by Gomez
Hymee, the most reasonable explanation for a clutch to wear down to the rivets in 30000km's is abuse, is it not? We shouldn't jump down Mazda's throat everytime something unusual happens. It could be a dodgy batch of friction material, but that would be pretty unlikely. Some guys in the States have had premature clutch failure, but they have reported fractured plates and broken springs....not excessive wear. And we know how cheap the car is over there, these failures are mostly reported by teenage owners....
I don't know, maybe aus rx8 lives at the bottom of a very steep driveway and he slips the daylights out of the thing everyday backing it up the drive....maybe his wife has never driven a manual before, maybe his son takes it out and impresses his mates. Or maybe it the dealership practised more than oil changes prior to delivery.....something isn't right.
Can you shed any light on your driving habits aus rx8? You haven't told us anything about how the car has been treated. You did say you thought a Lotus was "practical" :D. Well, an Elise is practical for a race car....
Gomez.
I don't know, maybe aus rx8 lives at the bottom of a very steep driveway and he slips the daylights out of the thing everyday backing it up the drive....maybe his wife has never driven a manual before, maybe his son takes it out and impresses his mates. Or maybe it the dealership practised more than oil changes prior to delivery.....something isn't right.
Can you shed any light on your driving habits aus rx8? You haven't told us anything about how the car has been treated. You did say you thought a Lotus was "practical" :D. Well, an Elise is practical for a race car....
Gomez.
I reckon they would/should be designed to last at least double that.
Cheers,
Hymee.
10-30-2004, 06:30 PM
#28
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Originally Posted by eclps0
i have 26,000 miles and my clutch is about gone. it slips all the time ect. i have had problems with my clutch at 10,000 miles and tehy said its normal but now since i have 26,000 miles they want to charge me 800 for a new clutch. not including labor.
Gomez.
10-30-2004, 11:01 PM
#29
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Naturally driving style and my treatment of the car are purely subjective. I can only say that in my opinion I am not particularly hard on my vehicle. I do not have a steep driveway and I don't spend my time slipping the clutch. I don't have children and my wife would have only driven the car on about ten occasions. Many of the kms clocked up were driving back and forth to Canberra and as many of you would know you sit in 6th most of the way. The car has spent no time on the track and I still have a licence without demerits. My car has been serviced at the same dealership since new with scheduled services as well as additional oil changes between.
I am not the sort of customer that complains at the smallest problem and expects things for free. I put down a non refundable deposit on the car 7 months before delivery. When the car came in I was in a business meeting in Wagga. So that the salemen could meet his figures for July, I drove a rental car back to Sydney ( I had flown to Wagga) that night signed the papers in the morning the got back in the rental car to drive that day to a meeting in Griffith. I am hardly the sort who has neglected any details needed on the car.
My frustration has to a large extent stemmed from the way the situation has been handled, and it was topped off by the fact that when I picked up the car, found that the new clutch felt so different and had the service advisor take it for a drive. He came out got in, pumped the pedal said that it felt fine to him, started the engine then floored it as he accelerated up the road with me in the passenger seat, made a number of juddering gear changes with the comment, "sorry I haven't driven a manual for a while". He hadn't even let the engine warm up for this "examination". This is the person who tells me that it must be my driving style which has caused the clutch to wear. Did I say something to him at the time, no., and I realise that this was an error on my part. I am typically a very patient man and I had just paid a $2500 bill where his comment before running me through it was " Let me show you the total so that you can get over the shock first". It is all of these factors that I will be discussing with his manager on Monday when I return to have the rattle that was meant to have been fixed, actually fixed.
It is not as if my bill is on an account and I am stubbornly refusing to pay. If the fault lies with me then I will put it down to experience and move on. I started this thread to see if anyone else had this problem, and either I have treated my car significantly worse than anyone else in the country or there is the possibility that some portion of the fault may lie with my car.
I am not the sort of customer that complains at the smallest problem and expects things for free. I put down a non refundable deposit on the car 7 months before delivery. When the car came in I was in a business meeting in Wagga. So that the salemen could meet his figures for July, I drove a rental car back to Sydney ( I had flown to Wagga) that night signed the papers in the morning the got back in the rental car to drive that day to a meeting in Griffith. I am hardly the sort who has neglected any details needed on the car.
My frustration has to a large extent stemmed from the way the situation has been handled, and it was topped off by the fact that when I picked up the car, found that the new clutch felt so different and had the service advisor take it for a drive. He came out got in, pumped the pedal said that it felt fine to him, started the engine then floored it as he accelerated up the road with me in the passenger seat, made a number of juddering gear changes with the comment, "sorry I haven't driven a manual for a while". He hadn't even let the engine warm up for this "examination". This is the person who tells me that it must be my driving style which has caused the clutch to wear. Did I say something to him at the time, no., and I realise that this was an error on my part. I am typically a very patient man and I had just paid a $2500 bill where his comment before running me through it was " Let me show you the total so that you can get over the shock first". It is all of these factors that I will be discussing with his manager on Monday when I return to have the rattle that was meant to have been fixed, actually fixed.
It is not as if my bill is on an account and I am stubbornly refusing to pay. If the fault lies with me then I will put it down to experience and move on. I started this thread to see if anyone else had this problem, and either I have treated my car significantly worse than anyone else in the country or there is the possibility that some portion of the fault may lie with my car.
10-31-2004, 01:22 AM
#30
trust me..this wont hurt
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I think courteous business practice would have been to tell you how much it would cost before the job was done. This way you could have gone to your friendly (non-mazda dealership) mechanic to get the job done at realistic prices.
$800 labour for a clutch is beyond reasonable and I'm sure consumer affairs would like to know of such a rip-off. If I could only charge so much for my labour I'd be retired before the end of the week.
Wondering if they included the sump replacement in tghe labour time you were charged for.
$800 labour for a clutch is beyond reasonable and I'm sure consumer affairs would like to know of such a rip-off. If I could only charge so much for my labour I'd be retired before the end of the week.
Wondering if they included the sump replacement in tghe labour time you were charged for.
10-31-2004, 02:19 AM
#31
aus rx8,
You have given a very resonable description of your feelings and driving technique. I would be now demanding an new engine and clutch for free as it has been abused in the hands of someone who should know better, but didn't. FFS, some things really irritate me about how some people think they can treat motoring enthusiasts, and the public in general.
Cheers,
Hymee.
You have given a very resonable description of your feelings and driving technique. I would be now demanding an new engine and clutch for free as it has been abused in the hands of someone who should know better, but didn't. FFS, some things really irritate me about how some people think they can treat motoring enthusiasts, and the public in general.
Cheers,
Hymee.
10-31-2004, 02:26 AM
#32
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Originally Posted by aus rx8
Naturally driving style and my treatment of the car are purely subjective. I can only say that in my opinion I am not particularly hard on my vehicle. I do not have a steep driveway and I don't spend my time slipping the clutch. I don't have children and my wife would have only driven the car on about ten occasions. Many of the kms clocked up were driving back and forth to Canberra and as many of you would know you sit in 6th most of the way. The car has spent no time on the track and I still have a licence without demerits. My car has been serviced at the same dealership since new with scheduled services as well as additional oil changes between.
Good luck with the manager , I wish you all the best.
Gomez.
10-31-2004, 02:36 AM
#33
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Maybe we should have a shame thread as a sticky where we cna post our bad experiences with mazda dealerships.
I have owned 4 Mazda's over the last nine years (in fact I've only ever owned mazdas) for my next car I'll be looking for a different manufacturer (unless the RX7 does get into production and is an absolute ball tearer), my last dealings with a Mazda dealership (paradise mazda) were woeful, infact after having an argument with them i had asked them to remove my details from their database. Two weeks later I get a call from Paradise to bring my 8 in......naturally I gave them abit of an earbashing.
I have owned 4 Mazda's over the last nine years (in fact I've only ever owned mazdas) for my next car I'll be looking for a different manufacturer (unless the RX7 does get into production and is an absolute ball tearer), my last dealings with a Mazda dealership (paradise mazda) were woeful, infact after having an argument with them i had asked them to remove my details from their database. Two weeks later I get a call from Paradise to bring my 8 in......naturally I gave them abit of an earbashing.
10-31-2004, 04:57 AM
#34
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Originally Posted by Gomez
So now we have two people who have yet to describe their driving history with respect to their early clutch failure. Ecips0.... fess up....are you hard on the car?
Gomez.
Gomez.
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/i-have-12-200-miles-i-need-new-tires-already-what-do-u-guys-think-19398/
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...697#post573697
10-31-2004, 06:06 PM
#37
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Originally Posted by Hymee
Yeah - it was funny. But dropping the clutch wan't neccessarily wear the friction linings out. It will normally cause premature failure of the pressure plate / diaphram. Slipping the clutch would wear out the clutch plate.
Cheers,
Hymee.
Cheers,
Hymee.
Originally Posted by eclps0
i race it drop the clutch ect The most rubber i have ever left was about 50 ft. so i burned up my tires from spirited driving.
This is from a thread he started called, "I have 12200 miles and I need new tyres already what do u guys think". Note, the quote below was posted one day after the one above, so I wouldn't believe the "I don't drive like an ******* " bit....
Originally Posted by eclps0
First I don't drive like an *******, and I had my tires rotated twice. I auto X my car and raced it at the track that's why I have no tires so don't call me an ******* if you don't know the circumstances. For example when you race a car you drop the clutch. IF you need anymore help with this concept of dropping the clutch I can give you a more detailed example if you need it.
Originally Posted by eclps0
On my stock tires i had them replaced at 18,000 miles with BF goodridge KDW2 245 40 18. I love the new tires
On the stock tires the metal spokes were showing which was pretty dangerous i know but damm was it fun in an empty parking lot when it was wet out. once i was driving home and i took a turn and the rear end will slide out and i would power out of the turn wow that was fun. well Around 15,000 miles i noticed how bad they were getting and while i was driving home i hit a big puddle and did about 720 aross 4 lanes at 2:00 am in the morning from the day i would not drive unless it was drive out.
But now with my new tires i have done about 10 burnouts, and an hour of drifting and 360s and i have at least another 20,000 or more miles left..... did i say how much i love thease tires. :D
On the stock tires the metal spokes were showing which was pretty dangerous i know but damm was it fun in an empty parking lot when it was wet out. once i was driving home and i took a turn and the rear end will slide out and i would power out of the turn wow that was fun. well Around 15,000 miles i noticed how bad they were getting and while i was driving home i hit a big puddle and did about 720 aross 4 lanes at 2:00 am in the morning from the day i would not drive unless it was drive out.
But now with my new tires i have done about 10 burnouts, and an hour of drifting and 360s and i have at least another 20,000 or more miles left..... did i say how much i love thease tires. :D
Here's one Brothervoodoo didn't link....
Originally Posted by eclps0
because how im driving my car my tires might last till 20,000 miles
I have 9600. I love taking theis turnoff by my house leagal speed is 25 i go 70-75 around it its great and it can keep going and going.I once got it up to 83 but the stock tires cant handle any more than that. ( i do this really late at night when no cars are around) Im hoping with the bigger sticker tires i can go higher. I am also thinking of getting etheir front and rear sway bars or i might get an intake first? dont knwo what to do.
I have 9600. I love taking theis turnoff by my house leagal speed is 25 i go 70-75 around it its great and it can keep going and going.I once got it up to 83 but the stock tires cant handle any more than that. ( i do this really late at night when no cars are around) Im hoping with the bigger sticker tires i can go higher. I am also thinking of getting etheir front and rear sway bars or i might get an intake first? dont knwo what to do.
Gomez.
10-31-2004, 06:36 PM
#39
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Agree , 'mez -- eclps0 has nothing to complain about, given all his claims. But, getting back to the creator of this thread, aus rx8, I don't hear any evidence of abuse from him, and the whole treatment of the incident by his dealer seems pretty poor. It needs to be pursued.
Tim
Tim
10-31-2004, 08:38 PM
#41
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I am very curious about the dealership too.
Aus RX8 if you want I can get you in contact with the NSW technical manager. He is a really nice guy that I have met a number of times at track days and at the motor show. I think he would be very interested to find out about your car.
Let me know either via PM or through here if you want his details.....however I do want to know the dealership just incase it is my one.
Aus RX8 if you want I can get you in contact with the NSW technical manager. He is a really nice guy that I have met a number of times at track days and at the motor show. I think he would be very interested to find out about your car.
Let me know either via PM or through here if you want his details.....however I do want to know the dealership just incase it is my one.
11-01-2004, 12:08 AM
#43
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How about AMG's suggestion that we have a sticky relating to dealerships where comments about satisfactory and unsatisfactory sales and service can be recorded? The Americans have a spot in their section of this forum for such comments and it's often interesting reading.
Am I the only one interested in this proposition?
Am I the only one interested in this proposition?
11-01-2004, 04:06 AM
#44
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Hi Guys
I met with the service manager today. He appreciated my comments regarding my frustrations with the service advisor and apologised that this had occurred and said that he would follow up.
Concerning my clutch, he brought the part out and explained that there was no sign of abnormal wear and if there was a pressure plate failure the wear would have been uneven around the disc. Given this he did not think that it was likely MA would see it as anything except wear through use. I am not a mechanic and I can only take him at his word. He gave me a number to call at MA to address my concerns and said that he would follow up at his end when my comments came through. I also now have the clutch, pressure plate? (has fins on it), and the other removed parts. If the problem was a fault with the clutch, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might prove it?
As far as paying full retail for the part and the total cost of labour, he has told me that he would follow up with his superiors and try and see what could be done.
I guess its back onto the phone tomorrow and a matter of waiting to see if my dealership decides that is worth retaining a good customer.
He also admitted that they had replaced the sump for a second time. Apparently MA called them today and asked why it was done twice. Maybe its kharma, MA is telling them that they wont cover the costs of the repair and they will have to wear it. Seems that MA sent them a list of chassis numbers that required the change and they just plugged them into the computer to be spat out when one of those cars showed up for service. The glitch occured as I had reported the oil light issues which had contributed to the service bulletin release in the first place. Thus my first repair was done on request rather than as part of the bulletin. With a new advisor handling my service this time, the double up was not noticed.
Also, a new passenger side mirror trim has been ordered as this was found to be causing the rattle.
I have to say that I am torn when it comes to naming names. I appreciate that you want to know which dealership it is however I don't want to damn them as I had been happy with their service in the past and there is still the possibility, albeit slight, that they might come through for me.
Thanks for the offer Gibbo, I wil let you know if I need his number.
To look at the bright side...........
God my car is driving well at the moment, engine is singing and gear changes precise. Things could always be worse and you just have to read the post by tonym about his used to be RX8 to appreciate that.
I will keep you all posted on what eventuates
Kind Regards
Patrick
I met with the service manager today. He appreciated my comments regarding my frustrations with the service advisor and apologised that this had occurred and said that he would follow up.
Concerning my clutch, he brought the part out and explained that there was no sign of abnormal wear and if there was a pressure plate failure the wear would have been uneven around the disc. Given this he did not think that it was likely MA would see it as anything except wear through use. I am not a mechanic and I can only take him at his word. He gave me a number to call at MA to address my concerns and said that he would follow up at his end when my comments came through. I also now have the clutch, pressure plate? (has fins on it), and the other removed parts. If the problem was a fault with the clutch, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might prove it?
As far as paying full retail for the part and the total cost of labour, he has told me that he would follow up with his superiors and try and see what could be done.
I guess its back onto the phone tomorrow and a matter of waiting to see if my dealership decides that is worth retaining a good customer.
He also admitted that they had replaced the sump for a second time. Apparently MA called them today and asked why it was done twice. Maybe its kharma, MA is telling them that they wont cover the costs of the repair and they will have to wear it. Seems that MA sent them a list of chassis numbers that required the change and they just plugged them into the computer to be spat out when one of those cars showed up for service. The glitch occured as I had reported the oil light issues which had contributed to the service bulletin release in the first place. Thus my first repair was done on request rather than as part of the bulletin. With a new advisor handling my service this time, the double up was not noticed.
Also, a new passenger side mirror trim has been ordered as this was found to be causing the rattle.
I have to say that I am torn when it comes to naming names. I appreciate that you want to know which dealership it is however I don't want to damn them as I had been happy with their service in the past and there is still the possibility, albeit slight, that they might come through for me.
Thanks for the offer Gibbo, I wil let you know if I need his number.
To look at the bright side...........
God my car is driving well at the moment, engine is singing and gear changes precise. Things could always be worse and you just have to read the post by tonym about his used to be RX8 to appreciate that.
I will keep you all posted on what eventuates
Kind Regards
Patrick
11-01-2004, 04:17 AM
#45
Shifty Bastard.
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Patrick, here's a photo of a members clutch and pressure plate that lasted a week and let go for no apparent reason. You can read all about Slims8 saga in the Tech Garage area of the forum.....
Gomez.
Gomez.
11-01-2004, 04:26 AM
#46
If there is no abnormal wear, why is the clutch not working properly???
I think we can safely say that normal wear on the clutch would still leave it in operating condition after 30,000 km??? Mine is still perfectly operational at 38500km.
Cheers,
Hymee.
I think we can safely say that normal wear on the clutch would still leave it in operating condition after 30,000 km??? Mine is still perfectly operational at 38500km.
Cheers,
Hymee.
11-01-2004, 04:33 AM
#47
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Hymee, I think they are pointing out that the wear is consistant with normal use, and not an abnormal clutch plate failure. IE, Patrick (according to the dealer) is just hard on his clutch....
11-01-2004, 04:51 AM
#48
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would you not think he would have changed his tyres at least twice in the same period if his driving style is such that he could destroy his clutch within 30,000Km.
11-01-2004, 04:01 PM
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I would be fighting it fot sure. My last car was a GENIII SS. I had problem after problem after problem with it. 12 pages of problems in 3 years. 3 of the most major was a new engine, new diff and new clutch.
I will dwell on the clutch issue for a moment. I was having a spirited challenge for pole position from the M2 toll gates with a done up 200sx when I shifted to second and planted the foot. Well the centre of the clutch gave way and bang, no more go forward.
I had it towed to holden and they initially called it vehicle abuse and that it was not covered by warranty. Whilst it "may" have been hard driving, that is what the sports models are designed for. If I wanted to drive it sedately I would have bought the executive auto.
Well you may ask what has this got to do with me, the dealer will automatically deny product liability, this is policy. I would threaten legal action, especially with recent court case that ruled the HSV a man bought was a lemon and gave him a refund. Currently I believe that dealers would be concerened with this ruling, I would threaten to take this further because if it were me I don't give a crap whether I sat in one spot and put the 30,000km on boing a burn out. There is no way this car should do a clutch, especially not with the limited power it has. If you have not driven arund with your left foot resting on the clutch pedal depressing it slightly then I would be calling the dealer and inform them that you will will be taking this matter up with the department of consumer affairs and the motor dealers ombudsman because a $60,000 car should never have a major component failure like this within 30,000km regardless of what they say.
I will dwell on the clutch issue for a moment. I was having a spirited challenge for pole position from the M2 toll gates with a done up 200sx when I shifted to second and planted the foot. Well the centre of the clutch gave way and bang, no more go forward.
I had it towed to holden and they initially called it vehicle abuse and that it was not covered by warranty. Whilst it "may" have been hard driving, that is what the sports models are designed for. If I wanted to drive it sedately I would have bought the executive auto.
Well you may ask what has this got to do with me, the dealer will automatically deny product liability, this is policy. I would threaten legal action, especially with recent court case that ruled the HSV a man bought was a lemon and gave him a refund. Currently I believe that dealers would be concerened with this ruling, I would threaten to take this further because if it were me I don't give a crap whether I sat in one spot and put the 30,000km on boing a burn out. There is no way this car should do a clutch, especially not with the limited power it has. If you have not driven arund with your left foot resting on the clutch pedal depressing it slightly then I would be calling the dealer and inform them that you will will be taking this matter up with the department of consumer affairs and the motor dealers ombudsman because a $60,000 car should never have a major component failure like this within 30,000km regardless of what they say.